Chapter 164 There's only one bed, how are we supposed to sleep?
Upon hearing this, the man weakly smiled and finally obediently closed his eyes.
Jiang Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to reach out and tuck the blanket around him, she caught a glimpse of a small figure at the door.
Ping An, like a sapling wilted by frost, leaned against the wall behind the door, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her head bowed, neither daring to come in nor daring to leave.
Jiang Wanqiu sighed.
She stood up quietly, walked to the door, took Ping An's hand, and led him to the window at the end of the corridor.
"Zhao Ping'an." Her voice deliberately turned cold. "What did you promise me last time? Didn't you say you'd never leave without saying goodbye again?"
The boy's body stiffened abruptly, and he lowered his head even further: "I...I'm afraid if I tell you, you won't let me go."
"So you dared to cling to a military vehicle and go to the battlefield?!" Jiang Wanqiu was furious, yet heartbroken. "What were you thinking?! Is that a place you can just go anywhere? What if something happened to you...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Ping An suddenly raised her head.
Those bloodshot eyes were brimming with tears, yet they also burned with a terrifying flame that didn't belong to someone his age.
"But I want to avenge my parents!" he said, tears streaming down his dirty cheeks.
Jiang Wanqiu was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.
After a long pause, she finally spoke: "Revenge? Do you know who killed your parents!"
Ping An hastily wiped away her tears: "I don't know who killed my parents, but I know that it was those spies, those reactionaries, who killed them! They all deserve to die! They all deserve to be buried with my parents!"
Jiang Wanqiu looked at the boy in front of her with mixed feelings, feeling a little uneasy.
At his age, he should be chasing dragonflies on the ridges of fields and catching fish in the streams, carefree and without worries, instead of having such a heavy hatred, even... murderous intent, accumulating in his small body.
Just then, an officer in military uniform hurried over, stood at attention, saluted, and asked, "Are you Zhao Ping'an?"
Ping An instinctively straightened up.
"Commander Yue wants you to come over. Come with me."
Jiang Wanqiu immediately pulled Ping An behind her and looked at the newcomer warily: "What does the commander want with him?"
The officer replied politely, "I don't know either, sister-in-law. Please have Ping An come with me."
“I’ll go with him.”
"Mom!" Ping An cried out anxiously, breaking free from behind her. "I'll take responsibility for what I did!"
Jiang Wanqiu was almost amused by the little guy's stubbornness. She lightly smacked Ping An on the back of the head, glaring at him and saying, "I'm your mother now. If I don't take care of you, who will? Stop talking nonsense and come with me!"
As she spoke, she took Ping An's hand and followed the staff member toward the office building.
When Chief Le saw Jiang Wanqiu pulling Ping An into his office, he was clearly surprised: "Comrade Jiang Wanqiu, why aren't you resting so late?"
“Didn’t you call Ping An over for questioning?” Jiang Wanqiu smiled and pulled Ping An a little closer to her. “The child is still young, and I wouldn’t feel at ease if I didn’t come along.”
Chief Le heard the obvious protectiveness in her words, but instead of getting angry, he chuckled and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit down."
He looked at Zhao Ping'an, who had a stubborn expression and pursed lips, and his smile faded, turning serious: "Zhao Ping'an, you followed the troops into the war zone without authorization, disobeyed orders, and ignored commands. According to discipline, you should be punished."
Ping An wasn't afraid and shouted, "I'm willing to accept any punishment!"
"Hmm, responsible." Commander Le nodded, but then abruptly changed the subject, "However, you're not a soldier. Our military region's regulations don't apply to ordinary citizens like you. Tell me, isn't that infuriating?"
Jiang Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely felt that things were not so simple. She tentatively asked, "Then... what do you mean, Chief?"
Commander Yue said, "I heard you've been saying you want to join the army, is that right?"
“Yes! I want to join the army!” Ping An replied immediately upon hearing this.
"Alright, let me ask you a few questions." Commander Le looked at the young man in front of him with a half-smile. "Suppose you're leading a squad of ten men, ten guns, and not many bullets. Now you're tasked with taking down that bunker over there occupied by twenty enemies. How would you do it?"
Ping An was stunned, and opened his mouth: "Just... just kill them one by one."
Commander Le then asked, "After you take the position, you discover it's a trap, with an enemy regiment flanking you from three sides. How would you lead your men to retreat? Where would you retreat to?"
Ping An thought for a long time, then stammered, "I...I..."
"Your communications officer has been killed, the map is lost, and it's getting dark. How are you going to find our main force without being detected?"
A barrage of questions came crashing down on Ping An, who completely deflated, head drooping, and admitted defeat: "I don't know."
Commander Le nodded: "What good is enthusiasm alone? Fighting a war requires brains! Our army doesn't need soldiers like you who are uneducated."
"I can learn!" Ping An hurriedly raised her head and loudly fought for her chance.
"Study?" Chief Le raised an eyebrow. "I heard that you got into a fight at school last semester and were expelled? Someone like you says you want to study? I don't believe it."
Ping An was completely speechless after being bombarded with these words, her face flushed red as she didn't know how to respond.
Jiang Wanqiu, who had been observing everything clearly, instantly understood Chief Le's intention. She quickly followed the steps down and hurriedly asked, "Chief, what kind of soldiers does our military region need?"
Upon hearing this, Commander Le glanced between Jiang Wanqiu and Ping An before finally saying, "What kind of soldier? Hmph, at least a college student! Cultured, knowledgeable, tactical, and analytical! Only those who can get into university are qualified to be the best soldiers in our team!"
Jiang Wanqiu immediately turned to Ping An and said, "Ping An, did you hear what the commander said? Just having strength and courage is nothing but brute force! Only by studying hard, getting into university, and becoming a cultured college student will you be qualified to wear a military uniform, become a top-notch soldier, and avenge your parents!"
Ping An pouted reluctantly, saying that she had heard it.
Seeing this, Commander Le continued, "Since you want to be a soldier, what is a soldier's duty? It is to obey orders! This time you left home without permission and hitched a ride to the battlefield, which is disobeying orders. At home, you don't even listen to your mother, how can I believe that you will obey the commander's orders on the battlefield?"
Ping An blushed upon hearing this, feeling utterly ashamed of the scolding.
After being scolded like that by his superior, Ping An felt that he would probably never be able to serve in the military again.
But then Chief Le asked, "Now I'm asking you, from now on, can you absolutely obey any orders from the household?"
Upon hearing this, Ping An immediately replied, "Yes! I can do it! I will definitely obey orders from now on!"
"Good." Chief Le nodded in satisfaction, the seriousness on his face fading and replaced by a more amiable expression. He waved his hand, "Alright, it's late, Comrade Jiang Wanqiu, you should take the child home to rest."
Jiang Wanqiu quickly thanked her, then pulled the still somewhat dazed Ping An along and hurried out of the office.
After the door closed, the clerk who had been standing to the side finally couldn't help but speak up: "Sir, what's going on here...?"
Chief Le smiled and gestured to the lifeguard next to him to pour him some hot tea. He took a sip to moisten his throat before slowly saying, "Didn't you see? This kid is good material. He's courageous, spirited, and has the ruthlessness of a wolf cub in his bones. But the better the seedling, the more unruly he is. We need to find a way to properly discipline him."
He put down his teacup: "I deliberately tried to dampen his arrogance today and teach this rough gem a lesson. If Zhao Wenchang and Jiang Wanqiu can really discipline this kid and get him to use his energy in the right way, his future will be absolutely immeasurable."
Back in the ward, it was quiet except for Zhao Wenchang's steady breathing.
Jiang Wanqiu pointed to another empty hospital bed and said to Ping An in a low voice, "Go, go sleep on that bed."
Ping An looked at the bed, then at Jiang Wanqiu, and asked softly, "What about you? Mom, where do you sleep?"
“I don’t need to sleep.” Jiang Wanqiu moved the stool she had been sitting on and placed it next to Zhao Wenchang’s bed. “I’ll just sit here and lie down for a while.”
"No way!" Ping An refused without hesitation, her face tense. "The bed should be reserved for the women! You sleep on the bed, I'll sit!"
Without saying a word, he walked over, grabbed Jiang Wanqiu's arm, and stubbornly tried to pull her toward the empty bed.
"You child..." Jiang Wanqiu was both amused and exasperated by his stubbornness.
"Mom, go to sleep!" Ping An pressed her down on the edge of the bed, her tone firm. "You've been working for a whole day and night, your face is as white as paper. I'll watch over Dad tonight, you have to rest!"
The boy's grip wasn't strong, but his unwavering insistence softened Jiang Wanqiu's heart instantly.
She couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she had no choice but to lie down.
The moment my body touched the bed, an irresistible wave of fatigue washed over me.
She felt utterly exhausted; her eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and she knew nothing more the moment she closed her eyes.
I slept so soundly and deeply that I felt like I was dead asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already dawn outside the window. The ward was quiet. She subconsciously turned her head to see how Zhao Wenchang was doing, and what she saw made her fully awake.
Zhao Wenchang had already sat up at some point and was leaning against the headboard, grabbing Ping An's ear with one hand and scolding him in a low voice.
"You little brat, you've got some nerve, haven't you? Is the battlefield your backyard, where you can just come and go as you please?"
Ping An winced in pain, covering his ears with both hands where they were being pulled, but dared not struggle, pleading softly, "Dad, I was wrong, I was wrong, Dad... please be gentle..."
"Now you know you were wrong? Why didn't you think about it when you were clinging to the vehicle?" Zhao Wenchang snorted, but his grip didn't loosen. "I didn't have time to deal with you on the battlefield, but now that I'm back, I'll settle the score with you!"
Seeing that Jiang Wanqiu had woken up and was staring intently at the two of them, Zhao Wenchang finally let go of her hand.
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