An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 288 "The Permanent Gap"

The midday sun slanted across the corridor, landing on the windowsill at the end, warming people.

"How did you end up here?" Meng Youyou asked.

Hearing this, Xiao Bai smiled and said, "I was just about to ask you that too, but you beat me to it."

"I've come to deliver some documents," Xiao Bai explained succinctly.

Meng Youyou recalled the direction he had just appeared in her mind. If she remembered correctly, the innermost ward housed a high-ranking official.

Meng Youyou did not continue to ask questions on this topic. Although she was very curious about where he was working and what he was responsible for, she still suppressed her inappropriate desire to explore.

He then proceeded to explain to himself, "I'm helping out at the hospital right now."

Xiao Bai nodded knowingly, without delving into further details.

Under the increasing influence of the battlefield environment, knowing what to ask and what not to ask, and ensuring basic information segregation, has become an essential quality they must always adhere to.

The two stood facing each other for half a minute, speechless, the sunlight casting long shadows.

The sudden meeting didn't give anyone enough time to organize their thoughts. There were so many things to talk about that they didn't know where to begin.

It was Meng Youyou who broke the silence first, suddenly saying, "Xiao Bai, it's so good to see you here!" Her voice was choked with emotion.

Upon hearing these words, Xiao Bai first smiled faintly, a smile that revealed the calm that had settled after the storm.

A few seconds later, as if infected by the other person's emotions, or perhaps thinking of something else, the man lowered his voice, and with a sigh-like emotion, replied softly, "It is quite good."

The window was half-open, and a breeze occasionally blew in, carrying the warm feeling of the outside. Inadvertently, it seemed that something slipped in with the breeze.

Meng Youyou only saw a small, dark flying dot. Before she could get a good look, the bee buzzed and flew straight toward her face.

Meng Youyou instinctively shrank back, tucking her arms into her sleeves, leaving only her fingertips sticking out as she frantically waved her arms up, down, left, and right, trying to shoo them away.

But the bees seemed to be stuck to her, circling around her hair and shoulders, buzzing incessantly in her ears. Meng Youyou retreated again and again until her back hit the wall.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai immediately stepped forward, raising his hand to shoo away the bee, but as soon as he waved it halfway through the air, the bee suddenly flew half a foot to the left.

The man's movements suddenly stopped, a moment of confusion appeared in his eyes, and then his head twisted dramatically from side to side and looked around, like a machine that needed to be calibrated, "scanning" the air.

His movements were quite strange. The bees were clearly flying around to his side and in front of him, and he could easily see them by simply turning his eyes, but he deliberately moved his head without looking at them. The curve of his neck was stiff and mechanical, and even his shoulder line was tense. It was a case of putting in a lot of effort but not getting anywhere.

Upon seeing this, Meng Youyou slowed down her movements of fanning her sleeves, her forearm still instinctively shielding her forehead, but her gaze remained fixed on Xiao Bai, a growing sense of doubt creeping in.

She stared at his unusual behavior for a while, her heart sinking with each step. Meng Youyou slowly loosened her grip on her sleeve, took a half-step towards him, raised her hand, and gently shook it lightly on the side of his face, less than a fist's width away.

As a result, Xiao Bai was completely unaware of this and was still focused on searching for traces of the bees.

"Xiao Bai." Meng Youyou couldn't help but call out to him, her voice trembling softly.

The man turned to the side at the sound, his gaze falling on her face.

Meng Youyou's lips moved, unaware that her teeth were trembling as she spoke: "Yours..." The girl's overly beautiful eyes were now tightly furrowed, clearly showing disbelief, "What happened to your eyes?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bai's eyes flickered for a moment, then returned to their calm and composed state, and his nonchalant smile reappeared on his face: "You have such good eyesight!" He still couldn't resist teasing her.

Then, the man said in a low voice, "Hemiplegic." He revealed his physical disability in an extremely nonchalant tone: "I can't see anything on either side, I can only see this area in the very center."

How light and airy those two words are!

This... will be a permanent void that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Was it because of the cigarettes that night?" Meng Youyou was still unwilling to give up. Even though she had a thought in mind and knew that the answer was probably right, she still stubbornly wanted to confirm it one more time.

Xiao Bai fell silent. A few seconds later, he looked up at her, his expression becoming serious, and said very earnestly, "Xiao Meng, I know what you're thinking, but please don't think like that."

Upon hearing this answer, Meng Youyou's eyes dimmed little by little. She gave a bitter tug at the corner of her lips, not knowing what to say.

She could only stammeringly ask, "What about Squad Leader Liu? How is he now?"

After speaking, Xiao Bai fell silent once more, a look of sorrow gradually appearing on his face. He simply gazed silently into Meng Youyou's eyes, his gaze deep, without uttering a word.

Meng Youyou understood almost instantly. She suddenly tilted her head back, looked up at the ceiling, and her eyes quickly filled with warm, moist tears.

The old squad leader who braved the rain to pick banana leaves to cover her roof sacrificed his life.

When a person receives bad news, due to stress, their consciousness and thinking will enter a vacuum-like state of stagnation. At the same time, memories will awaken on their own, flashing back uncontrollably like a revolving lantern, playing one fragmented segment after another.

On a night of torrential rain, the relentless downpour pounded on the tin roof like a frenzied symphony, the cacophony echoing in the air. Coupled with her still-adapting to the high-risk environment she was in, Meng Youyou was under double pressure and unable to fall asleep.

This was her third day at the observation post, and her third sleepless night.

Just as she was tossing and turning in bed, a faint rustling sound came from the roof, almost completely drowned out by the sound of rain.

Out of alertness, Meng Youyou immediately put on her shoes, grabbed an umbrella from the doorway, and went out to check the situation.

In the dim light of day, a man wearing a heavy rubber raincoat could be seen standing precariously at the top of a wooden ladder, his upper body almost entirely pressed against the slippery tin roof.

The torrential rain lashed against his raincoat, then coalesced into powerful torrents that poured down from the edge of his rain hat and his shoulders, soaking him completely and making him feel heavy, as if he had just been pulled from the bottom of a river.

Rainwater kept blurring his vision, and he could only shake his head frequently to get brief moments of clear vision.

As he shook his head to wipe the rain from his face again, he finally noticed a figure that had appeared on the ground out of the corner of his eye. The man paused, wiped his face casually, and opened his eyes wide to look.

When he could vaguely recognize who it was, the man raised his voice and shouted to her through the pouring rain, "Is that Comrade Xiao Meng? Hurry up and go back inside, don't get wet!"

His voice was distorted by the sound of the rain. "This tin shack is too noisy on rainy days. I noticed you weren't in good spirits during the day, so I put some leaves down to make it a little quieter."

Half an hour later, the man finished working on the roof and came down the wooden ladder. As he passed the door of the hut, he found it wide open, and the girl was standing still inside the doorway. He dragged the ladder over a few steps and asked with great concern, "What's wrong? Still can't sleep?"

"If you still find it too noisy, I'll go get some more leaves and stack them up a few more times."

Meng Youyou just kept shaking her head, "Let's not argue anymore."

Meng Youyou didn't say that the ladder was slippery in the rain, and she wouldn't feel at ease unless she saw him come down safely.

Sergeant Liu, a long-serving and experienced soldier, perhaps sensed her discomfort and anxiety. Before leaving, he gave her these words of advice: "I heard you're not a translator in the army? And you're a young woman, it's truly commendable that you dared to come here!"

"Now that you're here, take my advice: go to sleep when you should, and don't overthink things and scare yourself. There are people on duty and patrolling the observation post every day. If something really happens, I, Liu Dong, will risk my old life to get you and Translator Xiao out safely."

"So don't be afraid! Besides, being afraid won't do any good. If you trust me, go back to bed now and get a good night's sleep. You'll wake up refreshed tomorrow, which is better than anything else."

That night, in the early hours of the morning, Meng Youyou finally drifted off to sleep.

In the days that followed, Squad Leader Liu taught her how to cook relatively palatable "battlefield porridge" from dry and hard-to-swallow compressed biscuits, specifying exactly how much soy sauce and salt to add for the best taste. When conditions allowed, he could also add a little lard. This was his unique recipe, which he had developed through repeated practice.

Alternatively, you can crush the biscuits, add a little water, spread them into small pancakes, and then bake them. At least it's easier to eat than eating them dry.
He also taught her how to use water purification tablets, how to quickly dry clothes... and how to create sweetness with hardworking hands and wisdom under such difficult conditions.

Her initial confidence and survival skills at the observation post all stemmed from the same person.

Meng Youyou still remembered that Squad Leader Liu had told her that he had a younger sister, only two years younger than her, who had been admitted to university last year. In her letter, his sister wrote to him that the new school was beautiful and the food in the cafeteria was delicious. She said that when he came back, she would definitely take him to visit her school. She also said that after she graduated from university, she could start working and earn money to support him, so that her brother wouldn't have to work so hard to support the whole family.

Squad Leader Liu pointed to a string of words on the letter and asked her, "Is this school any good?"

Meng Youyou told him with a smile, "Your sister is amazing. This school is in the capital and is one of the top ten universities in the country."

Squad Leader Liu grinned sheepishly at the letter, muttering, "My sister is really something!"

Occasionally, when they had a spare moment, they would chat casually. Meng Youyou asked casually, "You said your sister is only two years younger than me, so isn't that quite a difference in age between you?"

Squad Leader Liu casually chimed in, "I'm thirteen years older than my sister."

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou's eyes widened instantly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "So you're already thirty-three?"

Upon hearing this, Squad Leader Liu immediately became displeased: "So what? You think I'm too old? Let me tell you, among all the young soldiers in the army, few can match my physical fitness."

What Meng Youyou actually wanted to say was... How come you've been in the army for so many years and are still just a squad leader?
Of course she wouldn't ask that so bluntly; that would be idiotic!

Through subsequent conversations, Meng Youyou gradually pieced together the story of a veteran's more than ten-year military career. It turned out that Squad Leader Liu was initially a conscript with a four-year service period. After his fixed service period expired, he was approved to serve beyond his term due to his outstanding performance and excellent skills, and became a veteran who stayed on in the unit.

Meng Youyou asked him, "Why did you want to stay in the army back then?"

Squad Leader Liu scratched his head, his tone very simple: "Back then, I just felt that if I retired, I was just a rough guy who didn't know anything, and I wouldn't know what to do if I came out."

As long as I'm in the military, I feel at ease, like I have a place to belong. This is my second home.

Time flew by, and it was early 1979. Squad Leader Liu had served five years beyond his term. During these five years, his performance remained outstanding, but due to his limited education, he had not been promoted to officer. According to the original plan, he should have retired at this time—the organization, considering his significant contributions during his service, gave him the opportunity for transfer and resettlement, a stable job as an officer in the armed forces department of his hometown county, a secure and prestigious position.

At that time, Squad Leader Liu had already packed his luggage, even had a farewell drink with his comrades, and his family had made arrangements with the pork shop a few days in advance to reserve enough fresh pork for the day he arrived home, just waiting for him to come home for a proper reunion.

Just before he boarded the train, due to the frequent harassment of our border residents and border guards by Country Y in recent years, and even the firing on schools and hospitals, the Central Committee issued a clear order for a self-defense counterattack. His border defense regiment was listed as one of the first main combat units and was about to go to the front line.

Upon hearing the news, Squad Leader Liu threw down his bulging luggage bag and strode straight to the company commander's office.

From a great distance, you could hear him yelling at the company commander from inside the house: "So many greenhorns I've trained are going to the front lines. I know their capabilities better than anyone. They haven't even gotten used to their guns yet. How can I just leave them like this?"

"There's still a battle to fight, how can I leave?"

So, at that crucial juncture, he decisively abandoned the safe and smooth path ahead, resolutely turned around, and once again donned his military uniform and joined the army.

Before long, the scene in her mind played out the last time she saw Squad Leader Liu—she was hanging on the cable car, her chest heaving, and the uncontrollable tension made her only able to gasp for air.

Squad Leader Liu's broad hand rested on her shoulder and back. Just before he pushed her away, he leaned close to her ear and whispered the same words: "Don't be afraid!"

Their connection wasn't deep, and they didn't have much interaction; the whole story could be recalled in just a few minutes.

But the person who would tell her "don't be afraid" in a kind and gentle voice will never come back to this world.

He dedicated his entire precious life to this "second home" that made him feel at peace and secure, without reservation.

"If only I had been a little faster that day." Meng Youyou closed her eyes in pain, letting the tears flow down her face, past the scar on her cheek. "If I had been just a few seconds faster, Squad Leader Liu could have safely slid to the other side."

The man opposite seemed to sigh.

After a long silence, Xiao Bai spoke up: "One cannot judge a decision made at the end of the story. No one can guarantee that if someone else had worn the gas mask back then, the outcome would have been better; it might have been worse."

We are all ordinary people, and it's impossible for us to do everything perfectly. Where there is war, there will always be bloodshed and sacrifice.

He paused, then said, "So, Xiao Meng, don't think like that, really don't think like that."

Meng Youyou remained silent, her eyes closed, her body motionless. Standing before the bright, dry windowsill, lost in thought, she seemed to smell the fresh scent of banana leaves mixed with the heavy dampness of the rainy night.

Xiao Bai was about to say something more when a figure in white clothes and a white hat suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor. "Comrade Xiao Meng!" the person shouted in their direction.

"I've been looking for you for ages. Come with me to the director's office right now, someone specifically asked for you."

Meng Youyou opened her eyes and looked over, her gaze empty.

So Xiao Bai stopped talking there. He smiled gently at Meng Youyou as always and said, "Go quickly, it seems like something important is going on."

Xiao Bai stood there, watching Meng Youyou walk step by step toward the nurse in white. Just as the two were about to disappear around the corner, he suddenly spoke again, shouting at the slender figure: "Don't be too hard on yourself, and don't take all the responsibility on yourself. You have done right by everyone!"

All we can do is try our best in everything we do right now.

(End of this chapter)