Even if it's inconvenient, is it really inconvenient for her to be alone with her wounds and without anyone to take care of her?

Song Mingqian knew that Lin Banxia was trying to get rid of him, but he was genuinely worried about her.

During the years they were separated, Lin Banxia's parents passed away one after another.

Upon receiving this news, Song Mingqian's first reaction was to think about how sad Lin Banxia must be right now.

First, she lost her daughter, and then she witnessed the deaths of her parents.

How could her thin shoulders withstand such a blow?

Song Mingqian felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it, only regretting that he had already separated from Lin Banxia and couldn't even find a reason to help her.

No matter what, they are our elders, how can we not see them off on their final journey?

Without alerting anyone, and too ashamed to see Lin Banxia, ​​he wore a hat and mask, pretended to be someone else, and discreetly went to pay his respects.

Lin Banxia was an only child, and at night she could only kneel alone in the mourning shed to keep vigil.

Her frail body, wrapped in mourning clothes, appeared even more fragile and on the verge of collapse.

She had been crying so much these past few days that her eyelids were slightly red and swollen, and her eyes were always wet, as if they were constantly brimming with tears.

Some people couldn't stand it and came over to offer her some advice.

"Banxia, ​​you haven't rested much these past few days. If this continues, your body won't be able to hold up. Why don't we take over for you today so you can go back and get some rest?"

Lin Banxia shook her head, forcing a smile, and politely declined the other party's offer.

"Thank you, but it's not necessary. It's fine if the children keep watch over them. I'm their only daughter, and all I can do is to fulfill my filial duty to them in the end."

Unable to persuade her otherwise, the only thing they could do was find her some soft cushions so she could kneel more comfortably.

Lin Banxia maintained a polite smile throughout.

It wasn't until late at night, when everyone had left, that her stiff back finally hunched over.

She lay on the mat, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Dad, Mom, it's my fault for being unfilial. I'm sorry that you couldn't see your granddaughter one last time before you passed away."

"Dad, Mom, now that you're gone, I'm all alone in this world."

The sobbing carried far on the wind, and Song Mingqian, who stood behind Lin Banxia and watched her silently, felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

"It's not your fault, it's my incompetence that I failed to protect you and your daughter."

He stood in a corner where no one could see him, facing the direction of the mourning hall, and knelt on the hard, cold cement road.

He stayed by Lin Banxia's side for as long as she knelt.

He dared not appear before her, afraid of seeing her resentful and disappointed eyes again.

So this was the only way he could silently watch over her.

After her parents passed away, Lin Banxia did not move out of the military compound.

Most of them are military dependents who are keeping their old houses and memories.

However, the military compound is strictly managed, and outsiders are not allowed to enter or leave at will.

She's so busy with work, leaving early and returning late every day, that she simply doesn't have time to interact with her neighbors.

Lin Banxia didn't have many relatives to begin with, and living in such a secluded courtyard, she was practically all alone.

Now that she's sick, naturally there's no one to take care of her.

If Song Mingqian leaves again, who knows what kind of mess she'll make of herself.

"I'm not busy. I've been on vacation recently, so I have plenty of free time."

Hearing that Zuo Wenxuan and the band leader had already left, Song Mingqian hesitated for a moment, then moved a chair over and sat at the foot of the bed.

“You’re so badly injured, I don’t feel at ease leaving you here alone. I’ll leave after you finish your IV drip.”

Lin Banxia was familiar with his temperament and knew that Song Mingqian's temperament seemed gentle and kind.

But when it comes to something he's really persistent about, no one can persuade him otherwise.

She was too lazy to waste her breath, so she simply stopped talking, closed her eyes, and lay on the bed, pretending that she was already dead.

The already quiet ward became even more so that you could hear a pin drop.

All that could be heard was the sound of each other's breathing.

After a long separation, both of them had mixed feelings upon reuniting.

I wanted to break the silence, but I hesitated and didn't know what to say.

The chasm between the two of them was like an insurmountable barrier, impossible to cross.

Time passed second by second, and Lin Banxia kept her eyes closed.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard footsteps in the hallway outside.

"Is Comrade Lin Banxia staying in this ward?"

"Yes, Mr. Liu."

Old Liu is a veteran military doctor, and he was a comrade-in-arms with Lin Banxia's parents back in the day.

He was very familiar with both her and Song Mingqian.

The old man had been wearing a serious expression, but the moment he saw the two of them, he was speechless.

"I'm speechless! When my superiors told me to come and give you two a medical check-up, I was wondering why you two were together!"

"We've known each other for so many years, and if the doctor at the infirmary hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you two were actually husband and wife!"

Song Mingqian looked embarrassed.

"We didn't mean to keep it from you; it was only because of the confidentiality aspect that we didn't notify everyone."

"Forget it, forget it. I don't understand the affairs of you intellectuals, so don't tell me so much."

Old Liu waved his hand irritably, put the first-aid kit on the table, and complained casually.

"You two are really not from the same family, you're practically identical in your ragged and worn-out appearance!"

"Being physically weak is one thing, but being stubborn and refusing to listen to doctor's orders is exactly the same!"

Song Mingqian was somewhat helpless after being scolded. He glanced at Lin Banxia's expression on the bed and cautiously begged for forgiveness.

"Mr. Liu, please say less. I happen to be on vacation these few days and can stay in Beijing for a while longer. Whenever I have time, I'll come over to have a medical check-up with you, how about that?"

Old Liu snorted coldly: "That's more like it."

As they talked, they changed the subject and started talking about other things.

Lin Banxia was still immersed in what Lao Liu had just said and couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.

"Old Liu, we're both in poor health... What do you mean? Hasn't Song Mingqian been in pretty good health all these years?"

Her expression betrayed her surprise, clearly indicating that she was genuinely unaware of Song Mingqian's situation.

Old Liu was too lazy to care about the complicated things between the young couple, and just snorted coldly.

"If he were still capable, I could have signed up to participate in the Olympics abroad. These guys are all driven by results, risking their lives. They're incredibly daring!"

Song Mingqian felt a chill run down his spine just listening to this and quickly went to stop him.

"Old Liu, please give me some face and don't expose all my secrets."

"Hmph." Old Liu glared at him, puffing out his beard. "You did it yourself, and you're afraid of what people will say?"

Lin Banxia sensed something was wrong and gave Song Mingqian a serious look.

"You're not allowed to stop me. Shut up and let Old Liu talk."