I put you in charge of those rebellious female soldiers, how come they all became top special forces

That night.

The stove in the safe house was burning brightly.

Ram was snoring on the cot in the corner.

She's probably been too tense these past few days, and once she relaxed, she couldn't hold on any longer.

He curled up in the military-style cotton quilt, snoring all around him.

Every now and then, he would turn over, and the cot would make a creaking sound.

Anran sat peacefully on the rug by the fireplace, hugging her knees with her hands and resting her chin on them, staring blankly at the fire.

The firelight shone on her face, flickering between light and shadow.

Chen Zheng leaned against the opposite wall, resting with his eyes closed.

The thermos was placed on the ground next to him.

The room was quiet at that moment.

The only sounds were the crackling of the stove, the creaking of the cot as Ram turned over, and the howling of the highland night wind sweeping across the eaves outside the window.

An Ran stared at the flames for a long time before suddenly speaking.

"Instructor."

Chen Zheng hummed in response, but didn't rush to open his eyes.

An Ran hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you asleep?"

"no."

She was silent for a moment, then her fingers tightened slightly as she hugged her knees.

"These past few days..." she said, her voice even softer than before, "I've seen those comrades guarding the frontier, I've seen Elder Tsering, I've seen those herders..."

"I'm thinking of my mom."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zheng slowly opened his eyes.

He turned his head and looked at An Ran.

The latter did not look at him; his gaze remained fixed on the fire.

The firelight reflected on her face, clearly illuminating the thin layer of tears in her eyes.

An Ran rarely mentions her mother.

Chen Zheng knew that An Ran's mother had passed away early.

But An Jianjun never mentioned the specifics, and An Ran herself never said a word.

Whenever the female soldiers in the team talked about their families, An Ran would either change the subject or find an excuse to leave.

Over time, everyone tacitly stopped touching on this topic.

I don't know why tonight.

Perhaps it's because the nights on the plateau are too quiet.

Perhaps it's because I've witnessed too many tears and suffering these past few days.

It's possible that, as she said, seeing those people reminded her of her mother.

An Ran suddenly felt a loosening of certain feelings.

"My mother was also a soldier." Perhaps because so much time had passed, An Ran's voice wasn't exactly sad, but rather quite calm. "She was a military doctor."

Chen Zheng did not speak or urge him.

He just listened quietly.

An Ran continued.

"When I was very young, she went with a medical team to a remote border post for a mission."

"I heard from my dad that the conditions at that outpost were very poor, and the altitude was over 5,000 meters."

"Winter temperatures are even more extreme, reaching as low as minus forty degrees Celsius."

"When the water pipes froze there, we had to melt snow to drink. When the tents were torn apart by the wind, we would weigh them down with stones and continue sleeping there."

"She stayed there for three months, treating border guards and treating their frostbite and altitude sickness."

An Ran paused for a moment, seemingly recalling the scene when An Jianjun told her this story.

"As the mission was nearing its end, an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever occurred in a herding village near the outpost."

"My mother volunteered to stay."

"She was infected while treating the herders."

"Medical conditions were poor in those days, and there wasn't enough medicine."

"The outpost only had basic medical supplies to begin with, and only a few doses of the antiviral drug were left."

"She used all the remaining medicine on the herders."

Ram's snoring continued.

But An Ran and Chen Zheng couldn't hear it.

Anran buried her chin in her knees and continued speaking in a low voice.

"By the time the medical reinforcements from the rear arrived... it was too late."

When An Ran said this, her tone remained flat.

It was flat, just like when she read out task briefings.

But her fingers, which were wrapped tightly around her knees, had turned white at the knuckles.

I was only five years old when she left.

"I can't remember what she looked like."

"I only remember that her hands were very cold."

"But when he picked me up, his arms were warm."

An Ran stopped there.

She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, but she never let them fall.

She is An Ran.

He is Mulan's captain.

She is An Jianjun's daughter and An Yuanchao's granddaughter.

She can't cry.

At least you can't cry in public.

Chen Zheng listened quietly the whole time.

From beginning to end, he didn't interrupt once, didn't ask about a single detail, and his expression barely changed.

He remained silent for a few seconds after An Ran finished speaking.

Then he reached out, picked up the thermos cup on the ground next to him, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to Anran.

Just like Anran always poured him water.

Naturally.

An Ran lowered her head and looked at the familiar dark gray titanium alloy thermos.

A wisp of steam rose from the rim of the cup, and goji berries floated on the surface of the water.

She reached out and took it, then lowered her head and took a sip.

The goji berry water was warm and slid down my throat.

It warmed my throat, then my chest, and then my stomach.

She looked up at Chen Zheng.

"Do you know why I joined the army?" Anran asked softly.

Chen Zheng did not answer, but simply gestured for her to continue.

"It's not because my dad is a brigade commander."

"It's not because my grandfather was a top soldier."

"It's because of my mom."

"She was a military medic; she gave her life at that outpost."

"Since I was little, I've thought that if I could join the army, I could go to a place like that. Maybe..."

"Maybe then I can get a little closer to her."

After saying this, An Ran lowered her head and stopped talking.

Chen Zheng looked at her lowered eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he only said one sentence.

"She will be proud of you."

Upon hearing this, An Ran's shoulders trembled slightly.

Then, she turned her face away and quickly wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve.

When she turned back, her eyes were still a little red, but her expression had become serious.

"Of course, that's obvious."

Chen Zheng's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

The two sat by the fireplace in silence.

The fire in the stove gradually died down.

The temperature gradually dropped, and white mist began to appear in the breath.

An Ran fell asleep against the wall at some point.

His head unconsciously tilted to the side, towards Chen Zheng.

Her breathing became long and even, her brows relaxed, and she was as quiet as an ordinary girl in her early twenties.

Chen Zheng turned his head and glanced at her.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the slightly reddened corners of her eyes.

He remained silent.

He simply reached out, took off his military jacket, and gently draped it over An Ran's shoulder.

The weight of the coat fell on her shoulders, and Anran stirred slightly in her sleep, instinctively snuggling closer to the warmth.

His head tilted even more, almost resting on Chen Zheng's shoulder.

Chen Zheng did not dodge.

He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The last glimmer of light from the fire flickered twice before finally going completely dark.