Chapter 172

Lu Weiguo’s right arm fracture was considered mild, accompanied by some ligament damage, and the doctor recommended at least another two to three months of recuperation.

So now Lu Weiguo was living a life of recuperation at home.

With nothing else to do each day, he found himself wanting to encourage his wife to exercise.

After Shi Tingyu went to work, he helped around the house by cleaning and doing laundry.

As for cooking, he was willing, but Shi Tingyu didn’t agree.

Cleaning could still be done with his left hand holding the broom to sweep, and he could wash clothes by rubbing them on the washboard with his left hand and then pressing them down hard to squeeze out the water.

But cooking was out of the question; cooking required coordination with both hands.

During this time, Captain Han also came to visit him. Seeing him determinedly washing clothes despite his disability, Captain Han almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Lu Weiguo didn’t sense the teasing; he just asked him why he was here.

It was then that Captain Han remembered the purpose of his visit.

Successfully bringing Professor Chen and his family back to China counted as a meritorious act. He advised Lu Weiguo to focus on recuperating during this time, as he should be on the promotion list in September.

Lu Weiguo remained calm. Until the orders were issued, nothing could be certain.

After Captain Han left, Lu Weiguo didn’t mention this news to his wife.

If he didn’t get promoted in September, he was afraid his wife would blame herself for not being able to promote him.

In the blink of an eye, by mid-June, the splint on Lu Weiguo’s right arm had been removed.

As soon as the splint was removed, he couldn’t sit still; if Shi Tingyu hadn’t been watching, he might have gone straight to work.

On this particular day, while resting, the two were bathing Lijian when a young soldier came to say that someone was looking for Shi Tingyu at the door.

Shi Tingyu was somewhat surprised; her family couldn’t come, and she didn’t have many friends here, so who could be looking for her?

“I’ll go with you,” Lu Weiguo wiped his hands and said.

The two left Lijian in the basin and went to the entrance of the family courtyard.

From afar, Shi Tingyu saw a man in his fifties wearing a black Zhongshan suit, glasses perched on his nose, a pen clipped in his pocket, and a briefcase in hand, chatting with the young soldier at the gate.

Every now and then, military dependents and soldiers passing by couldn’t help but take a few more glances at him.

People wearing glasses these days always seemed knowledgeable.

Shi Tingyu asked Lu Weiguo, “Do you know that person?”

Lu Weiguo shook his head. “You don’t know him either?”

Indeed, Shi Tingyu didn’t recognize him.

As they approached, the bespectacled man glanced at them, intrigued by the strikingly different couple, but his eyes showed no recognition.

Shi Tingyu looked at the gate and noticed that apart from military dependents entering and leaving, there were no unfamiliar faces, so she said to the man, “Hello, I’m Shi Tingyu. Are you looking for me?”

The man was momentarily surprised, unconsciously adjusting his glasses.

The young soldier at the gate, seeing the man lost in thought, reminded him, “This is Comrade Shi Tingyu you’re looking for.”

The man finally snapped out of it and smiled, extending both hands to Shi Tingyu. “Comrade Shi Tingyu, it’s truly a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself; I’m Luo Shucheng, the chief editor of the Beijing Art Publishing House.”

Shi Tingyu shook hands with him, surprised that someone from the Beijing Art Publishing House had come to see her.

After exchanging pleasantries, Shi Tingyu introduced her husband to Chief Editor Luo.

Being accustomed to grand occasions, Chief Editor Luo was surprised by Lu Weiguo’s appearance but didn’t show any hesitation.

After looking at Chief Editor Luo’s introduction letter and work permit, Shi Tingyu registered Chief Editor Luo and took him home.

As the three left, those who had heard their conversation were stunned. Was Teacher Shi about to release a new book? Why else would the chief editor of a publishing house come?

They hadn’t heard any news of Teacher Shi receiving royalties for quite some time.

It was Chief Editor Luo’s first visit to the family courtyard of the military camp, and he looked around with curiosity.

Shi Tingyu asked, “Chief Editor Luo, how did you find the time to come?”

In fact, upon learning that he was the chief editor of the Beijing Art Publishing House, Shi Tingyu roughly understood his purpose.

In March of this year, she had received a letter from the publishing house, earnestly requesting her to continue drawing the “Loyal Dog” series comic strips.

However, due to her own considerations, she had declined in her reply.

She wasn’t planning to continue drawing them anymore.           

This time, Chief Editor Luo came over, probably for this matter.

It’s just that Shi Tingyu didn’t expect Chief Editor Luo to personally come.

Sure enough, Chief Editor Luo smiled and said, “I was quite anxious after receiving Teacher Shi’s reply that she didn’t want to continue creating. It really worried the editorial department, so I came here to see if Teacher Shi had any difficulties.”

Shi Tingyu smiled and didn’t pick up on this thread of conversation. She simply said, “I’m doing fine here, no difficulties.”

The three returned to the courtyard, where Lijian was still comfortably lying in the basin.

Upon seeing Lijian, Chief Editor Luo’s eyes lit up. “Teacher Shi, you’re still keeping a dog. No wonder the stories of ‘Loyal Dog’ are so compelling.”

At this moment, Lijian’s fur was wet, and his legs were in the basin, making it impossible to see his appearance from the comic strips. Chief Editor Luo also didn’t recognize him.

Shi Tingyu said, “This is our Lijian. Both his parents are military dogs.”

Chief Editor Luo became even more interested in Lijian.

Seeing that he wasn’t afraid of dogs, Shi Tingyu was relieved and said to Lu Weiguo, “Weiguo, why don’t you finish bathing Lijian first? I’ll take Chief Editor Luo to the hall for a while.”

Unexpectedly, Chief Editor Luo spoke up and wanted to stay to watch.

“After reading your ‘Loyal Dog’, I’ve become quite interested in dogs. I wonder if I can stay and watch it bathe?”

Shi Tingyu didn’t refuse either, so she brought a chair over for him and began bathing Lijian.

Lijian was very well-behaved during his bath.

Whenever Shi Tingyu asked him to lift a foot, he lifted it; when she asked him to lower his head, he did; when she asked him to lie down, he did. It was remarkably obedient.

Chief Editor Luo watched with admiration.

Lijian, seeing Chief Editor Luo’s unfamiliarity, proudly raised his head.

When they reached Lijian’s disabled right front leg, Chief Editor Luo was surprised. “Is he Zhuifeng?”

Lijian was familiar with the name Zhuifeng and barked at Chief Editor Luo.

Shi Tingyu explained to him, “The ‘Loyal Dog’ series is based on Lijian. He was born with a disability and was brought to us from the military dog base. However, his genes are excellent, and despite his handicap, he’s no less capable than those healthy dogs.”

After drying Lijian’s fur, Lijian shook himself off. Chief Editor Luo finally saw Lijian’s true appearance.

The dog was very strong and sturdy, despite his disability. His imposing presence left no doubt about his abilities.

If there were any bad guys in front of him, he could probably take them down in an instant.

At this moment, Chief Editor Luo admired Shi Tingyu’s artistic skills even more. Zhuifeng was essentially a replica of Lijian, almost indistinguishable.

He even noticed that Lijian’s occasional movements matched those of Zhuifeng in the comic.

He sincerely said, “Teacher Shi, with such excellent material, it’s a pity not to continue creating.”