"Here!" Shi Tie Zhu roared reflexively, then tried to sit up and jump out of bed.
But halfway up, his whole body shuddered. He could not rise any farther and could only tremble slightly, frozen midway. It hurt.
"Lie back down!" The political commissar spoke sharply. "Shi Tie Zhu, do you have any sense left in that head of yours? Don't you know what condition your body is in? You just had to join those young men in pressure training—have you been living too comfortably, so your skin started itching?"
Shi Tie Zhu lay back down, smiling sheepishly. His voice was dry and grating because his vocal cords had been burned by high-temperature gas. "I just thought they've been too lax lately, so I wanted to set an example for the younger generation..."
"With that stone temper of yours, you're stubborn to the bone!" The political commissar looked like he hated iron for not turning into steel. "Enough. Stay here and recuperate properly."
Shi Tie Zhu frowned instead. "I don't need to recuperate. I'm fine. Let me go back to the company. I don't feel comfortable here."
"You're fine?" The political commissar chuckled. "How about this? Answer one question. If you get it right, I'll let you return to the company."
"Fine!" Shi Tie Zhu immediately perked up. "Ask away!"
"All right." The political commissar suddenly lowered his voice, speaking at the volume of an ordinary person whispering. "I think that Doctor Shi is gentle and virtuous. I'm planning to ask around about her. If she isn't married, I'll introduce her to you. What do you think of Doctor Shi?"
Shi Tie Zhu was a little dumbfounded.
Because he could not hear anything spoken at that volume.
From his perspective, the political commissar wore a solemn expression, just like when