After hearing this, Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun looked at each other and let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to stay up all night writing self-criticism reports.
"I never imagined Lin Shu’s mother-in-law would be so terrifying." On the way back, Ning Songyun still felt a shiver down her spine when she recalled the old woman.
"If it were anyone else whose son had sacrificed his life, only to find out their only grandson would soon be calling another man 'dad,' they wouldn't exactly sit by quietly."
"That’s true, but Lin Shu and that man surnamed Lu are going to be infamous throughout the entire military district now."
"Even if they weren't, that old woman would have made sure they were." Zhao Yu was all too familiar with this routine.
"Is that old woman really going to keep making a scene? Yuyu, how do you know all this so clearly?" Ning Songyun asked, feeling curious.
Zhao Yu didn't speak; she just gave a faint smile. In her past life, she had been the one subjected to the old woman’s tantrums, and she had suffered greatly for it. The villagers had pointed fingers at her, and in the end, she had to pay a significant amount of money and promise to bring the child over for them to see every single day just to put the matter to rest. Lu Jing, upon finding out, had only remembered her indecisiveness, saying she should have just paid up and agreed to bring the child over sooner.
The two villages were not close to each other—it was a fifty-kilometer round trip. But Lu Jing had never even considered such things. Zhao Yu would finish cooking breakfast for his parents, go out to work in the fields to earn work points, and after finishing dinner, she would still have to walk tens of kilometers while carrying the child.
"In short, just wait and see; this isn't over." After saying this, Zhao Yu pulled Ning Songyun along. "Let’s hurry back. If they do a room check and see we aren't there, we'll get docked points."
"Right, right! Let’s hurry!"
Unfortunately, they didn't make it back to the dormitory. As soon as they reached the bottom of the building, they saw a figure pacing anxiously.
"Comrade Ning!" When the man saw them, he quickly hurried over. "You're finally back!"
"Brother Li? Why are you here? Did my father send you?" Ning Songyun recognized him as her father's aide-de-camp. Terrified that something might have happened, she gripped Zhao Yu’s arm tightly.
"The Old Chief is fine; it's your sister." The aide glanced at his watch. "I'll explain on the way. Let's go to the hospital first!"
"Go ahead," Zhao Yu patted Ning Songyun on the shoulder. "I’ll ask for leave for you."
Ning Songyun nodded distractedly, her footsteps unsteady as she followed the aide away.
Not long after Zhao Yu returned to the dormitory, the platoon leader conducting the check arrived. After clarifying Ning Songyun's situation, Zhao Yu lay on her bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Her mind kept flashing between the face of Wang Jianguo’s mother and the panicked look on Ning Songyi’s face. Unable to bear it, she got up, pushed open the window, and looked up at the stars.
After a long while, Zhao Yu murmured, "He’s probably at the hospital right now, too... Goodness, why am I thinking of him? Sleep, just sleep."
Ning Songyun stayed at the hospital all night and didn't return. After breakfast, Zhao Yu found herself losing focus repeatedly during training. She had never had friends in the Cultural and Art Troupe before, and after marrying Lu Jing, her life had been entirely consumed by domestic chores. In this lifetime, she had suddenly gained a sisterly friend in Ning Songyun, and in just a few short days, she had grown accustomed to her presence. Now that she was gone, she felt unexpectedly lonely and worried.
When the afternoon training ended, Zhao Yu bought two cans of yellow peaches and a few pounds of apples at the supply and marketing cooperative before heading to the hospital. After searching through the wards for about ten minutes, she heard Ning Songyun’s shouts.
Zhao Yu quickened her pace toward the sound. Pushing the door open, she saw Ning Songyun hugging a gaunt, heavily pregnant woman, both of them sobbing. Ning Songyi stood blocking the hospital bed with a grim expression, his eyes locked firmly on a group of men and women standing nearby.
"Yuyu? Why are you here?" Ning Songyun hadn't expected Zhao Yu to show up.
"I came to check on you and see if there was anything I could help with." Zhao Yu walked in as she spoke and placed the items she was carrying onto a small table. "Why are you crying like this?"
"The young girl just doesn't understand the way of the world!" Before Ning Songyun could speak, one of the well-dressed women standing among those Ning Songyi was blocking interjected.
Ning Songyi, upon hearing this, immediately reached out, grabbed the man hiding behind the woman, and dragged him out, throwing him into the hallway.
"Hey! What are you doing! Let go!" Seeing her son thrown out, the woman rushed out after him in a panic.
Ning Songyi glanced back at Zhao Yu and reached out to close the hospital door. Moments later, sounds of pleading and crying drifted in, along with a nurse shouting, "Don't hit people!"
"I'm sorry, please excuse the scene," the woman on the hospital bed said, smiling weakly. "Thank you for all the care you've shown Songyun. My name is Ning Songxu; I am Songyun's sister."
"It's no trouble at all, Sister Ning." Zhao Yu sat on the stool with a smile, as if the commotion outside didn't exist. "The Troupe Leader and Songyun usually take care of me much more than I do them. I should be the one thanking them."
Ning Songxu nodded, her eyes filled with warmth but also an inexplicable sadness. "With a good friend like you by Songyun's side, I can rest easier even if I'm no longer here."
"Sister! What are you saying!" Ning Songyun couldn't bear to hear this and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You’re going to be just fine!"
Ning Songxu didn't speak, only nodded, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. "You're right."
Seeing her sister crying like that, Ning Songyun began wiping away her own tears as well. Zhao Yu gently patted Ning Songyun’s back. "Stop crying. Look, the more you cry, the harder Sister Ning cries."
"I... I can't help it." Ning Songyun sniffled, then let out a hiccup from her sobbing.
The distraction made both Ning Songyun and Ning Songxu finally break into a laugh. At that moment, Ning Songyi opened the door and walked in. Seeing the three of them looking at each other and smiling, his expression eased.
"Songyun, why don't you go back with Comrade Zhao?"
"No way! I need to stay with my sister."
"Be obedient!" Ning Songyi’s brows were furrowed. "Dad is coming over later, too. We're here; we won't let them bully our sister."
"That's right, Songyun, go back. If you stay out too long, it won't be easy to explain to the Cultural and Art Troupe." Ning Songxu patted Ning Songyun’s hand. "Go on."
No matter how reluctant Ning Songyun was, her brother and sister were adamant. She could only stomp her feet in frustration before leaving with Zhao Yu.
Back at the dormitory, Ning Songyun couldn't control her emotions and collapsed onto her bed, crying until she was out of breath. Zhao Yu had originally felt that this was a private family matter for the Nings and that, as a friend, she shouldn't pry. But seeing Ning Songyun in such a state made it impossible not to be concerned.
She sat on the edge of Ning Songyun’s bed. "Songyun, what exactly is going on?"
"They are just too bullying."
Ning Songyun buried her face in Zhao Yu’s arms and cried for a long time before she could speak through her sobs.
"Who? Those people in the ward today?"
"That’s exactly who!" Ning Songyun suddenly raised her voice.
"What on earth happened?"