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

Inside the tent, Ye Zhen lay fully clothed on a narrow cot, the faint dark circles under her eyes becoming more noticeable in the dim light. She was exhausted; even in her sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her hands, steady as a rock, unconsciously curled up in front of her chest, her fingertips trembling occasionally, as if still mimicking the subtle force of suturing blood vessels.

When Gu Zheng lifted the curtain and came in, he brought in a gust of biting cold wind.

He had two red-shelled cans of luncheon meat tucked into his arms, and in his right hand he held a large enamel basin with a lid on it, from which white steam was hissing.

Seeing that Ye Zhen was asleep, Gu Zheng slowed his footsteps. He squatted down by the bed, his gaze falling on her cool and stubborn face, and his originally sharp black eyes softened instantly.

"Even when he's asleep, he's like he's guarding a position, with that furrowed brow."

Gu Zheng muttered something under his breath, reaching out to tidy her messy hair, but then hesitated, afraid that the calluses on his fingers might wake her.

Just then, Ye Zhen's long eyelashes trembled, and her hand almost instinctively reached for the first-aid kit beside her pillow. Her eyes instantly changed from confusion to clarity, sharp as a newly drawn knife.

"Awake?" Gu Zheng took her hand in his, the warmth of his palm instantly dispelling the defensiveness in her eyes.

Upon recognizing the person who had arrived, Ye Zhen relaxed, her voice slightly hoarse: "What time is it?"

"It's just dawn. Hurry up and eat something. Commander Wang specially prepared this for us, having the head chef from the kitchen help us." Gu Zheng placed the enamel basin on the folding table.

The lid was lifted, revealing steaming bowls of clear broth noodles topped with four perfectly round, white poached eggs. In the field areas of the 1980s, this was practically the highest level of treatment one could expect.

Gu Zheng drew his military dagger from his waist and skillfully pried open the edge of the can.

With a "click," the aroma of thick butter and firm lean meat instantly filled the cold tent. He sliced ​​out several thick pieces of luncheon meat, tore a chicken leg into strips, laid them on the noodle bowl, and brought the bowl of noodles to Ye Zhen.

"Four eggs? And chicken drumsticks and luncheon meat?" Ye Zhen stared at the bowl of noodles, somewhat lost in thought. "This is too extravagant."

"You're a great hero, don't say such things. If you want to eat dragon meat from the sky, Commander Wang can have Old Li go up the mountain to get it for you." Gu Zheng picked up a piece of noodles, blew on it, and stuffed it into Ye Zhen's mouth without saying a word.

Ye Zhen stepped back, somewhat embarrassed: "I can do it myself. I have hands and feet. What would people think if they saw this?"

"Your hands are life-saving. This kind of rough work of serving people should be done by a roughneck like me." Gu Zheng put on his cold face and started using his soldierly logic again. "Be good, open your mouth. This is an order."

Ye Zhen had no choice but to take a bite from his hand. The noodles were chewy and the soup was flavorful. After one bite, her stomach, which had been dry all night, finally felt better.

"Old Li was just scolded like a grandson by Commander Wang." Gu Zheng's tense expression relaxed when he saw her eat. He used the tip of his chopsticks to peel back the tender edge of the poached egg, revealing the runny yolk inside, and while feeding her, he vividly recounted the embarrassing incident at the command post outside.

He lowered his voice, and that sly, soldierly air about him resurfaced: "Commander Wang's spittle could sail a warship. He pointed at Li Yunlong's nose and asked him if he wanted all his soldiers to become one-legged generals. Li Yunlong's dark face turned as red as a pig's liver, and he hung his head, not daring to utter a sound."

Ye Zhen chewed slowly, listening to his description, and could even picture the iron-willed army commander's frustrated expression.

"Later, Dean Wang rushed in with the X-rays, his eyes wide open like a bull's. When he heard that Erhu's leg could be saved, Old Li yelled and almost gave the commander a spinning back kick on the spot. Right now, I reckon he's squatting in front of Erhu's bed, wiping away horse urine."

Ye Zhen's lips curved slightly at his gloating tone, and her usually aloof face finally showed a bit more of a human touch: "Stop making up stories about Commander Li, he's just being genuine."

"Being genuine is one thing, but being ignorant is another," Gu Zheng chuckled, feeling incredibly pleased with himself as he recalled his "mending and patching" remarks in the conference room. Those old guys were completely stunned by his wife's medical skills, yet he pretended to be nonchalant. This feeling was even more satisfying than receiving a first-class merit award.

"If those old guys knew you were an internationally renowned expert, their expressions would be more interesting than this can of meat." He pointed to the luncheon meat on the table with his chin, his tone full of undisguised pride.

This pride was so direct and so intense that it made Ye Zhen somewhat uncomfortable. In her previous life, her name was synonymous with countless honors and astronomical salaries—a cold, academic symbol. But here, this man was flaunting her worth in the most unassuming and direct way, like a child who had received a treasure and insisted on showing it to the whole world.

Ye Zhen didn't respond to that, swallowing the last bite of her fried egg. The warmth in her stomach cleared her muddled mind considerably. She put down her chopsticks, her expression turning serious: "Shi Tou's condition can't be delayed any longer. The conditions at the field hospital are limited. His abdominal wound is too large; the tissue damage caused by the dumdum bullet is several times greater than that of a conventional bullet, and the risk of later infection and abdominal adhesions is extremely high. If the wound becomes infected, all our previous efforts will be wasted. I want to take him back to the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital."

"Alright, I'll go back with you." Gu Zheng stood up, his eyes radiating absolute control. "Use a helicopter."

The scene of transporting the stones was enough to shock the entire field area.

A dark green transport helicopter roared its rotors on a makeshift helipad, the strong winds it generated causing the flags to flutter wildly.

Li Yunlong, a dignified army commander, was actually carrying a stone stretcher with several guards.

"Slow down! Keep your hand steady! Anyone who shakes the stone's wound, I'll break their leg!"

Li Yunlong shouted at the top of his lungs, his posture even more tense than when protecting the military region's archives. Only after the stone was safely placed into the cabin did this tough man turn around and suddenly stand at attention in front of Ye Zhen, who had just gotten off the plane.

"Dr. Ye, I'm entrusting the child to you. Li Yunlong owes him a life. From now on, as long as he's in North China, just say the word, and I'll brave any danger for him!"

Ye Zhen returned the salute, her tone calm and composed: "I am a doctor, this is my duty."

Commander Wang stood beneath the fuselage with a group of officers.

As Ye Zhen prepared to step onto the suspended ladder, Commander Wang said to her, "Dr. Ye, the entire army thanks you!" He then raised his hand sharply and gave a military salute.

"Salute!" the guard shouted.

brush!

Thousands of officers and soldiers saluted at the same time.

The sound of arms being raised in unison broke the tranquility of the valley.

Ye Zhen stood by the cabin door. In that instant, the residual heat of the clear soup noodles with four eggs in the bowl seemed to still gather in her chest, hot and burning, making her eyes burn.

The helicopter slowly took off.

Inside the cabin, Gu Zheng gripped Ye Zhen's hand tightly. His hand was large and calloused, yet exceptionally firm.

Outside the window, thousands of golden rays shone on the vast mountains, giving the fighter jet flying to the north city a dazzling golden edge.

Gu Zheng leaned close to Ye Zhen's ear, his voice exceptionally clear amidst the roar of the engine: "Wife, let's go home."

When we returned to the North City Military Region General Hospital, a stretcher team was already waiting on the tarmac.

Ye Zhen had barely stepped off the plane when she was surrounded by Dean Zhou and his men.

"How is he?" Dean Zhou's expression was very serious. He knew about Shi Tou's injuries; it was a case of certain death.

"The surgery was successful. Now the main focus is on preventing post-operative infection and thrombosis." Ye Zhen's voice regained its cool professionalism as she walked briskly with the stretcher towards the intensive care unit.

Gu Zheng didn't follow her inside. He stood in the hospital corridor, watching the figure weave through the crowd and finally disappear behind two cold doors.

He touched the cigarette pack in his pocket, then remembered that Ye Zhen didn't allow him to smoke too much, and put his hand back in.

"Boss, Shi Tou is incredibly lucky to be alive," the bodyguard Xiao Wang remarked. "If it weren't for his wife, he really would have..."

Gu Zheng didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the lingering morning mist in the distance. He knew it wasn't just a matter of luck. In that snow-covered tent, Ye Zhen had stood for an entire night, working for hours under that magnifying glass to save Erhu's leg. Those life-saving hands were still trembling.

Stone slowly opened his eyes in the intensive care unit. His vision was blurry, but all he could see was the white ceiling.

"Sister..." His voice was barely audible.

Ye Zhen stirred slightly by the bedside. She had been leaning back in her chair, resting with her eyes closed. Hearing the faint call, she sat up straight like a startled bird. She moved closer to the bed, her slender fingers landing on Shi Tou's forehead, feeling a warmth in her palm.

"Don't speak," Ye Zhen said gently. "You have swelling in your throat from the intubation. You're safe now, at the North City General Hospital."

Stone's eyes slowly moved, first looking at the thick bandage wrapped around his abdomen, where a dull pain throbbed. He tried to recall something: the smoke of gunpowder in the snow, the deafening roar of RPG rockets, and the excruciating pain—fragments of memory, as if being shredded inside his body, making him feel suffocated. He looked at Ye Zhen again; her eyes held that tenderness only found in family. This stirred an indescribable sense of dependence within him.

Those cold memories sent a chill down his spine. He stared intently into Ye Zhen's eyes, and with great effort, squeezed out a few words, one by one, "I... I didn't disgrace myself, did I?" He was afraid, afraid that he would become that neglected homeless child again, afraid of betraying Gu Zheng and Ye Zhen's trust.

Ye Zhen gently stroked the top of his head, the coldness in her eyes dissipating, leaving only a warm undertone, as if she had given him a reassurance: "You didn't disgrace yourself. Commander Wang said you are a hero of the entire army, and the first-class merit has already been reported."

She paused, looking at the light gradually appearing in Shi Tou's eyes, and added, "You're also a soldier of the Gu family."

A single, glistening tear finally welled in Shi Tou's eye. It slid down his dusty cheek and disappeared into the snow-white fabric of the pillow. In that moment, he felt all his weariness and fear drain away with that tear. He was no longer the homeless child who fought with stray dogs for food in the streets. He had survived, earning respect with his own life. He was a soldier with a home, family, and people watching over him. He had found his place.