Chapter 39: Field Hospital II

  The next day, just after dawn, Lin Ruolan hastily washed up and went to Jin Huan's ward. He was still fast asleep. When Lin Yang came to check on him, he smiled and told her after a careful examination: "All his vital signs are stable, it seems like he's exhausted, don't disturb him, let him sleep for a while."

  As the sun rises, the local garrison, provincial military region and armed police corps leaders at all levels who have received the news come to the hospital one after another like a lantern, and the remote field hospital suddenly becomes bustling.

  Luo Jie and Jiang Zhen rushed back to the headquarters overnight, Chen Jianfeng and Long Fei had to infuse while explaining to the visitors, and persuaded the various people who came to visit to stay outside the building.

  Lin Ruo Lan stood with her hands down, the nurse who didn't dare to breathe loudly was asked out of the ward. Cheng Xiao Peng and Jiang Tao, who was in charge of security, rolled up their sleeves and quickly cleaned up the piled-up nutritional supplements and fruits into the corner of the room, then quietly retreated outside. Finally, everything quieted down, the golden sunlight poured into the room through the glass window. She leaned against Jin Huang's side, listening to his gentle breathing, stretched out her small hand, tightly grasping his large hand, gazing quietly at his determined face.

  Jin Huang woke up at noon, and before he even opened his eyes, he felt someone staring intently at him. He also heard a very faint breathing sound in his ear, and a soft small hand gently stroked the back of his hand, as if afraid to wake him up. Every movement was gentle and cautious.

  "Lan'er." He softly called out with his eyes closed.

  "I'm here."

  The familiar soft and pleasant voice echoed in his ears, Jin Huan opened his eyes, and that beautiful face was right in front of him, with delicate eyebrows and eyes that had the most familiar beauty, and a gentle smile on her red lips.

  His large, dark hands slowly stroked her cheeks, "Tired? Sleepy? Why don't you rest a bit more?" His eyes held a reprimand and unconcealed concern.

  "I'm not tired, I want you to see me the moment you wake up." Lin Ruolan gently stroked his wound through the gauze, "Does it hurt?"

  "It doesn't hurt." He opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace, his eyes filled with an unprecedented tenderness. He had been aloof for a long time, but her gentleness was slowly seeping into his heart.

  A faint knock at the door came from outside. Jin Huan let out a sigh, relaxed his arms and said in a low voice: "Come in."

  Pushing the door open was Cheng Xiaopeng, who smiled and nodded at Lin Ruolan, then bowed to Jin Huang, "Boss Jin, I thought you were still asleep. I wanted to invite Counselor Lin out for lunch."

  "Deliver it here."

  "Yes." Cheng Xiaopeng was about to leave, but then he stopped and thought for a moment. "Jin Da, the Dean has been wandering around our floor for half a day, asking if you've woken up yet and wanting to see you?"

  Lin Ruo Lan couldn't help but laugh a little, this hospital director was so busy all morning. The headquarters kept calling one after another to ask about Jin Huan's injury, the director couldn't figure out who this injured person was, and had even used the excuse of doing rounds to vaguely ask her if Jin Huan was from the central government's top leader.

  Several nurses were so frightened that they didn't even dare to breathe loudly and tip-toed in and out of the ward.

  Jin Hao thought for a moment, waved his hand and said: "Tell him I'm fine, ask Vice President Chen to deal with him, I have more important people to accompany." His eyes stayed on Lin Ruolan's face, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Shake the bed, I want to sit for a while."

  "Yes!" Cheng Xiaopeng responded loudly, his voice startling even himself. He scratched his head and chuckled to himself, adjusting the bed to a half-sitting position before exiting the room.

  Lin Ruo Lan glared at him with a scowl, Jin Huan propped himself up to sit, Lin Ruo Lan hurriedly went to support him, but he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair, laughing softly: "What? Don't you want me to accompany you?"

  His breath immediately enveloped Lin Ruolan, she relaxed and leaned against him, stroking his face, their breathing synchronized, it was an invaluable happiness.

  Jin Huang hugged her slender body, leaned against the bed, and said slowly: "Lan'er, you've never asked about my family."

  Her eyes were a bit flustered and uneasy, "You're not going to tell me you have a wife, are you?"

  Jin Hao's smile faded, he grasped her slender shoulders, domineeringly pulling her closer, his scorching lips covering her delicate lips, stopping her wild guesses. "How could I possibly have a wife? If I had a wife, that person would definitely be you."

  She leaned against his broad chest, feeling the warmth of his body, and a heavy boulder in her heart was slightly put down. She raised her head to quietly look at him, waiting for him to continue speaking.

  "What I want to tell you is about my mother. Twelve years ago, the year I entered military school, she committed suicide." He told her slowly, recalling the cause of his mother's death, a faint pain seeping out from deep within his bones. "Because she couldn't bear her husband's repeated infidelity, and he even had a child with a woman who was only three years older than me. That child is now only thirteen years old."

  Lin Ruo Lan lightly bit her lip, seeing the terrifying hatred in his eyes. She wasn't afraid, but felt a heart-wrenching pain. She understood his sorrow, the pain of his mother's suicide still haunting him.

  "She's a... very good woman, she chose to endure many things. But finally one day... her husband brought back a... an illegitimate child still in diapers... She couldn't bear it anymore." Jin Huan hugged the warm body in his arms even tighter, and his heart gradually warmed up, "She's such a tolerant person... yet she chose... such a drastic way to rebel. I was at military school... and couldn't go home to see her. How hard must it have been for her back then? She... must have wanted to see me one last time before leaving?"

  "So you never mention your father?" she asked softly, reaching out to gently stroke his cheek, her heart aching tightly with his pain.

  He lowered his head, burying his face in her neck, inhaling the fresh scent on her body. "She left less than half a year ago, and he brought that woman into the house, her bones were not yet cold! I severed my father-son relationship with him, and for these twelve years, I have not stepped foot in that household again."

  Lin Ruo Lan gently allowed him to hold her, leaning against his side, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat, tears welling up in her eyes.

  Jin Huang carefully wiped away her tears, those tears, drop by drop, flowing into his heart, washing away the pain and hatred accumulated over the years. "Little crybaby, I'll never let you shed a single tear again. Lan'er, we'll be fine... really fine..."

  ……

  The nurse took away the empty IV bottle, Chen Jianfeng sat silently in his wheelchair, his deep eyes gazing into the distance as if thinking about something, and no one could tell what he was feeling. He could sense Nurse Fang Xiaotong watching him nervously, but he didn't want to respond, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts that couldn't be sorted out.

  Fang Xiaotong stole a glance at Chen Jianfeng sitting in the wheelchair by the window, guessing his current mood, he had been sitting there for a long time.

  As a special nurse, she had contact with many high-ranking leaders who came for recuperation, but the man in front of her was distinctly different from others.

  At such a young age, he is already a senior colonel. It can be foreseen that with time, his shoulders will definitely be able to hold the rank of general. During his short two-day convalescence, various high-ranking officials came to visit him, many of whom were much higher in military rank than him, yet they spoke to him with such politeness.

  What kind of person is he? Not just a battle hero?

  He has a low, gentle and magnetic voice, soft as fine wine, making people feel comfortable and drunk. He has an absolutely handsome face, like an unblemished dust, spreading a pure and innocent atmosphere. Elegant demeanor, combined with wise eyes, forms an indescribable, thick, and comforting temperament that puts one at ease.

  She suspected she would drown in it willingly...

  His most severe expression seemed to be just a frown, like the kindest person in the world. It couldn't be said that he had no temper, he just wouldn't vent his bad emotions on others. Perhaps because of this, she always couldn't feel his true feelings. Sadly, it was precisely his good breeding that captivated her heart.

  What's his mood like at this moment? Is it good or bad? His eyebrows are slightly furrowed, and his eyes are deep and mysterious... I guess it's not good. She thought. But... why?

  Chen Jianfeng finally made a move, he shook his wheelchair towards the door.

  "Want to go out for a walk?"

  "I'll go take a look next door, you don't need to follow me." Chen Jianfeng simply waved his hand, stopping Fang Xiaotong from following him.

  The person living next door was Jin Huang, the tall and intimidating man who had been admitted to the hospital just last night. Fang Xiaotong shrank back in fear, really not daring to go over there anymore.

  Chen Jianfeng knocked on the door when Jin Huan and Lin Ruolan had just finished their lunch.

  He had a lazy smile on his lips, and as soon as he entered the door, he joked: "Oh my, this ward is really warm, it can even make Jin Huan, that cold-blooded guy, learn to smile."

  Lin Ruo Lan raised her head to look into Chen Jian Feng's dark eyes, those eyes had deeply buried emotions that she couldn't read at all, but clearly knew that the gaze he looked at her with was filled with a hint of gentleness.

  Jin Hao smiled, his warm large hand stretched out, wrapping around hers, pulling her down to sit beside the bed.

  Looking at the pair of hands tightly clasped together, Chen Jianfeng was momentarily stunned. He had always been a person with clear thinking and composed demeanor, never being shaken by any sudden events. Yet she became the creator of every exception in his life. Unbeknownst to him, she had already been placed deep within his heart, in that place where no one else could reach, and which he had never shared with anyone.

  He always thought that as long as two out of the three people were happy, it was absolutely perfect. The one who was left alone and gloomy, deserved it, who told him to intervene carelessly and stir up trouble? He didn't even have a place in it. He has been trying to act as if nothing happened, but in fact his mood would not fluctuate greatly, at most just a faint sense of melancholy.

  He quickly realized his mistake and silently cursed himself. He cleared his throat and looked at Jin Huang: "I want to talk to you about the problem with this operation."

  Lin Ruo Lan hastily stood up and said to Jin Huang: "You guys chat, I'll go for a walk downstairs." Although she was a confidential advisor with a high level of secrecy, she didn't want to disturb them.

  "Go." Jin Huan nodded: "Don't go too far, this place is too close to the border, it's not safe."

  "I'll just take a walk downstairs and be back soon." Lin Ruolan said as she opened the door and left.

  Chen Jianfeng nodded towards Jiang Tao, who was standing at the door, "Follow her and don't let anything unexpected happen to her." Jiang Tao responded with a sound and followed her downstairs.

  "Haven't you felt that this operation isn't going smoothly, like we can't let go of our hands and feet?" Chen Jianfeng handed a cigarette to Jin Huan.

  Jin Huang took a drag on his cigarette, inhaled deeply, and nodded: "It's my command that was at fault. I underestimated the enemy, over-trusted the intelligence that came too easily, and also underestimated the strength of Country M. I didn't expect the opponent to deploy so quickly and orderly, or else we wouldn't have had so many team members injured. This is entirely my own negligence, the responsibility lies with me!" He flicked off the cigarette ash, leaned back against the headboard, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

  Long Fei pushed the door open and entered, just in time to hear Jin Huan's words. He waved his hand, "I disagree, these two days I and Jian Feng repeatedly simulated the steps of this operation, even if we were to redo everything from scratch, it would still end up with the current outcome."

  "I think that the information processing capability of our rear command center and emergency command on the battlefield have not reached a unified standard, resulting in our relatively delayed acquisition of information, which is one of the reasons for this defeat." Chen Jianfeng's gaze turned to the sunny outdoors, choosing his words carefully as he said: "There is another reason, our training methods and intensity are far below the needs of the battlefield, we need to make corresponding adjustments based on reality."

  "I and Jianfeng have an idea: to establish a special assault team within our brigade, composed of members with the highest comprehensive military quality. We will use the most brutal methods to train these members, increase the intensity and difficulty of training, in order to deal with extremely high-risk emergency situations." Long Fei lit a cigarette and sat down on a chair.

  "Tell us your thoughts in detail." Jin Huan suddenly sat up straight, his wound protesting with a sharp pain, causing him to inhale sharply.

  "We thought so," Chen Jianfeng paused for a moment, continuing: "In the battalion, select six well-trained team members to undergo more rigorous targeted training and provide them with the best equipment. Plus the three of us, first set up the special assault team's signboard. In the upcoming spring selection and training, intentionally select 6-10 team members with excellent military qualities, incorporate them into the reserve team, and use two years to conduct targeted intensive training."

  Jin Hao's eyes narrowed slightly as he stroked his palm and said, "Good! This way, the special assault team will also have a successor. However, the training content and intensity need to be revised, make a detailed plan, I'll go to headquarters to request a modification of the teaching case."