Two days later, Lin’s mother was transferred to the General Hospital of the Military, where she finally regained consciousness thanks to the persistent treatment by the doctors.
When Lin Yuqiu saw her mother open her eyes, she could no longer control her emotions and rushed to the bedside, tears streaming down her face.
“Mom, you’re awake.”
Lin’s mother was unable to move her body. She could only turn her eyes toward her with difficulty and move her lips with difficulty, but she could not make a sound. She clearly made the shape of “Don’t cry”.
Lin Yuqiu gripped her mother’s hand, forcing back her tears.
My mother had just woken up, and I was afraid of upsetting her even more.
Suddenly, Lin’s mother seemed to remember something, tears welled up in her eyes, and she mouthed anxiously.
Lin Yuqiu wiped away her mother’s tears and comforted her gently, “Mom, Father and Brother are both fine. You focus on getting better, and I will find them and bring them to see you.”
Lin’s mother finally felt relieved and fell asleep again, exhausted.
The morning sunlight streamed through the blue and white striped curtains, carrying a scorching warmth that made the eyelids of the person lying beside the hospital bed twitch and wake them up.
Lin Yuqiu took care of her mother all night. Last night, every two hours, she had to turn her over, massage her, feed her water, wipe her body, and change her clothes.
I didn’t sleep well for several nights in a row at the General Hospital of the Army. When I opened my eyes, my vision was still blurry, and my eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
She picked up the thermos, poured a bowl of warm water, and then used a cotton swab dipped in the warm water to moisten her mother’s lips.
The mother also woke up. The pain of her illness had robbed her of her former vitality. Her cloudy eyes were filled with guilt and pity, and she let out broken sobs, as if blaming herself for being a burden to her daughter.
Lin Yuqiu couldn’t bear to look into her mother’s eyes; she felt that the look in her eyes was heartbreaking.
How could the little one who was once nurtured and raised in her arms see her as a burden?
At that moment, the ward round bell rang.
The attending physician, dressed in a white coat and green military uniform, walked in carrying a Red Cross medicine kit, followed by a group of interns.
Seeing them approaching her mother’s sickbed, Lin Yuqiu quickly stood up to make way and softly called out, “Doctor.”
The attending physician nodded and walked straight to the bedside.
He first bent down and lifted his mother’s blanket, then gently tapped her paralyzed legs with a percussion hammer, then reached out to check the temperature of her forehead, and finally felt her pulse, all while whispering instructions to the intern beside him.
The intern diligently took notes. After the attending physician finished his examination, he turned to look at Lin Yuqiu by the bedside and said gently, “Comrade, your mother’s examination is complete, and her condition is relatively stable.”
“Come to my office later to discuss the arrangements for your mother.”
Lin Yuqiu nodded: “Okay, doctor.”
Just as the attending physician led the team out of the ward, the comrade who was assigned to deliver breakfast pushed open the door, placed the aluminum lunchbox on the bedside table, nodded to her, and left.
Lin Yuqiu opened the lunchbox and turned around to prop up her mother’s pillow.
One of the departing interns, after finishing his case notes, looked up and saw something. He couldn’t help but remind her, “Comrade, it’s best to help the nanny sit up halfway when feeding her. Choking is no small matter.”
Lin Yuqiu turned her head and saw a very beautiful female doctor.
Wearing a white lab coat, she exudes professionalism while also possessing an elegant and gentle temperament. When she speaks, a slight smile plays on her lips, and her eyes are full of soft charm, making people feel comfortable just by looking at her.
Lin Yuqiu smiled and said, “Thank you, doctor.”
The female doctor smiled gently, like a warm breeze in spring: “I wish your mother a speedy recovery.”
Suddenly, a companion’s voice came from outside the door: “Shiyun, let’s go.”
“They’re here.”
The female doctor responded crisply, nodded gently to her, and then turned and quickly caught up with her companion.
After feeding her mother breakfast porridge, Lin Yuqiu went to the attending physician’s office at the nurse’s summons.
She knocked on the door. “Doctor.”
The attending physician gestured for her to come in, then put down the medical record in his hand and said in a gentle tone, “Comrade, your mother’s condition has stabilized. The next step is to gradually carry out rehabilitation treatment and conditioning her body.”
“Our General Hospital is really short of beds. We need to give priority to emergency patients and wounded comrades transferred from the front lines. Please arrange for their discharge as soon as possible, or transfer them to a rehabilitation center.”
Lin Yuqiu frowned slightly, her voice tinged with nervousness: “Doctor, I want to ask what conditions are required for transferring to a rehabilitation center?”
The attending physician probably noticed her predicament and said with a gentle smile, “The number of beds in the rehabilitation hospital is limited. If you apply in the name of a military family member, it will be much easier, and you can also apply for a preferential ward for military families.”
“Those wards are next to the nurses’ station and close to the physiotherapy room. When we doctors make our rounds, we go there first, which is much more convenient than regular wards.”
Lin Yuqiu came out of the doctor’s office and walked towards the ward. Before she got there, she saw the guard, Xiao Liu, waiting for her in the corridor.
Xiao Liu walked over with a smile. “Comrade Lin, our regimental commander asked me to come over to ask you what your decision is.”
“The regimental commander asked me to remind you that he has fifteen days left to visit his relatives, and he hopes you will think it over as soon as possible.”
“Once I return to the island, it may be another year or two, and it will be inconvenient to come back in the short term.”
Lin Yuqiu lowered her eyes, her delicate and graceful face revealing a resilient yet firm strength: “I will marry him. However, I want my mother to be transferred to a rehabilitation center as soon as possible. The conditions there are better and it will help her recovery.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Liu nodded: “I will convey it to the regimental commander.”
Inside the military compound’s family quarters, guard Xiao Liu parked the car and immediately went upstairs to relay the message.
“Commander, Comrade Lin has agreed.”
The man sitting behind the desk paused, his hand holding the pen momentarily still.
He didn’t speak, but his sharp face was warmed by the light coming in from the window. He took out a standard letter with his military unit number printed on it from the drawer and wrote the words “Marriage Application Report” in bold, neat characters.
Xiao Liu glanced at the commander secretly, unable to discern any emotion on his face, and couldn’t help but sigh.
No wonder he’s a regimental commander who remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses before him during battles; he’s getting married soon, yet he still maintains this expressionless demeanor.
However, Xiao Liu was more curious about how the group leader would write about their dating history on the marriage application report, since they had only officially met the girl once.
Just as he was lost in thought, the regimental commander had finished writing his signature, dried the ink, neatly folded it, and stuffed it into a kraft paper envelope. He then took out a letter of introduction from the drawer, stamped it with the regimental headquarters’ official seal, and handed it to him.
“Take the letter of introduction to the subdistrict office where Lin’s family lives and get her personal political performance certificate. Remember, wear plain clothes and don’t make a scene.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Once the formalities are completed, send both items together via express military mail and deliver them directly to Political Commissar Wang at the island regiment headquarters.”
The guard, Xiao Liu, took the envelope and letter of introduction, then suddenly said with concern, “Commander, the final review still has to go through Director Li of the military region, so I’m afraid it won’t go smoothly.”
Zhou Runqing raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice deep and cold: “I’ll explain to Director Li later.”
“Tell Political Commissar Wang to report this immediately via the division headquarters’ hotline and hand it over to Deputy Director Chen of the Military Region’s Political Department.”
“Deputy Director Chen used to be my father’s subordinate, so he will help me with this.”
“Yes, Commander.”
The guard, Xiao Liu, acknowledged the order, put away the envelope and letter of introduction, and turned to walk out the door.
Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I ran into Zhou Wanyi, the group leader’s sister. She was wearing a light pink knit sweater and dark gray wool trousers, with a single braid on one side. She was eating an apple as she came upstairs, her eyes curiously fixed on the envelope in Xiao Liu’s arms.
“What’s this?”
Zhou Wanyi reached out to take it, but Xiao Liu quickly hid it behind his back and said with a sheepish smile, “Wanyi, the task assigned by the commander cannot be delayed. I’ll be going now.”
Zhou Wanyi pouted and went into the study. “Brother, you just got back, what did you ask Xiao Liu to do? You’re in such a hurry.”
Zhou Runqing’s lips curved into a rare smile, his voice still clear and crisp: “You’ll find out later.”
Seeing that her older brother seemed to be in a good mood, Zhou Wanyi suddenly moved closer to the desk, propped her elbows on the table, and while eating an apple, suggested with a smile, “Brother, how about we pick up Sister Shiwen from get off work this afternoon and go to the cafeteria for hot pot tonight?”
“I’ll let the cafeteria know later and ask them to reserve a special meal for me. I heard they delivered beef offal and fresh tripe this morning, I’m so hungry for it.”
“You’ve been gone during the day since you came back these past few days. Sister Shiyun said the other day that she wanted to see you.”