Chapter 203 The Little Island Undergoes a Major Change
Xia Qianqian's heart clenched, but she quickly regained her composure and placed her hand on Shi Tou's chest. There was still a faint, almost nonexistent beating there.
"Erwa, don't cry!" Her voice was clear and firm. "Shitou can still be saved! Move aside!"
She shoved Erwa aside, quickly pulled out a first-aid kit from her canvas bag, and opened it with a "whoosh"—inside were neatly arranged hemostatic powder, cardiac stimulants, and penicillin injections.
She tore off the bandage on the stone; blood was still seeping from the wound. Without hesitation, she sprinkled hemostatic powder on it and then tightly wrapped it with new gauze.
Xia Qianqian injected him with another stimulant, and Shi Tou frowned and let out a weak groan.
Erwa's eyes suddenly lit up: "Brother Stone! Did you hear that? He hummed!"
"Pfft—" Stone suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his eyes slowly opened a crack.
"Brother Stone!" Erwa rushed over, his voice choked with emotion, "Hot noodles... I saved them for you..."
Stone's eyelids felt as heavy as lead; he managed to open them a crack, but his vision was still blurred, and the figures in his eyes flickered like a revolving lantern. But then an enticing aroma wafted into his nostrils—the warmth of scallions mixed with bone broth, like the smell of his mother cooking noodles in the kitchen back home.
His throat bobbed: "Am I...am I in the underworld? Why does it smell like my mother's hot noodle soup..."
Erwa was holding his hand, tears streaming down her face, when she heard this and suddenly looked up, wiping her face with the back of her hand, her voice filled with joy and surprise: "Brother Shitou! You're not dead! Comrade Xia saved you!"
He turned to look at the woman beside him, only to realize he hadn't asked her name yet. He quickly scratched his head, "Um... comrade, what's your name?"
Xia Qianqian squatted down and held the bowl to Shi Tou's mouth: "My name is Xia Qianqian. Drink slowly, the noodles won't clump together."
Shi Tou stared at her, his eyes slowly focusing. The woman had a headband tied around her head and sweat on her temples, but her smile was more beautiful than that of a fairy in a New Year's painting.
He suddenly felt dizzy, not from pain, but from being completely stunned: "Am I...am I dreaming? It's like I've seen a living god..."
Just then, the curtain was flung open, and Commander Wang walked in. Hearing this, he laughed out loud: "You brat! You think you're some kind of god after just surviving? Take good care of your wounds! Next time the enemy comes, you'll be my gunner again!"
Once Commander Wang saw that Shi Tou was out of danger, he asked, "Comrade, which unit are you from?"
The supplies they brought were not what ordinary transport teams could have.
Xia Qianqian was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked at Lu Zheng, who was helping the soldiers move supplies not far away.
Lu Zheng immediately put down the grain bag in his hand, strode over, and gave a standard military salute: "Reporting to Commander Wang! We were previously part of the elite strike team, but we went home to await orders for personal reasons. Now that the war has broken out, we volunteered to return to the team. We just arrived in Haicheng yesterday, and when we heard that Xiaoshan Island was in dire straits, we rushed here."
Commander Wang's brows furrowed at first, then suddenly relaxed, a knowing glint in his eyes.
He certainly knew those people: the elite team members who had been temporarily "idled" back then due to their family background or other reasons. He had argued with his superiors for them, but he couldn't go against orders.
Looking at Lu Zheng's straight back and the brothers behind him, who were wounded but had resolute eyes, Commander Wang's Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly patted Lu Zheng's shoulder and said, "Good lad! I knew you bunch of troublemakers wouldn't be content to stay at home!"
He turned to look at Xia Qianqian, his tone filled with respect: "Comrade Xia, you risked your lives to support Xiaoshan Island. I, Lao Wang, acknowledge your loyalty. If there are any problems in the future, I, Lao Wang, will take full responsibility!"
Commander Wang suddenly sighed heavily: "Your coming here... was actually unwise."
He looked up at the gray sea, his voice filled with undisguised weariness, "Our brothers on this small island have long been prepared—to take the last bullet for our motherland. If you come, you'll probably lose your lives here."
Following Commander Wang's gaze, Xia Qianqian realized that the surrounding environment was even more dire than she had imagined.
The trees near the camp had bare trunks, the last bit of bark scraped away to reveal the stark white wood; the water tanks were long empty, their mouths covered with thick ice; a small iron pot with a chipped rim hung over the fire, bubbling with something black—upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was the soldiers' worn-out leather belts, being boiled until soft and mushy.
"Even if you bring these supplies, they'll only last three days at most. The water supply has been cut off for a long time, and we've almost finished chewing up the snow."
Looking at the group of energetic young people in front of him, Commander Wang felt a lump in his throat: "If only you hadn't come to the island... that would have been so much better."
He glanced at the sea; fragments of the small sampan were still floating in the waves. "It's too late to turn back now. Enemy artillery fire has sealed off the sea; not even a bird can fly out."
Lu Zheng smiled confidently, exchanged a glance with Peng Fei, and said firmly, "Commander Wang, rest assured, we're here to solve the problem!"
He raised his hand and shouted to his men, "Don't just stand there! Set up the tents and bunkers! There's plenty of supplies! Qianqian, you and Dr. Zhang go and treat the wounded!"
"Yes!" the brothers responded in unison.
The canvas tent was quickly erected on the reef, with the windproof ropes firmly secured to the crevices in the rocks, a stark contrast to the previously leaky thatched hut. Peng Fei and his men carried over wooden planks to reinforce the shelter, the sound of hammers striking the planks particularly loud in the cold wind.
On the other side, Xia Qianqian and Dr. Zhang had already opened the medical kit, inside which were piled high with penicillin injections, sterile gauze, and anesthetics, making the soldiers stare in disbelief.
Previously, their wounds were wrapped with rags, and some had even become infected and smelly.
Xia Qianqian squatted down in front of a young soldier with an injured arm, carefully cleaning the wound with saline solution. Her movements were gentle yet swift. "Bear with it, it will be over soon." Meanwhile, Dr. Zhang was performing surgery on a seriously wounded soldier on a makeshift operating table. As the anesthesia was administered, the soldiers stopped writhing in pain, and even the sound of the scalpel cutting through their skin became calm.
An old soldier with a broken leg, who had been waiting to die with his eyes closed, suddenly clenched his fists when he saw Dr. Zhang take out sutures and disinfectant cotton. His eyes lit up again: "I...I can still live?"
Without even looking up, Dr. Zhang said, "Yes! Once your wound heals, we'll put a wooden leg in it, and you can still fight the Japanese!"
Tears streamed down the veteran's face, but he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Good! Good! I can still kill the enemy!"
The soldiers around gathered around, looking at the sterile gauze in Xia Qianqian's hand and the penicillin in Dr. Zhang's hand, and the numbness on their faces gradually faded.
A long-lost light shone in their eyes—the hope to survive, the desire to continue fighting.
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