Bai Jiaojiao held Shen Heng's hand tightly, silently shedding tears, but her eyes never blinked as she watched the military doctor busily rubbing his hands and feet to restore his senses.
Shen Heng pulled Bai Jiaojiao closer to his chest.
Bai Jiaojiao leaned against Shen Heng's chest before turning around and burying her face in his chest.
"It's alright, we found it all, your third brother must be lucky to be alive."
This is more than just being lucky; it's practically a miracle.
Bai Shibao remained unconscious, but the little girl who had been snuggled up with him woke up around 8 p.m., though she had a high fever.
Bai Shihai and Bai Jiaojiao sat next to Bai Shibao, staring at his face.
Bai Shihai sighed.
The stove on one side crackled and popped, making the room exceptionally quiet.
"Little sister, you and your brother-in-law go to sleep. I'll wake you up when your third brother wakes up."
Bai Shihai was afraid that his younger brother hadn't woken up yet, but his sister had collapsed first.
Bai Jiaojiao's small frame couldn't withstand this. She vomited the whole way on the boat, and then rushed here without stopping to follow them up the mountain. She didn't eat much that night.
"I can't sleep," Bai Jiaojiao rubbed her face. "Big brother, let me wait here."
Bai Shihai sighed again.
Shen Heng reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of four meat floss cakes: "Have some to tide you over."
Bai Jiaojiao had no appetite, but she still took one, afraid that she would collapse from exhaustion and cause more trouble.
The once fragrant meat floss cake in her mouth now tasted like cardboard. Bai Jiaojiao ate mechanically, but after only two bites, she saw Bai Shibao's brows furrow, as if he were calling out "Mom".
Seeing that he was conscious, Bai Shihai quickly went to find the on-duty military doctor to come and see him. As soon as he returned, he saw that Bai Shibo had opened his eyes.
"I just saw Mom, brother. Mom came to take me away. What are you guys doing here? Did you come with me too?"
Bai Shibao, his voice hoarse, finished speaking and then fainted again.
Bai Shihai didn't know what to say.
The military doctor examined him thoroughly: "His temperature is a little high, but that means his own physiological mechanisms have started to function. The fever isn't a serious illness, and he should be able to get through it. But keep an eye on him; if his temperature gets too high, tell me immediately, otherwise it might damage his brain."
Hearing that Bai Shibao was alright, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The military doctor gave Bai Shibao an IV drip to reduce his fever and instructed, "Call me as soon as he wakes up. Have him move his limbs and check for any frostbite. We performed first aid, but the conditions here are too poor, and we can't guarantee it will be completely effective."
"Thank you so much, it's so kind of you to go through this so late at night."
After seeing the doctor off, Bai Shihai noticed that Bai Shibo's complexion was gradually becoming rosy, so he reached out and touched Bai Shibo's forehead.
It's a bit hot, but much more reassuring than when it was first dug out.
If her older brother hadn't been there, Bai Jiaojiao would have really wanted to hug Shen Heng and cry her heart out.
"Alright, are you at ease now? Go get some sleep with your brother-in-law. I'll keep an eye on things here. You can come see him again tomorrow morning."
"I'll wait for Third Brother to wake up. Eldest Brother, I'm really not sleepy."
Bai Jiaojiao rubbed her eyes, continued eating the pork floss cake, and swallowed it all after taking a sip of water.
However, the atmosphere inside the room is much more relaxed now.
Bai Shihai recalled what Bai Shibao had just said. He felt sorry for him, but now he was both angry and amused.
"How dare he be so shameless as to want us to come with him?"
If Bai Shibao weren't lying down right now, Bai Shihai would definitely have given him a good beating to show him what it means to be an elder brother who is like a father.
Around 3 a.m., Bai Shibao's fever subsided.
None of the three, including Bai Jiaojiao, could sleep, but Bai Shibao slept soundly until the troops were about to withdraw.
No one woke Bai Shibao up. He only woke up when he was jostled while being lifted onto the stretcher.
He stared blankly at Bai Shihai and Bai Jiaojiao.
He thought last night was a dream, but when he saw three people who shouldn't be there, Bai Shibao's first thought was that they might really be dead.
"You silly goose!"
Bai Shibo bent over and Bai Shihai knew what he was about to say. In order not to embarrass him in front of his comrades, he quickly said, "Do you know that you were buried under the snow for a day and a night? You're really lucky that we found you!"
Bai Shibao's thoughts returned to normal.
While he was on a search mission, he was caught in the second avalanche. As he ran back, he saw a little girl jumping down from a tree. He was trying to catch the little girl, but he didn't have time to run away.
He didn't dare to call out loudly, so he quickly took off his bag and threw it into a tree, hoping that his teammates would notice he was missing and find him.
“I’m really lucky, brother. You don’t know, that cave was right next to me, as if it was prepared in advance,” Bai Shibao said, touching the vest inside his cotton-padded coat. “Thank goodness for this vest, it’s so warm. How come I didn’t freeze to death?”
Bai Shihai laughed in exasperation: "Yeah, how come you didn't freeze to death?"
"By the way, how's that little girl who was with me?! Has she woken up yet?"
"She also has a fever, and it seems to be more serious than yours."
Bai Shibao was a well-trained and vigorous man with a good physique. Although his limbs were weak, his mind was still very clear.
Upon hearing that Bai Shibao had woken up, the military leaders, who had already gotten into their vehicles, got out again to come and visit him.
"Comrade Bai Shibao, how are you feeling now?"
"Reporting to the commander, I'm perfectly fine!"
Bai Shibao wanted to raise his hand in salute, but found that he had no strength at all.
Are your arms and legs alright?
Remembering what the army doctor had said the night before, Bai Shihai quickly told Bai Shibao to move his arms and legs.
"I'm conscious, but I just don't feel any energy."
"Alright, get on the stretcher and don't come back with us yet. Your family is here too. You can go to Yuancheng City for a check-up. I'll reserve a car for you!"
Bai Shibao's superiors were very considerate of their subordinates. If Bai Shibao had any health problems, they would have been delayed long ago by the time they returned to their base.
"Commander, this won't do! I'll go with everyone! I'm just feeling weak, it's nothing serious."
"Health is the foundation of everything, so consider this a holiday for you!"
Bai Shibao has done a good job this time, so let's give him a reward.
It's true that it usually takes two years for new recruits to be assigned to their positions, and Bai Shibao immediately became excited: "If I'm not sick, can I go home and get checked out first?"
"I told you you'd be on leave, you don't need to return to the unit. Hopefully, you're healthy!"
Bai Shibao gave a weak, limp salute, which made the leader burst out laughing, and he quickly left.
"Brothers, do you have any money on you? I heard the ginseng here is really good, let's get some to take back to Dad!" Bai Shibao was very excited, clearly confident that he was really alright, and was planning to buy New Year's goods to go back for the New Year.
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