Chapter 163 I don't want to sleep, I just want to look at you
Gu Feiyan frowned and immediately corrected her in a deep voice: "Comrade Jiang Wanxia, please watch your words. In the military compound, all the family members are, strictly speaking, our comrades-in-arms in the rear. It is our duty and obligation as soldiers to help our comrades in times of trouble."
His words were impeccable and full of righteousness.
Seeing that he wasn't taking the bait, Jiang Wanxia pouted and turned her attention to the source of the trouble.
"Sister, stop worrying about other people's business. How's Ping An at home? Has he been found yet?" She sighed, feigning concern. "To be blunt, that child... he's not your biological son after all. He's an ungrateful wretch. You've given him your whole heart, and what has he done? He just caused trouble once, and now he's gone missing again, almost ruining your life. I bet he's already planning to run off with someone else!"
"Shut up!" Before Jiang Wanqiu could speak, Gu Feiyan coldly stopped her.
He turned to look at Jiang Wanqiu, whose face was pale, and said, "Comrade Wanqiu, don't listen to her nonsense. Ping An didn't run away; I know where he is."
"What?!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu turned around sharply to look at Gu Feiyan. "Officer Gu, are you telling the truth? Where is Ping An? Where is he?!"
Jiang Wanxia was about to tease her a bit more, but upon hearing this, she immediately perked up her ears, ready to eavesdrop.
Gu Feiyan coldly said to her, "Comrade Jiang Wanxia, this is none of your business. Please excuse us."
"You..." Jiang Wanxia was speechless for a moment, and was so angry that she could only glare at him. But seeing that Gu Feiyan and Chief Le were both there, she didn't dare to make a scene. She could only click her tongue in frustration and turn away.
Seeing Jiang Wanqiu's anxious face, Gu Feiyan spoke first: "Comrade Wanqiu, don't worry, let me tell you some good news. The battle report just came back from the front: Comrade Zhao Wenchang's mission was a great success!"
Jiang Wanqiu's heart clenched, and she blurted out, "What about him? Zhao Wenchang... how is he?"
Seeing the worry in her eyes for another man, Gu Feiyan felt a slight pang of sadness, but he quickly composed himself and comforted her, "Don't worry, he's not in any danger."
Jiang Wanqiu's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally fell heavily back into her stomach with a "thud".
"However..." Gu Feiyan continued, "This mission was very dangerous. He was shot in the leg while covering his comrades' retreat. He'll probably need to rest and recuperate for a while to fully recover. They're already on their way back. The Central Committee has given them high praise after hearing the news, and further commendations and arrangements are being made."
He looked at Jiang Wanqiu and said, half seriously and half jokingly, "Congratulations, Comrade Wanqiu. When he comes back, you will be the rightful wife of the regimental commander."
Jiang Wanqiu shook her head, her eyes slightly red, her voice filled with lingering fear: "What commander's wife? I don't care. As long as he can come back alive, that's enough."
She paused, then asked urgently, "What does this have to do with Ping An?"
Gu Feiyan sighed, a wry smile on her face.
"That kid... went to the border with them."
"What?!"
"I guess he ran away by himself that day and somehow hid in the truck bed of the army's departure. It was dark when they set off, and there were many people, so no one noticed at first. It wasn't until they reached the temporary camp near the border that they discovered there was a boy who was about half a year old in the truck."
Hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu suddenly realized why Ping An hadn't shown up when she saw Zhao Wenchang off that day. She had thought the child was just sleeping, never imagining that the little guy was hiding something so important!
Seeing Jiang Wanqiu's astonished expression, Gu Feiyan continued, "When everyone found him, they were also shocked. They originally wanted to send someone back immediately. But who knew that the situation would change so quickly? The enemy suddenly launched a fierce counterattack, and communications were even cut off. There was simply no time to react."
"But speaking of which, your son... he's really something." Gu Feiyan's tone was full of admiration. "The situation was extremely critical at the time. Two enemy agents had sneaked behind our lines, lying in ambush, ready to snipe us. Everyone's attention was focused on the front lines, and no one noticed them. If it weren't for Ping An, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
"That kid was small, and an easy target. He was hiding behind a dirt mound, and the enemy didn't see him at all. But then he grabbed a rifle he'd somehow found, and while the two spies weren't looking, he fired two shots and took them both down! Clean and efficient!"
Gu Feiyan gestured as if she had witnessed it herself: "If it weren't for his two shots, at least two or three good comrades in our team would have fallen! This kid saved several lives! He's a good prospect for the army!"
The team returned in the middle of the night, with several military trucks roaring into the military compound.
As soon as Zhao Wenchang got out of the car, he was carried on a stretcher by military doctors and nurses who were already waiting there and taken directly into the operating room.
Jiang Wanqiu, who had been waiting with the others for a long time, also ran all the way to the operating room door.
"Hey! Don't come in, the patient's family is waiting outside." The nurse, wearing a thick mask, turned around and pushed Jiang Wanqiu, who was about to follow her into the operating room, back out.
Jiang Wanqiu had no choice but to stand outside patiently and wait for someone to come out.
Just then, a small figure ran over from the other end of the corridor...
Meanwhile, inside the military region's office building, the lights were on.
With one leg dangling and a look of resentment on his face, Liu Baoguo was escorted to Chief Le's office by two guards.
"You bastard!" Chief Le was furious when he saw him. He grabbed the enamel mug on the table and wanted to smash it, but he held back and slammed it back on the table, splashing tea all over the table.
"Who gave you the guts! Without orders from your superiors, who allowed you to lead the team on your own? And you even dared to send a telegram to me with some 'support mission' nonsense? As a result, you were surrounded by the enemy. Luckily, the men I sent out arrived in time, otherwise Zhao Wenchang and the others would have been buried with you while trying to save you!"
Chief Le was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and he pointed at Liu Baoguo's nose and cursed him.
Liu Baoguo looked indignant: "Reporting to the commander! I don't understand! We clearly went to wipe out the enemy together, so why was Zhao Wenchang given the final general offensive mission alone? All the credit and all the benefits went to him! Am I supposed to drag this crippled leg and live like a coward in the rear? I'm not willing to accept this!"
"Unwilling to accept this?" Commander Le laughed angrily. "The organization has its reasons for making this arrangement! Have you forgotten the oath you took when you enlisted? What is a soldier's duty? To obey orders! Sending you to the front lines to fight the enemy is to demonstrate your value, and sending you to do clerical work in the rear is also to demonstrate your value! But you, you treat the organization's discipline like a passing breeze and the lives of your comrades like a joke!"
Commander Le grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, finally slamming his hand on the table: "Take him away! Put him in solitary confinement! Submit a 10,000-word self-criticism by tomorrow, demote him one rank, and give him a major demerit!"
"Commander! I..." Liu Baoguo wanted to explain further, but the guards held him down and dragged him out.
The office door was closed, and Chief Le was so angry that he was panting heavily. He took out a small medicine bottle from the drawer, poured out two blood pressure pills, and swallowed them with some cold tea.
"These brats, not one of them gives me a moment's peace! They'll drive me crazy sooner or later!" He rubbed his throbbing temples and complained to the staff officer next to him.
Taking a breath, he seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, I heard that a teenager went along on this mission?"
The officer next to him quickly stood at attention and replied, "Yes, sir. That child is the child of a martyr who sacrificed his life in our military region. His name is Zhao Ping'an, and he was later adopted by Comrade Zhao Wenchang."
"Oh? Zhao Wenchang's adopted son?" Chief Le became interested. "That's interesting. Where is that kid? Bring him here, I want to ask him myself."
"Reporting to the commander, as soon as the child returned, he ran to the hospital with the stretcher, saying he wanted to stay with his father. I will send someone to call him over right away."
In the long corridor outside the operating room of the military hospital, Jiang Wanqiu didn't know how long she had been standing; she only felt that her legs were numb.
"bite--"
The glaring red light above the operating room finally went out.
The door was pushed open from the inside, and Jiang Wanqiu jumped and immediately went to meet it.
Zhao Wenchang was wheeled out on a mobile hospital bed by a nurse. His eyes were closed, his face was deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
The man was still under the effects of the anesthesia, and he was in a dazed and confused state.
"Wenchang! Zhao Wenchang!" Jiang Wanqiu rushed over nervously, but afraid of hurting him, she could only lean down and keep calling his name in his ear.
Perhaps hearing her tearful cries, the man on the hospital bed struggled to open his eyelids and slowly opened them a crack.
His eyes were unfocused, and he stared blankly for a long time before he seemed to recognize the person in front of him.
“Your man isn’t dead yet…” After recognizing Jiang Wanqiu, Zhao Wenchang weakly forced a smile. He gasped for breath and said haltingly, “Why are you crying? It’s bad luck.”
This slightly roguish teasing remark only made Jiang Wanqiu's tears flow even more fiercely. She was both angry and amused, and wanted to hit him, but her hand, which was raised in mid-air, fell lightly back down, only touching his cold hand with her fingertips.
The nurses and doctors moved Zhao Wenchang to a double room, but he was the only one staying there at the moment.
The doctor took off his mask, looking exhausted, and explained, "He lost a lot of blood and hasn't slept for three days, so his body is severely depleted. The surgery was successful. Now the most important thing is to let him get some sleep and not disturb him."
"Okay, thank you so much, doctor!" Jiang Wanqiu nodded repeatedly and saw the doctor out of the ward.
After the door closed gently, Jiang Wanqiu moved a stool, sat on the edge of the bed, and quietly watched him.
"Go to sleep," she said softly. "The doctor said you need to get some rest."
Zhao Wenchang didn't close his eyes; his deep gaze remained fixed on her. "I can't sleep. I want to... look at you more."
These words evoked both bitterness and tenderness in the woman's heart.
She deliberately put on a stern face and complained, "It's not like we won't see it tomorrow, what's there to see? Go to sleep! Or I'm leaving!"
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