Chapter 83 Everyone is back

Xie Shiyu lay there, his face pale from excessive blood loss, his forehead and arms wrapped in thick bandages, one leg fixed with plaster and hung high. He closed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, and even in his sleep, the lines of fortitude unique to a soldier never relaxed.

Just as Gu Qiuyue staggered to the bed, he suddenly opened his eyes as if he had telepathy.

Despite the pain, those eyes still looked like stars polished by gravel, instantly emitting a scorching light and holding her tightly.

"Yueyue..." His voice was hoarse as if torn by wind and sand, but it carried a power that penetrated the soul. He struggled to raise his uninjured right hand.

Gu Qiuyue tightly grasped the cold hand, and could no longer control the hot tears, which fell on the white bed sheet in big drops, spreading out dark dots.

Her throat was choked with sobs that she couldn't utter a complete syllable. She could only shake her head vigorously and then nod. All her fear, worry, and longing turned into slight tremors in her palms and silent tears.

"Don't be afraid..." Xie Shiyu's fingers clenched very weakly, his eyes locked on her, and he spoke each word clearly: "I'm back... I'm all... back."

This sentence was like a strong light, instantly dispelling the last trace of haze in Gu Qiuyue's heart.

All back!

Her eyes scanned the ward eagerly, and she noticed the communicator, Xiao Liu, sitting in a chair next to her. He looked equally exhausted, but with a smile in his eyes. Xiao Liu nodded vigorously, his voice hoarse with excitement, "Sister-in-law! The deputy led us to hide in an abandoned observation point in the dry river valley. No one was lost, but... the deputy was the most seriously injured."

"It's just a minor injury." Xie Shiyu wanted to force a smile to comfort her, but it pulled the wound at the corner of his mouth, and he took a breath in pain.

Gu Qiuyue's heart was gripped again, and she quickly held him down: "Don't talk! I'm glad you're back... I'm glad you're back..." Thousands of words to say, at this moment, turned into the simplest relief.

In the following days, Gu Qiuyue seemed to be wound up, running back and forth between home and the hospital, busy but extremely fulfilling. Xie Shiyu recovered quickly under the careful treatment and Gu Qiuyue's meticulous care. Although the plaster on his leg still stubbornly announced his injury, he was in much better spirits and even began to read some documents sent by the military academy on his hospital bed.

On a sunny afternoon, the ward welcomed special visitors - the political commissar and Gu Qiuyue's elder brother Gu Qiuhan. Both of them were exhausted, but their faces were filled with satisfaction and pride.

"Comrade Shi Yu!" the political commissar's voice boomed and powerful. "On behalf of the organization, I'm officially informing you: During this field training mission, you remained calm in extremely harsh conditions, exercised command effectively, successfully ensured the safety of all team members, and helped the local police apprehend a criminal organization. Your achievements are outstanding! Your superiors have decided to award you a Second-Class Merit, and the team you lead will be awarded a Third-Class Merit!"

Gu Qiuyue's eyes instantly became hot again. She looked at her husband. Xie Shiyu was just listening calmly with a focused look, as if this great honor fell on his shoulders, first of all, a heavy responsibility.

"Also," Gu Qiuhan added, his tone tinged with a brother's unique pride and a hint of subtle excitement, "After research, the Military Academy Party Committee believes that the tactical prowess, psychological fortitude, and decisiveness you demonstrated this time far exceeded expectations. To meet the talent development needs of the new situation, we have decided to make an exception and promote you to a regimental-level cadre in the Military Science and Technology Teaching and Research Department."

A full regimental commander! Gu Qiuyue was shocked. This meant her husband had entered a new field, which also meant greater responsibility and risk. She looked at Xie Shiyu, who frowned slightly and asked, "Political Commissar, Qiuhan, how are the team members recovering from their injuries?" He always cared about the brothers who fought side by side with him.

"It's all good! They are the ones who really only have minor injuries. You can just focus on healing your own wounds." The political commissar replied with a smile, his eyes full of admiration.

Gu Qiuyue stood aside, looking at her husband's resolute profile, with complex emotions surging in her heart, including pride, heartache, and a deep understanding: Director Li's emphasis on "unified command" and "professional action" was correct, and her husband was the embodiment of this power.

Time flies, the chirping of cicadas outside the window is gradually replaced by the autumn wind, and it is already early September. The summer heat in the capital has not dissipated, but the sycamore leaves in Yanyuan have quietly been inlaid with a light golden edge.

Gu Qiuyue entered her sophomore year. After experiencing a life-or-death wait, she seemed to have been tempered, and her eyes became calmer and more determined.

In class, she eagerly absorbed the knowledge gained from her economics studies. But her pursuits didn't stop there. Sometimes, when she didn't have classes in the afternoon, she would slip into the back of the lecture halls in the Literature or Mechanical Engineering departments, notebook under her arm, to absorb the artistic conception from classical poetry and the intellectual currents from modern literature. Or she would listen intently to courses on mechanical principles and radio, which seemed like incomprehensible texts to her.

She doesn't understand the specific technology, but there are many such manuscripts in the materials she translates, and she has a certain understanding of this knowledge, which is more conducive to the accuracy of her translation.

In addition to studies, translation work has never stopped, and royalties have become a stable source of income in the family account book.

And her pen is no longer satisfied with just conveying other people's thoughts. Late at night, when Xie Shiyu is studying his tactical deductions in the study, Gu Qiuyue spreads out the manuscript paper in front of her desk and begins to try to create.

Recently, Gu Qiuyue went to the library. In addition to reading professional books, she also read some newspapers and magazines to understand the styles of various magazines, which made it easier to submit articles.

Late at night, the light from the desk lamp gently enveloped Gu Qiuyue. She carefully checked the neatly copied manuscript for the last time, her fingertips brushing over each ink word, as if she could feel the heartbeat of the characters in the story.

This novel, which condensed her efforts over countless nights, combined her experiences in Yanyuan and the sparks of inspiration from her previous life, and was carefully placed in a brown paper envelope by her.

On the envelope, she solemnly wrote down the address of the magazine that she had already researched thoroughly. Her heartbeat quickened slightly, with a hint of nervousness of making her first attempt, but more of a determination that broke out from the ground. She picked up the Hero brand fountain pen that Xie Shiyu had bought for her, and wrote the pen name "Qingwu" at the end. The sycamore leaves with gold edges in Yanyuan gave her inspiration, they were tough, upright, and elegant in their own way.

Gently pressing the envelope under the pillow, she stood up and walked to the window. The moonlight outside the window was like water, and the courtyard was quiet.

Submitting a manuscript is just the first step. It is like a stone thrown into a deep pool. No one knows what kind of ripples it will stir up, or whether it will sink silently. But Gu Qiuyue knows that no matter what the result is, that small piece of manuscript paper carries her own voice and desire to express herself that she has found in this era. Just like the belief that her husband has always guarded, it is worth her all her effort to try.

Tomorrow, this letter will embark on a journey, and she will also begin a new journey full of unknowns.