Chapter 37: Checking the Wound

Hearing Liu Dejun say that, Zhang Shouchang secretly rolled his eyes. This guy was a real coward. He had stood so far away, not daring to take a single step south. And Yuandong had his back to him, so there was no way he could have seen anything. He was just bragging!

Zhang Zhiqiang also glanced at Liu Dejun, didn’t expose him, and just asked, “I haven’t asked you yet, what were you doing over there?” Liu Dejun gave an awkward smile, “Well, I heard the commotion, and my dad told me to go check it out.”

The children didn’t pay attention to their banter. They all looked towards Zhang Yuandong. Children admire heroes, and Zhang Yuandong was not only a soldier but had just saved someone. The little ones all looked at Zhang Yuandong with reverence, their eyes sparkling with admiration.

Zhang Wanli and Zhang Linghan were still too young to understand much. They followed the older children and stared at their father.

Lin Yue also looked over. She only then noticed that Zhang Yuandong’s head was constantly dripping with a faint mixture of blood and rainwater, staining a large area of his khaki shirt a light pink.

She knew that aqueduct. It wasn’t that far from the reservoir. Even if the flood slowed down by the time, it reached there, it wouldn’t slow down much. She thought Zhang Yuandong was lucky he hadn’t been swept away with the flood.

She was torn about whether to ask Zhang Yuandong to take care of his wound, but they weren’t very familiar, and the situation was awkward. She opened her mouth several times but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

On the other side, Aunt Su hurriedly asked, “How’s the child? Is he alright? Why did he run so far?”

Zhang Yuandong felt a little uncomfortable being watched by Lin Yue. He unconsciously raised his hand to wipe his neck. Now that someone had asked, he quickly replied, “He passed out when I pulled him out. I gave him first aid, and he woke up. When we left, he was still crying in his mother’s arms.”

Hearing that the child was alright, Aunt Su felt relieved. She clasped her hands together and bowed in all directions, muttering, “Thank heavens, thank the Snake Goddess…” Even Wang Xiuxiang and Zhang Xiaomi bowed along with her.

Zhang Zhiqiang stood up and tugged on Aunt Su’s sleeve, whispering, “What are you doing? Can you be a little more mindful in front of so many children?”

Lin Yue, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to them, went over and patted Zhang Yuandong’s shoulder. “Did you get hurt on your head? Let me take a look at it.”

Aunt Su felt embarrassed after being reprimanded by her old man in public. Hearing Lin Yue’s words, she finally noticed that Zhang Yuandong’s head was still bleeding slowly. She ignored her old man and urged Zhang Yuandong, “Yes, yes, you need to take care of that! Xiuxiang, go find some medicine in the house. Take it to Xiaoyue and the others. And you guys, go change your clothes quickly. They’re soaking wet. You’ll catch a cold if you don’t change.”

Lin Yue and Zhang Yuandong were pushed into the inner room by Aunt Su. She wanted to take a look at Zhang Yuandong’s wound first, but he was too tall, and she couldn’t see. She had to bring another stool for him to sit down.

Zhang Yuandong obediently sat down, allowing Lin Yue to stand behind him and touch his hair. He had suffered worse injuries than this before, and he didn’t feel much pain in his head. Now, he felt a tingling sensation where she touched him, and his body involuntarily broke out in goosebumps.

Lin Yue gently parted his hair and carefully examined the wound. It wasn’t serious. It wasn’t a bump, but a cut from something sharp. Because he had been in the rain for so long, the area around the wound had already started to swell.

Zhang Yuandong didn’t have much experience interacting with women. At this moment, he felt very uncomfortable. He coughed twice to cover his awkwardness. “When did Aunt Su become so superstitious? She didn’t seem to believe in this stuff before.”

Lin Yue didn’t notice his little movements. Hearing his voice so low, she thought he didn’t want the people outside to hear, so she also leaned over and whispered back to him, “You have the nerve to call others superstitious!” She forgot who it was who had claimed to be a god right off the bat.

Zhang Yuandong obviously remembered the stupid question he had asked last time. His ears turned red.

The door was only half-closed. Wang Xiuxiang pushed it open and saw the two of them huddled together whispering, so she quickly covered her eyes and teased, “Oh, my timing is terrible! You guys, why do I always interrupt good things!”

Lin Yue had a clear conscience and was used to joking with her. She turned around and laughed and scolded, “You’re just being sarcastic. Shutian hasn’t been back for a few days, and you’re already making fun of me! Be careful, when Shutian comes back next time, I’ll stay by your side all day long!”

Wang Xiuxiang wasn’t afraid at all. She laughed and glared at her. She saw that Zhang Yuandong’s face was red, even his neck was red, and she thought she had really come at the wrong time. She laughed and threw the medicine to Lin Yue, then quickly turned and left.

Lin Yue turned back and saw Zhang Yuandong’s blushing face. She couldn’t help but laugh. She thought he was uncomfortable being teased like this, so she comforted him, “Don’t mind her. She’s just joking with you. She just wants to see you blush.”

Zhang Yuandong nodded stiffly when he heard Lin Yue’s words.

The two of them had changed into clean clothes and found that Liu Dejun hadn’t left yet. He was chatting casually with Zhang Zhiqiang and his son.

Seeing them come out, Liu Dejun greeted them enthusiastically, “Yuandong, come over and have some hot water. Warm yourself up!” He was as enthusiastic as if he were in his own home.

After they sat down, he asked with concern, “The army isn’t busy this year, is it?

“You’ve come back twice this year. Are you back to visit your family?” Zhang Yuandong paused and said, “I received a transfer order. I’m reporting to the county police station tomorrow.”

Liu Dejun followed up, “So you’re being discharged? You’ve been in the army for so many years. The position they’ve assigned you should be pretty high, right?” Zhang Yuandong smiled and downplayed it, “It’s just a regular police officer. I obey the arrangements of the Party and the state. Wherever I’m needed, I’ll go!”

Everyone in the room was shocked. The smile on Liu Dejun’s face froze, he nodded faintly in agreement, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then took his leave.

Zhang Zhiqiang had also served in the military and knew that for someone like Zhang Yuandong, who had been in the army for so many years, the job assigned after discharge was usually very accommodating. They wouldn’t just give him the position of a junior police officer.

As soon as the man left, he quickly grabbed Zhang Yuandong’s hand and asked, “Yuandong, what’s going on? Why did you suddenly come back and get discharged? Tell your Uncle. Did you get injured?” The others just thought it was a pity that he had been in the army for so many years and suddenly retired, and no one thought about injuries.

Lin Yue knew how serious Zhang Yuandong’s injury was last time. Hearing Zhang Zhiqiang say this, her heart skipped a beat. She thought, “Did I not cure him properly last time, leaving a hidden problem?” After all, she had gone to great lengths to save him, and he was the father of her two little ones. She couldn’t help but look at him with concern.

Zhang Yuandong knew very well that if it hadn’t been for Lin Yue, he might have actually been discharged due to his injury. He didn’t want everyone to worry about him, so he explained, “Uncle, don’t worry. I’m fine. I’m not being discharged. This time I’m on loan from the police station. I’ll still be going back to the army.”

He came back this time, saying he was on loan from the police station, but in fact, he was a live bait, specifically for catching certain people. This matter itself was an open secret, and they weren’t afraid of people knowing. The higher-ups would also release information through some hidden channels.

Therefore, he had subtly revealed a little bit to the people present, also to reassure them.

Lin Yue wasn’t stupid. Hearing him say this, she immediately thought of the danger he had encountered last time, and the document he had hidden in his wound. Her heart sank a little.

Zhang Zhiqiang also realized that things were not simple. He instructed everyone in the room not to spread the word outside, especially the little ones. He repeatedly warned them not to mention anything about Zhang Yuandong outside.

It was already noon. Everyone had been busy all morning. Wang Xiuxiang got up to prepare lunch in the kitchen. Lin Yue quickly followed her. She was now living in someone else’s house, so she naturally had to be more diligent. She couldn’t really treat herself as a guest and let them wait on her.

Wang Xiuxiang didn’t stand on ceremony with her. The two walked side by side, whispering about what to make for lunch.

She knew Lin Yue could cook, so she took a small piece of cured meat from the bamboo basket hanging from the ceiling and a large handful of dried noodles. She gave Lin Yue the cooking space and just helped out.

Aunt Su’s house, like other houses, had many vegetables planted in the yard. Lin Yue saw the cured meat and asked Wang Xiuxiang to go to the yard to pick some greens. She then went to the pile of belongings she had brought today and found a small jar of soybean paste. She mixed it with the cured meat and stir-fried a meat sauce.

She put another pot on the stove to boil water, cooked a large pot of noodles, blanched the greens Wang Xiuxiang had picked until they were tender, ladled some broth, and served it in bowls. It was a simple bowl of zhajiangmian (noodles with meat sauce).

Unfortunately, this wasn’t her own home, so she couldn’t use as much oil as she liked, and the flavor was a bit lacking.

Everyone had been tired and anxious all morning. Now, eating a bowl of hot noodles was a real treat. Even the children ate their fill, leaving no soup behind.

Zhang Shouchang slurped his noodles and praised, “Sister-in-law, the noodles you made today are really chewy, and the meat sauce is delicious. Your skills have improved!” Wang Xiuxiang laughed and scolded, “You’re judging my cooking skills now? I don’t cook that well. This was made by your little sister-in-law. You should go eat at her place from now on, don’t eat the food I make!” Zhang Shouchang quickly begged for mercy, “Sister-in-law, I dare not, okay? You cook well too, but your little sister-in-law cooks even better. They’re both good, both good!”

After lunch, Aunt Su arranged for everyone to rest.

Aunt Su’s house, besides the front room, had four other rooms. The old couple and their youngest son slept in the east room. There was another room on the far east side, which was divided into two sections, the back for Zhang Xiaomi, and the front made into the kitchen.

The two rooms on the west side of the front room were for Zhang Shutian and Wang Xiuxiang with their two children, and Zhang Shouchang slept alone in the other room.

Aunt Su originally arranged for Lin Yue to sleep in the same room as Wang Xiuxiang and her children, and the two little ones would sleep with Zhang Shouchang. Now that Zhang Yuandong was back, she wanted Wang Xiuxiang to sleep in Zhang Xiaomi’s room and let Zhang Yuandong and his family sleep in her eldest son’s room.

Lin Yue thought it was too much trouble for them. Their whole family coming to stay had already caused them enough trouble. Now, they were specifically giving up a room for them to stay in. It was just too much.

Wang Xiuxiang also said, “Mom, my kang is big. Let Lin Yue and the children sleep with me. The little ones like to sleep together anyway. Let Yuandong and Shouchang squeeze into one room.”

Hearing Wang Xiuxiang say this, Zhang Xianli and Zhang Xianle, the two children, were the first to be happy. They excitedly said, “Grandma, let our brother and sister sleep with us, okay?” Aunt Su thought about it. The kang in her eldest son’s room was big enough. If they slept across, seven or eight people wouldn’t be a problem. So she agreed.

With their sleeping arrangements settled, everyone was tired. Soon, they each went back to their rooms to sleep.