In the ward, Gu En didn’t stay conscious for long. After answering a few of the doctor’s questions, she passed out again. Thankfully, her condition wasn’t critical enough to require emergency intervention.
"The patient has been too emotional. Her family members should try to soothe her, have her speak less, and rest more." The doctor advised before sending everyone out of the ward, fearing that their presence might affect the patient’s recovery.
From behind the glass, General Gu looked at Gu En and gently shook his head. "When we get back home, tell Mom and Dad that she went to have fun with Lan Li at the army base."
Mrs. Gu nodded, her face weary. "Regardless, it’s true that Gu En hurt your comrade’s sister. Originally, we should have had Gu En apologize herself. But with her lying in there and who knows for how long, Lan Li, you need to help resolve this. Preferably keep it private."
"I’ll call the army base myself." General Gu waved his hand, "An apology needs sincerity. If she can’t apologize, I, as her father, should at least do it for her."
Lan Li’s mother glanced at her son, then comforted her little niece, murmuring, "What kind of students does Capital University have? Gu En is just too straightforward!"
"Isn’t that normal? Just like the recent scandal about the Capital University female student who jumped from a building. It’s easy to get lost and lose one’s orientation in this thriving metropolis when coming from a small town, especially for those inexperienced girls." Mrs. Gu added, and then urged everyone to go home, aware that the elderly at home would notice their prolonged absence.
At the army base, apart from New Year’s Day when He Teng didn’t need to train, normal life resumed for everyone left behind at the base from the second day of the Lunar New Year, including the usual training, which was not delayed due to the holiday.
As expected, He Teng had a great ability to recover. He started training just over half a month after being discharged from the hospital, and surprisingly, he didn’t lag behind anyone else.
However, once He Teng and his fellow soldiers resumed their training, the visiting family members suddenly had a lot of free time on their hands. Without their husbands by their side, they just stayed at the guesthouse and chatted to pass the time.
Oddly enough, despite sharing similar conditions as army wives living in the guesthouse, they fell into two camps: the city folks who looked down on others, and the rural folks who were not accepted by the former.
As for Zhilan, she knew those spoiled city dwellers wouldn’t like an educated woman like her who came from the countryside and was now the wife of a company commander. Apart from socializing with Zhang Lian and Hen Cailuan, she helped Chen Ya’nan study. Any spare time she had left was spent reading, her life was in no way affected by others’ disdain for her.
It was already the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The redness on Zhilan’s hand had faded and when the bandages were removed, it no longer looked terribly swollen and red. However, the skin still looked a bit different from the unaffected areas and movements still caused her discomfort.
Just as the military doctor had said, the small blistered spot left quite an obvious scar. After removing the bandages, He Teng gave Zhilan the ointment that she previously had brought for him, suggesting that she applies it generously to try and fade the scar as much as possible.
That evening, while He Teng was getting food from the canteen for Zhilan, the Battalion Commander summoned him. Upon arriving at the Commander’s office, He Teng learned that General Gu had personally made a phone call.
"Is it about my wife?" He Teng asked in a low voice. After receiving the Commander’s nod, he took the phone and began, "Good day, General Gu. This is He Teng!"
"Right. How’s your injury? I heard you’ve recovered quite well and have joined the usual training. Excellent! The army needs soldiers like you!"