April on Earth, a Hint of Joy (46) Part 1

Before Zhao Dailin could finish, Yu Hao had already gotten up and rushed out.

She left Zhao Dailin and Professor Han on the phone looking at each other in dismay. Professor Han had a suspicious expression and asked Zhao Dailin, "What's wrong with that girl?"

Zhao Dailin continued to organize the materials without looking up.

"They had a fight."

Professor Han was speechless, but he was open-minded about it. "They're both young, it's normal."

Zhao Dailin suddenly looked up at him. "What on earth did you ask Shen Xiyuan to come here for?"

Professor Han: "To deliver materials."

Zhao Dailin raised an eyebrow. "Deliver materials? Then why is he pestering Yu Hao every day? How could Lu Huaizheng not get angry seeing that? Look, he hasn't come to see Yu Hao for several days."

Professor Han sighed. "Wasn't he going to Yunnan for research? I happened to be on the phone with you that day, so I gave him all the materials I had on hand and asked him to bring them to you all at once to save time."

Zhao Dailin put down what she was holding, still somewhat unconvinced. "Why do I feel like this arrangement of yours is a bit strange?"

Professor Han finally stopped hiding it and smiled. "How come you have a nose like a dog's?"

Zhao Dailin became alert, her brow furrowing. "Is something really going on?"

Professor Han's smile vanished, replaced by a melancholy expression. He nodded slightly. "Don't you worry about it. I heard Little Shen suffered a bit on this trip. I'll treat you all to a meal when he gets back. Bring Lu Huaizheng along too."

Zhao Dailin grumbled, "He's not free."

...

On her way to find Lu Huaizheng, Yu Hao ran into Shen Xiyuan coming from the opposite direction.

They met head-on. Shen Xiyuan stopped her. "Where are you going?"

Yu Hao moved past him and saw Sun Kai gathering a group of people at the entrance. The front of the line had already started to move out, but she didn't see Lu Huaizheng. Anxious, she yelled in that direction, "Sun Kai!"

Sun Kai heard her and looked over, halting his step.

She quickly said to Shen Xiyuan, "Senior Brother, I have something to do," and ran towards Sun Kai.

Sun Kai stood where he was and waited for her to run over, full of patience.

"Looking for me?"

Yu Hao nodded, her eyes scanning the area. Not seeing him, she blurted out, "Where's Lu Huaizheng?"

Sun Kai looked at her with a grin and said, "He's getting medicine from Shao Feng."

"Is he going with you guys too?"

"Obviously." Sun Kai was still smiling. He jerked his chin back, pointing at Shen Xiyuan in the distance. "So you remember our Huaizheng now. Your Senior Brother is still waiting for you back there."

His words were too sarcastic. Yu Hao looked at him, bewildered. "What?"

As soon as Sun Kai finished speaking, he saw Lu Huaizheng approaching from behind. He tactfully shut his mouth and said no more, gesturing backward with his eyes. "He's back."

Yu Hao turned around.

She saw Lu Huaizheng coming out of the administrative office, dressed in standard camouflage, wearing a helmet, and all bundled up. He walked slowly toward them from across the tree-lined path. The sun made him squint, but he walked extremely fast. His gaze was still nonchalant; he didn't even glance at Shen Xiyuan standing to the side. As he came down the steps, he habitually bounced on the balls of his feet a few times.

When he reached them, he handed the approval form in his hand to Sun Kai.

Sun Kai held up the approval form and flicked it lightly in Yu Hao's direction, clicking his tongue twice, as if to say, 'Look at how busy he's been these past few days.' Yu Hao glanced at it and saw clearly that it was Shen Xiyuan's approval to stay in the Military Region.

In front of Lu Huaizheng, Sun Kai didn't say any more nonsense, took the form, and left.

Only the two of them were left.

Yu Hao stood frozen, not knowing whether to leave or stay. The words on the tip of her tongue felt stuck. The hot sun beat down on the back of her neck, burning like it had been scalded with boiling water.

She gritted her teeth and finally forced out, "What exactly do you mean?"

Lu Huaizheng didn't turn around. Facing her sideways, the corner of his mouth lifted in a self-deprecating smile. "I don't mean anything."

"Then are we still a thing?" she asked, looking up.

Lu Huaizheng felt he had never been so aggrieved in his life. He was furious with no outlet. Licking the corner of his mouth, he shoved his hands into his pockets, his jaw clenching with restraint. He didn't speak.

Yu Hao mumbled with her head down, "So we're just calling it quits?"

He said coldly, "Yeah, let's call it quits."

Yu Hao stood there stunned, her limbs stiff and numb. His words sounded piercing. Her knuckles, hanging by her side, turned white as she clenched her fists.

And at that moment, Shen Xiyuan had walked over at some point.

Shen Xiyuan had walked over at some point.

"It seems I've caused trouble for you." Shen Xiyuan turned to look at Yu Hao. "I was just about to tell you, the institute called. I have to leave this afternoon." Then he looked at Lu Huaizheng and said, "I might have to trouble Captain Lu to arrange a car to take me down the mountain."

Lu Huaizheng tossed out a sentence, "Ask Instructor Tang for one. I won't be around; he'll arrange team matters." He left after speaking.

Shen Xiyuan had already packed his luggage. Instructor Tang arranged a car for him, and he went upstairs to get his things before coming back down.

Seeing Yu Hao waiting downstairs, he said to her, "You don't have to see me off."

Yu Hao hadn't planned on seeing him off anyway. Hearing him say that made it a little awkward, and she gave a vague nod.

Shen Xiyuan put his luggage aside, looked at her for a long while, and sighed. "Do you need me to explain things to Lu Huaizheng?"

Yu Hao shook her head. "No need."

In truth, she hadn't figured out what to say yet.

She really didn't know how to begin stringing all these things together to tell him.

Shen Xiyuan nodded.

"Then take care of yourself. I'll talk to Professor Han and think of something after I get back."

"Thanks."

After speaking, he subconsciously reached out to pat Yu Hao's head again. Both of them froze. Shen Xiyuan's hand stopped in mid-air, his fingers curling slightly before he finally pulled his hand back. He asked with a wry smile, "Are all soldiers this fierce?"

In the canteen that day, Lu Huaizheng had given Yu Hao plenty of face by not kicking the stool right in front of them. But he was in a rage at the time and ultimately couldn't control his strength. The earth-shattering bang was so loud that not just the two of them, but even Instructor Tang in the instructional building heard it.

Yu Hao shook her head. "He's usually very gentle. He's only like this when he's angry."

He's truly fierce when angry.

Shen Xiyuan sighed. "Still too fierce. I'm worried he might hit you in the future."

"..."

Lu Huaizheng and Sun Kai had just gotten the squad settled. Lu Huaizheng ordered everyone to rest in place for ten minutes.

The verdant grass was like a dark green carpet, lush and vibrant. Behind them was a grove of green trees, shrouded in a light mist like a glass dome, making it especially quiet and refreshing. Across the border line ahead was Gouxite (politically sensitive, fictional country).

Sun Kai brought a bottle of water over and handed it to him, then parted the grass and sat down beside him.

Lu Huaizheng took it but didn't open it, just held it in his hand. With his knees bent and legs spread, he lowered his head to tease a rabbit that had appeared from who-knows-where in front of him.

"Where did it come from?"

In front of Lu Huaizheng were a couple of blades of grass that looked like scallions. He fed them to the rabbit one by one, shaking his head as he answered, "Don't know. It was here when we arrived."

Sun Kai twisted open his water, took a big gulp, and leaned over to tease the rabbit with him, half-jokingly saying, "It might even be a Gouxite rabbit."

Just as his hand touched Lu Huaizheng's shoulder, Chen Rui ran over, his rifle held at his chest. "There's a situation up ahead!"

The two men on the ground exchanged a look. Lu Huaizheng tossed the grass aside, picked up his hat from the side, put it on, and got up to leave.

War raged continuously in Gouxite. Even from across the border, they could hear the earth-shattering thunder from the other side. The horizon was lined with incendiary bombs, black smoke billowed, and a hail of bullets rained down. The people were destitute. And many Gouxite refugees were pouring across the border into Chinese territory.

With the influx of refugees, this South Bank Crossing had been sealed off by Old Tang a few days ago, but many refugees still continued to make their way here.

Chen Rui had just stopped a family of five or six during his patrol and didn't know what to do. He reported to Lu Huaizheng, "If we let them in, I'm afraid there'll be trouble. If we send them back, they're sure to die. It's like sending them back to their deaths. Captain, what should we do..."

Lu Huaizheng stood back and looked at the family before him—a couple with their elderly mother and two young girls below them, all with sorrowful faces, begging these Chinese Soldiers to let them in.

The man wore a long, Pakistani-style robe, and the woman wore a black headscarf. They were currently speaking in low voices with Wu Heping.

Wu Heping scratched his head, looking troubled.