Song Ning shook her head. "No! I believe you! Then what? What happened after that?"
Only then did Lu Changqing continue recounting the past:
"After he told us about it, I was terrified. I'd dreamed of joining the army since I was little. After I enlisted, the army became my whole world! My faith! Back then, I was at an age when my blood ran hot and I was restless and impulsive. I even felt as if my beliefs were crumbling! Because I'd never imagined... that my own comrades could disregard civilians' safety and turn on them!"
"Doctor Song was the one who helped me through it. He said every era had enemy agents trying every possible way to sabotage us and hatch conspiracies! They were simply enemies who had infiltrated our ranks! That didn't mean the army couldn't be trusted! At times like that, we had all the more reason to pull ourselves together and root out those enemies for the organization!"
"But among the troops arriving to help back then, although the Southwest Military Region and the Central South Military District provided the main rescue forces, several other military regions also sent teams to support the supply of medicine and other disaster-relief materials from the rear. There weren't many of them, but personnel from several major military regions were indeed present in Henan Province. Under those circumstances, we couldn't even determine which side the perpetrators came from."
"That was also why that man demanded we keep it secret even at the cost of our lives. Anyone capable of causing a disaster like that without anyone noticing was no ordinary person. If word got out, it wouldn't just spell doom for Doctor Song and me.
"More importantly, the consequences of a leak were impossible to measure!"
At this point, Lu Changqing let out a long sigh, his expression utterly exhausted.
An indescribable surge of emotion churned in Song Ning's chest, making it impossible for her to remain calm.
A barefoot doctor from the countryside and an ordinary soldier who had been enlisted for less than two years had been entrusted with such a "heavy" task.
And they were doomed to grope their way forward in the dark, unable to see the road ahead, with no one to help them and no way to ask for aid.
This was a "battle" belonging to those two alone, one old and one young!
Silent and tragic!
Song Ning had already formed some guesses about what happened next. She suppressed her surging emotions and asked:
"Lu Changqing, what happened afterward? What happened next? Why did my grandfather die just a year after he came home?"
Lu Changqing's eyes immediately reddened.
But just as he was about to speak, someone knocked on the ward door.
"Who locked the ward door?"
A nurse was peering inside through the glass window in the door.
Song Ning had no choice but to get up and open it.
"Bed twenty-five needs a dressing change!"
The nurse pushed her cart in with a clatter, giving Song Ning a reminder as she did.
"Just leave the ward door pulled shut normally. People are always coming and going, and locking it makes things inconvenient. It's perfectly safe here!"
"Understood!" Song Ning replied.
"Oh! Where's the patient in bed twenty-six? He needs his dressing changed too!"
Lu Changqing quickly answered, "He went out for a walk. He'll be back in a little while!"
"Why go for a walk in the middle of the morning? Mornings are so busy! If he wants a walk, he should wait until the afternoon!"
Song Ning knew they probably wouldn't get to finish their conversation today, either.
"Hey! Could the family member come and help?"
The nurse needed to take Lu Changqing's leg out of its sling and asked Song Ning to support it.
Song Ning paused, then reached out to lend the nurse a hand.
Then she said evenly, "Nurse, you're mistaken. I'm not a family member."
The nurse looked up at Song Ning in surprise, then glanced at Lu Changqing.
Just then, Old Zhang and his wife returned from their stroll.
Lu Changqing grew restless, looking somewhat embarrassed.
The dressing had only just been changed when someone knocked on the ward door.
They turned to look and saw that it was Han Xiao.
Standing in the doorway, Han Xiao asked, "Busy? May I come in?"
Lu Changqing raised his voice to greet him. "Company Commander Han, you're here!"
The nurse was tidying her cart. She turned and said, "Come in! There's nothing here you can't see!"
Before leaving, she reminded Song Ning, "His leg can lie flat for a while. Just remember to help him put it back in the sling later."
Then she pushed her cart away with a clatter.
Han Xiao looked around and asked:
"Where's Zhang Qianjin? Wasn't he assigned to look after you here? Why don't I see him?"
Lu Changqing's gaze shifted evasively as he answered:
"He... he had something to do this morning. I told him to come back this afternoon!"
Song Ning stood silently beside them without speaking.
She had visited Lu Changqing twice, and apart from the people at the neighboring bed, she hadn't seen anyone else.
Han Xiao said angrily, "That Zhang Qianjin! Is this how he handles the task he was assigned? I'll have to give him a stern talking-to!"
As he spoke, he turned to leave. "I'll make a call and arrange for someone else to come over for now!"
"Company Commander Han!"
Lu Changqing called out loudly, "There's no need! Zhang Qianjin should be here soon! I... I don't need anything right now!"
Han Xiao scratched his head, glanced at Song Ning, and said to Lu Changqing:
"The thing is, I need Comrade Song Ning's help with something! I was worried you might..."
"Oh! I'm fine here! Um, Song Ning, go with Company Commander Han!"
Song Ning glanced at Lu Changqing, then asked Han Xiao directly:
"Under normal circumstances, shouldn't the hospital have dedicated nurses for comrades who can't manage on their own?"
"It does! Other injuries aside, we usually also assign a fellow soldier to stay with anyone who can't manage on their own, in case the nurses get busy and overlook them..."
"Well, you two go take care of your business! I really am fine!" Lu Changqing urged from beside them.
Song Ning said to Han Xiao, "Since there are dedicated nurses, let's go."
After they left the ward and started down the corridor, Han Xiao said somewhat apologetically:
"Was it a little inappropriate for me to call you away like that?"
"No! I was about to leave even if you hadn't come!"
"Well, I was worried about interfering with you two... getting closer!"
Song Ning didn't respond to that. Instead, she asked him another question:
"What do you all think of Lu Changqing?"
"Oh! He's a pretty good guy! Willing to learn, willing to put himself on the line, and quite ambitious! He even earned a major commendation last year! I told you about that!"
Song Ning glanced at Han Xiao. "Han Xiao, come to think of it, you and the others are the people I've known longest here! I'd like to understand the real Lu Changqing, his strengths and his faults.
Han Xiao thought about it and realized she was right. Counting from when they caught the human traffickers deep in the mountains, they really were the people she had known longest.
He scratched his head out of habit and said, "As for faults, well... he's a little... a little calculating! How should I put it? Maybe calculating isn't the right word. He's a bit too eager for quick success!"
As he spoke, Han Xiao glanced around. "It really isn't right for me to talk about him behind his back like this. I just feel he's very keen to climb the ranks. He's especially attentive around his superiors and smiles at everyone, as if he has no temper at all! Actually, that doesn't really count as a fault. He just strikes me as a little fake, and it makes people uncomfortable!"
Song Ning agreed. "Exactly! That's how I feel. He just makes me uncomfortable!"
Before you continue