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◎Day 17 of the control group◎
Several hours later, the operating room door finally opened, and the doctor walked out wearily, taking off his mask.
Jiang Wanzhou rushed over immediately: "Doctor! How is he?"
The doctor sighed: "The surgery was successful. The bullet was removed and the bleeding was stopped, but the patient has lost too much blood and is still in a coma. Whether he can wake up depends on his own will. The next 48 hours are critical, so please be prepared."
"If I wake up, will everything be alright?" Jiang Wanzhou grabbed the doctor's arm, her eyes full of pleading.
"As long as he wakes up and his recovery goes smoothly, there shouldn't be any major problems." The doctor patted her hand. "We will do our best, and the family should talk to him more; maybe that will stimulate him to wake up."
Jiang Wanzhou followed the nurse to the ward and looked at Zhou Qingyu lying on the hospital bed. Her face was as pale as paper, and various tubes were inserted into her body. The electrocardiogram monitor was making regular "beep" sounds.
She walked to the bedside and gently took his hand; his hand was icy cold.
"Qingyu, I've come to see you." She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Wake up, okay? Mingyuan is here. He's still waiting to learn math from you. And our baby, he's about to be born. He wants to see what his dad looks like."
"Didn't you say you'd help me name the baby? Didn't you say you'd watch him grow up and send him to school? You can't go back on your word..."
She recounted her story over and over, from how they met and fell in love to the little things that happened after they got married. When she got emotional, she couldn't stop crying.
Mingyuan also moved closer to the bedside and whispered, "Uncle, wake up. I brought you a painting I drew. I'll show it to you when you wake up."
Shen Xinglian stood at the door, quietly wiping away her tears.
Liu Hongying walked over and patted her on the shoulder: "Let Wanzhou talk to him, maybe it will really help. I'm going home to the affiliated hospital now, call me anytime if anything happens."
Next, Jiang Wanzhou stayed by Zhou Qingyu's side in the ward, talking to him constantly, wiping his hands and face, and feeding him a little water.
That night, Jiang Wanzhou lay down by the bed and drifted off to sleep, still holding Zhou Qingyu's hand.
Suddenly, she felt her fingers being gently moved. She opened her eyes abruptly and looked at Zhou Qingyu.
Zhou Qingyu's eyelids twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still somewhat dazed. Her lips moved, uttering a weak sound: "Wanzhou..."
"Qingyu! You're awake! You're finally awake!" Jiang Wanzhou was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly pressed the call button. "Doctor! Doctor! He's awake!"
The doctor arrived quickly, examined the patient, and said with a smile, "That's wonderful! The patient has passed the critical period and is recovering very smoothly. It's truly a miracle!"
Jiang Wanzhou rushed to the bedside, tightly grasped Zhou Qingyu's hand, and choked out, "You scared me to death, you know? I thought you would never wake up again. Two days and 48 hours, and you insisted on waking up in the last hour."
"I was terrified, you know?"
Zhou Qingyu smiled weakly and raised her hand to wipe away her tears: "Don't cry, I'm fine. I won't forget what I promised you."
Mingyuan also came over excitedly and said, "Uncle! You're finally awake! I knew you were the best!"
Shen Xinglian breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's great, I can finally relax. By the way, I just received news that your brother has successfully completed his mission and is on his way back. He should arrive tomorrow."
Jiang Wanzhou nodded, looking at Zhou Qingyu, and finally felt relieved.
Sunlight streamed through the window into the ward, falling on Zhou Qingyu's face.
At that moment, she thought that as long as her family was safe and sound together, they could overcome any difficulties they encountered.
Zhou Qingyu looked at Jiang Wanzhou, then at her lower abdomen, and whispered, "Baby, are you alright?"
Shen Xinglian quickly said, "How can it be good? She hasn't slept well for a long time. But I can understand. In Wanzhou's heart, you are more important than the child. None of us dare to persuade her otherwise."
"The baby is doing well. Once you're all better, we'll wait for him to be born together," Jiang Wanzhou said with a smile, her eyes filled with tears of happiness.
On the third day after Zhou Qingyu woke up, Jiang Renzhou suddenly stopped contacting her.
At first, she couldn't get in touch with him, and Shen Xinglian comforted herself that it was a high-level mission and she couldn't tell him. But after a week, there was still no news.
When even the military personnel sent to meet her reported back that they had lost contact, Shen Xinglian's long-held strength shattered instantly.
She sat on a bench outside the ward, holding Mingmei in her arms. Her fingertips were icy cold, and she didn't even react when her daughter cried in her arms.
Jiang Wanzhou said softly, "Xingxing, don't panic, your brother will definitely be fine. He's so capable, nothing will happen to him."
Shen Xinglian looked up, her eyes bloodshot: "But he's never been out of contact for this long before."
"He's the male lead..."
Before the words were finished, whispers from several military dependents could be heard at the end of the corridor: "Have you heard? Regiment Commander Jiang has gone missing. I'm afraid he's in grave danger..."
"It's all because his wife is unlucky and brings bad luck to her husbands! Before, Su Xiaomei caused trouble and made her go into premature labor, and now she's brought bad luck to Commander Jiang, whose life is in danger..."
"All these troubles in the Jiang family might have been caused by that little brat."
These words pierced Jiang Wanzhou's heart like needles. She suddenly stood up: "Sister-in-law, did you think these words yourself? Military families and wives should be mindful of their words."
The two quickly waved their hands, saying, "We heard it from someone else."
"Ignore them, they can say whatever they want, we can't control them," Shen Xinglian said, pulling Jiang Wanzhou along.
Once rumors start, they grow like weeds.
Rumors quickly spread throughout the family compound, with some saying that Shen Xinglian was a "jinx" who brought bad luck to anyone she encountered.
Some people say that she married Jiang Renzhou for his class background, and now that he's gone, they're probably secretly happy.
Even when she went to buy vegetables, the salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative deliberately lowered the weight on the scale and said sarcastically, "Comrade Chen, selling you these vegetables might bring bad luck. Why don't you raise the price?"
Shen Xinglian clutched the money in her hand, her fingertips turning white, and turned to leave.
When they reached a secluded spot, she could no longer hold back and squatted down, hugging Mingmei and crying.
When Jiang Wanzhou found out, she was so angry that she was about to confront those people on the spot, but Zhou Qingyu stopped her: "You're pregnant, don't be impulsive. I'll go talk to Director Liu and ask her to take charge."
But Liu Hongying was also in a dilemma: "Qingyu, I can control what people say, but I can't control what they think. Commander Jiang is missing, and everyone is panicking. They need to find a reason to vent."
Zhou Qingyu frowned: "You can't vent your anger on women. My sister-in-law and Wanzhou have had a tough time. Just because they seem to have a good attitude doesn't mean we can ignore them."
Jiang Wanzhou was unwilling to accept this.
The next morning, heavily pregnant, she dragged Shen Xinglian to the supply and marketing cooperative, pointing at the difficult sales clerk: "Comrade, vegetables are bought with coupons, not just by talking. If you won't sell to me, I'll go to your leader and ask if the cooperative has a rule that 'husband-killing' family members can't buy vegetables?"
The sales clerk blushed and turned pale in turns, and someone nearby tried to speak up for her.
Zhou Qingyu walked over with a cold face, holding a certificate from the military in her hand: "Shen Xinglian is a military dependent and is protected by the military. If anyone dares to spread rumors and cause trouble again, don't blame us for taking you to the police station."
Seeing this, those people reluctantly shut their mouths.
But their underhanded tactics never stopped.
Shen Xinglian's clothes, which she left to dry in the yard, would be deliberately dirtied, and her water bucket would be kicked over when she went to fetch water.
Even when Mingyuan went to school, some classmates pointed at him and said, "Your mother is a jinx; she brought death to your father!"
Mingyuan ran home with red eyes and threw himself into Shen Xinglian's arms: "Mom, they're lying! You're not a jinx! My dad will definitely come back!"
Jiang Wanzhou saw it all and felt deeply pained.
She told Zhou Qingyu to go back to her workplace to find out more information, while she moved in with Shen Xinglian, spending her days cooking for her, taking care of the children, and shielding her from those with ill intentions.
“Xingxing, look, Mingmei is smiling. She must miss her dad. We have to be good to her and wait for her brother to come back.” Jiang Wanzhou handed the baby bottle to Shen Xinglian. “And Mingyuan, he protects you so much. We can’t let the child down.”
Shen Xinglian nodded and wiped away her tears: "I know, I can't collapse. Renzhou is still waiting for me, the children are still waiting for me."
But life was still tough.
That day, Shen Xinglian went to deliver soup to Zhou Qingyu and Jiang Wanzhou. As soon as she got downstairs to the ward, she heard several family members talking: "I heard that Shen Xinglian went to ask my husband about me yesterday."
"If she's really sincere, she should leave on her own and not drag our family compound down with her..."
Shen Xinglian paused, almost dropping the thermos in her hand.
She took a deep breath and was about to walk forward when she saw Liu Hongying stride over and scold the group: "What nonsense are you spouting! Commander Jiang went missing because of a mission, what does that have to do with Comrade Shen? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will report it to the troops and deal with it as disturbing morale!"
Those people were so frightened that they immediately shut their mouths and slunk away.
Liu Hongying turned around and patted Shen Xinglian on the shoulder: "Xinglian, don't take it to heart. These people are just cowards, afraid of getting into trouble, so they make up excuses. Renzhou is a lucky man, he will definitely come back. If you have any difficulties, just tell me. Not everyone in our family compound is so heartless."
Shen Xinglian looked at Liu Hongying, her eyes welling up with tears: "Sister Hongying, thank you."
"No need to thank me, we're all sisters who work together." Liu Hongying took the thermos from her hand. "Come on, I'll go with you to see Wanzhou and Qingyu. By the way, the army just sent word that they found traces of Regiment Commander Jiang and his men at the border, but they can't contact them for the time being, so we can rest assured."
This news was like a ray of light, illuminating Shen Xinglian's gloomy heart.
She rushed to the ward and told Jiang Wanzhou and Zhou Qingyu the news. The long-lost smiles finally appeared on their faces.
"See, I told you my brother was alright!" Jiang Wanzhou said excitedly. "Let's see what those people have to say when he gets back!"
Zhou Qingyu nodded: "Once I've fully recovered, I'll apply to go and meet Brother. I must bring him back safely."
Shen Xinglian held Mingmei's small hand, hope rekindling in her eyes: "Yes, we'll wait for him to come back and live a good life together."
Jiang Wanzhou suddenly remembered someone: "I haven't seen Jun Yanghong recently."
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