The torrential rain lasted the entire night and only gradually stopped near dawn.
The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell onto the white curtains of the health station, gilding the disinfectant-scented room with a faint golden edge.
Su Man had fallen asleep just like that, slumped beside Da Bao’s hospital bed.
She was simply too exhausted.
Her hair was a messy bird’s nest, and dried mud from last night still clung to her face.
Her once fashionable dacron shirt was wrinkled beyond recognition. Her pant legs were rolled to the knees, revealing legs wrapped in thick gauze, faint blood seeping through.
Normally, Su Man would never let anyone see her in such a state.
But now she slept defenselessly, one hand still tightly holding Da Bao’s un-bandaged hand.
Creaaak—
The ward door opened.
The one who entered was the same gossip-loving Sister-in-law Zhang from yesterday.
She had caught a chill and her throat hurt badly, so she came early to get medicine.
Upon seeing the scene, she froze — then curled her lips in disdain.
Why do I run into this vixen everywhere…
She was about to leave when the corner of her eye caught Su Man’s miserable legs — and Da Bao on the IV drip.
“Oh my, Doctor Li… what happened here?”
Lowering her voice, she grabbed Doctor Li, who was making rounds.
“How did Da Bao get this sick? Did that stepmother fail to take care of him and let him freeze?”
Even now she couldn’t resist throwing dirt on Su Man.
Doctor Li’s face darkened instantly. He tucked the medical record under his arm and glared at Zhang Guifen.
“Zhang Guifen, can you show some virtue with that mouth of yours?”
“You didn’t see last night!”
“In that heavy rain, this girl Su Man carried Da Bao and dragged Er Bao several kilometers through mud to get here!”
“Her knees were smashed open — flesh torn out — even I felt pain looking at it. She didn’t make a single sound before sending the child straight to emergency!”
“If she’d been half an hour later, the child would’ve died last night!”
“You say she didn’t take care of him? I’d say not many biological mothers in this whole compound could do what she did!”
Doctor Li’s reprimand was loud enough that Zhang Guifen’s face flushed red and pale in turns.
She opened her mouth to argue — but looking at Su Man’s bandaged legs, she couldn’t say a word.
This… was really done by that delicate-looking stepmother?
At that moment, Da Bao stirred.
He woke up.
The fever had mostly gone down. His face was still pale, but his eyes were clear.
He turned his head and the first thing he saw was Su Man sleeping beside the bed.
Seeing her exhausted face and the cold hand gripping his —
Fragments from last night flashed through his mind.
Running in the rain…The burning heat on his back…Her painful groan when she fell into the mud…
“Mom…”
He called silently in his heart.
His eyes suddenly reddened, nose tingling.
He used to think this woman came to steal his father — that she was bad.
Now he understood — this “bad woman” had nearly given her life for him.
Carefully, Da Bao pulled his hand free.
He looked at her thin shirt, then at his own quilt.
Biting his lip, he struggled to sit up and tugged the blanket toward her to cover her.
Zhang Guifen saw everything clearly from the doorway.
Her face felt like it had been slapped hard — burning hot.
Children never lie.
To make stubborn mule-like Da Bao care this much — this stepmother had nothing to be criticized for.
“…I really misjudged her…”
Ashamed, she didn’t even take her medicine and slipped away.
Just then, hurried heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Military boots striking the floor — carrying an oppressive urgency.
Bang!
The ward door opened again.
This time, a drenched and mud-covered man entered.
Lu Zhan.
He had just returned from a mission. Before even entering the compound, he heard his wife and child were at the clinic. Without drinking a drop of water, he ran several kilometers straight here.
His uniform was soaked with rain and sweat, clinging tightly to his tense muscles.
His eyes were anxious — then froze at the scene.
Da Bao was awake, trying to cover Su Man with a blanket.
Su Man lay there like a broken rag doll, the bandage on her knees stabbing into Lu Zhan’s eyes.
His heart felt gripped by a giant hand — so painful he almost couldn’t breathe.
He had bled and been injured countless times in his life without caring.
But now, looking at the two of them, he almost wanted to cry.
He softened his steps, as if afraid of waking something fragile, and walked to the bedside.
“Dad…”
Da Bao began to call.
Lu Zhan raised a finger to his lips — shh.
He bent down and with unbelievably gentle strength lifted Su Man sideways into his arms.
The sudden weightlessness startled her awake.
Half-conscious, vision blurred, she only saw a familiar firm jawline…
And smelled the familiar scent of tobacco mixed with earth.
Her support had arrived.
The tension she held all night finally collapsed.
Not realizing she was in a ward — nor that doctors and nurses were around —
She instinctively buried her face into Lu Zhan’s broad chest and rubbed against him like a wronged kitten.
“Hubby… I’m so tired…”
The unconscious murmur was soft, hoarse, full of dependence.
Like a feather brushing his heart — then igniting a prairie fire.
Hubby?
It was the first time she called him that.
Not the polite “Commander.”Not the calculating “Brother Zhan.”But the most intimate — defenseless — “husband.”
Lu Zhan felt his blood surge backward.
The urge to crush her into his bones nearly exploded.
Ignoring everyone watching,
He lowered his head and pressed a hot kiss onto her smooth forehead.
The kiss carried cherishing, guilt, and a vow-like devotion.
“Sleep.”
His voice was low and hoarse but reassuring.
“I’m here.”
“If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.”
Su Man adjusted comfortably in his arms, smiling faintly, and fell completely unconscious.
Lu Zhan held her as if holding his whole world.
He turned to Da Bao, eyes unusually gentle.
“Recover well.”
“When you’re better, our whole family will take a photo.”
“We’ll make your mom look beautiful.”
Da Bao nodded hard, tears finally falling.
Outside the window, the rain had passed.
Sunlight shone warmly on the family.
But as Lu Zhan tucked the blanket around Su Man, his gaze accidentally fell upon a red cord peeking from her collar.
She always wore it close to her body.
Before he hadn’t noticed — now, up close, he saw clearly:
Hanging from the cord wasn’t jade.
It was a tiny, ancient-styled bronze key.
The shape…
Lu Zhan’s pupils shrank.
Why did it look exactly like the key to the Lu family’s old residence treasure pavilion — sealed for over twenty years?