Sister

Wen Jifei and Han Qingyu genuinely did not know Ran Qiuling's name. During their two encounters at the regiment living base, she had never mentioned it. But she was a female squad leader—which meant a female veteran from Regiment 425. That was enough. Moreover, since she had asked for them by name, it was obvious they had met before. Azure was vast, and partings were far too frequent; a seemingly simple reunion like this was actually a rare occurrence. As for who she was specifically, they could not immediately tell. Back in their recruit days, whenever they dared walk down the road, they would constantly be called over for a lecture and ordered to do manual chores—at least dozens of times. There was no way to remember them all. On the spot, Wen Jifei, Liu Shiheng, and Han Qingyu unconsciously exchanged glances. Their eyes held a guilty hesitation, feeling an uncontrollable nervousness just like back at the 425 living base. Even Han Qingyu, who never got nervous when killing people, felt tense. Having moved past their recruit days, they no longer felt anything special toward veterans of other regiments. Yet toward the veterans of Regiment 425—especially the female soldiers—that almost innate fear, a conditioned reflex like a mouse seeing a cat, had inexplicably endured to this day. As the entire army's most famous bachelor regiment, and the one with the fewest female soldiers, the status of Regiment 425's female soldiers was exceptionally high. "What does the female squad leader want with us?" Wen Jifei asked cautiously. *To have you go over and become recruits again to get bullied! That's right—even Han Qingyu had a time as a recruit when he got pushed around. Just thinking about it is so fun and exciting...* Mu Xiaolan thought to herself, the corners of her mouth curling up as she said, "The squad leader said she misses you." *Misses bullying you,* she added in her head. "Is... is that so?" "Mm, follow me." Mu Xiaolan could already tell they were cowed. Han Qingyu was cowed! Ha, a rush of smugness and excitement surged through her, and she turned and walked off with her chin held high. "Al—all right." Full of unease, the three followed behind Mu Xiaolan down the stairs, arrived at the inpatient department, and headed upstairs again. Why did there seem to be quite a lot of people in the hallway and the ward? Inside the hospital room, Ran Qiuling had just listened to the nurses chattering about the various exploits of Han Qingyu and the others. Having been stationed deep in the mountains before, she had rarely heard news unrelated to military intelligence. Now that she was finally hearing it, one moment she was laughing hysterically, the next she was fuming with indignation, and the next her eyes grew red as hot blood surged through her veins, her heart brimming with emotion. It was that silly boy who, when bidding farewell, had said, *"Stay alive, and the sisters too, until we meet next time."* He had truly made something of himself. So amazing! *But do you know? Two of the sisters present back then will never be able to see you again. And I barely made it myself...* "Is he really that wooden now?" Striving to pull herself out of her sorrow, Ran Qiuling smiled and said reminiscently, "No way. On his very first day at the Regiment 425 base, he leaned over the truck's tailgate staring at female soldiers, and even looked at the underwear hanging out to dry upstairs. His eyes were so straight, so bright!" The dead iron straight man Han Qingyu had actually leaned over the truck tailgate staring at female soldiers on his first day of enlistment? And even... stared at underwear?! This was too unexpected, too sensational, and far too perfect for gossip! The young nurses dissolved into giggles and asked, "Really?" "Really! Because of that, several of us female soldiers almost dragged him down and gave him a beating back then." As Ran Qiuling spoke, just as they had threatened Han Qingyu and the others when they were peeking from the back of the truck back then, she raised her hand and brandished a fist—just as footsteps reached the doorway. Han Qingyu rounded the doorframe and caught sight of the female squad leader. Light instantly sparked in his eyes. A smile surfaced at the corners of his lips. Although no specific name had remained in his memory, the reality was that the impression Ran Qiuling and those few female soldiers had left on him had always been vivid and wonderful. That had been his very beginning in Azure. Back then, having just witnessed the brutal battle between Squad 752 and the Great Spike, and having been coerced into enlisting at knife-point by Lao Jian, his imagination of Azure had been entirely dark, cold, cruel, and bloody. It was precisely that day—the arms, fists, and skirt hems fluttering behind the truck, along with the laughter and mock threats of Azure's female soldiers—that caused Azure to become vivid, lively, and vibrant in his eyes. Like radiant sunshine piercing through the darkness. Later, during their second and final encounter, the female soldiers were leaving the regiment living base. Han Qingyu and his friends had unexpectedly become the ones seeing them off, watching with their own eyes as the women jumped onto the truck heading back to the front line, waving goodbye. He had truly hoped they would meet again. And now they had! *Snap!* Without any communication, the three snapped to attention and saluted in unison at the ward doorway the very next instant. Just like when they had first met the female squad leaders back then. Ran Qiuling looked at them. She was the handsome, spirited sort of girl, sporting short hair and bright eyes. A radiant smile graced her face, yet she deliberately adopted a stern expression and said, "You only know how to salute, not how to address your seniors? How long have you been enlisted?" This was their standard opening line back at the living base whenever they picked on recruits. "Hello, Squad Leader!" the three shouted in unison at the doorway. "What? Just 'Squad Leader'? As recruits, your mouths were so sweet, and now that you've made a name for yourselves, all you remember is that I'm a squad leader, is that it?" Ran Qiuling pouted, grumbling in mock grievance. "Sister," Han Qingyu said. He had no sisters, yet now he suddenly felt as though he did. "Sister." "Sister." Three calls of "Sister." Memories flashed back and forth, and a faint mist rose in Ran Qiuling's eyes. Composing herself, she smiled and answered, "Mm." "I missed you... We missed you all very much." At the doorway, Han Qingyu unexpectedly added another line. That sentence left all the doctors and nurses present utterly dumbfounded. Was this still that dead iron straight man? No way, right? Was this fake? Had he lost his mind? Ran Qiuling, however, knew why he said it, because she remembered that scene back then just as clearly. Right then, she gave a teasing smile and asked, "Miss me for what? Your sister already has someone in her heart." "Just... wanted to see you." "I see. Well, now you've seen me." Holding back from mentioning that two of the female soldiers present back then had already sacrificed their lives, Ran Qiuling smiled and said, "I remember we agreed back then that if we met again, I wouldn't bully you... But what should I do if my hands are itching?" Sure enough, here it came. Tension mounted within Han Qingyu and the other two. None of them dared utter a sound, each praying that misfortune would not fall upon himself. "Come over here, you." Han Qingyu walked over. He stood by the hospital bed. Ran Qiuling tilted her head back and reached out, forming her fingers into a pinching motion, but when her hand finally landed on Han Qingyu's face, she merely stroked it gently—just as she had in the end back then, like an elder sister caressing her younger brother's cheek. "You really made something of yourself. Sister just heard so many of your stories." Ran Qiuling suddenly thought of how wonderful it would be if everyone were here, and said, "You little brat, you really made your sisters proud." Han Qingyu had no comeback for that, only offering a smile. "Take off your shirt," Ran Qiuling said suddenly. "Huh?" "Take off your shirt. Can't your sister have a look? Isn't it totally normal for a guy to go bare-chested?" "Right... okay." Han Qingyu turned his back and took off his shirt. In an instant, the entire room fell dead silent. This was a super rookie. In less than a single year, he had achieved glorious combat feats—and in less than a single year, he had become covered in scars. Even though he had shed his skin twice, most of the scars left behind by Han Qingyu's battles had still not faded. Looking at his back now, they were densely packed and shocking to behold. "Next time you call him a dead iron straight man, remember," Ran Qiuling said. "He truly is a piece of iron."