Tushan Yao opened her eyes and let out a barely audible breath.
“We’re here.”
Xiaobao immediately hopped down from his seat, wrapped the half of the corn cake and the remaining orange segments in a handkerchief, and stuffed them into his mother’s bundle.
Then he turned around and held out both little hands.
“Mom, I’ll help you.”
Tushan Yao looked at those little hands. The corners of her mouth twitched, but she said nothing.
She took her son’s hands and braced herself as she stood.
The carriage swayed. Her body tilted, and Xiaobao’s small amount of strength was nowhere near enough to support her.
But he clung tightly to his mother’s fingers, his two short legs straining against the floor, stubbornly refusing to let go.
Tushan Yao steadied herself.
“Let’s go.” She picked up the thin bundle and led her son toward the carriage door.
The train entered the station and slowed down, the iron wheels scraping against the rails with a shrill screech.
The carriage door opened, and the dry, cold northern wind rushed inside. Tushan Yao choked on it and coughed again.
Xiaobao jumped off first, then turned around and reached out to help her.
Tushan Yao climbed down the tall steps. The moment her foot touched the platform, her whole body swayed.
Four-year-old Xiaobao obviously couldn’t catch an adult, but he threw himself forward and hugged his mother’s leg.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Stand steady.” He tilted his head up, the tip of his nose bright red from the cold.
Tushan Yao rested a hand on his shoulder, took a breath, and looked toward the area outside the platform.
It was a drab little station, with three large characters painted in red—
Red Flag Station.
The military base where Huo Yunzheng’s unit was stationed lay twelve kilometers from here.
Tushan Yao pulled her padded jacket closer around herself, took her son’s hand, and walked toward the exit.
A burst of hurried car horns and shouting came from outside the station exit.
A military jeep was stopped across the dirt road outside the platform. Several people in uniform were lifting a stretcher into the vehicle.
The person on the stretcher was covered in blood, while a female soldier beside him shouted:
“Faster, faster! Regimental Commander Huo is still waiting at the training field. This wounded soldier needs to be taken back immediately!”
Tushan Xiaobao’s ears twitched.
He caught the words “Regimental Commander Huo.”
His four-year-old mind began turning rapidly—the military jeep was parked outside the station, there was a wounded soldier who needed to be taken away, and that “Regimental Commander Huo” was at the training field.
The training field was inside the military region.
The military region was twelve kilometers from here.
Twelve kilometers.
If he walked there with Mom, she would have to rest before they had even gone three miles.
Every time she rested, she coughed; every time she coughed, she spat up blood.
After walking twelve kilometers, there would be no need to look for Dad. They could go straight to the cemetery.
But the military vehicle in front of him was ready-made.
Xiaobao let go of his mother’s hand and ran off with quick little thuds.
“Xiaobao!”
Tushan Yao shouted, but she couldn’t stop him.
On the dirt road outside the platform, several soldiers in uniform were frantically lifting the stretcher into the back of the jeep.
The wounded soldier had gauze wrapped around his head, and the blood had soaked the gauze into a mass of red.
The female soldier with two braids was crouching beside the vehicle bed, supporting the wounded soldier’s head with one hand while helping lift him with the other.
“Everyone, be careful—”
Tushan Xiaobao ran up beside the jeep. He looked up at the height of the vehicle bed, then at the wounded soldier whose head was covered in blood.
Then, with a plop, he dropped onto his bottom right in front of the jeep’s wheel.
“Uncle! Uncle!”
The two soldiers carrying the stretcher were startled by the babyish cry. They lowered their heads and saw—
A little boy in a blue cotton jacket sitting in front of the wheel.
“What is it, little friend? Where are your grown-ups?”
Xiaobao sniffed, his voice carrying a sob. “Uncle, my mom… My mom can’t walk anymore…”
The female soldier leaned her head out from the vehicle bed.
“Where did this child come from?”
“Soldier Uncle!” Xiaobao stood up, hugged the trouser leg of the soldier nearest to him, and looked up with his delicate little face. His tears began falling on command.
“My mom is sick. She can’t walk, and we need to go to the military region… My dad is a soldier!”
Those few tears fell with perfect precision, striking the soldier’s trouser cuff—and the hearts of everyone present.
In this era, it was common for soldiers’ families to come visit them.
A four-year-old child bringing his sick mother to find the father serving in the army—once that scene was placed before them, even hearts of stone had to soften by three points.
The female soldier jumped down from the vehicle and crouched in front of Xiaobao, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his face.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Is your dad from our military region? What’s his name? Which company is he in?”
Xiaobao blinked, tears still clinging to his eyelashes.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking as though he wanted to speak but didn’t dare.
“I… I forgot.”
The female soldier froze for a moment.
Xiaobao added, “My mom knows, but she’s dizzy right now…”
He turned around and pointed toward the station exit with his little finger.
Everyone followed the direction of his hand.
Tushan Yao was leaning against the iron railing at the exit, inching her way toward them one step at a time.
She had already been weak, and after sitting on the train for so long, the dry, cold northern air had rushed into her throat, making the itch there impossible to suppress.
At that moment, her face was so pale it was nearly translucent, not a trace of color on her lips. Her whole body looked like a sheet of paper that might be swept away by the wind at any moment.
And yet, even in that state, her face was still unbelievably beautiful.
Several soldiers froze in unison for a moment.
The female soldier reacted first and hurried over to support her.
“Comrade! Are you all right? Slowly, slowly—”
Tushan Yao was caught by an arm. She tried to pull free, but her body refused to cooperate. She swayed and nearly toppled to the side again.
“…Thank you.”
The two words came out of her mouth like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube.
At just the right moment, Tushan Xiaobao rushed over, hugged his mother’s leg, and explained to the female soldier:
“My mom came here by train from Kunlun Mountain. She was on the train for two days and two nights. She’s always been in poor health. She was always coughing at home before this…”
The female soldier was heartbroken. “Are you here to visit family?”
“Yes! We came to find my dad.” Xiaobao nodded vigorously, then lowered his head, his voice growing softer.
“But… the military region is so far from here, and Mom can’t walk that far…”
Tushan Yao lowered her eyes and said nothing.
“Comrade, are you going to the military region?” The jeep’s driver leaned out of the cab. “We’re heading back there anyway, so it’s on the way! Come on, get in!”
The female soldier clapped her hands. “That’s right! There’s still room in the back. Come with us for now. Once we reach the military region, it’ll be easier to find your family.”
Tushan Xiaobao raised his head, his eyes sparkling with tears.
“Really?”
“Of course!” The female soldier was already helping Tushan Yao toward the back of the vehicle. “The army and the people are one family!”
Tushan Yao was being supported as she took two steps. She lowered her eyes and glanced at her son.
Xiaobao was secretly wiping away his tears—doing it at lightning speed. His expression changed more swiftly than the turning of a page. The little face that had just been drenched in tears was now already calm and composed.
Tushan Yao: “…”
Who on earth did this acting come from?
————————————————If you don’t like the little skit, you can skip it——————————————
【Little Skit】
Years later, Huo Yunzheng: I heard you hitched a ride on a military vehicle back then by staging a fake accident?
Xiaobao (with a calm expression): That was a tactical use of leverage, carried out to save your wife.
Huo Yunzheng: Then why were you crying so hard and saying you’d forgotten my name?
Xiaobao: That was immersive acting. Otherwise, you’d still be single now.
Huo Yunzheng: …You’re right. Son, you’ve worked hard.