"A comrade from Xingdong's unit called, saying Xingdong was slightly injured and had no one to look after him in the hospital, so he wanted me to go over," Chen Lishu said, downplaying the situation to avoid her worrying.
Upon hearing that Gu Xingdong was injured, Gu Xingping immediately grew anxious, "My third brother is injured? Where is he hurt? Is it serious?"
Chen Lishu shook her head. "The person on the phone said it was just a minor leg injury. I'll know the specifics once I get there. I'll head to town later to catch the night bus. Can you let Mom and Dad know when they get back?"
Besides the midday bus, the only other bus from town to the provincial capital departed after three in the morning. Chen Lishu couldn't wait until noon tomorrow. If circumstances allowed, she wished she could sprout wings and fly to Gu Xingdong's side right now.
Gu Xingping nodded. "Okay, I'll tell Mom and Dad when they get back. I'll be here at home, third sister-in-law. Don't worry, just go."
Chen Lishu nodded. She didn't have much to pack; most of her belongings were already in town. She would pack whatever else she needed once she got there.
She rode her bicycle to town and prepared the things she needed to bring. Seeing that it was still early, and though she had no appetite, the thought of Gu Xingdong waiting for her in the hospital to take care of him spurred her to rally her spirits and make herself a simple meal.
After eating, she couldn't calm herself waiting at home, so Chen Lishu decided to take her things and head to the station to buy her ticket and wait.
The train was delayed again, by over an hour. It wasn't until past four in the morning that it arrived. Chen Lishu found her seat on the train. After a long, agonizing day and night, Chen Lishu finally disembarked the train just after five the next morning.
...
In a hospital room at the end of the third-floor corridor of a military general hospital in the provincial capital, Gu Xingdong watched the person pushing open the door, his eyes narrowed, and said through gritted teeth, "You still have the nerve to show your face?"
Wu Zheng gave him an awkward smile and placed the breakfast he was holding on the bedside table. "I did it for your own good. You're injured and need someone to look after you. You yourself complained that the nurses were inconvenient, and there are no male nurses, so I..."
"So you took it upon yourself to call my wife? Do you know how young she is? We've only been married a short while, and she's never dealt with anything like this before. What if you scared her?"
"But you can't just hide it from her and suffer yourself, can you? Besides, she needs to adapt somehow."
Gu Xingdong averted his gaze. "I don't need her to adapt." He only wanted her to be well.
"Alright, alright, you're made of iron, aren't you? To make up for it, I'll go to the station to pick her up later."
Gu Xingdong fell silent.
"Knock, knock."
With two knocks, a large head cautiously peeked in. Gu Xingdong saw the furtive movement and frowned, scolding, "Are you trying to steal something? Come in if you're coming, or get out!"
Wu Zheng turned and saw Wang Dazhu. He thought to himself that this was fortunate; with him here, he could help share some of Gu Xingdong's fiery temper.
Scolded, Wang Dazhu straightened his posture and saluted Gu Xingdong. "Report!"
Gu Xingdong glanced at him. "Come in."
Wang Dazhu walked to the bedside and looked at Gu Xingdong's bandaged left leg, his eyes reddening slightly.
"Camp commander, you were injured saving me. My life, Wang Dazhu's life, is owed to you."
As Wang Dazhu spoke, he choked up. Along with his deep gratitude came a profound sense of self-reproach. Only now did he understand the reasoning behind Gu Xingdong's strict training. During combat, time was life; delaying even a second could have fatal consequences.
"It's all my fault that I caused you, camp commander..." Wang Dazhu, a grown man, covered his face and started to cry.
Chen Lishu, having inquired her way there, pushed open the ward door and saw a young soldier in uniform standing with his back to the door, crying by a hospital bed. Wu Zheng, not far away, frowned, his expression also seeming distressed. Her heart sank, and her legs felt weak.
"Sister-in-law, why are you here so early?" Wu Zheng turned his head, surprised to see her enter. "Didn't you have the afternoon train?"
As soon as he spoke, he saw the figure standing at the doorway sway and nearly faint. His expression changed slightly. "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
Chen Lishu shook her head, managed to stand up straight, and hurried to the bedside. Seeing Gu Xingdong lying on the bed with his eyes open, her persistently worried heart finally settled.
Gu Xingdong was very happy to see her, but he still frowned and first scolded Wang Dazhu in front of him. "Alright, stop leaking cat urine, you grown man. If you have the energy, focus it on training so you don't drag me down next time. Go back and tell those brats that training will be doubled while I'm away. I'll check when I return. Go."
"Yes!"
Wang Dazhu, instead of being upset by the scolding, was quite pleased. He wiped his face and, seeing Chen Lishu, grinned and called out, "Hello, sister-in-law!"
Chen Lishu forced a slight smile and nodded at him. Wang Dazhu quickly strode away.
Seeing Wang Dazhu leave, Gu Xingdong smiled at Chen Lishu and patted the space beside his bed. "Sit here."
Chen Lishu didn't listen. She silently turned and sat on a chair by the wall.
Wu Zheng acutely sensed that something was amiss. His wife acted similarly when she was angry with him; silence was the calm before a storm.
Though he didn't know why Chen Lishu was upset, to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Wu Zheng wisely took his leave. "Old Gu, Sister-in-law has things to attend to at her unit. I'll be going now."
As he exited, he thoughtfully closed the door behind them.
"I thought you'd take the noon train. I was planning to have Old Wu pick you up..."
Gu Xingdong trailed off as he spoke, for he acutely sensed that his young wife was not quite right.
Chen Lishu sat dejectedly on the chair. The moment she saw Gu Xingdong, for some reason, the grievance in her heart became unbearable. Seeing that everyone else had left, her eyes welled up, and tears began to fall uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string.
Seeing the damp patch spreading on her chest, Gu Xingdong panicked. Forgetting his leg injury, he quickly got out of bed and rushed to her side. He gently pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, applying slight pressure to make her look up at him.
Upon seeing her tear-filled eyes, a stern expression flashed across Gu Xingdong's usually calm face. "Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
Chen Lishu saw him get out of bed, and her gaze fell upon his blood-stained bandage. She immediately forgot to cry and hurried to help him. "Why did you get out of bed? Hurry and lie back down."
Gu Xingdong didn't move. He gently stroked the corner of her wet lips with his thumb and pressed, "Why are you crying?"
"It's for no reason. I just feel like crying, alright? Hurry back and lie down, your wound has split open!" Chen Lishu was both angry and anxious seeing him not moving, and her tone involuntarily became a bit sharper.