When Nurse Xiao Wang grabbed Liao Zhiping, her face was so shocked she couldn't speak. Liao Zhiping had just found a moment to remove his medical gloves, and even through his clothes, he felt like his arm was about to be pinched to death.
"Nurse Wang, calm down," Liao Zhiping said, trying to pull her hand away while warning her helplessly, "I'm a married man."
"No, no," Nurse Xiao Wang shook her head, pulling Liao Zhiping outside. "Dr. Su is back."
Liao Zhiping chuckled upon hearing this. "So she's back. Do I need to set off firecrackers to welcome her?"
Nurse Xiao Wang finally dragged Liao Zhiping out and released her grip. Liao Zhiping grimaced, rolling up his sleeve to check—damn, it was already red.
Nurse Xiao Wang's voice rang in his ears, "Look at how Dr. Su came back!"
"How else could she come back? On her own two feet…" Liao Zhiping rolled his eyes inwardly, feeling sorry for his arm as he glanced up. The rest of his words abruptly turned into: "Holy shit!"
The two of them stood there dumbfounded, four eyes fixed ahead. The rain, which had stopped not long ago, began to drizzle again, sprinkling fine, sugar-like droplets onto their heads. Yet they remained motionless, like statues freshly removed from a museum.
"Isn't this a sight? Captain Xu is actually carrying Dr. Su," Nurse Xiao Wang said, her eyes filled with hearts of envy, her tone girlishly dreamy. "And it's a princess carry… a princess carry."
"I see it," Liao Zhiping finally snapped out of it, wearing a motherly smile.
Nurse Xiao Wang clenched her fists and lightly pressed them to her lips, muttering in confusion, "Didn't Dr. Su say she wasn't interested in Captain Xu? When did sparks start flying?"
Liao Zhiping suddenly laughed, giving Nurse Xiao Wang a sympathetic glance before walking forward.
When did sparks start flying? Hah, telling you might scare you to death.
"What happened here?"
As Liao Zhiping approached, he asked. He knew Su Anxi well—unless absolutely necessary, she would never let someone carry her like a princess, especially not if that someone was Xu Yu.
"Sprained my ankle," Su Anxi replied, patting Xu Yu's shoulder as if to get down. "It's fine now. Lao Liao is here, you can go do your thing."
"A few more minutes won't make a difference," Xu Yu glanced at Liao Zhiping before continuing to carry Su Anxi inside without looking back.
Liao Zhiping turned to watch the two, only then noticing a dog following behind Xu Yu. He smiled and followed them in.
Following Su Anxi's directions, Xu Yu carried her into the examination room and set her down. Liao Zhiping entered as well, but upon seeing the two—one sitting, one standing—gazing intently at each other as if sharing a tender moment, he instinctively turned and started walking out.
"Liao Zhiping, where are you going?" Su Anxi called out to stop him.
Liao Zhiping sighed inwardly, turning back to point outside. "I was just going to check if the dog left."
"It's a K9. It won't leave without an order," Xu Yu turned to look at Liao Zhiping and explained.
"Got it, strict discipline," Liao Zhiping felt like he was being an overly bright third wheel.
Xu Yu turned back to Su Anxi. "I'm heading out."
Su Anxi nodded without saying a word.
"Xu Yu." Just as he had turned to leave, Su Anxi's calm voice made him pause. Then he heard her say to him, "Be careful in everything."
"Hmm." Xu Yu let out a faint interjection from his nasal cavity, striding out of the examination room.
Liao Zhiping walked over with a look that said "you better come clean" and asked, "What's going on between you two?"
"I helped their Special Forces Team rescue a survivor, and the captain was just expressing his gratitude." Su Anxi rattled off smoothly, then frowned at Liao Zhiping and pointed to her foot. "My foot really hurts."
…
Xu Yu returned to his rescue duties, fighting side by side with his comrades. Xile also joined the search and rescue dogs in the rescue efforts.
The rain seemed heavier than before, making the rescue mission even more challenging.
The opposite bank of the surging river was also a severely affected area, but the current conditions made it impossible to cross using inflatable boats, as they would surely be swept away by the torrent.
Fire Captain Zhou Dingkun and his team stood by the riverbank, gazing across with hands on hips and furrowed brows. Xu Yu and his team approached.
"Old Xu," Zhou Dingkun said, fixing his eyes on Xu Yu. "How do you think we should cross?"
Xu Yu surveyed the perilous scene before him, glanced around, and recited two lines: "The Golden Sands River beats against the cloud-wreathed cliffs, warm; The iron chains of the Dadu Bridge are cold."
Zhou Dingkun nodded in understanding, having reached the same conclusion. He then issued a clear command: "Fangquan City Firefighting Special Service Squadron Search and Rescue Team, cross the river via zip line. Personnel first, search and rescue dogs follow."
"Yes, sir!" The firefighters responded with resounding voices, determined to confront the raging river head-on.
"Zhang Zhong," Xu Yu called.
"Yes, Captain Xu." Zhang Zhong quickly ran over, awaiting instructions.
Xu Yu pointed to the opposite bank. "Leave one squad on standby. The rest of the soldiers, prepare to cross."
"Yes, sir."
Crossing the river via zip line was not too difficult for the firefighters and armed police officers, especially for Xu Yu's Armed Police Special Operations Team. Scaling walls, climbing mountains, and wading through water were all routine for them.
This situation certainly wouldn't hold them back.
But for the police dogs, it was different. Although they had undergone training to overcome their instincts in water crossings and high-altitude situations, this was their first experience with such conditions, and fear was natural.
Xu Yu noticed that the other handlers were still giving pep talks to their search and rescue dogs. He couldn't help but look down at Xile. This girl had never faced such an ordeal either—would she dare?
"Xile," Xu Yu called. Xile immediately lifted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling.
Seeing this, Xu Yu crouched down, meeting Xile's gaze at eye level. He pointed to the search and rescue dogs crossing the river and asked her, "Afraid?"
Xile twitched her ears, glanced over, then looked back at Xu Yu and barked twice.
Ha, full of courage and spirit.
Xu Yu suddenly smiled, gently embracing Xile to give her courage. He patted her back and spoke softly, as if coaxing a girlfriend, "Good girl."
And indeed, Xile, battle-hardened and experienced, was unafraid of the river. Though her tail was tucked tightly during the crossing, looking rather comical, she transformed back into a tough girl as soon as she reached the opposite bank.
Xu Yu led Xile as they joined the search and rescue efforts. The search and rescue dogs detected signs of life, and the armed police soldiers immediately began digging. This work continued nonstop for over ten hours.
These silent warriors—some panting heavily yet still laboring on, others too exhausted to move, lying on the ground with tongues lolling, and some with limbs scraped raw and noses peeling from digging desperately through mud and rocks.
Nevertheless, they dared only to rest briefly before rising again to continue the search and rescue work.
Xile possessed an exceptionally keen sense of smell by nature and was the most outstanding police dog. Now covered in mud and filled with sorrow, every villager it had found had already perished. It whimpered sadly but refused to give up, continuing to follow the traces of its search.
How could one not admire this group of silent warriors?
…
Su Anxi saw Xu Yu again on the afternoon of the second day. Many firefighters and armed police officers had appeared at the medical point, either with superficial injuries or having collapsed from overwork.
Her sprain was not severe; as long as she avoided twisting it forcefully, walking was still manageable. Moreover, during such critical times, her minor injury truly seemed trivial.
Finally, after finishing her busy tasks, she encountered Xia Junnan. The young man urgently helped an elderly woman over for her to examine. After checking, it was determined that she was uninjured but somewhat disoriented, persistently calling out for her daughter while holding onto Su Anxi.
After finally coaxing the elderly woman to sleep, Su Anxi glanced at the silver-haired old woman sleeping peacefully on the sickbed and asked Xia Junnan, "Who is this?"
Xia Junnan sighed. "The elderly woman's daughter has passed away."
Upon hearing this, Su Anxi lowered her gaze and nodded gently. "Don't worry, I'll spend more time with her."
"Dr. Su, you're so kind."
Su Anxi looked at Xia Junnan and smiled bitterly. "Natural disasters are merciless, but human compassion endures. At least in the face of disaster, everyone shows their best."
Xia Junnan felt that Su Anxi's words were profoundly true and nodded repeatedly.
"By the way," Su Anxi looked at Xia Junnan and couldn't help but ask, "I see your Special Forces Team comrades are all on the front lines of disaster relief. Why are you always in logistics?"
At this mention, Xia Junnan sighed heavily. Su Anxi raised her index finger to her lips, signaling him to lower his voice, and only then did she hear him whisper to her, "It's all because of Captain Xu."
"Captain Xu?"
Xia Junnan nodded. "My physical fitness isn't great, so Captain Xu won't let me go."
"He's concerned about you."
"I know that, actually," Xia Junnan scratched his forehead. "I just feel pretty useless, unable to help much."
Su Anxi neither agreed nor disagreed. "Your Captain Xu isn't a philanthropist. If you truly had no ability, he wouldn't keep you in the Special Forces Team. You must have some exceptional qualities."
"Maybe so," Xia Junnan smiled sheepishly. After a pause, he looked at Su Anxi and said, "Dr. Su, you really understand Captain Xu well!"
Su Anxi looked up, surprised that the conversation had turned to her.
"I need to check on a patient. If you're free, stay with the elderly woman for now!" Su Anxi said as she stood up, hanging her stethoscope around her neck and addressing Xia Junnan.
Xia Junnan knew Su Anxi was busy and didn't dare delay her, nodding repeatedly. "Dr. Su, go ahead with peace of mind!"
Su Anxi went to the temporary ward to check on a patient who had been brought in that morning in poor condition. She instructed Xiao Wang to keep a close watch, then left the ward. Seeing that it had stopped raining, she found herself wandering outside almost instinctively.
Xu Yu was resting with Xile in an inconspicuous open area behind the medical point. He washed Xile's dirty paws with water, examined the wound on its leg caused by a stone, and picked up the iodine tincture he had just obtained from a nurse to disinfect it.
Xile appeared very unhappy and sorrowful, its teary eyes evoking heartache.
Xu Yu looked at the little girl and couldn't help but sigh. He put down the cotton swab in his hand, gently cupped Xile's cheeks, and encouraged her softly, "It's okay, you've already done great."
"Pfft…"
Xu Yu looked up to see Su Anxi, who had been leaning against the neighboring tree, now walking toward him.
"A mosquito just flew into my mouth," Su Anxi explained as she slowly approached.
Xu Yu curled the corner of his lips slightly, but…
"Woof woof woof woof…"
Su Anxi stopped three steps away, feeling utterly helpless.
Xile, why don't you just keep being sad!
Author's Note:
Anxi: A mosquito flew into my mouth.
Yu Ge: I am that mosquito.