Chapter 57 Reunion After the Calamity, He Integrates Her into His Bones
Snow fell in the capital.
Overnight, the world turned white.
The Lu family compound was well-heated, but Su Wanqing was restless.
She walked to the window again and again, lifting a corner of the curtain, her gaze fixed on the direction of the hospital door.
He went back to the kitchen again and again to watch over the pot of black chicken soup simmering on the stove.
The soup contained precious medicinal herbs that she had taken from her spatial storage. To nourish his body, she had practically emptied out half of her herb garden.
Lu Zhanting is back.
Today is the day he is discharged from the hospital.
"Sister-in-law, if you keep looking like that, you'll wear the window out."
Lu Yao came in carrying a fruit platter and teased softly.
“Brother, you’re a grown man, how could you get lost? Uncle He went to pick you up himself, the hospital is just steps away from home.”
Su Wanqing forced a smile, her voice trembling with a tension she herself was unaware of: "I'm just... feeling flustered."
Every separation is a high-stakes gamble with the outcome uncertain.
This time, she almost lost everything.
She had witnessed the horror of that jungle firsthand and experienced the terror of the Heart-Eating Vine.
The thought of Lu Zhanting fighting alone in such a desperate situation made her heart ache.
“I understand.” Lu Yao put down the fruit plate and held Su Wanqing’s cold hand. “It’s the greatest luck of my brother’s life that he was able to marry you.”
Su Wanqing shook her head: "We are family."
Before he could finish speaking, the sound of an engine, muffled by the wind and snow, came from outside the courtyard.
The sound was very soft, yet it struck Su Wanqing's eardrums with pinpoint accuracy.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
"I'm going out to take a look!"
She left those words behind, even forgetting to put on her coat, and rushed out of the living room.
Lu Yao smiled and shook her head, considerately inviting all the elders in the living room into the study, leaving the whole world to the newlyweds.
The icy snowflakes hit her face and melted instantly on her face and neck.
Su Wanqing was completely unaware.
Her entire world consisted only of the military jeep that slowly came to a stop in the center of the yard.
The car lights went out.
Uncle He quickly got out of the car and opened the back door.
A high-top military boot, covered in snow and mud, stomped heavily on the snow.
Immediately, a tall and upright figure emerged against the wind and snow.
Lu Zhanting.
He was wearing a heavy military overcoat, and his figure appeared even thinner and sharper than when he left.
The wind and snow ruffled his short hair, making his well-defined face appear pale as if it had been injured for a long time.
But the light that burst forth from those eyes the moment they saw that frail figure under the eaves almost pierced through the swirling snow.
Those eyes, overcoming all obstacles, fixed directly on her.
Their eyes met.
The sounds of wind and snow have all faded away.
In their world, only each other remained.
Lu Zhanting's Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he strode towards her.
His steps were steady, yet each step felt like it was treading on Su Wanqing's heart.
Su Wanqing also went to greet them.
The two met in the courtyard.
Lu Zhanting looked at her nose, which was red from the cold, and the thin sweater she was wearing, and his brows furrowed deeply.
Instead of embracing her, he unbuttoned his military overcoat, pulled her into his arms, and wrapped her tightly in the coat, which still carried his body heat and the smell of gunpowder.
"Nonsense!"
His voice was terribly hoarse; it was a rebuke, but even more so, an overwhelming heartache.
"It's so cold, why are you running out here without any clothes on?"
Su Wanqing held his hand tightly, preventing him from closing his coat.
She couldn't say a word, but simply raised her head and greedily traced his face with her misty eyes.
Describe his gaunt cheeks, the weariness in his eyes, and the faint new scar on the corner of his lips.
The next second, she couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly threw herself into his arms.
She used all her strength to hold him tightly, so tightly.
This embrace was firm and warm, carrying a familiar scent etched into her very bones.
He is real.
He is still alive.
The fear, longing, and torment of the past few days all burst forth at this moment, turning into scalding tears that silently soaked the front of his shirt.
Lu Zhanting's body suddenly stiffened.
The person in his arms was trembling violently, and the suppressed sobs were sharper than any knife, cutting into his heart with each blow.
He slowly raised his arm and, with all his might, hugged her tightly, wishing he could meld her into his very bones.
He rested his chin on the top of her head, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply the fragrance of her hair.
"I'm back."
He spoke in a hoarse voice, over and over again.
"Wanqing, I'm back."
Amidst the wind and snow, two figures embraced tightly, seemingly becoming the only coordinates in the world.
Uncle He had already quietly retreated back into the car, leaving this space entirely to them.
Back in the warm indoors, Su Wanqing felt a bone-chilling cold creeping up her body.
Lu Zhanting pulled her to the heater, wrapped his large, warm hands in his own, and breathed warm air into them repeatedly.
"If you dare to do this again, see how I punish you." He looked down at her, his tone hard and sharp, but his eyes were incredibly soft.
Su Wanqing sniffed, her eyes red-rimmed, but the corners of her mouth curled up: "You're willing to do that?"
One sentence made Lu Zhanting's ears turn red.
He awkwardly turned his face away and coughed lightly: "What's in the bathroom? Was it prepared for me?"
“A medicinal bath will be good for your wound.” Su Wanqing pulled her hand back. “You go soak first, I’ll get the soup.”
"Together."
Lu Zhanting grabbed her and wouldn't let go.
"ah?"
"Let's wash together." He said it with a matter-of-fact tone, but his eyes were burning hot.
Su Wanqing's face flushed bright red instantly.
Seeing her embarrassed yet adorable appearance, Lu Zhanting's pent-up anger vanished, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The laughter was deep and magnetic, sending shivers down Su Wanqing's spine.
In the end, she couldn't persuade the injured man otherwise.
The bathroom was filled with steam.
Su Wanqing blushed as she helped him unbutton his coat and take off his sweater.
But when he turned around, revealing his bandaged back, all the shyness on her face vanished.
All that remains is an overwhelming, unbearable heartache.
She reached out, her fingertips trembling, and unwrapped the bandages layer by layer.
When those gruesome, crisscrossing wounds were exposed to the air, Su Wanqing stopped breathing.
At the hospital, she is a doctor, calm and professional.
But here, she is his wife.
Even though the shrapnel wound that ran diagonally from his back to his waist had begun to heal, the torn flesh still spoke of the danger he had faced.
And the corroded burn on his chest, an unnatural grayish-white color, almost touching his heart.
New wounds layered on top of old scars were a shocking sight on his bronze skin.
Su Wanqing's fingertips gently traced the scar closest to her heart.
A tear fell unexpectedly onto his burning chest.
Lu Zhanting suddenly grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"Don't cry." His voice was very low. "It's not worth crying over this."
He paused, his dark eyes fixed on her, and spoke each word with resounding force.
"Seeing you makes the pain go away."
Su Wanqing's tear ducts completely broke down.
She didn't say anything more, but carefully used a warm towel to wipe his body and clean his wounds.
Her movements were as gentle as if she were handling a rare treasure.
Lu Zhanting just stood there, his gaze never leaving her face.
He looked at her focused expression, at the tears clinging to her long eyelashes, and at her furrowed brows.
An unprecedented softness and satisfaction filled his chest.
So this is what it feels like to be cherished and loved.
These injuries were worth it.
After taking a medicinal bath, Lu Zhanting changed into his pajamas, and Su Wanqing brought in chicken soup.
"Drink it while it's hot."
Lu Zhanting took the bowl, but put it aside. Then, he stretched out his long arm, scooped her up, and gently placed her on his lap.
"Wanqing." He wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and took a deep breath, almost greedily.
"Hmm?" Su Wanqing's body stiffened slightly.
“I’ve heard about it,” he said in a muffled voice. “They told me everything after I fell into a coma.”
"They said that you alone kept the entire camp in check."
"They say you exposed the traitor and cured the entire army of poison."
"They said that you dared to venture into the 'Bewitching Valley' with only three people."
With each word he spoke, his arms tightened, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear and unspeakable pride.
"They also said...it was you who saved us all."
Finally, he practically embedded her entire body into his, his voice trembling.
"Su Wanqing, my wife, is a hero."
Su Wanqing's heart was scalded by his burning body temperature and words.
She leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "You are my hero too."
She looked up, took out the pine box and the folded letter from the bedside table.
"I saw it." Su Wanqing unfolded the "suicide note" and handed it to him, her eyes reddening again. "Lu Zhanting, you idiot! Who gave you permission to write something like this? Who gave you permission to just say you won't be coming back?"
Lu Zhanting looked at the letter, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
That was the last thought he left for her when he thought he was going to die.
"I..." The iron-blooded battalion commander was speechless for the first time.
"Lu Zhanting, listen to me carefully!"
Su Wanqing suddenly grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her, her tone more domineering than ever before.
"You're not allowed to go anywhere without my permission! You'd better turn back from the road to the underworld!"
"Your life is mine! In this life, and in the next life, and in the life after that, it belongs to me!"
Her words were like a scorching bullet, striking him squarely in the heart.
Lu Zhanting smiled.
He let the letter fall to the ground, cupped her face in his hands, and gazed deeply into her eyes with an almost worshipful solemnity.
"Okay, they're all yours."
His forehead pressed against hers, their breaths mingling, and two flames burned in his dark eyes, threatening to devour her completely.
“Wanqing,” he said in a hoarse voice, “every word written in the letter is true.”
"Su Wanqing, I love you."
These three words are no longer cold handwriting on paper.
It was the most passionate, the only vow that came from his heart.
Su Wanqing's mind went completely blank.
She closed her eyes, obediently tilting her head back slightly.
Lu Zhanting could no longer restrain himself and lowered his head to kiss her.
This kiss, like him, carried the madness of surviving a catastrophe and the preciousness of regaining what was lost.
They wandered around, lingered, and conquered territories.
With this kiss, he told her how deep his longing was and how strong his love was.
Outside the window, the wind and snow continued.
Indoors, springtime beauty abounds.
The night is still long.
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