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Xingchen took the lunchboxes from Momo’s hands, set them down on his desk, and then led her to the Division Commander’s office.
“Commander, this is my wife, Su Momo.”
“Comrade Su, our first time meeting. I’m glad to see you.”
“Hello, Commander.”
“Come, sit. Seeing you two looking so cheerful, I take it you’ve brought me good news.”
The Commander studied the pair before him—such a handsome couple. Not only were they well-matched in looks, but in ability as well. With a wife like this, how could Xingchen’s future not be bright?
**“Commander, this is Momo’s medical license from yesterday. You can’t imagine—if she hadn’t insisted, the dean of the hospital would have kept her there on the spot.
She even performed a surgery yesterday. The doctors and nurses all said they wanted to learn from her. A few senior directors crowded around her, asking questions for ages.”**
Xingchen finally had someone to brag to. He didn’t even know how long he had been holding all this in, but the words flowed out smoothly, unstoppable.
The Commander blinked in surprise. Was this the same Lin Xingchen who usually speaks so sparingly? But then he thought, If I had such an outstanding wife, maybe I’d be just as shamelessly proud.
After listening for quite a while, the Commander had to cut him off.
“Alright, alright, I already understand how remarkable Comrade Su is. On behalf of the military district, I now formally appoint Comrade Su Momo as a military doctor in the Northern Military Region. I hope you’ll hold yourself to a soldier’s standard, and that you’ll heal many more of our men.”
Momo straightened, her voice steady. **“Yes, I promise to complete the mission.
It is my honor to serve as a military doctor. I am both a doctor and a soldier. I will stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone, and I assure you, Commander—I will never let you down.”**
She felt the mission settle in her heart: to lessen casualties with her skills, to keep the soldiers healthy, to advance medicine so more people could regain their strength. Only then would her time here be worthwhile.
**“That’s the spirit of a true comrade. Your translation exam results are on the way and should arrive tomorrow.
Now sit down, both of you. As for your benefits, Dr. Su: your salary will be sixty yuan a month, with yearly increases. Surgery will bring extra allowances, and you’ll have ration tickets too. For now, we’ll start with the company commander’s pay scale.”**
“Commander… won’t the others resent me for this?”
She certainly earned it, but jealousy could be dangerous.
**“Don’t worry. I spoke with the dean of the First Hospital yesterday. I already knew of your excellent performance, and I’ve reported it to the General. The General himself is delighted to have such a fine military doctor in our district.
So rest easy—we take care of our own.”**
The Commander didn’t say aloud what he had suspected during that call: that the General not only knew Comrade Su but spoke of her with both intimacy and respect. In the army, there were always hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and with siblings this outstanding, one couldn’t help but wonder. Still, within his power, he would support her—because she truly deserved it.
“It’s about lunchtime. Go eat now, or the best dishes will be gone.”
“Commander, we’ll head off then. You should go too. My wife brought me a special lunch.”
“You brat, showing off in front of me—get going!”
Xingchen pulled Momo out of the office, grabbing the lunch she’d prepared. They called Su Tingjie along and made their way to the canteen.
“Momo, what were you two doing in the Commander’s office?”
“I passed the medical licensing exam. From now on, I’m a military doctor.”
“What? Something that big, and I didn’t hear a word? I’m your brother!”
Su Tingjie felt left out, though in trut,h he was brimming with pride.
“A-Chen, didn’t you tell my brother?”
“No… that night after dinner, I was so eager to tell you that I forgot. Then we left early the next morning.” Xingchen looked a little sheepish.
**“Big Brother, it’s my fault.. I forgot to mention it.
But Momo will officially start work tomorrow. You should’ve seen her at the hospital yesterday—”**
Momo nearly covered her face. Why does he always go on and on whenever this comes up? She felt embarrassed, but when she saw the two men—one talking with excitement, the other listening just as eagerly—she kept her face neutral and walked along.
When they entered the canteen, both men’s expressions turned solemn again, as if nothing had happened.
Momo: Hah. Pretending. They look so serious now.
“Sister-in-law, hello.”
“Hello, Sister-in-law.”
Even those who didn’t know her could guess, seeing Xingchen and Momo hand-in-hand.
“Hello, hello,” Momo replied with a smile. They were all young men, barely older than university students would be in later times.
“Wife, let’s sit over there. Big Brother, I’ll get three portions.”
“We’ll go together—it’s too much for you to carry alone.”
By the time they returned with food, Momo had already opened the tins she’d prepared.
“As expected of my sister, this looks amazing. And pork trotters, my favorite.”
“There are four whole braised trotters. The broth can be poured over rice. And the pickles—you’ll recognize the flavor, it’s from the capital.”
“Mmm. Delicious.”
The three of them ate slowly, chatting in low voices. Around them, others finished quickly, and soon the canteen was nearly empty. Of course, once outside, soldiers began talking about the striking couple again. Beautiful pairs always drew attention.
“Big Brother, I also have a translation exam. You know my foreign language level.”
“But will you have time? A military doctor’s work is heavy.”
“I only translate books. In my spare time, I can finish one and mail it back, then receive another. It’s more of a side job.”
“If Uncle and Auntie hear, they’ll be thrilled. I can already picture Grandpa and Grandma boasting about it back home.”
“Heh, I still remember whenever you got promoted, Grandpa and Grandma disappeared all day, off telling everyone they met. The rest of the family was so jealous they nearly choked, but they didn’t dare complain.”
That was just how elders were: always eager to show off whose children or grandchildren were the most accomplished. Clearly, the Su family had plenty to boast of.
After lunch, Momo went back home. Tomorrow she would officially start work, and she was both excited and restless. She decided to calm herself by pulling out some medical texts from her hidden space and reviewing them again.
A knock came.
“Momo, are you home?”
“I’m here, Sister Hua. The door’s unlocked, come in.”
“I came by this morning, but you weren’t home.”
“I was still asleep, didn’t hear you. We got back after eleven last night, and I was so exhausted I didn’t open my eyes until nearly ten this morning.”
“I picked some wild vegetables and brought you some.”
“No need. I already arranged with Carpenter Liu’s family to gather for me regularly, half a month’s worth each time. I have plenty stored.”
Luckily, she had thought ahead and set that up earlier. At the time, she hadn’t considered work, but now it was perfect.