The Rich Spring of the Southern Dynasties, Storms in the Wind and Rain Tower (2)

The department was quiet, so quiet that almost the only sound was the rustling of leaves outside the window.

Zhao Dailin had never seen Yu Hao so angry; it truly startled her.

Yu Hao wasn't good at arguing with people and had never even spoken loudly before. Zhao Dailin watched her clenching her teeth fiercely now, a truly rare sight. Her eyes were so red they looked as if they might drip blood. It seemed she was genuinely angry. Zhao Dailin looked at Yu Hao suspiciously, at first a little disbelieving. Di Yanni's professional level wasn't bad; she was the most famous among their peers, partly because she liked to be in the public eye, giving lecture tours all over the country.

"Is it that exaggerated?"

Zhao Dailin said as she reached for the file on the desk. She opened it and scanned a few lines, her expression gradually turning grave. By the time she reached the last line, her brow was tightly furrowed. Turning her head, she slammed the report forcefully on the table.

Zhao Dailin crossed her arms and thought resentfully for three seconds before voicing an idea that made Yu Hao's blood run cold:

"I think we need to report this to our superiors."

"Di Yanni must have been using Lu Huaizheng as an experiment at the time," Zhao Dailin said. "Do you remember? In January 2014, she published a paper on PTSD where she discussed dissociative and non-dissociative types. In that paper, she overturned all previous scientific research on dissociative and non-dissociative types, insisting that there was only one type of PTSD: the dissociative type. Professor Han even showed us that paper back then and had you write an analysis and treatment plan for PTSD types from your perspective. Di Yanni has always wanted her research to be recognized in the academic field. She has always been eager to overthrow the conclusions of her predecessors and forge a new path in research. I don't believe she can't distinguish between dissociative and non-dissociative types. This isn't the first or second time she's used patients for experiments. Lu Huaizheng is a soldier; if problems arise in the next two years, who will be responsible? If this is true, Di Yanni must have her license suspended."

...

At that time, Lu Huaizheng and Li Hongwen had already arrived in Hunan. The soldiers were lined up to welcome them. Lu Huaizheng, dressed in his service uniform, got out of the vehicle behind Li Hongwen. A few young soldiers in the ranks were like geese, craning their necks to see Lu Huaizheng behind Li Hongwen, their eyes shining with excitement.

They met every year for competitions, so Lu Huaizheng knew most of them. He stood beside Li Hongwen and scanned them one by one. Each face was glistening with sweat. Judging by their expressions, they were eagerly anticipating what was to come, unable to hide their restlessness.

The squadron leader was named Xu Xu. Seeing Lu Huaizheng, he came forward and gave him a big, enthusiastic hug. The two had been classmates at the Military Academy. After graduation, one stayed in Beijing while the other went to Hunan.

Xu Xu was from Henan, with a square-jawed face, dark and thin. His eyes were small, disappearing when he smiled.

Lu Huaizheng's looks were indeed rare among soldiers. Every time Xu Xu saw him, he couldn't help but tease, "How are you still so pale?"

In fact, he had gotten much tanner; his arms even had three different shades. Back in high school, he was truly pale, like a pretty boy. Lu Huaizheng shook his head, tapped Xu Xu with his hat, and said with a laugh, "Can't be like you, tanned into a lump of coal."

This got Xu Xu worked up, and his dialect slipped out, "This is healthy."

Xu Xu tended to slip into his dialect when he got anxious. Back in school, a few of his roommates loved to imitate his dialect, using all sorts of intonations. Lu Huaizheng, Sun Kai, and the other guys from Beijing didn't like to make fun of how people spoke. Xu Xu was an honest person, and Lu Huaizheng couldn't stand seeing honest people being bullied. Sometimes, if someone bullied Xu Xu by imitating his dialect, they would all swarm and attack that person.

Although they would occasionally trade a few jabs among brothers, Xu Xu was the type of person who could distinguish between good-natured teasing and malice, and he had always treated Lu Huaizheng and Sun Kai as brothers.

"Where's Sun Kai?" Xu Xu asked casually.

"In Yunnan."

Lu Huaizheng answered distractedly.

Li Hongwen was still making small talk with the instructor. By now, the night was completely dark. The patrol lights swept past. Lu Huaizheng squinted and scanned his surroundings, then casually asked Xu Xu, "What time is it?"

"Now?" Xu Xu turned to ask the person next to him, then turned back and told him, "Seven o'clock."

Lu Huaizheng calculated the time. Chen Rui should have arrived at Kunming Airport by now. The item should reach her hands tonight.

He had specially gone back to his old family home during the Qingming Festival to get it.

If she had seen it earlier, she would have understood and could have waited for his return with peace of mind.

...

Early the next day, at the crack of dawn.

When Yu Hao got up to wash, she passed the stairwell and heard rhythmic and cheerful 'thump, thump, thump' footsteps coming up the stairs. She casually slung a towel over her shoulder, glanced down, and froze.

The towel slipped and fell into the basin. She stared blankly at Chen Rui's face.

Chen Rui greeted her with a wide smile, "Dr. Yu."

Yu Hao hummed in acknowledgment, clearly feeling her heart begin to pound fiercely. She asked, "Where is he?"

Chen Rui said, "He's not back yet."

"..."

'Then what are you doing up here.'

"Oh." Yu Hao picked up the towel again and, holding the basin, prepared to leave.

Chen Rui hurried forward to stop her. Not daring to get too close, he voluntarily took a step back and then explained, "He went to Hunan with a superior. It might be a few days before he's back, probably two days will do."

"Okay, thank you for telling me." Yu Hao was very polite.

Chen Rui was puzzled. This Dr. Yu had a 'keep your distance' air with everyone. How on earth did the captain get involved with her? It was a miracle.

With this in mind, he took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "The captain asked me to bring this to you."

Yu Hao looked down.

In Chen Rui's broad, thick palm lay a small, black corduroy pouch, the kind once used to hold puppets. It was quite heavy when lifted. It was clearly very old; the label on it had been completely worn away.

Chen Rui was just like a messenger; he left right after delivering the item, not lingering at all.

Yu Hao took the item back to her room, put down the washbasin, and placed it on the table. Resting her chin on her hand, she examined it from all sides out of boredom. It was so covered in dust it looked like it was about to grow a layer of cobwebs. She reckoned it was probably older than the two of them combined.

She opened it carefully.

The top of the bag was a bit tight. As Yu Hao untied the thin, white satin ribbon that sealed it, a cloud of dust scattered across the table.

Yu Hao grew more certain that this was something that belonged to his grandfather.

When she held the mouth of the bag and tilted it slightly, eager to pour out the contents all at once, she was stunned.

First reaction—what is this stuff?

Second reaction—it looks a little familiar.

When she finally realized what it was, her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her face.

In high school, she used to do sand painting and had even participated in a city-wide competition. She used ordinary sand and later complained to Lu Huaizheng that regular yellow sand looked too monotonous, and it would be great if the sand had colors.

It was truly just an offhand comment.

At the time, the high-spirited teenager had put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Just you wait for me. I'll get you a bag before the finals."

In truth, Yu Hao had only taken it as a joke at the time and hadn't given it much thought. But when the finals came, he made no mention of it. Yu Hao thought he had forgotten and was quite disappointed, but she never brought it up again.

Unexpectedly, she received it twelve years later. He had actually made it.

Yu Hao gently scooped up a handful, watching the fine, colorful sand slowly slip through her fingers. It really was colored.

...

That morning, in the blindfolded machine gun assembly competition, Lu Huaizheng broke the brigade's all-time record by loading 130 rounds in one minute. There were five people per group.

Lu Huaizheng, Xu Xu, and a few old veterans were in one group. This group was formidable, and the new recruits watched with great excitement.

Lu Huaizheng remained quite calm throughout the process. He wore a blindfold, standing there with a perfectly straight posture. The blindfold covered half his face, but it elongated his profile, making his features look sharp and clean.

His technique for assembling the gun was extremely skilled, as fluid and seamless as an assembly line. His hand speed was so fast that even Li Hongwen was stunned.

One minute was up.

Lu Huaizheng, 130 rounds.

Xu Xu, 125 rounds.

The other old veterans averaged 115 rounds.

The previous year's record was 120 rounds.

Xu Xu and Lu Huaizheng had both broken the record, which served as a wake-up call and a shot of adrenaline for the troops.

...

Yunnan Military Region.

During lunch that day, while eating, Yu Hao heard Instructor Tang talking to someone on the phone. The voice on the other end sounded like Lu Huaizheng's, so she couldn't help but prick up her ears to listen.

'Good thing I'm not a rabbit, or pricking up my ears to eavesdrop would be way too obvious.'

Instructor Tang: "Let's talk about the Myanmar matter when you get back."

"That's fine too."

"Everything's fine. When are you coming back?"

"Should we send someone down the mountain to pick you up?"

Perhaps Yu Hao was listening too intently, her ears inching closer and closer until she was almost pressed against Instructor Tang's phone receiver. Instructor Tang held his phone, looked down at Yu Hao, and called out, "Yu?"

Yu Hao was instantly startled back to reality. She shot upright, a mouthful of rice caught in her throat, unable to go up or down. Her face flushed red, and she nearly buried it in her bowl.

In the quiet canteen, the wind blew against the door, some of it leaking in and brushing against her warm face. Her breathing eased a little. She thought she heard Instructor Tang say:

"It's Dr. Yu."

'Not Dr. Yu.'

Yu Hao picked up her tray, wanting to slip away.

But Instructor Tang suddenly handed the phone over to her, his smile particularly meaningful and suggestive. "Here, Captain Lu wants to talk to you."

'You old rascal!'