The ward door was gently pushed open a crack, and Gou Yurong's face, plastered with a forced smile, peeked in.
She quickly glanced at Huo Hua and Ming Zhao's faces, and saw that Huo Hua was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed as if he was trying to suppress his discomfort, while Ming Zhao was sitting quietly on the edge of the small bed reading a book. She breathed a slight sigh of relief.
When Xiao Wang called her over, she was extremely anxious, but now she could finally relax a little.
"Oh dear, Commander Huo, you're still awake? Sorry to disturb your rest."
Gou Yurong's voice was soft and sweet, filled with extreme caution. She squeezed in sideways, her eyes immediately locking onto the two conspicuous enamel bowls on the bedside table, filled with hard steamed buns and stale paste.
Seeing that the dishes were still there, Gou Yurong's smile faltered for a moment. She took a few steps forward and said, "I'll take the dishes away! They're going to smell bad here and affect your recovery!"
As she spoke, she reached out to pick up the bowl of stale porridge.
"Aunt Gou."
Howard's voice was not loud, even somewhat low and weak, but it was like an invisible ice wall, instantly freezing Gou Yurong's movements.
Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her smile also froze, and she turned back to look at Howard somewhat awkwardly: "Commander...Commander Howard?"
Howard slowly opened his eyes. Those eyes showed no trace of weakness.
It was as if it were filled with ice, or burning with a dark flame. It was sharp, cold, and carried a kind of oppressive feeling that pierced people's hearts, staring straight at Gou Yurong's face!
Gou Yurong felt uneasy under his gaze, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
She forced a smile and said, "Is there...is there anything else you need?"
Howard ignored her question and turned his gaze to the two bowls on the bedside table. His voice was calm and without any ripples, but it made Gou Yurong's heart beat faster: "Thank you for the meals these past few days, Auntie."
"It's no trouble at all! It's what we should do! We're neighbors, we should help each other out!"
Gou Yurong quickly waved her hand, trying to cover up her guilty conscience with enthusiasm.
"Helping each other out?"
Howard's lips curled into a faint, cold smile, devoid of any warmth and instead filled with sarcasm. "Then tell me, auntie, how much is this 'patronage'?"
"Price... price?" Gou Yurong's smile completely vanished, her eyes darting around in panic. "Commander Huo, you... you're saying this? I'm just delivering food, what price do I need..."
"No price?" Howard interrupted her, his voice suddenly turning cold, like a heavy hammer striking down. "Then how come I heard that Comrade Gou Yurong, who is temporarily helping out in the kitchen of the family compound canteen, is particularly quick and efficient, but recently seems to have some complaints about her work assignments? She thinks washing vegetables and chopping are too tiring and wants to switch to an easier job? Like... managing the warehouse keys?"
boom--!
Gou Yurong's face turned deathly pale instantly! As if struck by lightning! She abruptly raised her head, looking at Huo Hua with utter terror!
She got the temporary cafeteria job through her maternal uncle's connections. The pay wasn't much, but it was stable, and she could even smuggle some leftover vegetables home from the cafeteria! How did Howard know? And how did he know she was dissatisfied with her job?
"Commander Huo...I...I..." Gou Yurong was so frightened that she could barely speak, her lips trembling and her hands and feet were ice cold.
Howard leaned forward slightly, and even with his injured shoulder, the oppressive feeling of someone who had long held a superior position enveloped him as if it were a tangible presence.
His voice was even lower, yet every word was like a knife, carrying an undeniable air of judgment: "Auntie, Mingzhao is my wife, Huo Hua's wife. You brought her spoiled food and left her hungry. Now tell me, is the temporary canteen worker's position more important, or is giving me an explanation?"
"Confess? What confession?" Gou Yurong's mind was buzzing, and she was gripped by immense fear.
She glanced instinctively at the bowl of stale porridge, as if grasping at a straw, "I...I did deliver food for a few days, it wasn't very good...but...but I did deliver it! I didn't let her starve to death! These days, whose food isn't precious? I..."
"Precious?" Howard sneered, his eyes sharp as an eagle. "Is the ten dollars I gave you for food enough? Is it enough to buy something decent, something a human could eat?"
He suddenly raised his voice, and although it was tinged with suppressed pain due to the wound, the anger and pressure within it were like thunder, blasting Gou Yurong away!
Ten yuan! They found out she was skimping on her food allowance? It's over! Completely over!
"I...I..." Gou Yurong's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She barely managed to stand by holding onto the bedside table, cold sweat streaming down her temples. "Commander Huo! I was wrong! I was really wrong! You are so magnanimous, please forgive me this time! I...I'll refund the money! I'll refund you!"
"How much will you refund?" Howard's voice was icy cold and unyielding.
"Five...five yuan?" Gou Yurong tentatively held up five fingers, looking pained. "I...I delivered the food! Although...although it wasn't good, it still cost me food coupons and effort! Can I return five yuan to you?"
"Ha." Howard seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He leaned back against the headboard, closed his eyes, and seemed too lazy to even look at her again.
She let out a very soft, yet utterly contemptuous and cold sneer from her nose, "Five yuan? It seems that Auntie thinks the job of holding the canteen warehouse key is too easy and wants to go to the boiler room to shovel coal ash to exercise her muscles?"
"No! No!" Gou Yurong was terrified! Is working in a boiler room even a human being?
It's dirty, tiring, and the pay is low! Her son just got a permanent position at the factory. If she, as his mother, loses her job in the canteen because of dishonesty or offending the military leaders, or even if it gets out that she's embezzling food allowances for military dependents, how can her son hold his head high in the army? His future will be affected!
The thought that her son might be implicated overwhelmed Gou Yurong with all her hope and heartache, and she was instantly overwhelmed by immense fear!
With a "thump," she disregarded all pride and knelt down directly in front of Howard's hospital bed, wailing:
"Commander Huo! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I'll refund it! Ten yuan! I'll refund it all to you! Not a penny less! Please! Please, have mercy! Don't touch my canteen! And please, don't let my son know! He's just a child! He doesn't know anything! Waaah..."
While crying and wailing, she frantically pulled a faded handkerchief pouch from the inside pocket of her clothes, opened it with trembling hands, and inside were neatly rolled-up small bills and cents, as well as a brand-new ten-yuan note.
She held the ten-yuan note as if it were a hot potato, or as if she were cutting off a piece of her own flesh. With trembling hands, she pulled it out, held it above her head, and handed it to Howard.
"Commander Huo... the money... the money is all here... please... please keep it safe... I'll never do it again! I'll never do it again!"
Gou Yurong cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, showing none of the shrewdness and sharpness she usually displayed when gossiping with people in the family compound.
Howard slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping coldly over the ten yuan note handed to him, then over Gou Yurong's tear-streaked face.
"There's one more thing. Why did Aunt Gou treat Mingzhao like that?"
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