Gao Mingcheng never returned after leaving. It wasn't until three days later that he rushed to the hospital and handed over the imported antibiotics he had finally obtained to the doctor.
For the past three days, Grandma Tan has been in a daze, barely conscious, and her body has been constantly fluctuating between hot and cold. She was in so much pain that she thought she might die, but she stubbornly held on.
Occasionally, she could hear familiar yet unfamiliar voices speaking to her, as if villagers she knew had come to visit her and told her about the past.
Although she hadn't had a chance to visit her father's grave in person, she was content just to be able to come back, even if she were dead now, as long as she could be buried next to her father.
As the days went by, Grandma Tan clearly felt her condition worsening. She thought she was probably beyond saving and lay there waiting to die when she suddenly felt a prick on her arm. Then something was injected into her body, carrying a comfortable coolness...
After an unknown amount of time, Grandma Tan finally slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the unshaven man sitting by the bed. He looked somewhat familiar. That's right, he was Xing Zhaozhao's lover, the one whose name seemed to be Gao Mingcheng.
“You…” Old Mrs. Tan called out, her voice hoarse.
After Gao Mingcheng retrieved the imported antibiotics, he couldn't bear to leave and stayed by Grandma Tan's bedside, waiting for her to wake up. Another day passed, and when he finally saw her wake up, he couldn't hide his joy: "You're finally awake?!"
Grandma Tan opened her mouth as if to say something, but her throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and she couldn't make a sound. She could only manage to utter, "Water..."
There was some diluted boiled water nearby, and Gao Mingcheng helped Grandma Tan drink it.
Grandma Tan was extremely thirsty and drank a whole cup before she felt better. She turned to Gao Mingcheng and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I have something to ask you," Gao Mingcheng said directly.
Grandma Tan knew perfectly well what he wanted to ask: "About Xing Zhaozhao?"
Gao Mingcheng nodded and stared intently at Old Madam Tan: "Zhaozhao hasn't come back. You saw her over there, so you should know what happened, right?"
Grandma Tan nodded and said, "She won't be coming back."
Gao Mingcheng's face darkened, and he growled in a low voice, "That's impossible. Zhaozhao wouldn't abandon me and the children."
Grandma Tan laughed: "Why is it impossible? You haven't been to that world, so you don't know how big the difference is between there and here. She can live a life you can't even imagine there, so why would she come back to live a hard life with you? Maybe by now, she has already found another man and started a new life."
Even though he knew she was lying, Gao Mingcheng couldn't help but be provoked into a rage. He suddenly stood up, glaring at Old Madam Tan with bloodshot eyes, grabbed her by the neck, and gritted his teeth, saying, "You're talking nonsense."
Grandma Tan was being choked and couldn't breathe. She struggled desperately but couldn't break free from his grip. A wave of panic, thinking she was going to die again, washed over her: "Help...help me..." Someone, please save her...
Just then, the doctor came to check on the patients with a nurse. They pushed open the door and came in, followed by Captain Gao and his wife, who had come to visit Grandma Tan.
When Grandma Tan saw that someone had finally arrived, her eyes lit up with hope: "Help, help me..."
The doctor and Captain Gao were stunned by the scene they saw upon entering. After a moment of shock, they rushed forward and quickly freed Grandma Tan from Gao Mingcheng's grasp.
"What exactly happened?" The doctor looked at Grandma Tan, then at Gao Mingcheng, and asked with a serious expression.
Grandma Tan coughed twice, finally catching her breath. She looked at Gao Mingcheng, whose face remained ashen, with a look of panic, and said, "He...he wants to kill me."
Although Gao Mingcheng's fierce aura just now was indeed a bit intimidating, did he really kill someone?
The doctors, nurses, Captain Gao, and Aunt Gao all looked at Old Mrs. Tan with strange expressions.
"If it weren't for Comrade Gao finding a way to get imported antibiotics, you would have been dead long ago. Why would he suddenly want to kill you? What did you say to him?" the doctor asked curiously.
Grandma Tan was stunned: "You mean, he saved my life?"
The doctor nodded.
Grandma Tan looked at Gao Mingcheng with a complicated expression, her heart filled with conflict. She had killed his lover, yet he had saved her, even though he was unaware of her actions…
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now," Gao Mingcheng said in a muffled voice, turning to leave. He didn't know what her purpose was in making up those words, but she clearly didn't understand Zhaozhao or him. However, given the current situation, it wasn't convenient to ask any further questions.
"Mingcheng," Captain Gao called out to him, "Just now..."
Gao Mingcheng didn't intend to say more: "It's nothing, just a misunderstanding. I'm leaving now, I'll see the children in a few days."
After saying that, Gao Mingcheng left quickly without waiting for Captain Gao to say anything more.
Captain Gao had no choice but to turn his attention to Old Lady Tan.
Of course, Grandma Tan couldn't reveal the secret about the "door" to them. She stiffly forced a smile and managed to fool them: "He said it was a misunderstanding, so it must be a misunderstanding."
Since Grandma Tan had said so, the others didn't dare to ask any more questions.
When Gao Mingcheng returned home, the children clung to him, having not seen each other for many days. Especially since their mother was gone, their father was now their only support.
Grandma Qin and Fu Lan were also there.
"How is she?" Old Mrs. Qin asked as soon as she saw Gao Mingcheng.
"It's all over now," Gao Mingcheng said.
"Then Zhao Zhao..." Old Mrs. Qin asked impatiently.
Seeing the eager looks around him, Gao Mingcheng certainly wouldn't reveal what Old Madam Tan had said, which was clearly just a lie. After hesitating for a moment, he still chose to lie: "She doesn't know what happened to Zhaozhao either."
Everyone, young and old, looked disappointed.
Seeing that Gao Mingcheng had been traveling for several days and looked noticeably thinner with bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn't had a proper rest, Grandma Qin comforted him, saying, "Don't worry too much. I heard from the children that Zhaozhao also stayed there for a month. Maybe something happened that delayed her, and she'll be back in a while."
"I understand," Gao Mingcheng nodded and said. That was the only way he could comfort himself.
A month has passed in the blink of an eye, and Xing Zhaozhao still hasn't returned.
Then another month...
With the holiday coming to an end and still no news from Xing Zhaozhao, and with three children at home, Gao Mingcheng considered it carefully and wrote a discharge application, which he sent to the military commander.
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