In this situation, Commander Lin probably didn't have the energy to think about anything else for the time being, so she simply and directly explained her arrangements to Qin Qinghuai.
"I didn't know when your meeting would finish, and I was worried about causing panic among the families and children, so I had someone notify the school to close down. Right now,"
She glanced out the window; Wang Lin was leading a group of men carrying food buckets out of the camp.
"Look, if you go and stop them, it's not too late,"
After glancing at the dejected regimental commander, Qin Qinghuai pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he decisively said,
"No, no, no, quite the opposite. This is a great opportunity, honey, wait for me!"
He strode out and immediately called Qin Yi, Zheng Aiguo, and Xiao Hu.
"You all go and assemble immediately. The previously planned safety drill will begin in twenty minutes at the school."
Qin Yi and the other two looked completely bewildered.
"Political Commissar, is this all so sudden?"
"Yes, yes, the brothers are all hungry."
Xiao Hu was even more confused. Wasn't his regimental commander's child still in the hospital? And now, they were having an exercise?
Little did Qin Qinghuai know that it was also a spur-of-the-moment decision. After hearing the brief arrangements and learning the identity of the injured person, his first reaction was that the opportunity that had been mentioned a few days ago had arrived.
Killing two birds with one stone—isn't this a ready-made excuse?
"Follow orders. Everyone should pay attention to guiding and protecting the students. Everyone should be careful. There have been two injuries. No one else should make any mistakes."
The three were stunned again. Two? Wounded?
When did this happen?
Qin Yi recalled the brief exchange he had with Wang Lin earlier and learned some of what had happened that morning. Although he still couldn't quite keep up with Qin Qinghuai's train of thought, obedience had become a habit.
"It's the political commissar."
"Go on, tell the brothers to do a good job and come back safely. When you come back, I'll treat you to meat, lots of meat."
"Okay, I understand, Political Commissar, I'll go right away."
Back in the ward, Jiang Ping was still unconscious, while Xiao An had finished her injection and was leaning against Jian Dan, quietly playing with an apple.
Commander Lin sat on the edge of the bed, looking aggrieved, trying to appease his son.
"Xiao An, can Daddy give me a hug?"
"Do you want to eat? Daddy will take you, okay?"
"Xiao An,"
"Xiao An?"
Unfortunately, Xiao An didn't even glance at him, focusing only on playing with the apple. She deliberately leaned towards Jian Dan and turned her head away, her resistance quite obvious.
"hehe!"
When Qin Qinghuai entered and saw this scene, he couldn't help but find it somewhat comical.
"Commander, he's just been frightened. Don't rush him, let him calm down first."
Commander Lin, though it must be said, is still the one who feels most wronged.
"You should have come to me then, Huanhuan. Look at you, you didn't even glance at me,"
He felt wronged and heartbroken. He knew he didn't spend much time with his child. During the day, his child was at kindergarten, and he could only spend a short time with his child in the morning and evening. Xiao An didn't talk much to him either; the father and son would just chat, but they wouldn't exchange more than a few words.
She gave a simple, forced smile. This was something she truly couldn't do; it wasn't her fault, and she hadn't expected to be tied up like this.
"Xiao An, shall we go see that auntie? Did she just save you?"
Commander Lin followed the gaze and saw Jiang Ping lying motionless on the hospital bed, her face pale and devoid of color. She showed no signs of life. His expression was complex; he seemed surprised that someone he had no prior connection with could go to such lengths to protect a child.
"Sister-in-law, do you know what's going on?"
He simply placed the child down beside Jiang Ping's bed, glanced at him, and then looked at Lin Dongfang, who had been silent for a long time behind him.
"Let him tell you. He knows more. I was called over by him later to keep things under control."
Qin Qinghuai's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but smile. This was indeed quite fitting; it was exactly what one would use to impress others.
When the three of them went out and talked for a while before returning, Lin Dongfang had already left. Commander Lin seemed more energetic than before, but he also appeared more ruthless and contradictory, which was not surprising at all.
Even setting aside the fact that he's a soldier, as a father, he couldn't bear to see his son suffer like this, and innocent people being implicated as well.
However, his identity also meant that he was subject to many constraints, and naturally he didn't have much freedom to do as he pleased.
"Sister-in-law, thanks to your quick thinking today, otherwise it would have been quite a scene."
After briefly observing the expressions and faces of the three people, he waved his hand.
"I can't just ignore it once I find out. Besides, what I did was just cleaning up the mess. Anyone else could have handled it if they reacted quickly."
The most exhausted were Jiang Ping and the others at the scene. They were able to quickly bring the situation under control, especially considering they weren't professional soldiers; that was truly remarkable.
It's not that she's simply not seeking credit; in the whole affair, she was at most a middle coordinator who played a small role in the follow-up processing. Everything else, whether it was on-site or running errands behind the scenes, wasn't her achievement.
"By the way, thanks to Dongfang and Wang Lin, who was on guard duty at the gate, they specially switched posts with others and found someone to help run errands. I said I would treat them to meat, so the commander should give them a holiday."
When Dr. Qin came to check on the patients, he couldn't help but nag.
"You know, this is a perfectly healthy young girl, but her arms and legs are covered in knife scars. What happened?"
Simple eyelid twitched.
"Dr. Qin, are you sure?"
"Don't doubt my professional skills. Different tools will produce different wounds and scars. This one was made with a fruit knife, and it wasn't even made by a professional. It's messy, with varying depths, and it's all on the front—arms, thighs, and groin—but there's nothing on the back."
Oh yes, there are two marks on my neck too.
Jian Dan's heart sank; her hands were icy cold.
"I understand, she's protecting herself this way,"
"Protect?"
Dr. Qin had always been a military doctor, and he had heard about some things happening outside.
"Were you bullied?"
He glanced at Commander Lin out of the corner of his eye, but Jian Dan didn't intend to say anything more.
“Going to the countryside is inherently difficult, and not all rural areas are simple and honest. Without my brute strength, she can only find other ways to protect herself. Speaking of which, she is quite smart, but alas, she is too ruthless to herself.”
Sure enough, Commander Lin also showed a hint of shock.
"It's pretty ruthless. Looking at those cuts, they must not have been properly treated, otherwise the scars wouldn't have healed so well. Although it was for self-defense, you're absolutely right. In this society, it's really difficult for women to live a stable life without the protection of their parents."
Having this kind of courage suggests that he's not someone who's willing to compromise. If in the future…
"Right, you think so too. If it wasn't genuine, she really wouldn't need to find a revolutionary partner. It's not like she hasn't suffered enough on her own, and she has to go looking for more suffering and pain."
Doctor Qin shook his head.
"You, you can just say things like that here. Your Political Commissar Qin is in charge of arranging personal problems for people, and you're adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes?"
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