As soon as Director Xu stepped through the door, she pulled Shen Niao into a tight hug.
“Xiao Shen, thank you. If it weren’t for you, my little granddaughter…”
Beside them, Zhang Cuihua stared in shock.
“Director Xu, what…?”
Director Xu wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Shen Niao.
“The child you saved today was my granddaughter. And Cuihua, thank you too. You helped a great deal today.”
Zhang Cuihua hurriedly waved her hands.
“I barely did anything. All the credit belongs to Xiao Shen.”
Director Xu had already asked around and knew exactly who had done what.
She was nearly fifty this year. She and her husband had only one child—their son, Niu Shengli.
Niu Shengli was also in the military, currently serving in Lucheng as a regimental commander. His wife was from Lucheng as well.
This visit by her daughter-in-law and grandchildren was meant to let the elderly couple enjoy some family time. Who would have thought that after hearing his grandfather talk about beachcombing the night before, her eldest grandson would secretly take his two-year-old little sister to the beach early the next morning?
At the time, the whole family was still asleep. Division Commander Niu heard some noise but assumed it was just the wind rattling the door.
When her daughter-in-law woke up and discovered both children were missing, her world collapsed.
The entire family, together with the orderlies, searched everywhere. Then they heard that a child had drowned at the beach. Her daughter-in-law ran out crying, while Director Xu fainted on the spot.
When she woke up, she learned that the drowned child was indeed her little granddaughter—but fortunately someone had managed to save her.
Xu Guifang rushed to the hospital, hugged her granddaughter, and cried for quite a while before asking her daughter-in-law who the lifesaver was.
Unfortunately, her daughter-in-law had been too distraught to ask. She only knew there had been a man in a navy uniform accompanying the woman.
That made things much easier.
After asking the young soldier who had driven the jeep that day, she finally found out that the person who had saved her granddaughter was none other than Regiment Commander Wu’s fiancée, Shen Niao.
So she immediately went to the guesthouse, only to be told Shen Niao wasn’t there. Remembering that Shen Niao had become close to Zhang Cuihua, she came here instead—and sure enough, she found her.
Shen Niao never imagined that the child she had rescued would turn out to be Director Xu’s granddaughter. At present, Division Commander Niu was the highest-ranking commander in the entire garrison area.
But she hadn’t saved the child for any reason other than wanting her to live.
“When it happened, there wasn’t time to waste. I figured taking her to the hospital would delay treatment, and I happened to know some drowning rescue techniques. The only downside is that CPR requires a lot of force… I ended up breaking one of your granddaughter’s ribs.”
Although Xu Guifang was an obstetrician-gynecologist, she understood perfectly well how dangerous drowning was.
Every minute counted.
She had been told that by the time her granddaughter was pulled from the sea, she had already stopped breathing. Whether they had rushed her to the military clinic or anywhere else, it would have been too late.
Compared to losing her life, a broken rib was nothing.
What’s more, her daughter-in-law had also told her that on the way to the hospital, Shen Niao had given her granddaughter a heart-saving pill.
No matter how she looked at it, Shen Niao had done their family an enormous favor.
She had brought many gifts with her.
Common items like malted milk powder and canned food, and rarer treats like bananas and apples. Shen Niao and Zhang Cuihua each received a share.
There was also an old ginseng root, which she handed specifically to Shen Niao.
“This ginseng is over eight hundred years old. It has been passed down through my family since my grandfather’s time.”
Xu Guifang placed it into Shen Niao’s hands.
“Keep it well. It may save a life one day.”
The men in her family were all soldiers.
Back when her husband had gone off to war, she had insisted he carry this very ginseng with him as emergency medicine.
Now, Old Niu rarely went to the front lines anymore, and even when he did, he usually directed operations safely from the rear.
She felt it would be better to give it to Shen Niao.
Wu Qingchuan was still young and highly valued by the military. He was destined to continue earning merits in dangerous missions. Having this ancient ginseng on hand might one day prove invaluable.
But as soon as Xu Guifang pushed it into her hands, Shen Niao immediately refused.
“It’s far too valuable. I can’t accept it.”
She truly had no intention of taking it.
Saving someone was simply the right thing to do. How could she accept something so precious in return?
Xu Guifang stubbornly tried to press it back into her hands.
“You must accept this.”
“No, no, no.”
Shen Niao shook her head repeatedly.
“I didn’t save her because she was your granddaughter. I just happened to be there. If it had been anyone else, I would have done exactly the same.”
“I know you’re kind-hearted. But you saved my granddaughter, and we have to repay you somehow. Please accept it.”
Shen Niao slipped the ginseng back into Xu Guifang’s hands, then leaned close and whispered into her ear.
“Director Xu, if you really want to thank me, then help me with one thing.”
When Director Xu left, she was smiling from ear to ear.
She had also taken the ginseng with her.
Zhang Cuihua looked utterly baffled.
“What did you say to her? And that was an eight-hundred-year-old ginseng! You actually turned it down?”
Eight hundred years!
That was an eight-hundred-year-old ginseng!
Shen Niao simply hummed and winked.
“Take a guess.”
When Division Commander Niu saw his wife return carrying the ginseng, he asked gravely,
“That young lady didn’t accept it?”
“What do you mean, ‘that young lady’?”
Director Xu glared at him.
“I told you, her name is Xiao Shen.”
“Old Niu, Xiao Shen is our granddaughter’s lifesaver. Don’t speak so disrespectfully.”
His casual question had unexpectedly provoked his wife.
Division Commander Niu quickly surrendered.
“Alright, alright. Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen. I just couldn’t remember her name. I’ll remember it from now on.”
Director Xu gave a satisfied snort.
“You’d better. Xiao Shen is such a wonderful girl—beautiful, kind-hearted. She refused this precious ginseng no matter how much I insisted. She didn’t try to take advantage of our gratitude at all.”
“Do you know what she asked for instead?”
Division Commander Niu lowered the newspaper in his hands.
“She wants her marriage application approved as soon as possible.”
“How did you know?”
A rare smile appeared on his usually stern face.
“That brat Qingchuan came to me today asking for exactly the same thing.”
“Hah! That boy has finally learned to get anxious.”
Remembering how Wu Qingchuan had approached him earlier with his usual cold expression, asking if he could urge the higher-ups to speed up the approval process, Division Commander Niu couldn’t help laughing.
Director Xu laughed as well.
“Haha, those two really are an interesting pair.”
“So? Did you help them?”
“Come on. Since they’re both so eager, just make a phone call. It’s only a few signatures.”
“I already did.”
The smile disappeared from Division Commander Niu’s face.
“That Xiao Shen… is the descendant of a capitalist family.”
“Our unit is in a special position. Qingchuan is already on the radar of higher authorities. Having ties to a capitalist family isn’t a good thing.”
Director Xu’s smile also faded, replaced by worry.
“A capitalist family…”
“That does complicate things.”
Division Commander Niu continued,
“Do you know which capitalist family?”
“The Shen family of Haicheng.”
Director Xu’s eyes widened in shock.
“I remember the Shen family donated a tremendous amount of money during the War of Resistance.”
“Exactly.”
“If they were traitors who collaborated with the enemy, then arresting them would be one thing.”
“But the Shen family donated most of their fortune to support the war effort. Hell, I even used medicine they donated while I was fighting on the front lines.”
“And now there are people who finish eating from the bowl, then smash it afterward—using the label ‘capitalist’ as an excuse to stir up trouble.”
By the end of his sentence, Division Commander Niu was gritting his teeth.
With a furious motion, he threw the newspaper onto the table.