July passed, August passed, and Gu Ye and the others still hadn't returned.
Bonnie stayed at home with her five children.
This summer, the Children's Palace didn't offer many classes, I don't know if it was because things were too chaotic outside or because there were too many things happening this year. This suited Bao Ni just fine, as she wasn't really interested in attending classes anymore.
When Gu Ye returned, it was already September. The soldiers had changed batch after batch, but Gu Ye, as the commander in charge, had always stayed on the front line.
"Baoni, Gu Ye is back. He was slightly injured and is having a full check-up at the hospital. Take some clean clothes with you to the hospital. He's been severely overworked for the past month and needs to recover properly."
Dr. Cao returned a few days ago; Gu Ye and the others were the last group to come back.
Bonnie didn't bother asking anything else. She went to the chicken coop, grabbed a hen, took Gu Ye's change of clothes and toiletries, and carried the hen out the door.
"Sister Chen, Gu Ye and the others are back. They were a little injured. Dr. Cao said they need some extra nutrition. Could you please stew this old hen for me? I need to go to the hospital to check on them first."
"Go quickly, give me the chicken, and I'll bring it to you once it's stewed." Aunt Chen hurriedly took the chicken and urged Bonnie to go to the hospital.
Bonnie didn't have time to say anything else to Aunt Chen and headed to the hospital with her things.
In the ward, Gu Ye was lying down. His hair had grown long, his beard was unshaven, and he had lost more than 20 pounds. He looked completely different.
Bonnie's tears streamed down her face. How much had she offended her?
"Honey, come here, don't cry. You'll recover in a few days." Gu Ye felt extremely sorry for Bao Ni as she sobbed.
His wife never sheds a tear, she only becomes vulnerable because of him.
Gu Ye was actually quite pleased to know that there was someone who cared about him and looked after him; that feeling was truly wonderful.
Bonnie wiped away her tears, put the clothes she had brought aside, and wanted to see where Gu Ye was injured.
“There were no major injuries, just small cuts from the rescue. We didn’t pay attention to them or have time to clean them, and some of them have become infected. Brother Wenze was worried that if they weren’t treated properly, they might get other infections, so after cleaning them, he insisted that I stay in the hospital for a few days to get injections.”
Bonnie prepared a basin of warm water and carefully avoided the wound to clean Gu Ye's body. She changed the water five or six times before she finally cleaned Gu Ye up, washed his hair, cut it to the shortest length, and shaved his beard. Now Kankan looked somewhat human.
Bonnie changed Gu Ye's clothes from head to toe, and also changed the sheets. Gu Ye felt much more comfortable. For the past month or so, nothing else mattered; saving his life was the priority.
After washing the sheets and Gu Ye's clothes, Bonnie checked the time and realized the chicken soup should be ready soon.
Bao Ni told Gu Ye that she was going to Aunt Chen's house to get some chicken soup.
"Baoni, just now, I ladled it out and skimmed off all the oil on top." The soup that Aunt Chen made looked appetizing and was very authentic, unlike their soups which were oily.
"Sister-in-law, I can't thank you enough. My Gu Ye has turned into a complete mess."
I just finished cleaning him up. He was covered in wounds, all of which were festering. He had lost more than 20 pounds and was just skin and bones.
I don't know when I'll be able to make up for it; I'll probably have to trouble my sister-in-law for a while.
Bonnie spoke first, and then she really made sure to nourish Gu Ye properly. Cantonese soup was the best choice, so she sourced the ingredients herself. Since she didn't know how to make soup, she really had to trouble Aunt Chen.
"This is nothing. You exchange the things back, and I'll make you some soup. I may not be good at other things, but I'm quite good at making soup."
Bonnie took all the soup away, leaving only the scum. In the hospital, besides Gu Ye, two other soldiers were also injured, and their injuries were quite serious.
Some of those who returned earlier were injured, and some even sacrificed their lives. Those who did have been discharged from the hospital. These two returned with Gu Ye.
Bonnie carried a bowl of soup into Gu Ye's ward, where Dr. Cao was also present.
"Brother Wenze, perfect timing! The soup's just been made. I'll go buy some steamed buns and rice. You can eat here. Also, get some chicken soup for the other two soldiers. It's a big pot; Sister Chen made it for them." Bao Ni put down the chicken soup and went to the hospital cafeteria to buy steamed buns and rice.
"Brother Wenze, have something to eat. You've worked really hard this time. You need to replenish your energy, otherwise it will affect your health in the future." Gu Ye needs to take good care of his health so he can accompany Bao Ni as she grows old.
Cao Wenze looked at the large bowl of soup and didn't refuse. He was also tempted by the aroma.
Bonnie bought steamed buns and rice, and also a plate of stir-fried bok choy.
"You guys eat first, I'll take some to the two soldiers next door." When Bonnie was doing laundry, she learned that the wounded soldiers next door were with Gu Ye, and they were both quite young.
“Go ahead, both of them are great. Their families won’t be here anytime soon, so please help take care of them.” Gu Ye didn’t stand on ceremony with his wife; they were both soldiers from their Marine Corps brigade.
Bonnie brought over the chicken soup, and the two soldiers were just about to eat when the unit assigned other soldiers to take care of them.
"Sister-in-law, this won't do. Let our brigade commander drink it." The two young soldiers declined to drink.
"Drink up, there's a whole basin. The nutrition will help you recover faster and get back to the team." Bonnie left before they could refuse.
In the ward, Gu Ye and Dr. Cao were waiting for Bao Ni to have dinner together.
Bonnie served Gu Ye a bowl of soup; the chicken in it was very tender.
The meal was eaten cleanly, and Bonnie went to wash the dishes. Dr. Cao examined Gu Ye and found that he was recovering well.
Bonnie prepared a different nourishing soup for Gu Ye every day, chicken soup, fish soup, bone broth... whatever ingredients Bonnie could find, Aunt Chen could make into a delicious soup.
After half a month, Gu Ye had gained a lot of weight and was more energetic. Even Dr. Cao and the other two young soldiers benefited from the nutrition and were glowing with health.
When the leaders visited the wounded, they were quite surprised. The Gu family was incredibly generous; they not only provided nourishment for their own husbands but also helped their fellow soldiers recovering together. You see, at that time, money couldn't buy many good things.
These supplies were obtained by Bonnie through digging a hole and pulling strings; she spent a lot of favors to get them.
No matter what, being healthy is more important than anything else.
Gu Ye was discharged from the hospital and went back to work, becoming busy again.
Throughout 1976, one thing after another happened. Our top leader left us, and everyone's grief intensified, feeling as if the sky was about to fall.
While people were still immersed in grief, news suddenly came that the Digital Gang had disbanded. People spread the news, and the heavy weight on their hearts was finally lifted.
Gu Ye became even busier, and the international situation was also far from peaceful, with provocations from enemies never ceasing.
Bonnie received a letter from her father; many of the people who had been sent down from the island had returned to the city, saying everything was alright. But some people were still waiting, unsure when they could go back.
Bonnie knew that the wheels of time were about to turn, and a better era was coming.
These are chaotic times. As Sister-in-law Gu said in her letter, just focus on your own business, keep a low profile the more you do, and wait for the next era to arrive.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
