Rong Jiaojiao said, "There are five people in my family. Apart from me, they are all soldiers."
Her tone unconsciously carried a hint of pride, and Zhao Lihua gave her a thumbs up.
As the group walked off the platform, a dusty Liberation truck was quietly parked by the roadside outside the Taiyuan County Railway Station.
Liu Wenzhang loaded the luggage onto the truck bed, turned to Zhao Lihua who was holding the child, and said, "Sister-in-law, you and the child sit in the driver's seat." He then nodded to Rong Jiaojiao, "Young comrade, I'm sorry to trouble you to sit in the back."
As the truck drove out of the county town, the cornfields stretched out on both sides of the dirt road.
Rong Jiaojiao sat cross-legged in the truck bed, her fingers secretly forming a hand seal. A gentle breeze swirled around her, keeping the flying dust at bay.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the military hospital, Liu Wenzhang jumped out of the car, quickly walked to the other side, and helped Zhao Lihua take the child out. Zhao Lihua also got out of the driver's seat and looked at Liu Wenzhang with gratitude, saying, "Comrade Liu, thank you for your trouble."
Liu Wenzhang waved his hand: "Sister-in-law, it's all the right thing to do. I'll take you to see Deputy Battalion Commander Pan first, and then I'll take you to the family compound after you've seen him."
Zhao Lihua pursed her lips, trying to suppress her eagerness to see her husband.
Rong Jiaojiao handed Zhao Lihua's two large bags to Liu Wenzhang, then picked up her own large bag and jumped down from the truck bed, landing lightly on the ground.
Liu Wenzhang's pupils contracted sharply. Just as Rong Jiaojiao was about to ask where the guesthouse was, Liu Wenzhang spoke first, saying, "Comrade Rong, why don't you come with us? We'll go back to the camp headquarters later and then take you to the guesthouse."
Rong Jiaojiao found it somewhat amusing; this person was incredibly vigilant. But perhaps it was for the best, as he might be able to see his brother sooner.
Rong Jiaojiao nodded happily: "Then I'll have to trouble Comrade Liu."
The three entered the military hospital, and the smell of disinfectant hit them.
Nurses frequently pushed medicine carts past hurriedly down the corridor, and the red slogans on the walls stood out starkly under the pale lights.
Liu Wenzhang led them to the ward at the corner of the third floor and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in." A hoarse male voice came from inside.
The moment she pushed open the door, the child in Zhao Lihua's arms suddenly started crying.
The man on the hospital bed struggled to get up; his left chest was wrapped in thick bandages, and his face was as pale as paper.
“Father of my child!” Zhao Lihua’s voice choked with sobs as she quickly walked to the bedside.
Rong Jiaojiao stood at the door, her gaze sweeping across the ward—a half-cold cup of traditional Chinese medicine sat on the bedside table, and a faded military uniform hung on the windowsill, its collar stained with dark brown blood.
Liu Wenzhang whispered to Rong Jiaojiao, "Let's wait outside."
On a bench in the corridor, Liu Wenzhang asked casually, "Comrade Rong, what's your brother's name? Which company is he in?"
“Rong Zhiyuan is a new recruit who just joined the army last year. He is in the 3rd Company of the 10th Battalion.” Rong Jiaojiao took out a photo album from her bag, opened the first picture and said, “This is a photo of my family taken together before my older brother joined the army.”
Upon hearing the name of the 10th Battalion, Liu Wenzhang was startled. That was the battalion where elite soldiers were stationed, and the soldiers there were basically all promising talents capable of taking on several opponents at once.
Rong Jiaojiao pointed to the photo and said, "This is my dad, this is my mom, this is my older brother, this is my younger brother, and this is Rong Zhiyuan, who is serving here."
Seeing that Rong Jiaojiao wasn't in the photo, while the other person's photo was full of soldiers, Liu Wenzhang narrowed his eyes.
Rong Jiaojiao was a little annoyed; she had forgotten to take a photo with her older brother last time.
She flipped through the pages again, revealing a solo photo of her eldest brother, then her second brother, her parents, her own photo, and finally, a photo of her and her parents.
Liu Wenzhang's expression softened only after seeing the last group photo.
Looking at the time, it was already six o'clock. Everyone should have finished eating by now. He said, "You wait here, I'll go make a phone call."
Rong Jiaojiao nodded obediently. Liu Wenzhang went to find a phone and called Rong Zhiyuan's company commander, Tang Wangfei, to tell him about Rong Jiaojiao, emphasizing her agility.
Tang Wangfei wasn't too surprised after hearing this, since he had heard Rong Zhiyuan say that everyone in his family except his mother had learned martial arts.
However, just to be on the safe side, we should take Rong Zhiyuan to meet the person first.
Find Rong Zhiyuan, who has just finished eating: "Rong Zhiyuan!"
"arrive!"
Rong Zhiyuan stood ramrod straight, but looked at Tang Wangfei with a puzzled expression.
"Come out with me for a moment," Tang Wangfei said to Rong Zhiyuan, then turned and walked out.
Rong Zhiyuan quickly followed, his footsteps making a crisp sound on the cement ground.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the two men, and the camp's loudspeaker was playing "Returning from Target Practice."
"Company commander, what do you need me for?"
They had walked quite a distance, but Tang Wangfei still hadn't said what he wanted to see him about, so Rong Zhiyuan couldn't help but ask.
Tang Wangfei continued walking: "I'm taking you to see someone."
He glanced at the recruit who had the best combat performance in the entire company. "Your family is here to visit you and is currently at the military hospital."
Rong Zhigao suddenly stopped in his tracks, his first thought being of his younger sister, who had previously written that she would come to see him once she broke through to the next level.
His muscles tensed instantly beneath his military uniform: "Is that my sister? She came alone? Why is she in the hospital? Is she injured?"
Images of his younger sister practicing martial arts and rock climbing with them flashed through his mind. Despite her small size, she was stronger and more agile than him and his brother. He hadn't seen her for many years and wondered what she looked like. His eyes grew anxious.
Why do you say she's your sister?
Rong Zhiyuan said matter-of-factly, "I mentioned before that she would come to see me whenever she had time."
Tang Wangfei nodded and answered his earlier question: "There was indeed a little girl who said she was your sister and came to find you, but she wasn't injured. As for why she's in the hospital, you'll find out when you get there."
Rong Zhiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good!"
"But the person who brought her here said on the phone that this girl jumped off the truck bed like it was nothing." Tang Wangfei gave him a meaningful look: "It seems your family's martial arts tradition is so strong that even the girls are formidable masters."
Rong Zhiyuan understood; his sister had become a suspect because of her good skills.
He wasn't annoyed; on the contrary, he thought it was quite normal. Anyway, his sister wouldn't be a bad person, and it would be fine once things were clarified.
Recalling his sister's agile skills when Uncle Qingxuan was teaching them, he couldn't help but smile proudly: "My sister started learning martial arts at the age of two, and at three years old she was practicing on live stakes and climbing rocks to practice her lightness skills. Her martial arts skills are far superior to mine and my brother's."
Tang Wangfei asked in surprise, "Didn't you all practice martial arts from a young age? Why are you inferior to your younger sister?"
Rong Zhiyuan chuckled and shook his head, saying, "We don't have a family tradition of martial arts. It's a long story, but my sister formally became a disciple to learn martial arts, and we've benefited a lot from that."
Tang Wangfei nodded. He had no intention of finding out the origin of their martial arts. He just wanted to know that his sister was also a martial artist. He quickened his pace toward the hospital.
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