She saw the flash of flashlights in the distance and, thinking it must be the rescue team—and quite possibly Jin Qiu—she began walking in that direction.
In her previous life, after Jin Qiu passed away, Bai Lu had carried everything on her own shoulders. Working in a hospital, she had witnessed countless partings of life and death, so she wasn’t afraid in the slightest. However, the thought of seeing him in a moment made her heart flutter with nerves.
Though they had lived together for fifteen years and even had children in their past life, they had been separated by death for so many years that there was an undeniable awkwardness between them now. She imagined Jin Qiu felt the same way. Otherwise, during the emotional moment of their reunion earlier, why hadn’t he given her a hug or even held her hand?
She remembered the TV dramas she had watched in her previous life; when the leads reunited after a long separation, they would always embrace tightly. Yet, between her and Jin Qiu, there had been nothing.
Finally reaching the source of the light, she saw a group of rescuers either standing or sitting on the ground. Every one of them was covered in filth. Their hands, in particular, were battered and bloodied from digging through the ruins to save people.
“There aren’t many wounded being brought in right now. You should all go to the tents and let the doctors and nurses tend to your wounds,” Bai Lu said, her heart aching at the sight of them.
They were truly a great and lovely group of people. No matter what happened, they would charge to the front lines time and again, fearless of death.
Knowing they might be worried about the shortage of medical supplies, Bai Lu added, “There are plenty of medical supplies right now, so you don’t need to worry. You are fighting on the front lines; it is only right that we guard your safety.”
When she had gone out earlier to clear her head, she had left medical supplies outside every tent. Unlike the previous batch, these supplies included a sheet of paper with basic information: the name of the medicine, its ingredients, and the dosage and usage instructions. This way, the doctors wouldn’t have to waste time figuring out what the supplies were and could use them on patients immediately.
Bai Lu searched through the group but didn’t see Jin Qiu. she wasn’t sure which squad he was leading.
As everyone got up to leave, one comrade stepped up to her. “Nurse, when our boss gets back, could you please tell him that we’ve headed over there?”
Bai Lu nodded. “It’s best if you split up and go to different tents. Don’t all crowd into one, or the night nurses might not be able to handle the volume.”
Once they had gone, Bai Lu swept her flashlight around the area. The man had said their “boss” would be back soon, so he had to be nearby.
Just then, a dark figure emerged from the nearby woods. Bai Lu quickly shone her light toward him. It was Jin Qiu. It seemed this was indeed his team.
“Why are you here?” Jin Qiu’s tall, lean figure approached her, and he looked down at her.
Seeing the exhaustion in his brow and his bloodshot eyes, her heart filled with pity. The rescue team had to race against the clock to save trapped comrades, leaving them no time to rest. They only sat on the ground for a brief nap when they were utterly spent.
Bai Lu gave a faint smile. “I just delivered a baby, and my nursing uniform got stained with blood. It’s too noticeable, and I’m afraid people might be frightened when they wake up tomorrow. I wanted to see if I could find a river to give it a quick wash.”
Jin Qiu reached out and began to pull the open nursing uniform off her shoulders.
“Hey, what are you doing? You have to take responsibility if you strip a female comrade!” Although she was wearing summer clothes underneath the uniform, Bai Lu still felt a bit embarrassed that he had just reached out without a word.
“Mhm. I’ll take responsibility,” Jin Qiu replied with a faint smile, then took the uniform and walked ahead.
Guessing that he knew where the river was, Bai Lu followed behind him with her flashlight. They soon reached the riverbank. Jin Qiu stomped on the grass with his boots to make sure there were no snakes or hazards before letting Bai Lu sit down.
Watching Jin Qiu squat on a rock by the river to wash her uniform, Bai Lu couldn’t help but be reminded of their married life in their past existence. As a nurse, her work had been hectic and her holidays few. Jin Qiu had taken over most of the household chores; she almost never had to worry about the trivialities of home life.
He was the one who had shown her that such a healthy, harmonious, and happy marital relationship could actually exist in this world. If she couldn’t continue her bond with him in this life, she wouldn’t consider marriage at all—she didn’t even want to try with anyone else.
“How many people are in your rescue squad?” Bai Lu asked curiously.
“Twenty, including me,” Jin Qiu replied.
Without soap, he couldn’t get it perfectly clean. Some faint bloodstains remained, but they were far less obvious than before. Jin Qiu wrung the water out of the uniform and handed it to Bai Lu. He then returned to the river to wash his arms and face before scooping up some water with his hands to drink.
Afterward, he filled his canteen. In this era, fertilizers and pesticides weren’t yet widespread, so the river water was quite clean.
“I’m thirsty too. Can I have a sip?” Bai Lu asked with a smile.
Jin Qiu’s hand holding the canteen trembled slightly. He clearly hadn’t expected Bai Lu to make such a request, but he handed the canteen to her anyway. Bai Lu reached out, handed the wet uniform to Jin Qiu to hold, and ran off with the canteen.
Once she was out of his sight, Bai Lu bought a case of glucose water—which could help restore physical strength—from the “Myriad Realms Mall.” She took out two bottles and swapped the river water in the canteen with the glucose solution. She took a sip; it was the original flavor, so Jin Qiu likely wouldn’t notice the difference.
Returning to him, she handed the canteen back and took out two pieces of walnut cake. “Eat these.”
Jin Qiu didn’t take them. “Keep them for yourself.”
Everyone had rushed here in a hurry; no one had time to prepare much. He figured she didn’t have many of these pastries left and wanted her to keep them.
Bai Lu didn’t give him a chance to refuse. She stuffed a piece of walnut cake directly into his mouth. Since he had touched it, there was no way to take it back. Jin Qiu exhaled slowly and accepted the snack.
“When you’re about to leave this area, remember to come find me. I have something I need your help with,” Bai Lu said, taking her uniform back. “It’s late. I’m going back now.”
She turned and left, flashlight in hand.
Jin Qiu stayed behind her, maintaining a distance of about a meter, only stopping once they were near the tents.
Back inside the tent, Bai Lu draped her nursing uniform over an empty crate by the entrance to let the breeze dry it. By morning, it would be ready to wear. With the night nurse on duty, she wasn’t worried about anyone stealing it.