After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Winter nights come suddenly, and the north wind seems to blow right through your bones.

The hustle and bustle of the square finally subsided, leaving only the rustling sound of withered leaves swirling and scraping against the concrete.

Ye Zhen closed the last register, her hands red with cold, her knuckles stiff and white from holding the pen for so long. Just as she straightened up, a military-green canteen was handed to her. The lid was already unscrewed, steaming out with the distinctive aroma of malted milk powder from that era.

Gu Zheng didn't hand her the kettle directly.

He placed the kettle on the marble steps beside him, grabbed Ye Zhen's icy hands without a word, and forcefully but carefully stuffed them into the warm embrace of his military overcoat.

"Hiss—" Gu Zheng gasped, his eyebrows raised, but his eyes were full of laughter. "Dr. Ye, have you practiced the Xuanming Divine Palm? It's chilling to the bone."

"If you feel cold, let go." Ye Zhen tried to pull her hand away, but the large hands pressed her down even tighter.

The man's broad chest felt like a blazing coal stove, the heat traveling from his fingertips into her heart. Ye Zhen's nerves, which had been tense all day, inexplicably relaxed.

"No, my wife's hands have to be covered." Gu Zheng lowered his head, a layer of light blue stubble on his chin, and affectionately rubbed against Ye Zhen's head. His voice was deep and a little hoarse. "I just arranged the food, drink, and toileting for hundreds of people perfectly. I guess I've done a second-class merit, right? Shouldn't Dr. Ye give me some organizational care?"

Ye Zhen raised her head, a rare sly smile appearing in her clear, cold eyes: "Alright, I'll give you a certificate later, write 'Model Military Family Member' on it, and draw a big red flower on your forehead."

"Just draw flowers?" Gu Zheng scoffed, freeing one hand to wave the back of his hand in front of Ye Zhen's eyes. "Come on, draw! If you collect five, can you ask me to... warm up my bed for you tonight?"

Ye Zhen slapped his palm lightly, the force not strong, but crisp like a coquettish scolding: "Dream on. Hurry up and send someone to the boiler room to urge them to get hot water. Those children are weak and can't stand the cold at night."

"Yes, sir." Gu Zheng wasn't annoyed. He casually grabbed her wrist, his rough thumb rubbing the base of her thumb and forefinger together. "But now... a hug in advance, is that too much to ask?"

As he spoke, he used the gesture of helping Ye Zhen adjust her coat collar to pull his long arm in, and his entire body loomed over her like a mountain.

The thick hem of their military overcoats wrapped around them, blocking the cold winds from all directions. The smell of Gu Zheng, a mixture of cheap tobacco and dry soap, forcefully entered Ye Zhen's nostrils, bringing her a sense of peace.

This man, a living devil who can stop children from crying at night, becomes a big wolfhound wagging its tail and begging to be petted by her.

Just as this tender moment was beginning, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps, accompanied by a piercing metallic clang, abruptly shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Sister-in-law! No, Dr. Ye! Commander!"

Guard Xiao Wang was out of breath, his cotton hat askew, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost: "Something's happened! A team has rushed in through the main gate!"

Gu Zheng's eyes turned icy, his lazy roguishness vanishing instantly, replaced by the sharpness of a wary leopard. He released Ye Zhen, instinctively pulling her behind him, his hand reaching for his waist as he demanded in a low voice, "Who goes there? How many?"

"No...no bad guys!" Xiao Wang gasped, his eyes rolling back, pointing towards the main gate and stammering, "It's bicycles! A whole bunch of bicycles! A dense, black mass, blocking Jiefang Road completely!"

Before he finished speaking, a tidal wave of bicycle bells rang out, echoing throughout the entire military region's general hospital, startling a flock of crows into flight.

Ye Zhen and Gu Zheng exchanged a glance and quickly walked towards the front door.

As soon as he turned the corner of the emergency building, the scene before him made Gu Zheng, who was used to seeing a million soldiers crossing the Yangtze River, freeze for a moment.

Under the dim glow of the streetlights, the once empty avenue was now crowded with young people pushing bicycles.

All of them were old-fashioned bicycles, with net bags hanging on the handlebars and bedding rolls tied to the back seats. Most of them were covered in dust and grime, some with frost on their hat brims, some with mud spots all over their trouser legs, and some even clutching a newspaper that was rustling in the wind.

Hundreds of bicycles gathered together, their exhaled breath forming a scorching cloud in the night sky.

"Teacher Ye!"

At the front of the crowd, a boy wearing thick-rimmed glasses recognized Ye Zhen. He threw his bicycle aside, not even bothering to prop it up with a ladder, and with a loud crash, he rushed over.

He was the class monitor from the Mathematics Department at Peking University who hadn't slept for two days while calculating data.

"Weren't you all supposed to be home for the Chinese New Year?" Ye Zhen looked at this group of privileged young people who should have been eating dumplings and setting off firecrackers at home, and her throat tightened a little.

"We went back, and we're back again!" The boy wiped the sweat from his face, his glasses fogged up. He held up a copy of the Guangming Daily. "Professor Ye, we couldn't sit still at home! It says that seriously ill patients from all over the country are rushing here. You're short-staffed!"

"Exactly!" A girl in a red cotton-padded jacket pushed her cart up from behind. She was from Peking University Health Science Center, and her eyes were red-rimmed. "I just got off the train, and before I even left the station, I saw the front-page headline at the newsstand. When I thought about that little girl who couldn't afford treatment and was almost taken home to die, how could I possibly eat that braised pork? I bought a return ticket and rushed back!"

"Teacher Ye, we're here for you!"

Behind the crowd, several boys pushing muddy bicycles shouted, "Back in our rural hometown, we saw in the newspaper that they were holding the 'Heart of China' event here, and we were so excited! Although we missed the speech, we rode sixty miles to the county town to catch the train. We didn't even bring blankets, but I'm strong! I'm good at carrying things, lifting heavy loads, and even tending the boiler!"

"And me! My mom said saving lives is a great act of merit, so she tied all thirty pounds of eggs we'd saved up at home to my car!"

What should have been a quiet and desolate eve of the Lunar New Year was now completely ignited by the fire in the eyes of these young people.

Without orders from superiors, without school mandates, and without even a penny of subsidy, simply because of a newspaper article and a call to action, this group of students, who had only been on holiday for two days, resolutely went against the tide of the Spring Festival travel rush and made a surprise return.

This is what is meant by a peerless national hero and a pure and innocent heart.

Gu Zheng stood in the shadows, watching the group of students with their youthful faces but determined gazes, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. He turned to Ye Zhen and whispered, "Wife, it seems your 'power' is becoming increasingly secure. Your influence is far greater than those old men who only know how to hold meetings and read from prepared speeches."

Ye Zhen took a deep breath, suppressing the tears welling up in her eyes. She stepped forward, saying nothing sentimental, but simply waved to the crowd, her voice clear and firm, carrying an undeniable air of command:

"Since you're here, don't just stand there. Come in and warm up! Those from Peking University Health Science Center, go to Warehouse No. 2 to take over the triage and screen all the children who aren't asleep yet; the science and engineering students, go help Commander Gu set up his cot, everyone needs a place to sleep tonight; the humanities students, go and calm the families down and read everyone the good policies in the newspaper!"

"yes!"

The unified response from hundreds of people shook the snow off the treetops, causing it to fall in a flurry.