Tang Xi stared at the phone after the call ended, frozen for a moment. What had Xiao Bai just said? She was back!
She hurriedly took off her white coat. After giving the medical intern beside her a few instructions, she grabbed her phone and ran out of the hospital, leaving him staring blankly at the back of her rapidly receding figure.
Had something happened? Dr. Tang had always been poised, elegant, and clever, a woman as refined as jade—the goddess in his heart. Yet she was actually sprinting through the hospital without the slightest concern for her image.
For the first time, Tang Xi was grateful that her home was so close to the hospital. As she ran, a mischievous image of Tang Bai as a child suddenly flashed through her mind. She wondered if Tang Bai was still as playful as she had been back then. Smiling, Tang Xi quickened her pace.
When she reached the foot of the stairs, she paused, then began climbing at a gentler pace.
At the bend in the stairwell, Tang Xi instinctively looked up. In a single glance, she recognized the striking figure who had always stood out from the rest, though now it was even taller and more statuesque than before.
She approached Tang Bai with light steps.
Tang Bai seemed to sense her presence. She slowly turned toward the stairs and saw Tang Xi approaching, her warm eyes carrying a glimmer of laughter. Tang Bai opened her arms, her smile warm and tender.
When Tang Bai pulled her close, Tang Xi melted against that slender chest, the corners of her eyes growing moist. When they parted, Tang Xi lightly tapped Tang Bai on the head.
“You’re back. That’s all that matters!”
At those words, Tang Bai’s smile widened even further.
Once inside, Tang Bai used the time Tang Xi spent fetching slippers to quickly survey the home she had left four years earlier. It was exactly as before: spotless, every item arranged perfectly, just as it had been before she left.
Her gaze suddenly stopped on the family portrait hanging on the wall above the living-room television. It showed her and her sister as children, together with their parents, who had passed away long ago. At the thought of them, the happiness slowly faded from Tang Bai’s face.
Tang Xi had placed the slippers in front of her some time ago, but Tang Bai still made no move to change into them. Puzzled, Tang Xi looked up and saw Tang Bai’s dark, shining eyes brimming with tears.
Tang Xi reached out and patted her on the head, speaking softly, her voice tinged with heartache.
“Fool, you’re home now. Mom and Dad would be so happy if they knew. When we have time, let’s go visit them, okay?”
With a faint ache in her heart, Tang Bai wiped away her tears with the back of her hand like a child. Then she smiled at Tang Xi and nodded vigorously.
Tang Xi took Tang Bai by the hand and led her to the sofa. Just as they sat down, Tang Xi paused. She rubbed the hand in hers and felt something prickly. When she turned it palm-up, she saw thick calluses covering Tang Bai’s fingertips and palms.
She looked at Tang Bai with a pang in her heart, only to find the fool grinning sheepishly at her. Tang Xi gave her an exasperated tap on the head.
“Haven’t you suffered enough in the army? When are you planning to leave the service?”
Tang Bai pulled a face and laughed.
“Sis, I think becoming a soldier is the ultimate goal of my life. It’s what has filled my journey with passion. In these four years in the army, I’ve learned more than I can say—things ordinary people might never encounter in their entire lives. I’ve shed sweat and faced mortal danger, but I don’t want to retreat. I want to see my life’s journey through to a fulfilling conclusion. Do you understand?”
By the end of her speech, Tang Bai’s expression had turned serious, her gaze earnest and determined. Tang Xi saw the conviction in her eyes, shook her head, and finally let the matter go. Since Xiao Bai loved this path, why should she force her to give it up?
Tang Xi patted Tang Bai’s slightly sun-bronzed cheek and chuckled.
“Since this is what you love, I won’t force you to leave. But you have to promise me you’ll take good care of yourself. And you can’t disappear for three or five months without contacting me, like you used to. Don’t you know how worried I get about you?”
Tang Bai gave a somewhat helpless nod. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to contact Tang Xi; the circumstances simply hadn’t allowed it. On some missions, spending a month or two in the jungle under a hail of bullets was routine. Making a phone call under those conditions was utterly out of the question.
Still, to keep her sister from worrying, Tang Bai nodded and agreed.
Seeing her agree, Tang Xi smiled in satisfaction. She knew Tang Bai had been a person of her word since childhood. Once she gave her word, she would definitely follow through and never break a promise.
Tang Xi affectionately pinched Tang Bai’s high, straight nose.
“Xiao Bai, go get some rest. I’m going to the market for groceries. I’ll cook you something delicious tonight. I’ll wake you when dinner is almost ready!”
After saying that, she rose, went into the kitchen, and took out a reusable shopping bag. Before leaving, she did not forget to call back to Tang Bai.
“By the way, Xiao Bai, if you’re hungry or thirsty, there are sodas and beef jerky in the fridge.”
Tang Bai smiled, got up, and walked to the refrigerator. When she opened it, sure enough, there were a few sodas and some beef jerky inside. They were all her favorites.
Ever since she had joined the army, all her meals had been arranged according to a set menu, and she had hardly touched soda, beef jerky, or snacks like them.
At the thought, warmth spread through her dark eyes. If she remembered correctly, her sister had never liked snacks, especially soda. The drinks and jerky in the fridge must have been kept there for her all along.
She had been gone for four years, and Tang Xi had kept them stocked for all four of those years. Warm emotion flooded Tang Bai’s heart.
The fizzy soda tickled her nose, filling Tang Bai with nostalgia. She smiled, picked up her backpack, and pushed open the bedroom she had once shared with her sister. Everything inside was just as clean and orderly as before.
She walked over to the slightly worn desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down gently. Leaning against the backrest, she suddenly remembered that the chair had been made by the whole family at a carpentry shop back when her parents were still alive.
Tang Bai blinked and exhaled, pulling herself out of her memories and bracing herself. She opened her backpack and took out a file envelope. As she untied its string binding, she froze when a bank card slid out.
What was that doing in the envelope?
She propped the envelope upright and dumped everything inside onto the desk. After sorting through it, she pulled out several sheets of letter paper first. By the time she finished reading them, she was speechless.
Her captain really was a piece of work.
After explaining the precautions for this mission and how she was to contact Lin Mo, the captain had actually asked her to get him an autographed photograph from Lin Mo. He had also written that the bank card contained her mission funds—five thousand a month—and told her to make it last.
Tang Bai shook her head helplessly, tore up the letters, and put the bank card away. Five thousand was better than nothing. She should be content.
Then she folded the clothes in her backpack neatly and put them into the wardrobe. Once everything was arranged, she let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed.
As she wondered how to spend her leave, her thoughts gradually blurred, and before long she was fast asleep, snoring softly.
