Chapter 30 Battalion Commander Zhao broke his leg, but his wife set her sights on someone else's brick house!
"Battalion Commander Zhao fell down?"
Jiang Wu's heart skipped a beat, and the rag in her hand fell to the ground.
Her first instinct was to go see Qin Lie.
This matter could be a big deal or a small one. Zhao Gao is the commander of the second battalion and a notorious nemesis of Qin Lie. If he gets into trouble at this critical juncture and it's not handled properly, the gossip could drown Qin Lie.
"How badly are you injured? Where are you now?" Qin Lie had already stood up, the color draining from his face, his brows furrowed into a knot.
"The person was just taken to the infirmary. I heard... I heard that his leg is broken and he's seriously injured!" Xiao Li's voice was full of anxiety.
"Let's go take a look!"
Qin Lie grabbed the military jacket draped over the back of the chair and put it on, buttoning it as he walked. He took long, hurried steps.
Jiang Wu didn't say a word and quickly followed. She knew that at this moment, she had to stay by his side.
A crowd had already gathered on the way to the infirmary, chatting in small groups.
"Have you heard? Battalion Commander Zhao of the Second Battalion fell off the high wall!"
"Ouch, that wall is several meters high, you must have fallen pretty hard!"
"You bet I did. I just glanced over and saw that leg was twisted in a weird way. It looked painful."
"That Battalion Commander Zhao, why did he have to compete with the First Battalion? I heard he insisted on having an obstacle course race with them this afternoon, and that's how this accident happened."
"Shh, keep your voice down, you can't say things like that..."
As those faint sounds drifted into his ears, Qin Lie's expression grew increasingly grim, and he quickened his pace.
The infirmary was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Several military doctors in white coats were busy around a hospital bed, the atmosphere tense.
On the hospital bed, Zhao Gao lay there, his face as white as paper, his forehead covered in cold sweat. One of his trouser legs had been cut open, and his lower leg was hastily fixed with a wooden board and bandages, but the abnormal curvature was still visible.
A middle-aged woman, Bai Yuan, Zhao Gao's lover, was sobbing by the bedside. Zhao Gao's son, a boy of seven or eight, was also terrified, tears streaming down his face, clinging to his mother's leg and too afraid to utter a sound.
"Doctor, how is he? His leg..." Bai Yuan looked up and asked, crying, when she saw a new doctor come in.
When she saw that the person who came was Qin Lie, the sadness on her face instantly turned into resentment.
"Qin Lie! What are you doing here!" Bai Yuan suddenly stood up, like a lioness protecting her cubs, and roared at Qin Lie, "Did you come here to see our Lao Zhao make a fool of himself! Are you satisfied now? Are you happy?"
"He's been fighting you for so many years, and now that he's fallen, your position as the regimental commander is even more secure, isn't it!"
Her voice was shrill and full of resentment, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the infirmary.
Qin Lie was startled by her shout and stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but his throat felt dry. At this moment, any explanation would seem pale and powerless. He was indeed Zhao Gao's rival, and with Zhao Gao's downfall, he was indeed the beneficiary. That was a fact.
Just when the atmosphere reached its most tense point, a soft little hand gently grasped Qin Lie's tightly clenched hand.
Jiang Wu stepped out from behind Qin Lie.
She ignored the tantrum-throwing Bai Yuan and went straight to the military doctor who was examining Zhao Gao's wounds.
"Doctor, thank you for your hard work." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calming power, quieting the previously noisy room considerably. "May I ask, what are the specific details of Battalion Commander Zhao's injuries?"
The elderly military doctor at the head of the group looked up at her, then at Qin Lie behind her, recognizing her as Commander Qin's wife. He sighed and removed his stethoscope.
"It's Commander Qin and his wife."
"The patient's condition is not good. The tibia and fibula in the right leg are completely fractured, and they are comminuted."
"Our medical resources here are limited, and we can only provide some emergency treatment. To prevent your leg from becoming useless, you must be sent to the General Hospital of the Military Region for surgery immediately!"
Comminuted fracture! These words struck everyone like a heavy hammer.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuan's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground, but fortunately, a nurse nearby caught her.
"Then...then what are we waiting for! Send it over quickly!" Bai Yuan cried out.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry." The old military doctor looked troubled. "I've already reported to my superiors, and the paperwork for dispatching the vehicle is in progress, but... as you know, you can't just dispatch a vehicle whenever you want."
In those days, cars were a rarity. The regiment only had a few jeeps and one truck, and the procedures for getting them to work were cumbersome, so it wouldn't be possible to get them ready in a short time.
But for this fracture, every minute that is delayed increases the risk.
"I'll think of a way!"
Qin Lie finally spoke. He strode to his desk, grabbed the phone, and dialed the division headquarters' number.
"Get me to the operations department! This is Qin Lie!" His voice was steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable tone of command.
The call connected quickly. Qin Lie didn't waste any words, concisely explaining Zhao Gao's situation and requesting, in his own name, the urgent requisition of the division's confidential communications vehicle. This vehicle was specifically designed for transmitting urgent military intelligence and possessed the highest level of clearance.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Lie said to Bai Yuan, "Sister-in-law, the car will be there in half an hour. Get ready and go to the General Hospital with the car."
Bai Yuan was stunned. Looking at Qin Lie's serious face, watching him busy himself with her husband's affairs, the resentment in her heart unconsciously dissipated. She opened her mouth, wanting to say a word of thanks, but swallowed the words back and silently lowered her head.
Jiang Wu saw all of this. She walked over to Bai Yuan, took a clean handkerchief from her pocket, and handed it to her.
"Sister-in-law, wipe your tears. Now is not the time to cry. Battalion Commander Zhao is still waiting for you to take care of him." Her voice was very gentle.
Then, Jiang Wu bent down and patted the head of the frightened little boy.
"Young man, what's your name?"
The little boy timidly raised his head and whispered, "My name is Zhao Xiaobing."
"Little soldier, you're a little man, aren't you?" Jiang Wu smiled at him. "A real man doesn't cry. Daddy's injured now, you have to be strong and take care of him with Mommy, okay?"
Zhao Xiaobing nodded as if he understood, and really held back his tears.
Jiang Wu then took out two White Rabbit milk candies from her pocket and stuffed them into Zhao Xiaobing's hand.
"Good boy/girl, this is a reward for you."
Bai Yuan watched as Jiang Wu calmed her son down with just a few words, and then looked at the White Rabbit milk candy in Jiang Wu's hand—a luxury item in this day and age—and felt a mix of emotions. She had always heard rumors that Qin Lie's wife from the countryside was petty and unsophisticated. But seeing her today, she realized that Jiang Wu was not only beautiful, but also incredibly considerate and tactful, far superior to Bai Yuan, who had grown up in the city.
"Sister-in-law... thank you," Bai Yuan finally said softly.
"You're too kind, sister-in-law." Jiang Wu smiled. "We all live in the same compound, so it's only right that we help each other out. Although Qin Lie and Battalion Commander Zhao sometimes compete with each other at work, it's all for the good of the army. They're still good comrades-in-arms in private."
Jiang Wu's words were perfectly worded, giving Bai Yuan a way out while also protecting Qin Lie's image.
Qin Lie listened from the side, watching his wife's composed and at ease demeanor, feeling both proud and content. His wife was truly a treasure.
Soon, the division's vehicle arrived. Qin Lie personally led a group of people to carefully lift Zhao Gao into the vehicle.
Before leaving, Political Commissar Zhou Hai also rushed over. He patted Qin Lie on the shoulder and stuffed an envelope into his hand.
“There’s five hundred yuan in here. Have your sister-in-law give it to Comrade Xiumei and say it’s a small token of our appreciation from the troupe. The hospital expenses are high, and there are many places where we need money.”
Qin Lie nodded and handed the envelope to Jiang Wu.
Jiang Wu took the envelope and walked to the car, pulling Bai Yuan back as she was about to get in.
"Sister-in-law, this is a small token of our appreciation from the troupe. Please take it. It's not much, but we hope it can be of some help."
Bai Yuan looked at the thick wad of cash, her eyes reddening again, and she waved her hands repeatedly.
"No, no, no, sister-in-law, I can't accept this money..."
"Take it, sister-in-law." Jiang Wu stuffed the money directly into her pocket. "This is the organization's care, not something I'm giving you. Your most important thing right now is to take good care of Battalion Commander Zhao. Don't think about anything else."
The car drove away. The crowd outside the infirmary gradually dispersed.
Qin Lie stood there, watching the car disappear at the end of the road, before letting out a long sigh.
Jiang Wu walked to his side and gently took his arm.
"Don't worry, the General Hospital has a high level of medical expertise, Battalion Commander Zhao will be fine."
"Hmm," Qin Lie responded, his mood still somewhat heavy.
On the way home, they both remained silent.
As Jiang Wu passed by a row of red brick houses, she suddenly stopped. Those were family housing units allocated to officers of battalion level and above. The rows were neat and orderly. Although the style was simple, they were worlds apart from the mud-brick houses they lived in.
Zhao Gao's home was in one of those buildings.
"That's wonderful," Jiang Wu murmured.
"What's good?" Qin Lie snapped out of his thoughts.
“These houses,” Jiang Wu said, pointing to the cluster of red brick houses with longing in her eyes, “look, brick walls, tiled roofs, and glass windows. Living in them would definitely be warm in winter and cool in summer, and there wouldn’t be any dust falling out.”
Qin Lie looked in the direction she pointed and fell silent.
He knew, of course, that house was nice. But it was only for battalion-level officers. Although he was a regimental commander, he had just gotten married and hadn't had time to apply for a transfer. Besides, housing for regimental commanders was even more scarce, and all the units were in another area; there were currently no vacancies.
"Our house... is pretty good too," Qin Lie said somewhat hesitantly.
"What's so good about it?" Jiang Wu immediately pouted and started to act coquettishly. "You have no idea, the walls of our house are full of cracks. When I turn over in bed at night, the dirt just falls down in a rustling sound, sometimes even landing on my face."
As she spoke, she stretched out her fair, delicate fingers and gestured on her smooth face.
"Look at my face, it's already so tender, and after being rubbed by those clods of dirt, it's going to get rougher."
"And that bed, it's just a few planks of wood pieced together, rock hard, with only a thin mattress on top. Every night when I sleep, I feel like my bones are being poked and pounded. Look at my back, I haven't been able to straighten up for days."
As she spoke, she exaggeratedly held her slender waist, frowned, and looked like she was in great pain.
Looking at her charming yet pitiful appearance, Qin Lie couldn't utter a word of rebuttal. What his wife said seemed to be true. Their mud-brick house was indeed a bit simple. And that bed was indeed a bit hard.
He, a grown man with thick skin, didn't care, but his wife was different. Her skin was as delicate as tofu; you could squeeze water out of it. Making her sleep on that kind of bed was truly unfair to her.
A strong sense of guilt and protectiveness welled up in Qin Lie's heart. He felt like a terrible person. Letting his woman live in such a dilapidated house and sleep in such a broken bed with him.
If someone like Zhao Gao can afford to let his wife live in a brick house, how could Qin Lie, a dignified regimental commander, be inferior to him?
"Don't worry." Qin Lie grabbed Jiang Wu's hand, his eyes becoming unusually firm. "I'll take care of the housing problem!"
"Really?" Jiang Wu's eyes lit up instantly. "Can you apply for a brick house?"
“The application process takes time.” Qin Lie frowned, then seemed to have made up his mind. “However, I have another way!”
"Before you move into your new house, I'll get you a more comfortable bed!"
P.S.: I wonder if anyone secretly used... in the last chapter.
Tomato Robot: Intelligence Can Do Half the Work!
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