Chapter 374 The Meaning Behind the Medals
Watching Shen Qing walk into the opposite courtyard, Su Wantang turned around and went back into the house.
Lu Jingyan came out of the study.
"She's gone?"
"I went to the Gao family's house," Su Wantang said. "I brought quite a lot of things with me."
Su Wantang sat on the sofa, holding a bowl of soup, listening quietly.
She didn't quite understand the technical terms they were using.
But she could tell that Shen Qing was deliberately creating a certain atmosphere.
An atmosphere of "we are all from the same world".
Shen Qing turned to look at Su Wantang, "Comrade Su may not understand what we are saying."
She smiled and said, "These are military terms, not something the average person can understand."
Su Wantang put down the soup bowl and stood up.
She walked to the bedroom door and pushed it open.
Then a sandalwood box was brought out.
The box wasn't big, but it was very heavy.
She placed the box on the coffee table and opened it.
Inside, a row of medals were neatly arranged.
First-class merit medal, second-class merit medal, and several other medals whose names she couldn't recall.
Each one was polished to a spotless shine.
Besides the medal, the box also contained a bullet casing, a yellowed photograph, and an unmailed letter.
Shen Qing was stunned when she saw what was in the box.
Lu Jingyan was also stunned.
He walked over and looked at the contents of the box.
"When did you..." His voice was a little hoarse.
“When you first went on a mission,” Su Wantang said, “Wang Ma had put away all your things, so I asked her to give them all to me.”
She picked up the First-Class Merit Medal. "You received this when you were in the Northwest, right?"
Lu Jingyan nodded.
Su Wantang picked up the spent cartridge case again. "What about this one?"
"It's from my first mission," Lu Jingyan said. "I almost died on that mission."
Su Wantang put the bullet casing back and picked up the letter.
"Who is this letter addressed to?"
Lu Jingyan was silent for a few seconds, then said, "It's for my mother."
“That mission was too dangerous, and I thought I wouldn’t come back,” he said. “So I wrote a letter, thinking that if something happened to me, I would ask my comrades to take the letter to my mother.”
Su Wantang looked at him, "And then?"
“He came back alive later,” Lu Jingyan said. “The letter has been kept ever since, but it has never been sent.”
Su Wantang put the letter back in the box and closed the lid.
She turned to look at Shen Qing, "Officer Shen is right. Only those who have fought alongside you can truly understand the meaning of these medals."
Shen Qing nodded, a smile appearing on her face.
Su Wantang continued, "But the one who can keep these medals spotless, who can remember the story behind each medal, who can guard these things while he's on a mission..."
She paused, then said, "Just me."
Shen Qing's smile froze.
Lu Jingyan walked over and wrapped his arms around Su Wantang's waist from behind.
“My honor was for the country in the past,” he said. “Now and in the future, it is so that she can lean safely in my arms.”
He looked up at Shen Qing, "She is the meaning of all my medals."
Shen Qing's face turned pale instantly.
She stood there, opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.
After a long while, she managed to force a smile.
"I...I have something to do, I'll go first."
She turned and walked out, her steps a little unsteady.
After the door closed, the room became quiet.
Lu Jingyan released Su Wantang, turned her around, and made her face him.
"Wantang," he said in a low voice, "are you jealous?"
“No,” Su Wantang said.
"You're lying." Lu Jingyan lowered his head, his forehead touching hers. "The way you were acting just now, you were practically bursting with jealousy."
Su Wantang pushed him away, "I didn't."
“Yes.” Lu Jingyan picked her up and sat her down on the sofa. “And it’s quite obvious.”
Su Wantang leaned against him and said, "I can't understand what you're telling her about the past."
“I know,” Lu Jingyan said, “which is why I didn’t say much.”
“But she kept saying,” Su Wantang said, “talking about how you two used to be, as if you were all in cahoots.”
Lu Jingyan laughed, "Are you stupid or not?"
He pinched her cheek. "She and I are just comrades-in-arms, but you are for life."
Su Wantang looked up at him, "Really?"
"Really." Lu Jingyan lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Wantang, after I finish dealing with this matter, I will only spend time with you and the child."
Su Wantang leaned against him without saying a word.
Her gaze fell on the map on the table.
The finger slowly extends and points to an inconspicuous small town.
Anxi Town.
......
As the anniversary of Gao Jianjun's death approaches, a somber atmosphere hangs over the entire military compound.
This day was also Gao Jianjun's birthday.
Su Wantang stood by the window, watching the commotion in the Gao family's courtyard across the street.
Madam Gao's hair had turned mostly white, and she sat in the courtyard lost in thought. Li Xiu'e, who was seven or eight months pregnant, sat beside her, holding a bowl of rice and trying to comfort her.
"Mom, please have something to eat."
Gao's mother shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
“My son is gone, what am I going to eat?”
Li Xiue squatted down and took her mother-in-law's hand.
"Mom, Jianjun is watching from heaven. He'll be worried if you don't eat."
Gao's mother suddenly pushed the bowl away, and the bowl fell to the ground and shattered.
"Feel sorry for him? If he knew what it meant to feel sorry for someone, he shouldn't have gone to that awful place!"
Li Xiu'e froze, and tears streamed down her face.
She stood up, supporting her back, and bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the bowl.
Seeing her daughter-in-law's clumsy movements, Gao's mother cried even harder.
"Xiu'e, your belly is so big, don't pick it up anymore, let Mom do it."
The two women hugged each other and cried their hearts out.
Su Wantang turned around and went back into the house.
Lu Jingyan was on the phone in his study when he saw her come in, and then he hung up.
"What's wrong?"
"The situation at the Gao family isn't good." Su Wantang sat down. "Mother Gao hasn't been eating properly these past few days."
Lu Jingyan remained silent for a few seconds.
"I have already had someone send over the organization's compensation and arrangements."
“Money and a job alone are not enough.” Su Wantang shook her head. “People don’t live on just these things.”
Lu Jingyan walked over and took her hand.
What do you want to do?
"Let's go take a look together tonight."
At three o'clock in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door.
Wang Ma went to open the door, and Shen Qing came in.
She carried large and small bags, with a standard consoling smile on her face.
Is Comrade Su home?
Su Wantang came downstairs and saw what Shen Qing was holding.
Bird's nest, ginseng, and deer antler are all precious tonics.
"What's this, Staff Officer Shen?"
“I heard the Gao family isn’t doing so well lately.” Shen Qing put her things on the table. “Jianjun is my comrade-in-arms; I should go and see him.”
Su Wantang nodded.
"That's thoughtful of you."
“Of course.” Shen Qing smiled. “My father has some connections in Beijing, and I can help arrange a better job for Li Xiu’e.”
She spoke very naturally, her words implying that she could help.
Su Wantang poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her.
"The Gao family will certainly be grateful for Advisor Shen's kindness."
Shen Qing took the teacup.
"We are all comrades-in-arms, it is only right that we help each other."
She looked upstairs.
"Is Commander Lu here? I'd like to go to the Gao family with him."
“He’s handling official business in his study,” Su Wantang said. “It’s not convenient to disturb him.”
Shen Qing's smile froze for a moment.
"Then I won't wait any longer, I'll go to the Gao family first."
She carried her things out the door, and Su Wantang saw her off at the courtyard gate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com