Chapter 74 It Hurts So Much

Chapter 74: It Hurts

Jiang Huaiyan stood frozen in place, momentarily unable to speak.

He seemed unused to Zhu Shinian speaking so directly and did not respond immediately.

After a long pause, he finally averted his gaze, and he swallowed silently.

"So... this time you're back, how long will you stay?"

Jiang Huaiyan's voice was a little hoarse, and his attempt to change the subject was transparent.

"After you came back from the Empire, you only stayed three days before heading to the front lines. We haven't seen you in almost a month."

Realizing he had been too specific with the days, Jiang Huaiyan paused awkwardly, replacing the exact figure with "almost a month" before continuing.

Twenty-seven days.

Twenty-seven days since leaving the capital. Zhu Shinian remembered it clearly.

The plan to take the Seventeenth District took him thirty-five days to write, but he had actually executed it in twenty-five days, spent one day consolidating the gains, and another day on the road.

When Jiang Huaiyan asked how long he would stay, Zhu Shinian did not answer immediately. In these critical times, he could not afford to stay long.

Afraid that Jiang Huaiyan would be disappointed by his answer, he acted like a college student who bombed finals, always saying the grades weren't out yet, hoping to delay telling his parents.

He also wanted to spend more time with Jiang Huaiyan now that they were reunited. There were so many things he wanted to do with his brother.

When Zhu Cheng had his accident, Zhu Shinian thought, if only he could take his brother to the seaside one last time before he passed away.

Much later, Zhu Shinian thought, if only his brother could attend his graduation.

When he felt wronged, he would cowardly wish his brother were here.

When he felt happy, he would also indulge the unrealistic hope that his brother could be here.

He thought, even if it were just in a dream, let him talk to his brother a few more times, see him a few more times.

When he met Jiang Huaiyan again, Zhu Shinian felt this was the kindest gift fate could give him.

But after they truly recognized each other, the time they had actually spent together and the things they had done together were pitifully few.

He hadn't even been back to District 26 with Jiang Huaiyan once, to the old house where they grew up.

But they had no right to feel resentful.

This was a time of war. Countless families were torn apart by death, never to see their loved ones again.

Being able to see each other occasionally now was already an incredibly fortunate thing.

"I... I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"It's okay," Jiang Huaiyan said, seeing his hesitation and smiling as if it didn't matter. "Even half a day is good. These days... how many people don't even have that half day to come home."

"When the war ends, you can stay at home as long as you want. If you like it here, we'll stay here. Or we could go back to District 26. We could even get a dog then, and every night we could go for a walk together."

The end of the war would be a wonderful time, but neither of them knew how long it would take for such good days to come.

The last time Zhu Shinian left, Jiang Huaiyan didn't see him off. Not because he couldn't wake up at five in the morning, but because Zhu Shinian had been urgently recalled at one in the morning.

The next day, when Jiang Huaiyan woke up and went to knock on Zhu Shinian's door to wake him, he only saw the open door, the neatly made bed, and the open curtains.

Morning sunlight streamed in through the glass window, and several tiny specks of dust danced in the light.

The fierce battle at the front lines continued for over two full months. Zhu Shinian still wrote to Jiang Huaiyan every week, but his letters always claimed everything was fine, leading Jiang Huaiyan to suspect he was painting too rosy a picture.

Seventy-one days after Zhu Shinian left, Jiang Huaiyan personally escorted military supplies to the front.

Zhu Shinian had led the resistance in seizing supplies from many sources. Jiang Huaiyan was exceptionally cautious during the escort, always on alert, never daring to relax.

When Jiang Huaiyan's supply convoy arrived at the front, it was midnight. The moon was dark and the wind howled. The camp was eerily silent. The sentries spotted his convoy and immediately raised their guns and approached.

"Director Jiang?" a few sentries recognized Jiang Huaiyan and snapped to attention and saluted smartly. "What brings you here in person?"

"Mm-hmm, you've all worked hard."

The future leader of the resistance was personally leading the troops in battle, and a core member of the resistance's government was personally escorting supplies to the front. This was a huge morale boost for the ordinary soldiers.

Jiang Huaiyan had taken on this task with ulterior motives, of course, but he had no intention of explaining that to the soldiers. After all, judging by actions, not intentions, the result was the same, so it wasn't really deceiving anyone.

"Where is your general?"

"You want to see the General? It's so late now, the General should be asleep. Is it urgent? If it's not urgent, I can go get the General's adjutant for you. I'll tell him, and the General can come see you first thing in the morning."

"Not urgent," Jiang Huaiyan shook his head. "I'll go find the adjutant with you."

A sentry leaving his post alone would be punished, and the sentry had momentarily forgotten that. Seeing Jiang Huaiyan so considerate of him, he smiled gratefully.

The camp was not large. Temporary wooden houses and tents were crammed into the low-lying area between two mountain ridges. Everywhere were ammunition boxes and sandbags. The air reeked of gunpowder and mud.

As they walked, several soldiers squatting at their tent entrances cleaning guns looked up, recognized him, and some started to stand and salute. Jiang Huaiyan shook his head, signaling them not to bother.

The sentry led him to Zhu Shinian's temporary quarters, which were almost indistinguishable from those of the ordinary soldiers.

"Director Jiang, this is it... Where is Adjutant Wu? Is the General still not back to rest at this hour?"

The adjutant was absent, meaning the place was probably empty.

Jiang Huaiyan pushed open the door. Moonlight slipped through the crack, illuminating a small patch of floor.

The bedding on the single bed was not neatly folded. A few documents were spread on the small table by the bedside.

In the corner stood an old duffel bag, its zipper open, revealing half a folded spare uniform inside. It was probably being used by Zhu Shinian as a makeshift wardrobe.

"General Zhu might still be at the command post and hasn't returned," the sentry explained. "The General hasn't been resting much lately, often studying strategy until late. We're all worried about his health. When you see him, maybe you can tell him to take care of himself. We don't dare to say anything."

"Sometimes when we go in to deliver the morning battle report, he's still sitting there. We can't tell if he didn't sleep or just got up early..."

Jiang Huaiyan, for once, interrupted the soldier before he could finish: "Could you take me to the command post?"

"Of course," the easygoing sentry didn't take this small breach of etiquette to heart and immediately started leading him towards the command post. "I'll take you there now. When you see the General, you really should tell him to take care of his health. If his health gives out, that would be the biggest problem."

It was late at night. Apart from the patrolling soldiers, the entire camp had fallen asleep.

It didn't take much effort for Jiang Huaiyan to identify the command post as the only room still lit. The adjutant at the door recognized him, and the sentry explained Jiang Huaiyan's purpose.

Jiang Huaiyan pushed the door open and stepped inside. The moment he saw the scene before him, his entire body stiffened, and his blood ran cold.

"Zhu Shinian!"

Zhu Shinian collapsed on the ground, curled up in pain, his pale face drained of all color.

Jiang Huaiyan's mind buzzed, almost unable to think. When he came to his senses, he found himself already rushing over, scooping him up by the waist and holding him in his arms.

His hand felt warm and sticky; he belatedly realized it was Zhu Shinian's blood.

His blood soaked through the fabric of his military uniform jacket and then stained Jiang Huaiyan's entire hand.

Why was there so much blood? Hadn't the guard been at the door all along?

Who did this? Who did this to Zhu Shinian?

He would... make that person pay with his life.

Hearing Jiang Huaiyan's voice, the guard and the sentry outside were stunned. They poked their heads inside and saw the blood on Zhu Shinian, their faces went pale instantly.

"What happened to the General? I've been on guard outside the whole time, how could this..."

"Take me to the infirmary!" Jiang Huaiyan said urgently.

He wasn't polite at all, but the situation was urgent and no one would dwell on that. The two soldiers quickly escorted him to the infirmary.

Jiang Huaiyan's hands were trembling. He dared neither walk too fast nor delay too long, afraid of delaying treatment and afraid of jostling the person in his arms.

He didn't even know where Zhu Shinian was injured, or where all this blood was coming from.

Zhu Shinian was so light now. Was it because of the hardship in recent days, or because he had lost so much blood?

"Zhu Shinian," he murmured, looking at the person in his arms.

Zhu Shinian's body and blood were still warm, but maybe it was his imagination, but his body temperature seemed to be dropping second by second.

Like so many who fell on the battlefield, Zhu Shinian was also made of flesh and blood.

No matter how accurate his marksmanship or how good his stamina, he was still an ordinary man who could get shot on the battlefield, then bleed, and once he bled dry, die.

Jiang Huaiyan felt like the biggest fool in the world for realizing this only now.

Why did he help him join the resistance? Why did he let him go to the battlefield?

Even if, even if it meant letting Zhu Shinian stay by the side of that person he despised most, the one he felt could never be worthy of Zhu Shinian no matter what, it would still be better than letting him die like this on the battlefield.

Please... please don't die.

Please, wake up and answer me.

As if his plea was answered by heaven, just as the door to the infirmary was pushed open, the person in his arms moved slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Zhu Shinian's eyes opened. Eyes that should have been filled with pain suddenly lit up the moment they saw the person holding him, as if in pleasant surprise.

It was as if seeing this person before him could ease the pain in his bleeding body.

"How did you get here..." Zhu Shinian said, as if in a dream. "Am I imagining things?"

Consciousness slowly returned, and Zhu Shinian finally felt the pain, instinctively pressed his hand over his lower abdomen.

"Brother, I... my stomach hurts so much."

Author's note: