Having done all this, she didn't linger any longer. She took a deep breath, steadied herself on the handlebars again, and endured the sharp pain in her legs.
With all his might, he pedaled the bicycle, wobbling as he made his way back onto the main road, heading towards the military family quarters!
Zhou Shuhua clearly remembers that when she saw Zhou Qiqi leave the gate of the First Garment Factory, it was around five o'clock.
After all that commotion, the van finally drove away, and it was probably close to six o'clock.
For young people like Zhou Qiqi, it takes half an hour to cycle from the suburbs to the military dependents' area.
At her age, it usually takes at least forty or fifty minutes.
At this moment, Zhou Shuhua felt a series of excruciating pains in her knees and legs, especially her right knee, which felt like it was being pricked with needles with the slightest movement.
But she seemed completely oblivious, her mind preoccupied with only one thought—faster! Faster!
She pedaled her bicycle with all her might, the chain creaking under the strain, the cold wind stinging her face like knives, but she was oblivious.
When she finally saw the outline of the guard post at the gate of the military dependents' area, she was almost sustained by willpower.
She strained to look up at the large clock above the guard post; the hour hand pointed to 6:20!
She completed the journey in less than twenty minutes! The distance that usually takes almost twice as long to travel!
This was the fastest she had ever ridden in her life!
The two young soldiers on guard at the gate noticed a figure riding a bicycle from afar, rushing straight toward the gate at an almost insane speed!
This immediately alerted them, and the two men gripped their guns tightly, took a few steps forward, and prepared to intercept and question the suspects.
When the person rode up close, before the bike had even come to a complete stop, the two realized that the person was none other than Director Zhou Shuhua!
Her face was deathly pale, she was covered in sweat, and her hair was disheveled by the wind.
The most frightening thing was that a large area of her right trouser leg at the knee was soaked with dark red blood and was still slightly bleeding!
"Director Zhou?! It's you?! What happened to you?! Your leg is bleeding!"
A soldier exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to help her steady the wobbly bicycle.
Another soldier immediately came over, his tone anxious.
"You're badly injured! Quick! We'll take you to the infirmary right away!"
Zhou Shuhua followed his gaze and glanced down, only to find that there was indeed a large tear at the knee of her right trouser leg, with blood mixed with dirt smeared on it.
She hadn't even noticed.
"Never mind that! It's okay! You won't die!"
She grabbed the young soldier's arm and said urgently:
"Quickly! Take me to Commander Shen Huaichuan's house! Immediately! Right now! It's urgent! It's a matter of utmost urgency!!"
The two soldiers were startled by her unprecedented urgency and sternness, but seeing her extremely anxious expression, which did not seem like a joke, they dared not ask any more questions and waste time.
One soldier immediately turned and ran towards the jeep next to the guard post, while the other carefully helped her walk towards the vehicle.
"Director Zhou, don't worry! The car is coming right away! We'll take you there!"
Once on the bus, Zhou Shuhua felt a little calmer, but her anxiety remained. She grabbed the back of the seat in front of her and eagerly asked:
"Young comrade! Commander Shen... Has Shen Huaichuan gone home? Have you seen him?"
The soldier driving the vehicle started the engine and quickly replied:
"They're back! Don't worry, Director Zhou, Commander Shen returned this afternoon. We all saw him! Not only Commander Shen, but Uncle Shen and Aunt Qin also came back with their granddaughter. About... about ten minutes ago, we saw them walking back from the gate when we were changing shifts."
Hearing this, Zhou Shuhua felt a little more at ease.
It's good that everyone is at home!
However, the two soldiers glanced at each other, keeping some things to themselves and not daring to say them.
When they saw Commander Shen and his family, they sensed that something was off.
The elderly couple kept their heads down, and Commander Shen's expression was not good either. The family walked silently, with almost no communication. Even Shen Duzhou, who usually played with Jiang Xiangyang, quietly held his grandmother's hand.
You could feel that low pressure from a great distance.
But with Director Zhou in such a hurry, they didn't dare to ask too many questions about these trivial matters.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the Shen family courtyard was indeed as the soldiers felt—somewhat dull and oppressive.
Shen Duzhou wasn't there. As soon as they arrived at the door to talk, Jiang Xiangyang was already waiting there. He immediately grabbed Zhouzhou and ran off to play.
It was cold, but the stove was lit inside, so it was still warm enough.
Shen Huaichuan had just poured a cup of hot tea for each of his parents, and he held a cup for himself, but he had no appetite for it.
The three of them sat in silence for a while, the air thick with quiet.
Finally, Shen Huaichuan broke the silence.
He took two train tickets out of his military uniform pocket, placed them on the table, pushed them towards his parents, and explained in a somewhat hoarse voice:
"Dad, Mom, the tickets are bought. They were bought at the last minute because of time constraints. There were no tickets left for later trains, only the one at 6 a.m. tomorrow."
Qin Peilan looked at the two train tickets, her eyes dimming slightly.
She slowly reached out, picked up the ticket, and rubbed it, saying in a low voice:
"Oh, the train is at six o'clock. Well... then your dad and I will go and put things away again now..."
She said she would go tidy up, but her bottom seemed glued to the stool, dawdling and unwilling to get up.
After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but raise her head, look at her son, and ask softly:
"Hey Huaichuan, did Qiqi leave any message or note today? Did she say anything about whether she could come back early?"
She still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing her daughter-in-law would come home from get off work and try to persuade them to stay.
In that case, they might not have to leave and could stay a few more days.
Shen Huaichuan shook his head, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes:
"No, Mom, I checked when I got back, there was nothing there."
He actually came back from the regimental headquarters early today, thinking about Zhou Qiqi's hesitant expression last night. He felt that she might go home early today and persuade her parents to stay a few more days.
But when he returned, the house was deserted, with no sign that Zhou Qiqi had come back or left any note.
His expectations were dashed, leaving him feeling somewhat disappointed.
The faint light in Qin Peilan's eyes dimmed.
She murmured in response, "Oh, no, then... let's pack up, let's pack up."
She reached out and tugged at Shen Zhenbang, who had been silent beside her, and prepared to get up and go back inside.
Shen Huaichuan's feelings were also somewhat complicated. Seeing this, he stood up and planned to go back to his room to calm down.
Just then.
"Beep—beep beep—!!!"
Suddenly, a piercing car horn sounded outside the courtyard.
Shen Huaichuan frowned suddenly and subconsciously looked up towards the courtyard gate.
Qin Peilan and Shen Zhenbang also stopped what they were doing and looked at each other in confusion.
This horn sound...something's not right!
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