Chapter 34 Uncle's Protection
The last course before the banquet ended was tea. A servant brought out this year's newly harvested pre-Qingming Longjing tea, the tea soup was clear and green, with a delicate aroma.
Xu Wenjun picked up her teacup, gently blew on the steam, and her gaze seemingly casually swept over Song Zhiyi before returning to her own cup. She remained silent for a few seconds, then finally couldn't help but speak in a tone that appeared concerned but was actually lecturing:
“Zhiyi,” she said gently, but the meaning behind her words was anything but gentle, “Mom knows you have ideals and ambitions, which is good. But a woman, in the end, should prioritize her family. Now that you’re married and have children, you can’t keep running around the world like this, can you?”
These words sound "thoughtful," but everyone present understood the subtext: women should be devoted to their husbands and children; going out in public and risking their lives is not what a proper woman should do.
The atmosphere at the table became subtle again. Lin Wanru nodded slightly in agreement; Huo Siqi seemed to have found a chance to turn the tables, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly; Huo Zhenguo frowned but did not speak; Huo Zhenbang lowered his head and drank his tea, pretending not to hear.
Huo Yanli looked at his mother, his eyes turning colder. He was about to speak when a voice rang out first.
“Sister-in-law, what you say is true,” Huo Zheng put down his teacup, his voice not loud, but with the undeniable strength unique to soldiers, “I think that someone like Zhiyi is the one who truly deserves the title of ‘Huo family daughter-in-law’.”
Everyone looked at Huo Zheng.
Xu Wenjun's expression changed, but she forced a smile: "Xiao Zheng, what...do you mean by that?"
Huo Zheng looked at Song Zhiyi with a comrade-in-arms-like appreciation in his eyes: "Last year in Syria, there was more than one negotiation. There was another time when a local school was hit by a stray bullet, and the children were trapped in the ruins."
He paused, looking at the young faces on the table, faces that had never experienced life and death: "Zhiyi was doing community research nearby at the time, and she was the first to rush over when she heard the news. She didn't know anything about rescue, but she knew how to comfort children, how to communicate with locals, and how to stay calm in the most chaotic situations."
“She led a few local women and dug through the rubble for three hours with the simplest tools.” Huo Zheng’s voice was calm, but every word was like a stone hitting water. “She rescued seven children. The youngest was only five years old and his leg was crushed. She held the child and sang to him in Arabic until the medical team arrived.”
The table was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Huo Siqi's teacup wobbled, spilling a few drops of tea onto the tablecloth, leaving a small dark stain. She hurriedly wiped it with a napkin, her fingers trembling.
Lin Wanru's face turned pale. She thought of her daughter, who was twenty-two years old and still only knew how to go shopping and watch fashion shows every day, and couldn't even cook for herself.
Xu Wenjun opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't say anything.
Huo Zheng looked at Song Zhiyi with gentle eyes: "After that incident, the locals all called her 'Sister Song.' Children would gather around any Chinese woman wearing a white shirt."
Song Zhiyi gently shook her head, her tone still calm: "I just did what I was supposed to do. The medical team was the one who really saved lives."
She spoke of it casually, as if those three hours of struggle in the ruins, her persistence in singing while holding the injured child, and those moments of life and death were just "things she had to do."
But at this moment, everyone understood.
Now I understand why the old man said, "We are blessed to have such a daughter-in-law."
I understand why this woman could sit so calmly at this table full of vanity and ostentation—because she had experienced real life, life and death, and the most glorious and darkest moments of humanity.
Those jewels, bags, ranks, and positions seem as pale as a piece of paper in the face of the reality she has experienced.
Huo Mingxuan stood up again, this time picking up a teapot and personally walking to Song Zhiyi's side to refill her tea: "Sister-in-law, let me offer you another cup of tea instead of wine."
He spoke solemnly.
Song Zhiyi nodded slightly: "Thank you."
Xu Wenjun finally regained her voice, but her tone was completely different from before, carrying a cautious respect that she herself did not realize: "Zhiyi...you have suffered."
Song Zhiyi looked at her, her eyes calm: "It's not hard. It's worth it if I can help people."
A simple sentence caused many people in the room to lower their heads.
The old man watched this scene with a mixture of satisfaction and emotion in his eyes. He slowly stood up: "Alright, the tea is finished. Zhiyi, come to the study with me. Everyone else, you may leave."
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