"I'd thought that, since you're a soldier of Azure, you were bound to have a few scars on you. I'd just heard so much about you, so I figured I'd take a casual look... thinking that after fighting your way through, you'd surely have a few bad spots... but I never expected there would be so many."
Ran Qiuling was a soldier, a battlefield veteran, so the way she looked at wounds was different from the doctors and nurses. She could directly reconstruct the scenes of battle in her mind—how blades had slashed across, pierced through, how flesh and blood had been torn open to leave behind scar after scar like this.
Everything became concrete. Even a veteran accustomed to bloodshed could not help being moved, realizing that those glorious exploits, summed up by others in just a few brief sentences, had in truth been carved out by a pair of hands with two blades, endured by a single body of flesh and blood.
When it came to Han Qingyu, this was something few people ever thought about or noticed—including himself and those around him.
And so, there seemed to be a peculiar cycle at work.
From start to finish, the memory clearest and deepest in Han Qingyu's mind had always been the long scar on Ran Qiuling's forearm. She had once clenched that hand into a fist, smilingly threatening him on his very first day in Azure. Later, upon parting, it was that same hand she had used, stroking his cheek like an older sister touching her younger brother... Just like that, two people who hadn't known each other well had built a bond of warmth and care between them in this cruel world... a shared unspoken vow to fight hard and survive.
Now they had finally met again. The awkward, earnest youth of back then was already an Azure warrior forged like steel and seasoned in blood.
"Yet I hear he's still just as wooden—wooden enough to be called 'dead iron' by everyone else." A moment ago, Ran Qiuling had listened to the nurses describe him in every detail, and hearing it had nearly made her die of exasperation and worry for him.
So even when her eyes had welled with tears, as an elder sister, she hadn't forgotten to set things straight on her little brother's behalf before all the doctors and nurses. It was as though she worried that if he kept going like this, no one would ever want him.
"Sister, can I put my shirt back on now?"
A few seconds later, Han Qingyu asked with his back turned. His voice was somewhat meek, tinged with anxious, helpless pleading—completely mismatched with the scars covering his back, and equally mismatched with his formidable reputation.
Now this was the dead iron straight man on his best behavior. Ha, a rare glimpse of a completely different Han Qingyu! Thinking this, the doctors and nurses of Station 101 couldn't hold back their laughter.
Ran Qiuling felt like laughing too. Wiping her eyes, she let out a chuckle and said, "Put it on, put it on. Isn't your build nice enough? What's the harm in letting everyone have a look?... Quick, you all should take another look. If anyone's interested, feel free to touch, too."
Amid a roar of laughter, Han Qingyu hastily pulled his clothes on. He turned around looking rather awkward, looked at Ran Qiuling, and scrambled for something to say: "Sister, you cut your hair?"
"Yeah, but Sister looks even prettier with short hair—spirited and valiant, too," Wen Jifei chimed in eagerly, having just gathered his wits.
"Short hair is more practical on the front line. When I rotate back for leave, I'll grow it out again." Ran Qiuling first answered Han Qingyu, then turned to glance at Wen Jifei. "You're the only one with such a sweet tongue—makes people pleased just hearing it. But I hear you've become quite the playboy, haven't you? Let me tell you, you're not allowed to go around teasing and bullying girls. The girls in Azure are all terribly stubborn in love."
Wen Jifei thought to himself that he was clearly just providing warmth, but he didn't argue. With an awkward laugh, he answered right away, "Understood! I'll remember it, won't dare do it again."
In truth, by this point both of them had noticed that Ran Qiuling hadn't gotten out of bed once. They were afraid and hadn't dared to ask, but in the end they couldn't hold back. "Sister, is your injury serious?"
"It's alright." Ran Qiuling was open and casual about it, pulling back half of the blanket with her own hands to reveal a leg encased in plaster. "This leg was broken in a few places... Not severed, though. It'll heal. Don't worry."
This was the result of being caught by a Great Spike's column sword in her last battle. She made no mention of that fight, for bringing it up would mean talking about those who were already gone.
As she spoke, Ran Qiuling was afraid Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei would press for details.
But Wen Jifei was extraordinarily sharp; a single look at her eyes told him this was something best left unasked. If they truly wanted to know, they could simply call the regiment headquarters later.
Tugging Han Qingyu's sleeve, he said, "Sister, why don't you join our squad once you recover from this injury? Squad 1777—Qingzi and the rest are all amazing fighters now, slicing through enemies like chopping vegetables."
"Is that so? That's wonderful." Ran Qiuling smiled with relief, but shook her head. "Still, I can't go. My comrades are all waiting for me to come back. Since we're in the area covered by the same medical station, we can't be too far apart. Come over and visit sometime in the future, alright?"
Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei both nodded. In the meantime, Liu Shiheng had returned from the living quarter with two large bags of fruit, snacks, and nutritional tonics—not only for Ran Qiuling, but enough for everyone present.
After chatting for another hour or so, Ran Qiuling urged them to head back, worried they might have business to attend to.
"Though if I let you off without picking on you even a little, it wouldn't sound right if word got back to the regiment, would it? How about this—before you go, put on a performance for everyone and sing a song?"
Having veterans pull recruits over to perform a talent was also a tradition, Ran Qiuling suddenly remembered.
This put Han Qingyu in a terrible bind. He pleaded earnestly for quite a while before finally being let off the hook. As they said their goodbyes, Ran Qiuling called out behind them with special instructions:
"You'll probably be staying for a few days this time, won't you? While you're here, remember to be warmer and friendlier to all the doctors, nurses, sisters, and girls... Otherwise, if they come complaining to me, I'll be giving you trouble again."
Han Qingyu obediently agreed, thinking to himself: *Haven't I always been perfectly fine? Warm and friendly? How am I supposed to be warm and friendly?*
…………
Among the wounded from Squad 1777 who had arrived this time, Wu Xu's injuries looked the most terrifying, but he was not actually the most severely injured. The worst off was a recruit named Xiao Weijie, who had broken three ribs while bringing down a Great Spike.
The medical station arranged for the three wounded from the same squad to share a single ward to make care easier. Over the next few days, Han Qingyu and the others spent most of their time sitting in that room.
The ward door was open. A young nurse who had crossed paths with them earlier walked past, fished a small pear from her pocket, gave a jaunty "Hey!", and tossed it inside. Watching Han Qingyu reach out and catch it, she asked, "These are wild, sour and sweet. We picked them on the mountain ourselves. Are you afraid of sour things?"
Remembering Ran Qiuling's admonition and warning, Han Qingyu hurried to shake his head with a smile. "Not at all. Thank you."
With that, he took a bite. It really was tart and sweet, quite distinctive.
"That's good, then." The young nurse tossed a few more in as she spoke, making sure everyone in the room got one. "If you like them, I can take you up to pick some later."
Han Qingyu quickly nodded. "Sure, whenever you have free time, we'd love that."
Not long after that nurse left, several more young nurses arrived at the ward...
Over the next few days, they followed a group of doctors and nurses up the mountain to pick wild fruit. The young nurses even helped cut their hair. And whenever it was time to eat, people would sit around their table, chatting away together.
Chapter 205