Chapter 15

Da Bao carried two bowls into the east room, he was eating while feeding his Dad.

Gu Qinghuan deliberately lit an oil lamp for him, and then sat down to eat with Bei Bei in the main room.

After finishing the roasted chicken, Gu Qinghuan secretly snuck into the space, took out a few bottles of Telunsu. ((It’s a milk Brand)

She poured it into bowls for the two little ones to drink.

She then threw the bottles back into the space, erasing all traces of them.

Once they had eaten and drunk enough, it was time to wash up and sleep, though there were no entertainment activities available at the moment.

The kitchen had not been tidied up, and there was no firewood, so they couldn’t boil any hot water.

Gu Qinghuan fetched a bucket of well water and took out four new towels from the space. Each family member got one, and they hastily washed up.

Da Bao brought a small clay pot from the east room, poured it out outside, then rinsed the pot clean before carrying it back inside.

Gu Qinghuan understood—it was to help his dad with his physical needs. He was truly a filial child. Many adults couldn’t care for their parents so carefully, and yet, he, a child could do what adults couldn’t.

She couldn’t help but sigh, realizing that children from poor families often had to take on adult responsibilities early.

Bei Bei, the little girl, was sensitive and quickly noticed Gu Qinghuan’s gaze. She grabbed her hand and said seriously: “Mom, Dad isn’t a bad person. He’s the best person in the world. You shouldn’t believe what the people in the village say. Dad only let himself be tied up for us. Otherwise, no one could defeat him.”

By the end of her words, the little girl’s voice was clearly choked with emotion.

Gu Qinghuan patted her back to comfort her.

“When Dad first came back, he was really nice. He often took us to the mountain to pick fruit. But then, one time, we encountered a wild boar on the mountain. The boar almost hurt my Big Brother. Dad punched the boar to death. After the boar died, Dad’s eyes turned red, and he ran wild through the forest. The villagers came to carry the boar, but unexpectedly, Dad suddenly seemed to go mad, attacking anyone he saw. No one could beat him, but then, he seemed to snap out of it.”

Before long, because the children from the same village bullied her Big Brother, Dad fought with the villagers again to protect her Big Brother.

This time, after coming to his senses, he voluntarily allowed himself to be tied up.

Bei Bei and her Big Brother understood in their hearts that he was afraid of losing control and accidentally hurting them, which was why he voluntarily let himself be tied up.

The little girl’s description made Gu Qinghuan think of something. 

Xu Huai’an had been discharged from the military because of mental issues, and his mental illness wasn’t something he was born with. 

This situation resembled what people called post-war psychological syndrome, a form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It was the severe psychological imbalance that occurred after a person encountered or confronted major stress, leaving them with long-term aftereffects. 

From Bei Bei’s description, both times he went mad seemed to have specific triggers, such as his loved ones being oppressed or attacked, or encountering something stimulating.

“Does he have more clear-headed moments? What does he usually act like?” Gu Qinghuan asked anxiously. She wanted to determine whether Xu Huai’an had PTSD. 

If that were the case, it was truly pitiful. A battle hero, tied up like the Madman in a windowless room, enduring both physical and psychological torment. She couldn’t imagine how he had survived it.

“This past year, he’s been clear-headed less and less. He often can’t sleep, staring with wide eyes until dawn, having nightmares and screaming. Sometimes he talks to himself, suddenly gets very angry, refuses to cooperate with anything, and gets agitated when strangers come in, reacting strongly. But when he’s clear-headed, he’s very gentle with us, teaching us how to survive, what’s safe to eat in the mountains and what isn’t, and he even taught me and my little sister arithmetic.”

It was Da Bao who spoke, having overheard their conversation.

Da Bao then took out the small bundle he had brought and showed it to Gu Qinghuan. Inside were Xu Huai’an’s belongings—some documents, several hospital slips, and a heavy packet of hard objects.

The hospital’s examination slip didn’t explain much; it just broadly stated that it was a psychological and mental illness.

Gu Qinghuan opened the packet of hard objects and was stunned, standing frozen in place.

In her previous life, growing up in a peaceful era, this was the first time she had seen so many military medals, and they all belonged to the same person.

There was even a first-class merit medal inside.

It was extraordinary.

A living first-class merit medal.

This medal represented how he had dedicated himself fully to the country and the people, exhausting his life in the process.

As a soldier of the people, he truly lived up to the people’s expectations.

Gu Qinghuan admired his willpower.

Before he developed this illness, he must have been an excellent soldier, a national hero.

She thought, she had to do something for him.

Gu Qinghuan summarized the key points from Da Bao and Bei Bei’s descriptions: insomnia, nightmares, irritability, easily startled, heightened alertness, anxiety, avoidance of reality, and being trapped in memories.

This perfectly matched the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It was almost certain that Xu Huai’an had PTSD.

She knew about this disorder because there had been a period when PTSD was widely discussed online, so she had learned quite a bit about trauma-related psychological issues.

It was truly unfortunate that PTSD was only formally recognized in the early 1980s by the American Psychiatric Association, and effective treatments only emerged in recent years.

So, a brilliant soldier, suffering from post-war psychological issues, was misdiagnosed with a mental illness and was forced to leave the military.

Even his parents treated him like Madman tying him to a bed for over a year, and in the end, they abandoned him, leaving him to die. In the books, his ending was a tragic one, dying before his time!

How ironic.

How laughable.

Gu Qinghuan tugged at the corner of her mouth, and tears fell one by one, a mix of sympathy, pity, and admiration for the poor soul inside.

He was already in such a state, yet he was still worried about harming others, preferring to bind himself in a small world, relying on others for every basic need.

For a normal person, that was incredibly difficult.

Gu Qinghuan gently stroked the heads of the two children. “Don’t worry, your Dad will get better.”

“Really?” The two children looked at her with teary eyes, unable to believe it.

“Really, I promise you. I will find a way to treat him, but right now, you both should go to sleep.”

It was the same sleeping arrangement as the night before.

The two children and Xu Huai’an stayed in the east room, while Gu Qinghuan slept alone in the west room.

Before going to bed, Gu Qinghuan poured three cups of spiritual spring water for the two children and Xu Huai’an, making sure they drank it before feeling reassured.

Xu Huai’an was reluctant to drink. He stared at them with bloodshot eyes, baring his teeth. This time, Gu Qinghuan wasn’t as frightened as before. Instead, she took the initiative to approach and helped him drink the water.

The spiritual spring water had the ability to subtly nourish the body and improve physical condition. She hoped it could help with his illness in some way.

The earthen kang bed in the room was cleaned up by the two children. The old bed sheets, which Xu Huai’an had used in the afternoon, were spread directly on the east room bed for them to sleep on.

Gu Qinghuan also brought over the old quilt from the original owner and gave it to them to use for the night. The weather was getting colder, and it was impossible to sleep without covering up.

For the two children and one thin adult, the quilt was just enough. It was just that Xu Huai’an was too tall, and his feet couldn’t be covered, but it was better than nothing.

She couldn’t help but wonder how they had managed to survive the winters before.

Da Bao looked at Gu Qinghuan with worry. “You gave us the quilt. What will you do if you’re cold tonight?”

Gu Qinghuan, of course, had a solution.

The big villa had plenty of quilts, and at night, she could always sleep in the big villa, which was much more comfortable than the earthen kang.

However, to avoid making Da Bao feel guilty, she comforted him, saying: “I’ll make a new quilt, and you can use this old one. Plus, I have a big cotton coat. It’s just as warm as a quilt, so don’t worry.”

When Da Bao saw that she was serious, he relaxed and lay down.

Gu Qinghuan blew out the oil lamp. “Goodnight. Go to sleep quickly.”

Bei Bei sweetly mimicked: “Goodnight, Mom.”

Da Bao also silently said in his heart: Goodnight, Mom.

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T/N: They don’t deserve Huai’an!!! My poor Huai’an! Good thing we have Huanhuan T__T

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