Zhou Yuanhang had already squeezed his way to the kang.
He lowered his head and carefully wiped the tears from her face, saying tenderly, "Don't be afraid! They're all military comrades! They won't give us any trouble! Look at you, crying again. Are you feeling better again?"
Then he looked up sheepishly. "My wife is timid, especially around strangers! Sorry you've had to see her like this!"
Gu Zheng said, "We've disturbed her rest! But for the sake of our mission, could I ask Comrade Xiuying a few questions?"
Zhou Yuanhang looked troubled. He pointed at his throat. "You can! It's just that since Xiuying fell ill, she hasn't been able to open her mouth. Here... she can't make a sound!"
"Sorry for the trouble! Could you let me try?" Gu Zheng asked calmly and patiently.
Zhou Yuanhang sighed, lifted the kerosene lamp, and took a sheet of paper from a nearby drawer. It was a medical record written by a doctor.
"It's not that we don't want to cooperate! She could still move before, but after she had an episode on the road yesterday, she still hasn't recovered! She can only open her mouth, not make a sound."
Gu Zheng took it, glanced at it, and said, "We were too presumptuous!"
He returned the medical record to Zhou Yuanhang and stepped forward, coming into Song Ning's field of vision.
Only one lamp was lit in the room, casting a dim yellow glow.
Song Ning saw Gu Zheng's face. It was thin and haggard, with a faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.
He had been out on a mission before, with no way to stay in touch.
For him to appear here so suddenly, he must have traveled a long way.
To Gu Zheng, Song Ning looked sallow, her