Chapter 46
Cheng Xing arrived in City S and immediately set about buying a house. With the right connections, everything was easy to negotiate. The developer was generous, offering her the same price as the previous listing, plus a discount. She called her mother to share the good news, and Tao Zhi was truly delighted for two days.
As soon as the notice of military inspection arrived, Tao Zhi could no longer smile.
Just as Principal Jiang predicted, Cheng Man was dismissed due to her skull fracture. She locked herself in her room, refusing to eat or drink, and refusing to respond when called. This worried Cheng Xiangqian so much that he couldn't eat a single bite.
Tao Zhi advised him: "You still have to eat. You are not a young person. It doesn't matter if you skip a few meals."
Cheng Xiangqian glared and said, "Young people can starve?"
Tao Zhi laughed: "Children are the most easily influenced. The more anxious and angry you act, the more Manman will feel like the sky is falling."
Cheng Xiangqian thought about it and it seemed to make sense: "Then what do you think we should do?"
"It's better to temper herself a little while she's young. We should eat and drink as usual and live a normal life. Give her some private space, and she'll figure it out."
Cheng Xiangqian felt it was unreliable: "What if she still gets stuck in a rut?"
"I'll teach her to figure it out myself."
Tao Zhi does what she says. She has appointments almost every day, and her schedule is packed from morning to night. She practices the four words "early to go out and late to come back" with her actions.
On the third day, Cheng Man asked, "Where's my mother?"
"I went out with friends."
"You'll be gone for a whole day?" Cheng Man couldn't believe it.
"Cheng Xing has bought a house. Your mother said that before moving, you should visit more old friends."
Cheng Man couldn't find any reason to complain. That day, even after she had gone to bed, Ms. Tao still hadn't returned home.
Cheng Man got up early the next day and waited until her father came out for breakfast, but her mother was nowhere to be seen. "Dad, my mother hasn't gotten up yet?"
Cheng Xiangqian was drinking porridge and mumbled, "No, she didn't come back last night."
Cheng Man stood up and asked, "Mom doesn't even come home?"
Cheng Xiangqian was stunned for a moment: "No, your aunt fell down, and she went to the hospital to accompany her."
Cheng Man pursed her lips and asked, "Dad, do you know which hospital it is?"
"Your mother mentioned it last night. I think it was at the orthopedic hospital."
"Are you going to visit your aunt?"
"I'll bring lunch to your mother at noon."
"Then I'll follow."
Cheng Xiangqian subconsciously rejected her: "Children should not go to the hospital too much."
Cheng Man hugged her father's arm and acted like a spoiled child: "Hey, Dad, I'll go take Mom's place so she can have a rest."
Cheng Xiangqian quickly gave in: "Okay, okay, I'll take you there, I'll take you there."
When Cheng Man saw Tao Zhi at the hospital, she looked as dry and pale as a pickled vegetable. There was nothing she could do. Tao Zhi was so particular about her bed, and her second aunt needed someone to look after her. Tao Zhi hadn't slept all night, and now she felt like she was floating even when she walked.
"Mom, Mom." After calling twice, Tao Zhi finally responded.
"Why are you here too?"
"Mom, I'll take your place for a while. You can go home and get some sleep." Cheng Man put her arm around Tao Zhi's shoulders and was surprised to find that her mother had lost weight.
Tao Zhi didn't bother to be polite with her. After explaining the precautions one by one, she followed Cheng Xiangqian home to catch up on her sleep.
"How's Manman these past two days?"
"Just as you guessed, I'm starting to get anxious."
"Did any school call?"
"Manman answered it, I guess there is."
"I'll ask her when I wake up."
In the evening, Tao Zhi went to hand over her shift to Cheng Man. Cheng Man took her arm and said to Cheng Xiangqian, "Dad, please go see my aunt first. I have something to say to Mom."
Cheng Man took her mother downstairs and asked unhappily, pouting, "Mom, are you still going to take care of me?"
"I want to take care of it, but you have to be willing."
"How many days have you ignored me?"
Tao Zhi was very surprised: "You didn't respond when we talked to you, I thought you didn't want to pay attention to us."
Cheng Man was upset, but she was not in the right and could not argue with Tao Zhi, so she had to let it go.
She looked around and saw no one around, so she leaned over to Tao Zhi's ear and said, "Mom, several universities have called me." She lowered her voice and said, "And Shuimu too."
Tao Zhi's eyes widened. "Really?"
Cheng Man nodded seriously.
Tao Zhi asked, "Didn't you slip?"
"I heard that I made it into the top ten in the province and my name was registered with the admissions office. The principal also made a lot of efforts and has been keeping an eye on the supplementary admission."
What a silly child, Tao Zhi thought to himself.
"So what do you think?"
"Mom, I'm confused."
Tao Zhi touched her head: "Is there nothing you like?"
She replied yes.
"An officer called you."
Cheng Man stood up straight immediately: "When?"
"When I knocked on the door and told you not to open it."
Cheng Man immediately became anxious: "What did the officer say?"
"He didn't tell me."
Cheng Man was visibly depressed, as if all her energy and spirit had been drained away from her in an instant.
Tao Zhi patted her: "You are very heavy, don't press me."
"Mom, you have no conscience."
Tao Zhi took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said, "I am hard-hearted. It seems that you don't need this address anymore."
Cheng Man was quick-eyed and quick-handed. Before Tao Zhi finished speaking, she immediately snatched it away.
She took a closer look in the dim light and saw that it was an address in this city.
"Mom, what does this mean?"
Tao Zhi left her alone for a few minutes until Cheng Man begged her desperately. Then she said, "The address of that kind officer."
Cheng Man jumped three feet high, hugged Tao Zhi and kissed her: "Mom, thank you."
Tao Zhi wiped his saliva and said coldly, "So many days have passed..."
Cheng Man rushed over and covered her mouth directly: "Mom, no, I will leave tomorrow."
Tao Zhi turned around and went back to the inpatient department.
Cheng Man followed her father home, and in the car she asked, "Dad, are you free tomorrow?"
"What's up?"
"I want you to go somewhere with me."
"Where are you going?"
"Next to the city hospital."
Cheng Xiangqian stepped on the brakes, and the car squeaked a few times. "What are you doing at the city hospital?"
Cheng Man broke out in a cold sweat, "Dad, what are you talking about? I'm not going to the hospital, I'm going to the city hospital next door."
"Tell me first, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find the officer my mom mentioned." Cheng Man said in one breath.
Cheng Xiangqian breathed a sigh of relief: "That's no problem, but why tomorrow?"
"It's late at night now."
Cheng Xiangqian originally wanted to tell her that it was not a good attitude to ask someone to do something for you, but he thought about his own skills and decided to set off at daybreak.
At five o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, Cheng Xiangqian woke up his daughter.
Cheng Man was still sleepy, her head nodding and almost slipping under the table.
Cheng Xiangqian took out a popsicle from the refrigerator and put it directly on Cheng Man's cheek, which made her shiver and immediately drove away her sleepiness.
"Hurry up and wash up, we are about to leave."
Cheng Man accepted her fate and cleaned herself up. In less than ten minutes, she was clean.
After she got in the car, Cheng Xiangqian stepped on the accelerator and the car rushed out.
"Dad, please drive slower." Cheng Man's voice drifted in the wind.
Fortunately, Cheng Man met this officer.
Cheng Xiangqian was the first to extend his hand, "Hello, Chief."
Director Qi shook his hand back: "I don't deserve it. My last name is Qi, and I'm the director of the military region's admissions office."
Cheng Xiangqian readily accepted the advice and left, changing the subject: "Director Qi, I wonder what you're looking for me, your daughter?
Director Qi turned to Cheng Man and said, "Student Cheng Man, I know you want to wear this military uniform. Your scores and willpower fully meet the admission requirements. I share your regret that you were stopped here due to health reasons. But today, I'm not here to comfort you. I want to recommend another path for you, a path that is equally glorious and tenacious."
Cheng Man felt unhappy when the topic was brought up, so she didn't respond to Director Qi.
Director Qi asked, "What do you think the mission of the army is?"
"Defend our country." Cheng Man's words were sonorous and powerful.
"That's right, but have you ever thought about what a country needs to defend the most?"
"It's the integrity of the country and the safety of the people."
"Absolutely correct. The army is the last line of defense for a country, but a strong country cannot rely solely on this last line of defense. Am I right?"
Cheng Manfu said to the heart: "We also need a system of rules to tell us what we can and should not do."
Director Qi was very appreciative. "Good boy, you are very perceptive. I think law is a good fit for you."
"Law?" Cheng Man looked confused.
"Yes, the law. The country needs the protection of the law. Think about it, how many families can be saved by a judge's fair judgment? How much loss can a prosecutor recover for the country by bringing down a corrupt official? And how many ordinary people's dignity and rights can a conscientious lawyer protect?"
"If guns are the soldiers' reliance in defending their country, then the law is the people's weapon in upholding justice."
"While wielding legal weapons, you are still protecting the country. It's just a different division of labor. You are serving the motherland on different battlefields."
"I would like to recommend you to the University of Political Science and Law. There, you can become another kind of warrior for the country—a warrior who wears civilian clothes instead of military uniform."
Cheng Xiangqian read the newspaper every day and was familiar with the country's "rule of law" strategy. He nodded in agreement, saying, "Law is the foundation of social order. This is indeed another way to contribute to the country."
Director Qi continued, "The country is vigorously promoting the rule of law, and it needs people like you who have strong convictions. This is a roundabout way to serve the country. What do you think, Cheng Man?"
This last sentence touched Cheng Man, and she began to take Director Qi's words seriously.
After Tao Zhi's warning and the last few days of her ignoring her, Cheng Man realized that her passion for the military academy wasn't so much an ideal as it was an obsession. Because she couldn't get it, she wanted it all the more.
Director Qi's words about "speaking out against injustice" resonated deeply with her. Having experienced oppression herself, she realized that not everyone has a voice, nor the ability to defend their rights. Her greatest contribution to her own pursuit of justice stems from her mother's efforts. Had Tao Zhi loved her less, or the family been less wealthy, or her brother Wen and Officer Yuan not been around—had any of these links been missing—her case would likely have remained unresolved.
"But can the law really protect the weak?" Cheng Man recalled the difficulty of defending her rights at that time.
Director Qi responded, "Think of the law as a scalpel. It may not be fast enough, but its goal is to eradicate the root cause and prevent the same tragedy from happening again."
Cheng Man was stunned for a moment.
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