#58: Mine

Shen Yihuan was startled, then looked down at his hand gripping her ring finger and smiled, “I’ll marry you when something is wrapped around this finger.”

Lu Zhou believed Shen Yihuan wouldn’t refuse, but when he heard her words, he was still stunned.

He sat there silently for a long time, feeling his heart sink through his chest, his heartbeat strong and steady, as if it would burst through his bones.

How much he had yearned for this moment.

Outside the window, the wind swept through dry branches, creating a continuous, sweeping sound.

Under the light, the man’s usually stern features softened to an unbearable tenderness. He lowered his head, his back slightly bent, and his trembling breaths puffed against Shen Yihuan’s fingers as he inhaled.

It was a little ticklish.

Shen Yihuan didn’t pull her hand back. Instead, she raised her other hand and rubbed Lu Zhou’s hair, feeling its prickliness.

He buried his face in her palm, his voice low and hoarse: “Okay, as soon as the mission is over, I’ll buy it for you. We’ll buy whatever kind you like.”

________________________________________

Three days later, her stitches were removed.

The wound had healed very well, without inflammation. Now, it just needed to recover completely.

Shen Yihuan had her collar open, looking at the scar on her chest. In her twenty-something years, she had never had a scar, and now she had two in quick succession.

This one was just like the “cross” shaped scar on Lu Zhou’s back.

The bullet was removed by Lu Zhou, and the initial disinfection and bandaging were also done by him.

Lu Zhou stood behind her, looking at her in the mirror: “Another scar.”

Shen Yihuan smiled: “It’s quite sexy.”

“You won’t be able to wear tank tops in the summer anymore.”

Shen Yihuan glanced at him: “You don’t really like me wearing them anyway, do you?”

“I don’t really like it,” Lu Zhou said, then chuckled, his fingernail rubbing around the scar on her chest, his gaze fixed on it, “But you can wear whatever you want. I’m not your shackles.”

Shen Yihuan blinked, then smiled after realizing what he meant, and said, “What if I want a tattoo?”

Lu Zhou frowned: “Aren’t you afraid of pain?”

“I’ve experienced being shot. I don’t seem to be as afraid of pain as before.”

Hearing that made Lu Zhou’s heart ache.

He whispered: “I can’t bear for you to be in pain.”

Lu Zhou didn’t stay long; the army camp needed him.

Before he left, he washed and peeled fruit for Shen Yihuan, arranging them on a plate. After Shen Yihuan finished eating, she put on her coat and went out for a walk.

As soon as she walked downstairs, she heard a familiar voice—

“Hello, excuse me, where is Shen Yihuan’s hospital room?”

Shen Yihuan followed the sound and saw her mother standing at the hospital’s service desk. The woman wore large sunglasses on her head, a silk scarf around her neck, and short boots, looking completely out of place here.

She stood there, stunned for two seconds, before hesitantly saying, “...Mom?”

The woman turned around, her gaze sweeping up and down Shen Yihuan twice, then frowned and walked towards her: “Is your injury healed?”

“It’s healed.” Shen Yihuan pointed to the area below her shoulder: “Here.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to come to this kind of place!?”

The woman’s voice was loud and immediately attracted the attention of those around her. Shen Yihuan glanced to the side, not wanting to argue here: “Mom, why don’t you come to my room and sit for a bit first.”

Back in the ward.

Shen Yihuan poured her a cup of hot water: “Why did you suddenly come?”

“Someone called to notify me that you were injured and hospitalized.”

Shen Yihuan remembered that when she filled out the application form, there was a field requiring an emergency contact number for a relative. At the time, she hadn’t given it much thought; besides her mother, she really had no other relatives to list.

They must have called her as soon as something happened.

Now, over ten days had passed, and there hadn’t been a single call in between.

Shen Yihuan let out an “ah,” cradling the hot water cup and sitting on the edge of the bed, feeling an indescribable emotion.

Her biological daughter was shot, and her mother didn’t even call after receiving the news, probably still angry that she had taken it upon herself to come to Xinjiang again.

“Are you planning to go back to Beijing?” the woman asked.

“No, I’m not.”

The woman frowned: “You’re just going to stay here? Because of that captain?”

Shen Yihuan took a deep breath: “Mom, what can I do if I go back? Do I have to have dinner with those people you arrange for me again? Since you’ve never given me a home, now that someone is willing to give me a home, what right do you have to make decisions for me?”

Shen’s mother scoffed, throwing her bag onto the bed, the metal chains making a harsh sound.

“What can he give you! He can’t even protect you, he let you get shot! Is this something ordinary people encounter? I think if you’re with him, you’ll sooner or later lose your life!”

Shen Yihuan couldn’t bear anyone speaking about Lu Zhou like that.

But as she got angry, the wound on her shoulder throbbed faintly with the rise and fall of her chest.

She was silent for a long time, and finally, she actually laughed.

She sighed, sat back down: “Mom, do you know, I had a really hard time when I was alone abroad. I couldn’t sleep all night, and I couldn’t eat.”

“While I was there, I lost fifteen pounds in a month.”

Shen Yihuan was already thin, and losing another fifteen pounds made her look unhealthily gaunt.

She pursed her lips slightly, leaning back: “But even if I had to live that kind of life, I wouldn’t want to go back with you and live according to your wishes.”

Shen’s mother was uncharacteristically silent, finally asking, “What if that captain, if he were to die in the line of duty, have you considered that? What would you do for the rest of your life?”

Shen Yihuan rubbed her eyes and said, “What can I do? I’ve never expected him to be responsible for my future. He’s greater than all of us; he protects this land. He does what he has to do, and I’ll protect him.”

Shen’s mother looked at her, saying nothing.

Shen Yihuan looked straight back at her. Shen’s mother usually disliked her defying her wishes, but now she didn’t seem very angry.

Shen Yihuan had just sighed in relief, thinking she had convinced her.

Just as she was about to get up, Shen’s mother directly swung her bag at her head.

The chain whipped directly across her face.

It hurt, cold and sharp.

________________________________________

Outside the door.

Lu Youju and Madam Commander had been standing there for a while.

They initially thought Shen Yihuan had something private to discuss, so they didn’t go in, until the sounds of an argument continuously came from inside.

When the bag was thrown, Madam Commander saw it clearly through the glass on the door, immediately widened her eyes, and cursed: “What the hell is wrong with this woman?! How dare she hit my daughter?”

She said this while rolling up her sleeves, looking ready for a big fight, but her entire outfit was that of a rich lady, which made her actions even funnier.

Lu Youju frowned and stopped her hand, rebuking softly: “What are you doing!”

Madam Commander was furious: “Teaching her a lesson, what else do you think I’d be doing?”

She was also accustomed to living in the military compound and had spent decades with someone of Lu Youju’s temperament, so her temper was indeed explosive.

“She’s still the girl’s biological mother, for crying out loud!”

“Bah, have you ever seen a biological mother like this? I think Shen Yihuan calling me ‘Mom’ was quite accurate. Just for that ‘Mom,’ I have to get revenge for my daughter today!”

Lu Youju didn’t stop her anymore. Madam Commander pushed the door open with a “bang.”

The door slammed against the wall with a loud thud, and she stormed in furiously.

She pulled Shen Yihuan behind her and started yelling at Shen’s mother.

A string of words poured out without repetition, like a machine gun, her naturally high-pitched voice easily overpowering Shen’s mother’s attempts to retort.

Shen Yihuan was stunned.

Shen’s mother also paused, but quickly recovered, looking at her indifferently. After Madam Commander finished yelling, she asked, “Who are you?”

“...” Madam Commander rolled her eyes. “I’m the stepmother of that captain who you said might ‘die in the line of duty’!”

Shen’s mother looked behind her again.

Lu Youju stood behind, nodding to her, his expression serious: “I am Lu Zhou’s father.”

Shen Yihuan’s hand was held tightly by Madam Commander the whole time. She moved a little uncomfortably, lowering her voice: “Um, Auntie...”

Madam Commander turned around and slapped her hand: “You just called me Mom, why ‘Auntie’ now? Are you upset because what I said earlier was too harsh?”

“...No, it’s not.”

Shen Yihuan felt that this Madam Commander was also a formidable character...

Not in the same vein as the father and son of the Lu family.

Madam Commander smiled at her: “Then from now on, call me Mom!”

She turned back to Shen’s mother: “Commander Lu and I heard everything outside. Having a daughter isn’t just about making oneself happy. You want Yihuan to marry a rich man. Is our Lu Zhou so bad?”

Throughout, Shen Yihuan was pulled behind Madam Commander.

Over Madam Commander’s shoulder, she could see her mother’s face gradually turn cold.

Madam Commander finally said, “Since our Lu Zhou likes Yihuan, and I also like Yihuan, there’s no way I’ll let a mother like you take her away again. This young girl earns her own money and works herself, so why should she be talked to and hit like this by you? In my opinion, there’s no logic in that!”

Madam Commander acted decisively, took Shen Yihuan’s hand, picked up the jacket from the hanger, and walked out.

Shen Yihuan instinctively followed her.

Shen’s mother sharply called out from behind: “Shen Yihuan!”

She stopped.

Shen’s mother glared at her: “You’re amazing. I raised you for over twenty years, and you’re just going to leave with them?”

“Mom, you never raised me.” Shen Yihuan looked at her, paused, then softly said, “I’m leaving, Mom.”

________________________________________

Madam Commander pulled Shen Yihuan all the way into the car.

Slamming the car door shut, she was still indignantly cursing. Shen Yihuan sat beside her, feeling that everything that had just happened was a bit surreal.

How did it turn out like this...?

Madam Commander cursed for a while, then noticed Shen Yihuan’s gaze on her. She then remembered that she had been cursing the young girl’s biological mother, and immediately shut up: “...Yihuan, I’m just blunt, I can’t stand to see you wronged, please don’t mind it.”

She shook her head: “It’s fine.”

Lu Youju also got in the car.

Madam Commander then realized, gave an “ah,” and turned her head to ask, “Does this mean I’ve basically checked you out of the hospital?”

Lu Youju snorted coldly from the side, throwing the hospital forms onto her lap: “I already did! I’m asking you, can you use your brain a little!?”

Madam Commander was clearly used to his scolding and directly tuned him out, not even sparing him a glance.

Shen Yihuan quickly said: “It’s fine, I could have been discharged earlier. Lu Zhou was just worried and kept delaying it until now.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Madam Commander said, “I’ll have someone get the remaining things from the room later.”

...

Madam Commander comforted her for a few moments, but the person who had treated her that way was, after all, her biological mother. No matter how resilient Shen Yihuan was, she couldn’t muster any strong emotions.

She leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery outside.

A row of crooked poplars lined the road, along with some rather dilapidated small shops. The pedestrians on the road wore distinct ethnic clothing.

The small towns here were quite spread out.

After driving for a while, familiar scenery came into Shen Yihuan’s view.

She looked around and asked, “Are we close to the military camp?”

Lu Youju: “Mm.”

Then Shen Yihuan watched the car drive straight past the military camp gate and turn onto the road ahead.

She was startled and asked, “Aren’t we going to find Lu Zhou?”

Madam Commander said: “Your injury hasn’t healed yet. Why would you go to the military camp to find him? We have a house up ahead. Youju bought it when he was young and stayed in Xinjiang for a while. You can rest there from now on.”

Shen Yihuan understood; they were going to stay at the home Commander and Madam Commander lived in when they were younger.

“...Auntie, this is too much trouble for you.”

“Why are you calling me Auntie again?” Madam Commander frowned, displeased. “What trouble? It even saves Lu Zhou from rushing back and forth. He can just come home directly when he’s done.”

________________________________________

That night, Shen Yihuan moved into the Commander’s house.

As soon as she entered, Madam Commander sent her to her room to rest. She heard her say that Lu Zhou had never been to this place, and besides the master bedroom, there was only one guest room that had never been occupied.

Shen Yihuan couldn’t remember when she fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was completely dark outside, and it was snowing. Only the roofs visible from the window were white.

She blinked. Her camera was on the bedside table, and beside it were a few bags containing her belongings from the hospital.

A faint sound came from outside the door.

Shen Yihuan put on her coat and quietly opened the door to go out.

The guest room was on the second floor, with an open central area directly overlooking the living room below.

Lu Youju and his son, Lu Zhou, were sitting on the sofa.

“You should call that girl’s mother. Your aunt didn’t handle things very well today. See what the other party wants, and don’t make it difficult for the girl from both sides,” Lu Youju said.

Shen Yihuan originally intended to go downstairs, but hearing that, she stopped.

Lu Zhou nodded: “Okay.”

Lu Youju added: “If you can’t talk sense into her, there’s no need to indulge her. Your aunt wasn’t wrong about one thing today: no mother treats her daughter like that. If she doesn’t know how to treat her daughter, then when she comes to our family, we’ll treat her well. In short, we won’t let her be wronged.”

Lu Zhou paused, then curved his lips: “I understand.”

After a moment of silence, he said, “...Dad.”

The number of times Lu Zhou called Lu Youju “Dad” was incredibly few. He hadn’t called him that since he grew up, only a few times when he was a child.

Lu Youju looked up at him. Lu Zhou had already walked to the window on the other side, holding his phone.

He sat on the sofa, watching his son’s back, and then remembered the sharp words Shen Yihuan, a young girl, had spoken to him.

Finally, he snorted through his nose, as if talking to himself: “Little rascal.”

Lu Zhou could find Shen’s mother’s number from the approval report Shen Yihuan submitted earlier. He dialed it, and when it connected, the first sound he heard was an airport announcement.

“Auntie, sorry to bother you. This is Lu Zhou.”

Shen Yihuan heard him say this.

The man stood by the window, his back straight, standing tall, his voice neither humble nor arrogant.

Shen Yihuan couldn’t hear what her mother said on the other end due to the distance, she could only infer from Lu Zhou’s words that the conversation probably broke down.

In the end.

The man switched the phone to his other hand, and Shen Yihuan heard him say.

“Auntie, I can’t agree to your demands. Shen Yihuan is just herself to me. Whether she’s your daughter means nothing to me. Here, she just needs to do what she wants. Even you, her mother, have no right to demand she do things she doesn’t want to. As long as I’m here, it’s impossible.”

“As for the future, no matter what happens, as long as I draw breath, I will return to her side, through thousands of mountains and waters. If... I truly die in the line of duty, what I can leave her now, and the martyr’s benefits, are enough for her to live the life she desires.”

Finally, Lu Zhou lowered his head and softly said into the phone: “I apologize. Have a good journey.”

Lu Youju walked up from behind and asked him: “Couldn’t reach an agreement?”

“No, she’s still unwilling.”

Lu Zhou turned around, his gaze pausing as he saw Shen Yihuan standing by the railing on the second floor.

Shen Yihuan sniffled, her eyes red.

“Sweetheart.” He ran up the stairs.

Shen Yihuan lowered her head, her gaze downcast, rubbing her eyes repeatedly.

Lu Youju glanced at the two of them, said nothing, and returned to the master bedroom.

Lu Zhou playfully nudged her chin with his index finger, as if teasing a kitten, then pulled her into his embrace: “Finally woke up?”

Her voice trembled slightly, her fingers tightly clutching Lu Zhou’s sleeve, her voice very soft, repeatedly saying “I’m sorry.”

Lu Zhou stroked her hair: “What do you have to be sorry about?”

“Did my mom mention something about you dying in the line of duty?” Shen Yihuan sniffled, her voice laced with annoyance, though muffled by her tears: “How could she say that to you?”

It was one thing to say it to her.

But how could she use such words in front of Lu Zhou?

She knew all too well how many scars Lu Zhou bore, and how many times he had faced death head-on. He braved the wind, traversed the sand, protecting this land.

He was the border defense captain here.

Protecting the four corners of the nation, he commanded the northwest.

No one had the right to say such things to him.

“Just saying it doesn’t make it true, does it?” Lu Zhou knew what she was thinking and teased casually.

Shen Yihuan immediately slapped his arm: “How can you still be like this yourself!”

“I don’t care what she says. Anyway, I’m the one who profited.”

Shen Yihuan looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, like an ancient galaxy, shimmering. Now, the most brilliant star in this vast universe, and the only one he could see, was finally firmly in his grasp.

Lu Zhou’s heart stirred, and he leaned down to kiss her.

“You are mine.”