"Oh, oh, oh." Luo Xiaoqiong nodded repeatedly, "That’s a good idea, your granny is so wise. I must visit her when I have the chance."
"Sure, I’ll take you there." Zhang Erniu, holding Luo Xiaoqiong’s hand, was radiant with joy, "I’m so happy you’re here. I saw Chuxia a few days ago, and now I get to see you too, hehe..."
"One of these days, Chuxia and I will come hang out with you. You can also come to see us when you’re resting. Come on, accompany me to see my brother. If I go by myself, who knows what kind of face he’ll put on. With you there, he’ll be embarrassed to."
"Men are all like that; they don’t care in front of their own family, but with outsiders present, they want to save face. My dad is the same, but he treats my mom really well..." Zhang Erniu’s face filled with yearning, "If I could find a man like my dad, that would be great, someone who’s good at working and treats his family well, and doesn’t hit people."
That all the previous traits were normal, but the last one... Luo Xiaoqiong looked at Zhang Erniu with surprise, "Are there quite a few men in your place who hit people?"
"Plenty, about half the men in our village beat their wives, some to death’s edge." Zhang Erniu shrank her neck, "Next door, there’s this man who often beats his wife in the middle of the night, and after he’s done, he strips her naked and chases her out into the yard, even in winter."
"Doesn’t his wife think of running away?" Luo Xiaoqiong asked incredulously, "What kind of life is that, staying with such a man?"
"They have three kids. If she dared to run, the man said he’d sell the kids. That’s his own words. His wife loves the kids too much, how could she dare to run?"
"Don’t the local officials care about this?"
"They do, but when the officials come to the door, he talks sweetly, promising he won’t do it again. As soon as they leave, he goes back to his old ways. Officials can’t be at his door all the time."
Besides, his dad is a murderer, and the officials are afraid to really provoke him, worried he might act out like his father, alas, it’s truly hard to live married to such a family.
"My grandma said, when it’s time for me to find a husband’s family, she’ll vet for me, making sure I don’t end up with an improper man who ruins my whole life."
"Do you really admire your grandma?"
"My grandma is the best to me..." Zhang Erniu smiled shyly, "Our place doesn’t value girls, and I eat a lot. If I were at someone else’s, I’d have been despised long ago, but my grandma doesn’t despise me. She says my appetite is a blessing."
"When it was time to select soldiers, I didn’t even plan on going, but my grandma insisted, saying, ’Even if you don’t get chosen, just go through the motions, you might get lucky.’ And as it turned out, I did get lucky."
"Ninety percent of the girls in our place don’t go to school, but my grandma says it’s better for a woman to be literate than illiterate, so she sent me to school. As a result, I stood out immediately, hehe..."
No wonder Zhang Erniu, who couldn’t even distinguish angles, got selected. It was choosing a general from among the dwarfs, forcibly selected—the recruitment of medical soldiers was decided by leaders based on the local scarcity of medical resources, with the intention that these female soldiers could continue to serve locally after they were discharged.
Having held in all morning, Luo Hongqi, after addressing his personal needs, asked Zhao Qiliang to inquire from the doctor about when he could be discharged. It was too much to endure every day.
Zhao Qiliang, a little helpless, pointed at his thick ankle, "Do you really need to ask the doctor if you can be discharged? Isn’t it obvious just by looking here? Would it not be more troublesome to come back for an IV every day after you go home? Could the squad even assign a soldier to take care of you specifically?"
Luo Hongqi’s face scrunched up miserably. He didn’t want to be a drag on his squad, which is why he’d chosen to stay in the hospital. With his current condition, the squad leader wouldn’t be pleased to have him back. At such a crucial time, he was really living up to expectations...
Zhao Qiliang didn’t know what else to say to encourage him, so he just sat there in silence.
"Go ahead with your tasks, I’m fine now." Luo Hongqi gave the signal to leave.
Zhao Qiliang hesitated, then said, "Xiaoqiong will be here in a while, I’ll wait for her."
"Didn’t I tell you not to tell her?" Luo Hongqi’s voice suddenly rose, "How could you go back on your word?"
"I’m leaving in two days..." After a pause, Zhao Qiliang looked at him seriously, "I know you’re upset, and having family by your side would make you feel better."
"I appreciate your concern, but I don’t want her to worry. If she writes to my parents, they’ll worry too. Haven’t I already told you, why don’t you listen?"