She pushed aside her son Qin Zhenbang, who was about to continue speaking, squeezed forward, and tightly held Su Tang's hand. Her cloudy old eyes were filled with lingering fear and heartache.
"Good child, good child..." The old woman could only repeat these few words over and over, her voice trembling, "It's good that you're back safe and sound, it's good that you're safe and sound..."
Her wrinkled hands gripped Su Tang tightly, as if if she let go, this granddaughter-in-law she had finally gained would fly away again.
Su Tang could clearly feel the warmth from the old lady's hand and the heartfelt concern.
Without saying a word, the Qin family took the two of them home, where a lavish welcome feast had already been prepared.
At the dinner table, no one mentioned the thrilling events in the snow-capped mountains. They just kept putting food on Su Tang and Qin Ye's plates, as if they wanted to make up for the suffering they had endured over the past ten days with delicious food.
It wasn't until nightfall that the two finally returned to their own secluded courtyard.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Su Tang breathed a long sigh of relief as she looked at the vegetable garden she had personally tended and the fruit trees that had sprouted tender buds.
Even though I was only gone for ten days, it felt like an eternity.
She walked to the edge of the vegetable garden, squatted down, and gently brushed away the thin layer of dust from a vegetable leaf.
Qin Ye walked up from behind, took off his military overcoat, draped it over her shoulders, and then pulled her into his arms from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice deep and satisfied.
"I'm home."
"Yes, I'm home." Su Tang leaned against his warm chest, feeling a sense of peace.
All the mineral veins, all the Ah Yun, all the thrilling events... at this moment, all transformed into the tranquility of this small courtyard before us.
Qin Ye noticed that Su Tang had lost weight and felt extremely distressed, so he insisted on making a lot of delicious food to help her regain it.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
On the afternoon of the third day, Deputy Commander Liu Zhenhua actually came to visit in person.
He wasn't accompanied by bodyguards, nor was he wearing his gleaming military uniform; he was just dressed in ordinary cadre attire, looking like a friendly neighbor visiting his neighborhood.
But as soon as he sat down, his battle-hardened aura made the atmosphere in the room serious.
"Qin Ye, Comrade Su Tang." Deputy Commander Liu got straight to the point, his gaze sweeping over the two men. "I have personally written your reports of merit and sent them to the military region and the capital. I am here today to ask you some questions privately."
Qin Ye stood at attention, his face serious: "Please give your instructions, Commander!"
"Sit down, sit down! Don't be so tense." Deputy Commander Liu waved his hand and pointed at Qin Ye. "You kid, tell me, how exactly did you two manage to take down forty-three serious criminals?"
He emphasized the words "you two".
Qin Ye remained expressionless and recited his prepared "official statement" flawlessly.
"Reporting to the commander! I used my military experience to organize and mobilize the local people, working together from within and without. Comrade Su Tang is a doctor, responsible for rear-area medical care and stabilizing public morale. Her medical skills reduced a large number of casualties for us and were a key guarantee!"
This explanation is flawless.
It not only demonstrated the unity between the military and the people, but also raised the awareness of the Tibetan compatriots, and firmly locked Su Tang's position as a "logistics and medical staff member," perfectly concealing her terrifying combat capabilities.
After listening, Deputy Commander Liu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing, but his deep eyes were filled with complex emotions.
He recalled that when he was interrogating Old Black and the tall, thin man, both of them mentioned a woman with exceptional fighting skills.
However, their testimonies don't match up at all.
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