Fortunately, the wound had not split open.
However, the man’s arm was tightly gripping her wrist, as if trying to stop her from pulling down his trousers.
But it was already too late.
That arm was not especially thick, yet it felt like finely forged steel.
Every inch of muscle was drawn taut.
Realizing it was pointless to stop her, Xie Zhongming quickly let go.
Qiao Xingyue smiled lightly.
“I am just checking. Do not be shy anymore. In a doctor’s eyes, there is no distinction between men and women.”
His ears turned red again.
Her tone grew serious.
“Comrade Xie, I am warning you. From now on, you must lie still and stop moving around. You need at least three to five days to recover. Otherwise, you really will lose your ability to have children.”
Xie Zhongming did not respond.
If that happened, so be it.
He had already avoided the chubby girl for five years by staying in the army. Even when he had family leave, he never once returned to Chadain Village to see her.
But he could not hide forever.
If he truly became incapable, then even if he had to face her one day, he would not need to do the kind of thing that filled him with extreme resistance.
Three days later, the mine collapsed again.
The people buried underground had not yet been fully rescued when villagers and soldiers participating in the rescue were trapped as well.
After hearing the news, Xie Zhongming could not sit still and immediately joined the rescue again.
As a result, this time his wound truly split open.
When Jiang Beiyang carried Xie Zhongming back to Qiao Xingyue again, she was shocked at the sight of blood soaking his trousers.
“Why are you bleeding so much again? Did I not tell you to lie still?”
Jiang Beiyang was also angry.
“He would not behave. After the second collapse, he secretly ran to the rescue site. By the time a life passage was cleared and I noticed him, it was already too late.”
Qiao Xingyue frowned.
This man’s mind was completely filled with disaster relief. Did he not care about his own safety at all?
She had no choice but to perform surgery on him a second time and immediately began preparing.
Watching her prepare the surgical tools, Jiang Beiyang asked,
“Comrade Qiao, you are not going to charge money again this time, are you?”
“Considering his dedication to the rescue effort, I will not charge this time.”
The spirit this man carried was indeed admirable.
The surgery went smoothly.
However, looking at the condition of Xie Zhongming’s wound, Qiao Xingyue fell into thought.
She then instructed Jiang Beiyang,
“Comrade Jiang, your comrade needs a special antibiotic this time. The village does not have it. You will have to go to the city to get it, or the postoperative infection will be serious.”
Jiang Beiyang immediately asked,
“What medicine? I will go buy it now.”
Qiao Xingyue told him the English name. Afraid he might buy the wrong one, she carefully wrote the imported antibiotic’s name on a piece of scrap paper.
After hearing her say the name and seeing the English she wrote, both men were surprised.
Her English handwriting was smooth and elegant.
Her spoken English was also standard enough to astonish them.
It was obvious that she understood English well.
Jiang Beiyang and Xie Zhongming both became alert.
Their gazes met, and they understood each other without words.
The organization had previously warned them that foreign intelligence forces had been active recently and might attempt to infiltrate key military personnel. If strangers deliberately approached, especially beautiful women who acted gentle and tried to get close, they were to stay vigilant and guard against espionage.
After exchanging a glance, both men looked back at Qiao Xingyue.
She was just a barefoot village doctor, so how could she know English, and so fluently at that?
Xie Zhongming frowned.
Still, he could not draw conclusions based on this alone.
He could not determine that Comrade Qiao’s identity was problematic, but caution was necessary.
It was nearly dark when Jiang Beiyang finally returned from the city with the imported antibiotic.
Qiao Xingyue lit an oil lamp and a flashlight and changed Xie Zhongming’s dressing.
She squatted in front of him.
The braid on her chest brushed lightly against his arm.
It was only a touch of hair, yet Xie Zhongming felt as if he had been burned. His arm jerked back, and with his trousers already off in front of her, he froze completely.
Heat spread across his cheeks and all the way to his neck.
In his flustered state, his gaze landed on the medicine box beside him.
It was entirely in English.
While Qiao Xingyue was changing his dressing, Xie Zhongming casually picked up the box and asked as if unintentionally,
“Comrade Qiao, is this medicine imported from abroad?”
After applying the medicine, Qiao Xingyue rewrapped the gauze.
“Yes.”
Xie Zhongming deliberately asked again,
“Comrade Qiao, what does it say on the box?”
In fact, he could understand all the English on it.
He was only testing her.
After wrapping the gauze, Qiao Xingyue covered his legs again with the thin blanket and stood up. She took the medicine box from his hand and glanced at it.
As she quickly scanned the English instructions, Xie Zhongming watched her with the sharp gaze of a hawk.
This woman’s identity was still unclear.
He needed to examine her carefully.
The oil lamp flame flickered in the wind, casting shifting shadows on the newspaper covered wall.
He observed every move she made.
After only one look, Qiao Xingyue handed the box back to him.
“It is an antibiotic used for urinary system infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and sepsis. It prevents infection. It can be taken orally or applied externally. With this medicine, your wound will heal faster.”
Xie Zhongming’s grip on the box tightened suddenly.
This woman was extremely familiar with English.
He hoped he was overthinking things.
But when it came to identifying spies, it was better to be overly cautious.
He would continue to observe this Comrade Qiao.
One week later, the rescue work for the mining disaster in Shantang Village was completed.
Until the troops withdrew, Xie Zhongming did not find anything suspicious about Qiao Xingyue. Perhaps he truly had overthought it.
When they left Shantang Village, the village chief and villagers came to see them off.
Before getting on the vehicle, Xie Zhongming looked around the crowd. Jiang Beiyang asked him,
“Zhongming, what are you looking for? Do not tell me you are looking for Comrade Qiao.”
Xie Zhongming did not answer.
The village chief said,
“Oh, Little Qiao and An An and Ning Ning went to the city yesterday. She took the two children to see a doctor.”
Jiang Beiyang responded,
“No wonder I did not see Comrade Qiao.”
Then he leaned close to Xie Zhongming and whispered,
“That Comrade Qiao probably is not a spy either. She has not made any suspicious moves. Maybe we really did think too much.”
Jincheng City.
Qiao Xingyue used the six large bills she earned from performing surgery on Comrade Xie to buy a month’s worth of asthma medicine for Ning Ning.
It cost twenty four yuan.
For four years, this expense had been the biggest burden on the household. Because of it, Qiao Xingyue owed many villagers money.
Being a barefoot doctor in Shantang Village was no longer enough to support Ning Ning’s monthly medicine costs. Fortunately, Aunt Tang, who worked as a nanny in the home of a military district leader, introduced her to a good job.
Upon arriving at the Jincheng Military District residential compound, she introduced herself to the guard.
“Hello, Comrade. My name is Qiao Xingyue. I am here to apply as a nanny at Division Commander Xie Jiang’s home. Please open the gate.”
Seeing that there was prior registration from the Division Commander’s family, the guard let them in and led them inside.
When passing the service shop, they saw fried sugar pastries for sale. An An and Ning Ning could not move their feet.
“Fried sugar pastries, hot fried sugar pastries.”
Qiao Xingyue thought it was rare to buy snacks for the two children and ordered two skewers.
“Brother, there is no peanut in these, right? My children are allergic to peanuts.”
“Do not worry. None added.”
An An and Ning Ning happily ate the pastries.
Soon, the guard led them to a row of two story red brick houses with red tiled roofs.
White lime powder covered the walls in front, with the slogan painted on them urging revolution and production.
Rose bushes were planted in front of the building.
Spring was the season when roses bloomed, and the air was filled with fresh floral fragrance.
An An and Ning Ning had never seen such beautiful houses or flowers.
“Wow, Mom, this place is so pretty.”
“Mom, will we live here in the future?”
Qiao Xingyue answered gently,
“If Mom successfully gets the job at Division Commander Xie’s home and is allowed to stay long term, then An An and Ning Ning can go to school here in the future.”
“That is great.”
After the guard went to report, a short haired woman in her fifties came out. She wore a neat Zhongshan suit and walked with a gentle yet energetic manner.
She smiled warmly when she reached Qiao Xingyue.
“You must be Little Qiao whom Aunt Tang recommended.”
“Hello, Madam. I am Qiao Xingyue.”
Qiao Xingyue looked at her and saw firm brows, a gentle and intellectual demeanor, and a capable temperament typical of educated women of this era.
“Calling me Madam sounds distant. My name is Huang Guilan. You can call me Aunt Lan from now on. Come, let us talk inside.”
Huang Guilan’s voice was warm and gentle, just like her smile.
As they entered, she had already begun chatting with the two children, asking their names.
Seeing how cute An An and Ning Ning were, with eyes like dolls, Huang Guilan was very fond of them.
In her early years, she hoped to have a daughter but ended up having five sons. The eldest, second, and fourth sons were already married.
The fourth son’s wife lived in the countryside and did not follow the army.
The wives of the eldest and second sons had given the Xie family four grandsons, all boys.
She had hoped for a granddaughter, but even among the grandchildren there were no girls.
She grabbed a handful of White Rabbit milk candies for each child.
“An An, Ning Ning, come eat some candy.”
These candies were something only wealthy families could afford at the time. The girls’ eyes lit up, but they did not dare take them.
Huang Guilan stuffed them into their hands.
“Eat boldly, do not be afraid. If it is not enough, Grandma has more.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” the two children said in unison. Their soft voices melted her heart.
Sigh.
Why did she not have the fortune of such beautiful granddaughters?
Looking at the exquisitely adorable girls, a sense of closeness rose in her heart.
After sitting down, Huang Guilan got to the point.
“Comrade Qiao, Aunt Tang has already told me about your situation. Let us start with a one month trial. If it works out, you can stay long term.”
Qiao Xingyue had not expected to be hired without an interview.
“Aunt Lan, do you not need to see how I work first?”
“Aunt Tang recommended you, so it must be reliable. Besides, a live-in nanny who knows medical skills is hard to find. My elderly mother has been in poor health for years. Aunt Tang said you know traditional medicine and acupuncture. You might even help her recover.”
Huang Guilan added,
“As agreed before, thirty yuan per month. Since you know medical skills, I will add five more. You will live and eat here. Just work with peace of mind.”
She noticed that Qiao Xingyue and the children wore patched clothes, yet they were clean and bright, and the children were so well behaved.
That was why she added five more yuan.
Qiao Xingyue nodded decisively.
“Aunt Lan, I will definitely work hard.”
This job was something she would cherish. Thirty five yuan a month was equivalent to three months of income as a village doctor. After buying Ning Ning’s medicine, there would still be money left for the children’s schooling.
“I will show you around upstairs and downstairs.”
Huang Guilan led Qiao Xingyue through the layout of the house.
“This room used to be a study. We cleared it out for you and the children.”
“Aunt Lan, the Division Commander, must need a separate space to work and read. Please do not give up studying. The children and I can sleep in the main hall. We can put the bedding away during the day.”
“That will not do. People come and go through the main hall, and you will not rest well. The study will be yours. It is settled.”
Qiao Xingyue felt warmth in her heart.
She had never met such a good employer.
As they spoke, Aunt Lan led her to a door.
The door was tightly closed.
“This is my fourth son’s room. He has a strong sense of territory and does not like others entering his room. You do not need to clean it. He also does not allow others to touch his clothes, so you do not need to wash them either.”
She added,
“By the way, among my five sons, only the fourth and fifth live here. The fourth is called Xie Zhongming, and the fifth is Xie Mingzhe. Both are regimental level officers.”
What?
Xie Zhongming?
Was this the same name as the regiment commander she saved in Shantang Village?
That comrade Jiang had called the regiment commander Zhongming, had he not?
“Number five is not home these days. Number four went on a mission and will be back tonight.”
Could it really be such a coincidence? Qiao Xingyue thought. Perhaps it was just the same name.
After settling in, she cooked her first dinner at the Xie household.
Braised pork, tomato and egg stir fry, sour and spicy shredded potatoes, garlic stir fried sweet potato leaves, and a tofu and cabbage soup.
Just as the dishes were placed on the table, someone walked in from outside.
“Mom, I am back.”
The man who entered was Xie Zhongming, who had just rushed home after finishing his mission in Shantang Village. Though dusty from travel, his posture remained upright and imposing.
He took off a military canvas bag containing his belongings, along with a net bag holding an enamel cup, toothbrush, toothpaste, and towel.
As he was about to set them down, his gaze swept casually across the room.
He saw Qiao Xingyue carrying dishes out of the kitchen, and behind her, the two girls carrying bowls and chopsticks.
When Qiao Xingyue met Xie Zhongming’s scrutinizing gaze, her steps stopped abruptly.