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

The wind was still.

The pines and cypresses are silent.

Gu Zheng's words, "She is my wife and also your daughter-in-law," were like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating ripples in the silent air before finally fading into silence.

He stood there, his tall figure like a silent mountain, quietly looking at his mother's smiling face on the tombstone, his eyes churning with deep emotions that no outsider could understand.

for a long time.

A gust of wind ruffled the stray hairs on Ye Zhen's forehead, a few playfully brushing past her eyes. Before she could raise her hand, a warm, large hand reached out and, with an almost clumsy gentleness, tucked those stray hairs behind her ear.

His rough fingertips brushed against her sensitive earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine.

Ye Zhen's body stiffened slightly, but inexplicably she did not dodge.

Her gaze fell on the woman in the photo with a gentle smile, whose bright and clear eyes seemed to see through all the gloom in the world.

She asked softly, her voice slightly ethereal from the wind, "What kind of person is she?"

This question, like a key, unlocked the floodgates of Gu Zheng's memories.

The sharpness and roguishness in his eyes vanished at that moment, replaced by an unusual softness.

"My mother's name is Song Qinghe. She is a professor at Peking University, teaching classical literature." His voice was low, as if he were telling a distant story. "She loved reading. There were more books in our house than food coupons. When I was a child, I was naughty and broke the neighbor's window. My father was about to whip me with a belt, but she protected me behind her and made me copy the Analects of Confucius ten times as punishment."

"During those turbulent years, many people burned their books, but she secretly wrapped her most precious ones in oilcloth and buried them under the old locust tree in the backyard. She said, 'A person can go without food, but not without a brain.'"

Ye Zhen listened quietly, and gradually a picture formed in her mind of a woman who, despite the difficult times, still upheld her integrity and knowledge.

Gu Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice became even hoarseer.

"Her health had always been poor, and then she fell seriously ill. I was young at the time and didn't understand. I only knew that she was in a lot of pain every day, couldn't eat, and was getting thinner and thinner. I watched helplessly as she was tormented by the illness, unable to do anything about it."

He took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the heavy feeling that was pressing on his chest.

"The day she left, she called me to her bedside and said, 'Xiao Zheng, don't blame this era, and don't hate anyone. In this life, there will always be times when you are not in control of your own destiny, but you must always do the right thing and do useful things.'"

Ye Zhen felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart, making it hard to breathe.

She finally understood where Gu Zheng's integrity and patriotism came from, and she also finally understood why he had such an almost obsessive respect for doctors who "save lives and heal the wounded".

Because he had witnessed the death of his loved ones and was powerless to stop it. That deep-seated helplessness was a scar etched into his life.

Gu Zheng turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto her, his gaze as complex as a thick, impenetrable night.

He suddenly whispered, "Sometimes I feel that you and she are very similar."

Ye Zhen was taken aback.

"The same stubbornness, the same...heartbreaking."

These words, like a scorching bullet, struck precisely the most hidden corner of Ye Zhen's heart.

In both of her lifetimes, no one has ever used the word "heartache" to describe her.

She is the omnipotent Dr. Ye, a calm and rational surgical machine. She is powerful, she is indifferent, and she needs no one's sympathy or pity.

But at this moment, in front of this man, she felt that all her pretense had been mercilessly seen through by his eyes.

A strange sense of panic, mixed with a hint of grievance that she herself was unaware of, surged into her heart in an instant.

She didn't speak, nor did she offer him comfort as a typical woman would.

Just when Gu Zheng thought she would remain silent, Ye Zhen suddenly stepped forward.

She raised her hand and reached out to him.

Gu Zheng's body tensed up instinctively.

Her fingers didn't touch his face, nor did they embrace him; instead, they landed on the collar of his military uniform. The wind had ruffled his collar slightly, and she reached out her hands, which held the power of life and death, and carefully, bit by bit, smoothed out the wrinkles.

Her movements were very focused, as if she were arranging a precision instrument.

After doing all this, she raised her eyes to meet his deep gaze, her cool voice carrying a calm certainty:

"I'll come with you from now on."

There were no flowery words, no superfluous words of comfort.

These simple six words struck Gu Zheng's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I'll be with you."

It's not "I will be good to you" or "I will take care of you," but "I will stay with you."

I'll share this heavy memory with you, and walk with you through this place that buries the sadness of your childhood.

Gu Zheng was shocked. He suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly with all his might.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, greedily inhaling her cool, faintly scented medicinal soap. That scent miraculously soothed all the turmoil and pain churning within him.

"Ye Zhen," his voice was hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, "you can't deny it anymore."

You'll never escape from me in this lifetime.

***

The atmosphere inside the jeep on the way back to the city was unusually quiet.

Gu Zheng remained silent, driving with his left hand while his right hand held Ye Zhen's hand tightly, their fingers intertwined, as if she would disappear if he loosened his grip even slightly.

His palms were very hot, and the constant heat made Ye Zhen's usually calm heart become somewhat unruly.

As the car drove into Building No. 1, it was nearly dusk.

As soon as the two entered the door, they sensed the unusual atmosphere in the living room.

Grandpa Gu sat calmly in the main chair, twirling two walnuts in his hands. Across from him, General Chen was nervously drinking his third cup of tea. When he saw them enter, his eyes lit up instantly, like a hungry wolf spotting its prey.

"Dr. Ye! You're finally back!"

General Chen jumped up and rushed to Ye Zhen, looking extremely anxious. "My arm! When would be a convenient time to get it treated?"

Looking at him like this, he no longer had any of the dignity of a veteran of the military region; he looked exactly like a patient's family member queuing up for an appointment with a specialist.

Ye Zhen was somewhat helpless at his posture.

Gu Zheng stepped forward, subtly shielding Ye Zhen behind him, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "President Chen, I just introduced my wife to my parents, and you're already here to 'collect a debt'? That's not very kind of you, is it?"

"You brat, what do you know!" General Chen glared, puffing out his beard. "This arm has been hurting me for three years! Three years! I've been dreaming of getting it removed! Now that there's finally hope, how can I not be anxious?"

Grandpa Gu put down the walnuts and slowly said, "Xiao Ye, tell Grandpa Chen, what should we do to treat his arm?"

All eyes were on Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen regained her usual calm and professional demeanor. She looked at General Manager Chen and spoke calmly:

"Mr. Chen, for your condition, conservative treatment can only relieve the symptoms. To cure it completely, surgery is necessary."

"Do it! We must do it!" General Chen made the decision without hesitation.

"But for this surgery, I need a piece of equipment." Ye Zhen paused and uttered a term that, in the 1980s, was still only found in foreign medical journals for the vast majority of Chinese doctors.

"I need an arthroscopy machine."