Chapter 26: Dongdong Followed The Army (Part 1)

Research Institute

When Qin Zhan brought Dongdong to the entrance of the research institute, they were stopped. Strangers weren’t allowed to enter the research institute casually. Even though the guard recognized Dongdong, they still couldn’t let Qin Zhan in. Before, it was Mother Qin who brought Dongdong here. She had the proper identification, and the guards knew her. But today, even with Mother Qin’s ID, Qin Zhan couldn’t enter.

Even when Dongdong said this was his dad, it didn’t help.

Qin Zhan remained calm. It wasn’t until Professor Yang came out to confirm his identity that they were let in.

Once inside the institute, Dongdong led Qin Zhan confidently to Ning Xin’s ward.

Ning Xin was lying on the hospital bed, feeling bored to the point of molding. Because she slept every day, her sleep schedule had become completely reversed. She was so bored that she started making up stories in her head for entertainment.

“Mom, Dad and I came to see you.”

Suddenly, a loud childish voice pulled Ning Xin out of her mental stagnation. Dongdong was here… Her precious son had finally come. Ning Xin almost cried. One week was really too long. Professor Yang should have made the visiting time daily. If not daily, then at least every other day. Maybe it was because the visiting times were too short that she hadn’t woken up yet.

“Dongdong is here.” Coincidentally, Yu Qing was on duty to care for Ning Xin today. Seeing Dongdong, she greeted him with a smile and looked at the tall man behind Dongdong. Dongdong had just said he came with his dad, so this must be Ning Xin’s husband.

No, no… Yu Qing quickly dismissed the idea. She remembered the files said Ning Xin’s husband had already died. Dongdong was adopted by the Qin family. So this man, whom Dongdong called Dad, must be someone from the Qin family.

Seeing the other person looking at him, Qin Zhan explained, “Hello, I’m Qin Zhan. I’ve already spoken with Professor Yang when I arrived just now.”

As expected, someone from the Qin family. “Hello.” Yu Qing also greeted with a smile. “You two can talk. Just treat me like I’m not here. But I can’t leave during my shift.”

Qin Zhan nodded. “Sorry to bother you.”

Dongdong was already used to this. He took his schoolbag from Qin Zhan and placed it on the bed. As he opened the bag and took out its contents, he said, “Mom, Dad and I came to see you. I brought eggs, milk powder, and the toys Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad gave me for my birthday.”

Dongdong handed the eggs and milk powder to Yu Qing. “Auntie, these are for my mom. You can make egg custard with the eggs, and make milk for her with the milk powder.”

“Okay, don’t worry Dongdong. I’ll make sure your mom gets them.” Yu Qing promised.

Dongdong smiled, then took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed. He held his mom’s hand and put the spinning top in it. “Mom, this is called a spinning top. The top is round and the bottom is pointy. It spins when you put it on the floor. Grandpa gave it to me for my birthday. Do you like playing with it? If you wake up, let’s play together, okay?”

Qin Zhan stood nearby watching Dongdong, then looked at Ning Xin lying on the bed. Honestly, if he hadn’t known in advance that this was Ning Xin, just looking at the person lying there, he wouldn’t have recognized her at first glance.

His impression of Ning Xin… wasn’t very clear, but she definitely wasn’t like this pale-skinned woman in front of him. His first impression now was that her skin was very white. But it wasn’t a healthy kind of white. It was a broken, fragile kind of white.

Looking away, Qin Zhan turned back to Dongdong. He saw that Dongdong had already put down the spinning top and picked up the plastic toy gun. “Mom, this is the birthday gift Dad gave me. It’s a toy gun. Do you know what a gun is, Mom? In movies, the Liberation Army uncles use guns to shoot bad guys. Ah…” Dongdong suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Qin Zhan. “Dad, come here. You talk to Mom too.”

Qin Zhan: “……”

Ning Xin hadn’t noticed the “Dad” Dongdong mentioned earlier, but she heard clearly when Qin Zhan talked to Yu Qing just now. She was surprised that Qin Zhan had returned. Over the past year, every time Dongdong visited her, he would tell her sadly that he missed Dad. A few years ago, Dongdong was too young to express himself and, having grown up without a father, had no concept of a dad.

But this past year, because Qin Shun had returned, Dongdong had developed a strong awareness of having a father.

Judging from Dongdong’s tone, he seemed to be getting along well with Qin Zhan.

Indeed, in the novel, Dongdong lived with Qin Zhan in the army from a young age. But the novel didn’t specify exactly when that started… Ning Xin suddenly shivered. Could it be that Qin Zhan’s return this time meant he was going to take Dongdong to the army?

Thinking of this, Ning Xin wanted to cry again. If Dongdong went to the army, what would she do alone?

Wuwuwu… was Dongdong going to abandon her?

No, that’s not right. In the novel, it was because she didn’t exist that Dongdong went to the army with Qin Zhan. But now that she existed, and the research institute needed Dongdong, would Dongdong still go with Qin Zhan to the army?

Don’t go. She didn’t want Dongdong to go. The female lead is at the unit where Qin Zhan served. If Dongdong went to the army, he would likely continue to follow the novel’s plot. She didn’t want Dongdong to become a stepping stone for the female lead. No…

Suddenly, the machine let out a piercing alarm.

“Mom…” Dongdong was frightened.

Yu Qing hurriedly pressed the call button. She was a little nervous but also excited. The test subject was showing a reaction. Oh my, this was the second time the test subject had reacted. The first time was when she cried. Although they didn’t know why she cried that time, this time… Yu Qing couldn’t help but guess. Was it because of Comrade Qin Zhan?

But no, that couldn’t be. Qin Zhan wasn’t Ning Xin’s husband. It would make sense if it were her husband who triggered a response. But a reaction because of Qin Zhan? That didn’t add up either.

While Yu Qing was busy guessing, Professor Yang arrived with several others. Qin Zhan picked up the frightened Dongdong and comforted him. “Don’t be afraid, don’t worry, everything is fine.”

Dongdong leaned nervously into Qin Zhan’s arms and asked worriedly, “Dad, what happened to Mom?”

Qin Zhan didn’t know either. He could only say, “We don’t know yet. We’ll know after they finish checking her. Let’s stay quiet and not disturb them, okay?”

Dongdong quickly covered his mouth and nodded.

Professor Yang and his team soon finished examining Ning Xin but didn’t find anything abnormal. The machine had also returned to normal.

“Yu Qing, tell me what happened just now again.” Professor Yang wanted to find some clues from the events just now.

“Hmm…” Yu Qing explained what had just happened. “Dongdong and Comrade Qin Zhan came to see Ning Xin. Then Dongdong gave me the eggs and milk powder. He sat on the bed and talked to Ning Xin. He put the spinning top in her hand and said it was from his grandpa. Then…” Yu Qing had a good memory. Although she didn’t repeat Dongdong’s words word for word, she recalled about ninety percent of the meaning.

Professor Yang pondered. “So when Dongdong talked about Dad, the machine suddenly reacted?”

Yu Qing said, “I think that’s what happened.”

Professor Yang didn’t make a conclusion right away and instead looked at Qin Zhan. “Do you think your presence might have caused the test subject to react?”

This question was hard for Qin Zhan to answer. He thought for a moment. “At the time, I was the one who went to the countryside and told Aunt Ji about Aihua’s situation. Ning Xin overheard and that led to her going into premature labor. If she reacted to me, it’s possible. After all, she heard how Aihua died. Aihua took a bullet for me and died.”

Professor Yang thought about it. “So in a certain sense, she might hate you. Because she hates you, your presence triggered a reaction.”

Qin Zhan felt a bit awkward, but this explanation did make some sense.

However, Professor Yang and the others focused on a different point than Qin Zhan. Professor Yang said, “If that really is the case, then it’s a good sign. It indirectly shows that Ning Xin is truly responsive to the outside world. Judging from these two reactions, there’s a high chance she will wake up. Once she wakes up, we’ll be able to learn a lot more.”

Ning Xin couldn’t help but feel happy when she heard Professor Yang’s words. Was the chance of her waking up really that high? If that was true, then it was truly wonderful.

However, there were also errors in their analysis. At the very least, she didn’t hate Qin Zhan, so it was impossible that she was stimulated because of his arrival. She simply felt sad thinking about Dongdong having to follow the plot… Wait, the last time her body had a reaction was also because she was in a bad mood, thinking that Dongdong would be bullied and talked about harshly by others, which made her feel awful.

It seemed she had grasped some information. As long as she experienced strong emotional fluctuations because of Dongdong, her body would respond. If that was the case, would more stimulation mean better results?

No, she had to try it… think of some more heartbreaking plots related to Dongdong… try to think quickly… No, the more she urged herself, the harder it became to think. Her mind was in chaos.

Ning Xin forced herself to calm down… but she couldn’t calm down.

In the ward, Professor Yang said to Qin Zhan, “How about letting Dongdong talk about you again and see if there’s another reaction?”

Qin Zhan said, “Alright.” He placed Dongdong on the hospital bed. “Dongdong, talk to Mom again. Talk about Dad coming back.”

Dongdong was a bit confused. He didn’t understand why he had to talk when Dad was clearly there and could speak to Mom himself. But he still obediently said, “Mom, the toy gun Dad gave me is so much fun…” He brought the gun over and stuffed it into Mom’s hand. “Mom, touch it. This is the toy gun. Your hand can go in from here…”

After introducing the gun, Dongdong continued to recall the things about Dad coming back, and then said, “Mom, the kids in the compound are so jealous of me. They all say my dad is the best dad in the compound. Dad sends me milk powder and toy guns. Their dads didn’t give them anything. Mom, now I sleep with Dad, but Dad doesn’t snore. Brother said Uncle sometimes snores when he sleeps, and he doesn’t want to sleep with Uncle anymore… hehe…” Dongdong laughed as he spoke.

Qin Zhan: “…” These words really didn’t need to be said.

Professor Yang and the others were also amused by what Dongdong said.

But afterward, no matter how much Dongdong talked about Qin Zhan, there was no further reaction from the machine. Even in the next two months, when Qin Zhan came with Dongdong to visit Ning Xin every week, the machine still didn’t react.

Professor Yang and the others speculated again that even if the machine’s previous reaction showed the subject’s perception of the outside world, it probably had nothing to do with Qin Zhan anymore.

And Qin Zhan’s two-month leave also came to an end during his repeated visits.

From early September to early November, from hot weather to cool, the time passed quickly.

On the day Qin Zhan was returning to the army, Dongdong went to the train station to see him off. At the station, he cried uncontrollably while clinging to Qin Zhan’s leg. He hung onto Qin Zhan’s leg like a leg accessory.

This made Mother Qin extremely distressed. She couldn’t help but remind Qin Zhan again, “You should consider marriage. Find a suitable girl and get married. Then Dongdong can go with you and live in the military base.”

Qin Zhan refused, “That’s not appropriate. Dongdong knows his mother is in the research institute. If I get married and he has another mother, he definitely won’t understand. He’s still young, and it’s not the right time to talk about his background. Actually, the most important thing is that I don’t want to get married right now.”

Mother Qin sighed, “Anyway, it’s your business. As long as you know what you’re doing.”

Among the tide of urging marriage, Mother Qin was one of the few open-minded parents.

However, after Qin Zhan left this time, it wasn’t until a year and a half later that he saw Dongdong again. It was February 1965.

In 1965, the national situation became tense, and this tension also spread to the Qin family.

First, Aunt Zhang ended her job at the Qin household at the end of last year. To avoid gossip, Mother Qin now did the grocery shopping and cooking herself. She had been a lady all her life, and it wasn’t until her fifties that she had to start learning these tasks. At first, she was flustered, but gradually, she adapted amidst the chaos.

Second, Li Yuelan came back. She came to ask Qin Shun to get back together, but Qin Shun, who was already seeing someone, refused. Even if he wasn’t, he still wouldn’t agree. Besides, he already had someone.

The last and most serious matter was that the Qin family was reported, and some inappropriate letters were found at their home. At such a critical time, no one knew what would happen next. If others couldn’t easily detach from the Qin family, at least Dongdong could. He was only Qin Zhan’s adopted son, came from a peasant family background, and was the descendant of a martyr. His identity couldn’t be smeared by anyone. So, Mother Qin asked Father Qin to move Dongdong’s household registration back to the Yangguang Production Team.

At that time, a rural household registration actually made people feel more at ease.

But the Ji family had already split. Ji Aihua had died, so under the instructions of Widow Ji, Second Brother Ji applied for a homestead for Dongdong. His household registration was listed under Ning Xin, who was not yet declared dead.

The registration was transferred, but Mother Qin didn’t plan to send Dongdong back to the Yangguang Production Team. She intended to send him to Qin Zhan instead. At that time, nowhere was truly safe. Sending Dongdong to the countryside, she couldn’t bear it and didn’t know what kind of life he would have there. After thinking it over, Qin Zhan’s place was still the safest.

Train Station

The weather in February was extremely cold. Standing on the train, Qin Zhan felt that the breath he exhaled could freeze in the air. But he still stood upright, eyes fixed in one direction.

Until the clanging sound of a train entering the station rang out, and as the train came to a stop and people exited the train one by one, Qin Zhan finally saw the figure he had been waiting for. From November 1963 to February 1965, it had only been a year and three months, but Qin Zhan felt as if he hadn’t seen Dongdong for a long time.

Dongdong was being carried by a middle-aged man, lying asleep in his arms.

“Uncle…” Qin Zhan quickly stepped forward a few steps and took Dongdong from Yang Shiping’s arms. At four years and five months old in actual age and six in nominal age, Dongdong was still chubby and felt a bit heavy.

Yang Shiping moved his arm. He had been carrying weight all the way, and now he finally felt relieved. He was the second son of the Yang family. After Yang’s eldest son died, the direct bloodline of the Yang family consisted of only him and Mother Qin. Now, Old Master Yang had retired, and Yang Shiping was the acting head of the Yang family.

“Your dad said you shouldn’t get involved in your family’s affairs or take any action. With your family’s current situation, if someone really wanted to bring you down, it’s not something you could handle. Even as a regiment commander, can you surpass your father? So, doing nothing is the best thing for you. Your presence alone is already giving the Qin family a way out.” This time, he came not only to bring Dongdong but also to personally convey his brother-in-law’s message, afraid that it wouldn’t be clear through other means and would instead drag Qin Zhan in.

Qin Zhan narrowed his eyes, “What exactly happened? That day, Mom didn’t explain clearly on the phone.”

Yang Shiping said, “After being reported, some inappropriate letters were found in your house.”

“Did someone plant them in our home?” Qin Zhan immediately suspected, “Does Dad know who did it?”

“Your dad didn’t say, and I don’t know if he knows.” Yang Shiping added, “Oh right, there’s also this…” He took out a bankbook, “This is the 1,500 yuan the Ji family gave back then. Your mom asked me to bring it to you for safekeeping. You can arrange it yourself later.”

Qin Zhan took it and put it in the pocket of his coat. “Uncle, find a place to stay first. Let’s sit down and talk.”

Yang Shiping said, “No need. I have something else to do and need to transfer trains. It’s cold. You take Dongdong home first.”

“Uncle, how is the Yang family now?” Qin Zhan called after him and asked about the Yang family.

“Don’t worry too much. The Yang family is fine for now. When the country was in trouble back then, our Yang family almost gave up all its property. Not to brag, but the number of people who survived back then by eating food from the Yang family could fill this entire train station. So the Yang family won’t have any issues.” Yang Shiping said. Although his words were firm, his brows didn’t show the same assurance.