Chapter 22 Hometown...
Upon hearing the news, Zhou Qiang and Liu Limei rushed over, only to find the surgery in progress.
Liu Limei heard the noise behind her and realized that it was Miya.
With just one glance, she immediately realized that Miya had panicked.
That's true, he's just a young man, still a child.
It's understandable to feel lost and confused when suddenly faced with such a major event.
Liu Limei immediately walked towards Miya and tightly grasped her hand, "Miya? Miya!"
“Sister-in-law,” Miya’s voice was clearly choked with sobs, her eyes filled with panic and vacantness.
"Your sister-in-law is here, and so is your brother Zhou."
With teary eyes, Miya looked at Zhou Qiang, who was standing at the door, and asked worriedly, "Commander Zhou, is Third Brother dying?"
"You must save him, save him! I brought money, I brought money!"
At this moment, Miya's mind was filled with only one thing: she had to do everything she could to save Ren Qingsong's life, otherwise she didn't know what she would do next.
Subconsciously, she felt that treating and saving lives required using all of her family's savings, so she clutched the wallet she had brought from home tightly in both hands and opened it in public.
Zhou Qiang mistakenly thought that Miya was overly worried, which was why she spoke like that.
So he followed behind his wife and comforted her, saying, "Miya, none of us know what Qingsong's condition is right now, but as a family member, you must hold on."
"Keep this money safe. Qingsong was injured during a mission, and the country and the military will take responsibility."
Liu Limei helped Miya close the wallet, then wrapped her hands around Miya's hands, giving her strength.
"Is...is that so?"
Hearing that someone would pay the consultation fee in advance calmed Miya's panicked heart a little, but looking at the conspicuous red light in the white expanse opposite, she still found it difficult to calm down.
"Don't worry, the doctor will do everything he can to treat you."
Liu Limei held onto Miya's hand tightly, afraid that something might happen to Miya before Ren Qingsong even came out of the operating room.
As time ticked by, the hearts of those in front of the operating room sank to the bottom.
At first, Zhou Qiang was somewhat confident, but when he didn't receive any good news, he started to panic.
After hesitating for a moment, he whispered a few words to his wife and Miya, then strode towards the dean's office to see if he could bring in a doctor with better skills. Ren Qingsong was a sharp weapon in their group, and they had to do everything they could to save him.
Three minutes after Zhou Qiang disappeared, the light on the operating room door suddenly went out.
Miya, who was completely unaware of this, panicked and her legs went weak. Even with Liu Limei's support, she slowly slid to the ground.
"Miya!" Liu Limei hurriedly tried to pull Miya up from the ground, but then she heard the operating room door open. Her hands and eyes couldn't coordinate, and she couldn't pull Miya up for a moment.
"Doctor! What's wrong with Qingsong?"
Dr. Chen frowned, glanced at the delicate Miya, and met Liu Limei's concerned gaze.
"The patient is still in a coma and is not out of danger yet. He needs to be closely observed for two days. As long as he wakes up within one of the two people, he will be fine."
Hearing the first half, Liu Limei and Miya were on tenterhooks, but hearing the rest, they felt there was still hope.
Thinking that Ren Qingsong still needed her care, Miya suddenly felt a surge of strength and slowly stood up from the ground.
"Doctor, what can we, as family members, do?"
"No, the patient needs to be transferred to the intensive care unit for observation immediately, and family members cannot take care of him nearby."
After explaining the situation to the family, Dr. Chen turned and left, not giving them a chance to ask any further questions.
The hospital director rushed over with Zhou Qiang and heard that the surgery was complete and he could be transferred to a ward.
"Commander Zhou, the doctors in our hospital were all transferred from various places, and their medical skills are superb. Now you can rest assured, right?"
"Dean, I was just worried about something happening to the hero."
Zhou Qiang gave an awkward smile, trying to cover up what had just happened.
"The soldiers risked their lives for the country, so of course we will do our best to treat them. Since there's nothing else here, I'll head back now."
"Excuse me, Dean, please go ahead."
Watching the dean's departing figure, Zhou Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk towards his wife.
"Honey, what did the doctor say?"
"The danger is not over yet. We need to observe him for two days. If he wakes up, that's fine. But if..."
Liu Limei didn't continue speaking; her voice choked with emotion, but everyone understood what she meant.
Miya is the same; it's just barely holding on right now.
As Ren Qingsong's direct superior, Zhou Qiang had to think more deeply about this.
If Ren Qingsong were to be injured and die during this mission, then his parents should be allowed to see him one last time while he is still alive.
Immediately, Zhou Qiang turned his gaze to Miya, took a deep breath, and tried to control his tone of voice.
"Miya."
"Commander Zhou?" Miya looked at Zhou Qiang's method through teary eyes. Her eyes were swollen from tears, making it impossible for her to see Zhou Qiang's expression.
But without a doubt, it must be conveying a sense of pity, right?
“Miya, you are Qingsong’s only family member here in the army. Qingsong’s life is in danger. I hope you can call home and ask your parents to come over.”
"Just in case... just in case... at least I can see Qingsong one last time."
Upon hearing Zhou Qiang's words, Miya felt as if her heart had been ripped out and slammed to the ground, her unbearable pain tinged with fear.
The thought of meeting her in-laws, with whom she had been together for over a decade, filled her with dread.
But thinking about seeing their son one last time, what parent wouldn't feel regret if they missed it?
"Commander Zhou, I'll go!"
“Okay! I’ll take you to send the telegram right away.” Zhou Qiang nodded emphatically. “Honey, could you please stay at the hospital and look after Qingsong for a while? We’ll be right back.”
"Miya, your sister-in-law is here, don't worry."
Under Liu Limei's reassuring gaze, Miya followed Zhou Qiang's steps onto a path that was very likely to reveal her identity as a wandering ghost.
Upon arriving at the destination, a beeping sound came from the side, drawing Miya's attention.
Zhou Qiang walked towards the familiar telegraph operator and said, "Send a telegram."
"Commander Zhou!" the telegraph operator greeted him, then asked, "May I ask for Commander Zhou's address and the contents of this telegram?"
"Miya?" Zhou Qiang's call startled Miya from her reverie, which was still reeling from the telegraph machine.
Miya hurriedly looked up at the person across the table, "How do I send a telegram?"
"Just tell me the address and the content, and I'll charge you based on the number of words."
"I don't know the address... I really don't know the address," Miya said somewhat embarrassedly.
In her memory of arriving, she simply followed two figures blindly forward. Her family had bought the train tickets for her, so she had never handled them before. In addition, she was illiterate and had no idea of the exact address she had come from.
The telegraph operator looked at Mia in astonishment, not expecting that someone would come to send a telegram without knowing the address.
Zhou Qiang was also somewhat shocked, but thinking of the situation of some children in his hometown, he quickly recited the address of Ren Qingsong's hometown that he had written down.
"The address is Yangshu Brigade, Hongxing Commune, Hannan County, Linqi City, Xiadong Province."
"Content? You tell me, Miya."
“I…” Mia pointed to herself, then, remembering the telegraph operator’s earlier reminder, tentatively said:
"Then he sent a message: Mother, Third Brother is seriously injured, come quickly. Is that alright?"
"Very good!" Zhou Qiang was taken aback by Miya's concise message and couldn't help but praise her.
“Okay,” the telegraph operator agreed and immediately sent the message according to the content and address.
In an instant, Miya heard the beeping sound she had been hearing since she entered the room.
So this is what sending a telegram is all about?
The moment the telegraph operator stopped, Zhou Qiang swiftly handed over the money in his hand to pay for the call.
Before Miya could react, Zhou Qiang's question immediately diverted her attention.
When will this telegram arrive?
"Given the military's expedited processing speed, it should arrive tomorrow."
Miya was speechless with surprise at the telegraph operator's words, but considering that she was on a train and had traveled across several provinces in three days, it didn't seem hard to understand.
Amidst tension, fear, and worry, Miya followed Zhou Qiang back to the hospital, quietly waiting for the moment Ren Qingsong would wake up.
As the regimental commander, it was already very difficult for Zhou Qiang to stay at the hospital for the whole morning. He had to attend to military affairs in the afternoon, so he had to leave first.
Liu Limei also had to take care of things at home and outside, and deliver meals to Miya.
Therefore, Miya was the only one in the hospital all afternoon. Looking at the person lying on the hospital bed whose life or death was unknown, her heart ached as if it were being squeezed in someone's palm.
That evening, after being persuaded by several people, Miya went home to rest.
The next morning, he rushed back to the hospital to continue waiting for news.
Every minute and every second, Miya was hoping for a miracle to happen, but as night gradually fell, she still couldn't see Ren Qingsong open his eyes.
At this moment, in Yangshu Brigade, thousands of miles away, the Ren family, who were preparing to go to sleep, suddenly heard anxious shouts coming from outside the door.
"Uncle, Aunt! Uncle?"
Ren Fugui was about to take off his clothes and lie down on the bed when he suddenly heard a sound outside the courtyard. He thought he had misheard.
"Honey, is someone calling us from outside?"
Cui Dani pressed her ear against the window and finally heard the voice of the person who had entered.
"It looks like the cypress tree from his second grandfather's family?"
"Why did he come back from the commune at this time?"
As one of the few villagers who managed to work in the city during those difficult times, Ren Qingbai usually stayed in the commune.
These days, going out consumes far more food than you can afford, so it's best to avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.
Why is the second son's family's cypress tree coming back when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?
For some reason, Ren Fugui's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He hurriedly put on the clothes he had just taken off and frantically searched for his shoes on the dark ground.
He didn't put on his clothes until he heard his eldest son open the door for Qingbai. He simply left barefoot.
Cui Dani picked up her shoes with a puzzled look and went out together. She quickly invited Ren Qingbai into the house to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and talk, as it was still quite cold outside in early spring.
After receiving the telegram, Ren Qingbai rushed back from the commune, breathless. He nodded and followed his uncle's family into the house.
Upon entering the room, the temperature instantly rose. After drinking a bowl of water, Ren Qingbai slammed the telegram in his hand directly onto the kang table.
"Uncle, Aunt, look at the telegram quickly. I heard it was an urgent message from the army. I asked around and found out it was sent by Qingsong. Take a look, it might be something important."
Upon hearing the last three words, the three members of the Ren family exchanged glances and simultaneously recalled the letter they had received from the military camp just two days prior.
In the letter, Ren Qingsong said that Miya had arrived at the military base and was living in the family compound arranged by the military, and told people back home not to worry.
As for the childhood joke about a betrothal, that doesn't count. He will find a reliable partner for Mia while he's in the military, and won't be going home for the time being.
Could it be that the third brother found a partner for Mia in such a short time?
Author's Note: Updates will begin tomorrow at noon.
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