Chapter 17 Taking the Pulse
When Xiao Zhou returned to the military base in a daze, he was still feeling lightheaded.
The scene I witnessed at the hospital entrance kept replaying in my mind:
A light blue dress, dazzlingly white skin, and those clear, watery eyes that looked over...
My goodness! Battalion Commander Gu's sister, is she a fairy who stepped out of a painting?!
What happened to the promised dark-skinned, chubby, and simple-minded person?
Is Battalion Commander Gu's mouth blessed or something? How could he describe a celestial being as a dark-skinned fatso?
He walked absentmindedly towards the dormitory, where he encountered several familiar comrades who greeted him along the way.
"Xiao Zhou, what's wrong? Lost your mind? Did you go crazy picking someone up?"
Xiao Zhou suddenly snapped out of his daze, grabbed his comrade's arm, and said in a slightly distorted voice, his voice trembling with excitement:
"Zhu Zi! Guess who I picked up today? Battalion Commander Gu's sister!"
"Commander Gu's sister? Oh, you're here to take care of him, right? What do you think? A country girl, quite down-to-earth, isn't she?"
Zhu Zi didn't seem to care and casually adjusted his belt.
"simple?!"
Xiao Zhou's voice suddenly rose, attracting the attention of several soldiers passing by.
"That's called being simple and honest?! Zhu Zi, let me tell you, you know Su Xiaoyu, the most beautiful pillar of the performing arts troupe, right?"
Compared to her, it's like... the difference between a fire poker and a white jade hairpin!
No, no, no, comparing them like this is unfair to Comrade Gu! Her face, her skin, her figure, her presence… my goodness!
Now I know what "skin as smooth as jade and eyes as clear as autumn water" really means! Battalion Commander Gu has a complete misunderstanding of the words "dark and fat"! A huge misunderstanding!
His incoherent and exaggerated description instantly ignited the gossip-loving spirit of the surrounding soldiers.
"Really? Xiao Zhou, are you seeing things?"
"Commander Gu is usually a very honest person, how could he lie to us?"
"Prettier than Su Xiaoyu? No way! Su Xiaoyu is the most beautiful girl in our military region!"
"Xiao Zhou, could you explain in detail what your specific suggestions are?"
Before long, Xiao Zhou was surrounded by layers of people. Already dizzy, he was bombarded with questions, and he used every adjective he could think of.
It's as white as a peeled egg!
Eyes can speak!
Her waist is so thin you could pinch it with one hand!
Her soft, sweet voice made one's heart flutter.
...
Although the description is somewhat clumsy, the shock and amazement are real.
The message was like a drop of cold water splashed into a pot of boiling oil; it sizzled and exploded instantly.
It spread at an astonishing speed among single men in the military region, as well as among some non-single individuals who enjoy watching the drama unfold.
"Have you heard? Battalion Commander Gu's sister from the Third Battalion is here. She's as beautiful as an angel!"
"She's more than just a celestial beauty; Xiao Zhou says she's even prettier than Su Xiaoyu from the performing arts troupe!"
"Really? Gu Dongguo was really good at hiding his true feelings! Why didn't he say he had a sister like this sooner?"
"He's at the military hospital, taking care of Battalion Commander Gu."
"Oh dear, I twisted my back during training a couple of days ago and was just about to go to the hospital to get it checked out..."
"What a coincidence, I also have a bit of a cough, I'll just go get some medicine while I'm at it."
"I still have some canned fruit/malted milk powder/sugar... It's just sitting there anyway, might as well go check on my wounded comrade, it's good to care for comrades!"
In a short time, all sorts of legitimate reasons emerged.
Those comrades who already respected Gu Dongguo, needless to say, included some young officers from other battalions and companies with whom he didn't usually interact much.
Even some eligible young people in government offices began to get restless.
He was figuring out how to visit his comrades at the military hospital in a seemingly natural way and also have a chance encounter with a fairy.
The hospital wards are still peaceful for the time being.
Gu Baobao placed the bulging bundle on the empty bedside table and patted off non-existent dust from her hands.
She glanced around the simple double room.
But it was clean and tidy, with the windows open, and you could smell a faint mixture of sea salt and disinfectant.
She moved the only slightly sturdy wooden stool in the room, placed it next to Gu Dongguo's bed, and sat down.
Then she raised her little face, looked at her cousin who was still in a state of shock and disbelief, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice:
"Bro, what are you spacing out for? Give me your hand."
Gu Dongguo: "...Huh?"
He hasn't completely shaken off the surreal reality of his transformation from a chubby, dark-skinned boy to a celestial being.
Gu Baobao repeated it patiently, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness, as if coaxing a child:
"Hold out your hand. Let me take your pulse and see if there's anything else wrong besides your leg."
To take...the pulse?
These two words were like two tiny needles, gently piercing Gu Dongguo's muddled mind.
He snapped back to his senses, his eyes widening as he looked at his younger sister's beautiful, flawless face, wondering if he had damaged his brain and was hallucinating.
His baby girl, the chubby little girl who used to follow him around begging for candy and cry for ages if she fell, is now not only unrecognizable to him, but she can also... take his pulse?
"You...you can take a pulse?"
Gu Dongguo's voice was trembling, filled with utter disbelief.
Gu Baobao tilted her head, giving him a "what's so strange about that?" look.
"I learned it from Grandpa Chen. Hurry up, hands."
Gu Dongguo mechanically and slowly extended his uninjured right hand, his mind racing:
[Grandpa Chen? That barefoot old man Chen from the village? How long did his sister learn from him? A month? Two months? And she can already take a pulse? Is this thing so easy to learn?]
Gu Baobao didn't care about the turmoil in his heart.
She extended three fingers and gently placed them on Gu Dongguo's wrist.
Her fingers were long and slender with rounded tips and a healthy pinkish hue; her nails were neatly trimmed.
It feels slightly cool to the touch, yet is exceptionally soft.
Gu Dongguo felt a slightly cool and smooth touch on his wrist. Before he could savor it, he saw his sister slightly furrow her beautiful eyebrows, her expression becoming focused and... serious?
She took his pulse for only about a minute, then released her hand, raised her eyes, and glared at Gu Dongguo with annoyance.
That one look, tinged with anger, inexplicably made Gu Dongguo, this tough and unyielding man, feel a pang of fear.
"Brother, you look strong and have a good foundation, but you have a lot of internal depletion and hidden injuries."
Gu Baobao spoke, her voice still soft and sweet, but her tone carried a hint of the young doctor's certainty.
"You've had some serious injuries to your left shoulder and lower back before, haven't you?"
It wasn't fully recovered, and it's left a chronic condition. Does it feel sore, stiff, and uncomfortable in these areas on rainy days or after a heavy training session?
As she spoke, she used her fair, delicate fingers to point in the direction of Gu Dongguo's left shoulder and lower back.
Gu Dongguo: "!!!"
His mouth hung open for a long time, the look in his eyes as he stared at his younger sister.
My initial shock turned into horror, and finally into deep admiration and... bewilderment.
All correct!
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