Chapter 284: Radiance

While Wang Qian dared not look directly, Zhang Lan, on the other hand, stared at her brother intently with wide eyes, hoping for a miracle to occur.

Whether it was due to sensing Wang Qian’s prayers or some other reason, Zhang Lan saw three spheres in the air emitting three ethereal green rays of light, connecting with the jade pendant on her brother, enveloping Zhang Weiguo tightly in a green aura.

Zhang Lan dared not make a sound, afraid of disturbing what seemed like a divine intervention. She covered her mouth tightly, watching the unbelievable scene unfold before her. At that moment, Weiguo’s head, previously swollen and bruised with bullet fragments, seemed to be regenerating. The foreign objects began slowly dissolving, indicating a gradual but positive transformation.

Although she had used the space to heal before, witnessing this event firsthand left Zhang Lan in awe. As the beam of light gradually faded, she finally spoke, “Qian Qian, I think I just saw a ray of light.”

What Zhang Lan mentioned aligned with Wang Qian’s prayers, who, upon seeing her mother’s beautiful phoenix eyes, smiled.

“Mom, this means that my little uncle is saved. It was the same with Grandma last time. However, my uncle’s injuries are severe, so he’ll probably need time to heal slowly. If he recovered all at once, it might raise suspicions. But now, the jade pendant from my jewelry box is all used up. Healing is indeed costly,” Wang Qian remarked with a mix of tears and smiles, feeling a bit distressed.

Watching her daughter, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but feel a pang of fondness. “Girl, your uncle’s recovery is the most important thing. If you have a chance in the future, buy some good jade. With so many people in our family, no one can guarantee perfect health. Having the jade pendant will give us some protection.”

Wang Qian tidied up the jade pendant, now devoid of its radiance. As Zhang Weiguo was currently wrapped up like a mummy, she could only wait to give him the pendant once he recovered.

First, Wang Qian left, and Wang Zhenhe took her place. Staying in the room had its advantages; she could promptly remove anyone entering without permission.

That night, Zhang Lan and her husband accompanied Zhang Weiguo in the space, while Wang Qian slept in the ward. When the time was right, she released them from the space.

“Wang Qian, do you see if your little uncle is feeling better?” Zhang Lan immediately started giving her brother fruit juice with a spoon upon returning to the ward. At this point, Weiguo could already swallow independently, a promising start to his recovery.

“Mom, today let’s aim to remove the tube from his nose. My uncle needs to eat more,” Wang Qian suggested, recognizing that relying solely on nasal feeding wouldn’t meet Zhang Weiguo’s nutritional needs.

“In a time like this, there aren’t many advanced nutritional supplements. We need to provide more than nasal feeding to fulfill Zhang Weiguo’s nutritional requirements,” Zhang Lan acknowledged.

“Zhenhe, please buy a hen. I’ll make ginseng chicken soup for Weiguo. Qian Qian, don’t forget your honey and royal jelly. Also, prepare something for Uncle Wu,” Zhang Lan instructed.

In the morning, Bai Jianing accompanied the doctor for rounds. Witnessing Zhang Lan feeding Weiguo with a spoon was astonishing even to them. Although he was still not fully conscious, his ability to eat voluntarily indicated an improvement in his condition.

Initially, the doctors had thought the best scenario for Weiguo was to maintain his vital signs. However, the current progress exceeded all expectations.

Upon reevaluation, the doctors found that the brain edema and fluid accumulation had started to normalize. Even after the examination, they couldn’t help but marvel at the miraculous recovery. “Nurse Bai, what did you feed him yesterday? His recovery is remarkable,” they inquired.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qian couldn’t help but chuckle. She was thankful Bai Jianing had prepared ginseng soup for her uncle the previous day; otherwise, it would have been challenging to explain.

Bai Jianing pondered for a moment before responding, “I made him ginseng soup yesterday. The ginseng was brought by Weiguo’s sister from the northeast. He didn’t eat anything else, just followed the usual routine.”

Upon learning that ginseng was the primary reason for the improvement in Zhang Weiguo’s condition, the military medics’ excitement was palpable, even affecting Zhang Lan, who was listening nearby.

“Nurse Bai, could you show us what this ginseng looks like?” the medics inquired, clearly intrigued by the miraculous effects of the herb.

Recognizing ginseng’s life-saving properties, everyone was eager to see it. Bai Jianing hesitated, glancing at Zhang Lan and her family. Zhang Lan simply nodded and said, “Show it to them. If it can save other soldiers’ lives, and if Weiguo is conscious, he would agree.”

With permission granted by the Zhang family, Bai Jianing quickly brought out the remaining ginseng. When an elderly military medic laid eyes on the sizable ginseng, his astonishment was evident. He eagerly took it, smelling its aroma, feeling rejuvenated. “Excellent ginseng! No wonder Comrade Weiguo had such a significant improvement. Everyone, take a look. This ginseng is likely over a hundred years old, something you might never encounter again in your lifetime.”

Passing the ginseng around for everyone to see, Wang Qian spoke up, “Doctor, since my uncle is already showing signs of improvement, let’s use the remaining ginseng for critically injured soldiers. It can be a gesture from my uncle to his comrades. Though he can’t speak now, if he were awake, he would undoubtedly approve.”

Wang Qian’s words surprised everyone – the rare ginseng being offered without any conditions left them astounded. They looked at her with skepticism, prompting Wang Qian to address their doubts. “I’m telling the truth. Those soldiers were also injured while defending our country. They fought alongside my uncle in the past. Perhaps we can’t do much else to help, but offering this remaining ginseng is a gesture from us. Saving more lives is the best outcome, and this ginseng is our way of showing respect to those injured PLA soldiers.”

“Well said,” Wuchangyong entered with security personnel from outside, concerned about Zhang Weiguo’s condition. Despite initially not intending to come, he felt somewhat guilty as the child was a talented student from the military academy, and it was his decision to have Weiguo come over. Seeing the child injured, he couldn’t shake off the sense of remorse.

“Commander, greetings,” everyone saluted Wuchangyong as he entered.

“How is Comrade Weiguo doing today?” Wuchangyong inquired.

Excitedly, Bai Jianing demonstrated to Wuchangyong by feeding Weiguo a bit of juice placed on the table by Zhang Lan. “Commander, look, he’s much better now. I believe it won’t be long before Weiguo wakes up,” she expressed enthusiastically.

The radiant smile on the young girl’s face seemed to uplift everyone present, and Wuchangyong finally felt the weight that had burdened him for so long lift from his shoulders.

With a happy smile finally gracing his dark complexion, Wuchangyong expressed, “Well done. He’s recovering well. Niece-in-law, you don’t need to worry anymore. Weiguo is resilient and will get through this. I have to go inspect the front lines today, so I might not have time to come back and see you. Let’s gather properly when I return. I entrust Weiguo to you all.”

Initially planning to spend time with the elder, Wang Qian had to postpone her visit. “Grandpa Wu, please take care. We’ll be waiting for your safe return,” she said.

Wuchangyong affectionately patted her head, saying, “Girl, don’t worry. Your Grandpa Wu has faced worse. There’s nothing to fear.”

After seeing Wuchangyong off, Bai Jianing stayed with Zhang Lan to care for Weiguo in the ward. Meanwhile, Wang Qian and Wang Zhenhe took a walk outside. They encountered several injured soldiers walking or basking in the sun. Witnessing these young individuals’ injuries, Wang Zhenhe couldn’t help but sigh. Near the hospital lay a village where local residents lived, along with a small market. Wang Zhenhe decided to buy some food for Weiguo that he could consume.

Walking through the modest market, Wang Qian noticed a basket of mushrooms displayed by an elderly lady. She recognized these mushrooms as matsutake, a delicacy she had only seen online due to its high cost. Understanding their nutritional value, she suggested, “Dad, let’s buy these mushrooms to make soup for Weiguo. It will help boost his health.”

After inquiring about the price, Wang Zhenhe found the matsutake mushrooms to be very inexpensive, even cheaper than the mushrooms they usually bought. The father and daughter spent very little to purchase all the matsutake mushrooms available at the market. Wang Qian even made arrangements for future deliveries to the hospital entrance if matsutake were available during that time.

Carrying four hens, Wang Zhenhe and Wang Qian returned home with a basket of matsutake mushrooms. They stored the excess mushrooms in the space since matsutake were challenging to preserve and best consumed fresh.

In the army kitchen, the duo stewed a large pot of chicken soup with the selected matsutake mushrooms and hens. The unique fragrance of the matsutake delighted everyone, even earning praise from the kitchen staff. “This is delicious and fresh. How did we not know about this tasty mushroom before?” they exclaimed.

Having spent a considerable time there, no one had realized how delicious matsutake could be until now.

Wang Qian, with a beaming smile, suggested, “Uncle, the term ‘mountain delicacy’ exists because of its delicious taste. Let’s take a bowl with us and you can serve the rest to the injured soldiers. Tomorrow, we can go out again to find more delicacies.”

The head of the kitchen staff watched the duo leave with admiration in his eyes. “Look at them. The families of heroes are truly exceptional. They think of our injured soldiers. Their awareness and generosity are unmatched. I’ve seen many family members come and cook, but I’ve never seen such generosity. Look at this large pot of chicken and soup, all meant for our injured soldiers. They are truly kind-hearted,” he remarked.

Wang Qian wanted to show her respect to these kind individuals and decided to express her gratitude by providing them with tasty treats to help boost their health. She believed that even though it wouldn’t cost much, it was a small gesture of their support.

Acknowledgments to the friends who gifted presents to Chapter 99: 将谋风火, 浮云飘摇, and Lizzie110.

Appreciation to 谢飘在云朵上, 浮云飘摇, maplecsu, long080530, and Lizzie110 for the pink hearts contributed to Chapter 99.

Gratitude to 浮云飘摇 and 飘在云朵上 for their feedback.

To the friend 飘在云朵上 who left a message, don’t worry at all. Please don’t take it to heart. Your votes show your support and interest in Chapter 99.

Acknowledging the reminder for more updates yesterday, it’s a bit challenging to do four updates for Chapter 99. Consequently, today will have three updates. If this doesn’t meet your expectations, please understand. I aim to update more, but sometimes my typing speed and physical condition pose limitations. I have a few drafts saved for backup during times of discomfort. Thank you all for your understanding!