Who's outside?
A hoarse, weary voice rang out, "Ayao, it's me."
Yu Yao suddenly opened the main room door and rushed towards the dark figure. When she was almost in front of Lu Ze, she suddenly stopped.
The smell of blood?
"You're injured?" Yu Yao nervously relit the candle, then looked at Lu Ze's arm by the candlelight. "Why didn't you go to the military hospital to get it treated before coming back? Come on, let's go to the hospital."
Lu Ze stopped her: "The military hospital is overcrowded right now. You can treat this little injury at home for me. There's no need to go to the hospital."
When the topic turned to overcrowding, Lu Ze's voice became a bit heavy.
Noticing that he was in a bad mood, Yu Yao pulled him back to the main room, saying, "Wait here for me, I'll go in and get the first-aid kit."
Lu Ze sat obediently, the candlelight illuminating his angular face and casting shadows of varying brightness.
Yu Yao walked to the bedroom door with the first-aid kit, her gaze falling on Lu Ze, and stopped in her tracks.
Lu Ze leaned back in his chair, looking completely exhausted.
He always sat upright, and this was the first time Yu Yao had ever seen him sit so unnaturally.
The candlelight stretched his shadow long across the wall, and the air around him seemed to stagnate, heavy and viscous, like a swamp, where one could be swallowed up at the slightest carelessness.
He sat there silently, his sadness almost overflowing.
Yu Yao went over, opened the first-aid kit, and had Lu Ze take off his military uniform. She then helped him clean the blood around his wound.
After cleaning away the surrounding scabs, Yu Yao discovered that there were actually fragments inside the wound. "The wound is too serious. We should go to the military hospital to get it treated."
Lu Ze shook his head. "It's okay, give me the pliers."
Despite her worries, Yu Yao still handed the sterilized forceps to Lu Ze.
Lu Ze took the medical forceps, heated them over a flame for a moment, and then used them to clamp the shrapnel fragments.
"Wait!" Yu Yao opened Lu Ze's tightly clenched right hand, placed her own hand on top, and interlocked their fingers: "It's okay now."
Lu Ze paused, seemingly somewhat surprised.
He looked down at her, said nothing, and responded by holding her hand tightly.
With the pliers aimed at the wound, Lu Ze calmly pulled out the shrapnel.
In the darkness, the silence was terrifying; you could hear the sound of shrapnel ripping through skin.
Just watching him move made Yu Yao feel pain, but Lu Ze seemed used to it and didn't even frown.
If it weren't for the prominent veins on his arm revealing his true condition, Yu Yao would have thought he really wasn't in pain.
How could such a serious injury not hurt?
He's just used to enduring things.
Before she met him, did he also bandage his wounds like this many times?
Thinking of this, Yu Yao felt as if her heart was being pricked by needles, and she gripped Lu Ze's hand even tighter.
As if sensing her worry and distress, Lu Ze comforted her in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Shrapnel was tucked out and dropped into the tray, making a clinking sound.
Lu Ze was about to pick up the second piece when Yu Yao stopped him, saying, "I watched you pick it up earlier, I'll do the rest."
"Um."
Yu Yao took the pliers from Lu Ze's hand, picked up the scalpel beside her, and cut open his wound to expose the shrapnel inside.
It was a very simple action, but fine beads of sweat appeared on Yu Yao's forehead.
She gently pinched the shrapnel between her fingers, looked up at Lu Ze, and said, "I've pinched it? Just bear with it, I'll be gentle."
Lu Ze nodded.
Yu Yao took a deep breath, clamped the shrapnel between her fingers, and slowly pulled it out.
His skin was slashed open, and bright red blood flowed down his scarred arm, dripping onto the ground in a pattern.
Lu Ze's forehead veins bulged.
Yu Yao felt sorry for him and was even more careful when picking up the last piece of shrapnel, afraid that her rough movements would hurt the man.
There were three fragments in the wound, and they have all been removed.
Yu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, applied hemostatic medicine to the wound, and bandaged it. "All done. Wait here for me, don't move around."
After saying that, Yu Yao went into the bedroom, opened the drawer of the dresser, found White Rabbit milk candy, took a few pieces and walked up to Lu Ze.
"Lu Ze, open your mouth!"
Lu Ze opened his mouth without hesitation, only to feel something suddenly appear in his mouth. A moment later, a sweet taste spread from his mouth.
Yu Yao smiled and said to him, "My mother once said that if you get hurt, you should eat candy, so that all you'll remember is the sweet taste of candy. How is it? Sweet?"
With a candy in his mouth, Lu Ze looked at Yu Yao with focused and tender eyes, "Sweet! Very sweet!"
Unable to bear his forced strength, Yu Yao stroked his hand and looked at him gently: "Lu Ze, we are husband and wife. You don't need to pretend in front of me. If you are in pain, just say it."
Lu Ze froze.
Yu Yao did not urge him.
A moment later, he looked up at Yu Yao, his voice choked with emotion: "Yao, Song Yiming has sacrificed himself."
Yu Yao opened her mouth, not expecting such a thing to happen, and didn't know what to say.
He's not even twenty years old yet.
Was fate a little too cruel to him?
Orphaned at a young age and raised on the charity of others, he finally became a company commander, and just when things were looking up, things started to get better...
She recalled the first time she met Song Yiming, the big boy who grinned at her with his bright white teeth and sincerely called her "sister-in-law".
After arriving on the island, whenever Lu Ze went on a mission, Song Yiming would often come over to help her with the work.
Every time he brought her food, a bright smile would appear on his dark face, praising her cooking as absolutely delicious.
The mangoes and passion fruit at home are growing so well thanks to Song Yiming's help.
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