After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

In the main hospital's small restaurant, the canteen temporarily added four dishes.

Braised pork knuckle, steamed sea bass, braised pork ribs, and a pot of meatball and cabbage soup. Steam rose from the enamel basin, creating a thin layer of condensation on the windowpane.

The staple food consists of freshly steamed cornbread buns and white flour rolls, piled up in small mountains on enamel plates, with the steamed buns still bearing the gauze marks left by the steamer.

Gu Zheng personally went to the kitchen to watch the cooks toss the food, then took out a bottle of Xifeng liquor from his office cabinet, carried the bottle into the restaurant, and put it on the table.

Gu Jianguo had changed out of his crisp military uniform and was sitting at the head of the round table in a slightly faded shirt, the second button fastened neatly.

His second aunt was sitting to his right, holding a bulging military satchel on her lap and unbuttoning it. The buttons were fastened tightly, and she had to fiddle with them for a while before she could open them.

Gu Yue and Zhao Lanlan entered from outside the door one after the other.

Gu Yue shuffled over and sat down diagonally opposite Gu Jianguo, her bottom barely touching half of the stool, her legs angled towards the door, ready to run away at any moment.

Zhao Lanlan sat properly next to Gu Yue, her hands folded on her knees, her back ramrod straight.

Ye Zhen was the last to come in.

She sat in the demonstration room for three hours in the morning watching the angiography, and her back was a little sore. When she walked to the round table and pulled out a chair, Gu Zheng had already poured her a glass of warm water and placed it beside her. A thin layer of water vapor condensed on the glass.

"Where's Zhao Zheng?" Auntie turned her head and looked at the doorway.

Gu Jianguo said in a low voice, "He said his stomach wasn't feeling well, so he went back to the guesthouse to lie down."

My second aunt opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't ask any more questions, and just sighed.

She took things out of the military satchel: three pairs of thick cotton socks on the corner of the table, two neatly folded hand-knitted wool vests next to them, and finally a paper package tightly wrapped in oil paper.

Once the parchment paper was removed, a large, firmly pressed piece of red date and walnut cake was revealed, cut into neat small squares, and the sweet aroma of the date flesh immediately wafted out.

"Lanlan," Auntie called to Zhao Lanlan.

Zhao Lanlan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly bowed.

"Auntie."

"Your mother asked me to bring these over." Auntie pushed the cotton socks and woolen vest in front of Zhao Lanlan. "Your mother said it's cold in Beicheng in winter, so she told you to wear them close to your skin to keep warm. This red date cake was also made by your mother herself. She was afraid it would get crushed in the mail, so we brought it along since we were coming."

Zhao Lanlan took the items and touched the stitches on the wool vest with her fingers. Each stitch was dense and tightly knitted by hand. The neckline was particularly finely finished, with not a single loose thread left outside.

She lowered her head, her nose stinging with tears.

"Thank you, Auntie."

"Your mother is asking when her daughter can come back to visit." The second aunt picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of pork rib on Zhao Lanlan's plate. "In the half year since you left, your mother's hair has turned several strands white. Last time, she asked someone to pass on a message to me, saying that she kept dreaming of you running around in the ward wearing a white coat."

Zhao Lanlan's lips moved, but she didn't dare to reply, and secretly glanced at Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen picked up the steamed bun, broke it in half, took a bite, chewed it, swallowed it, and then spoke.

"Give them a three-day holiday for New Year's Day, not including the time spent traveling to and from the holiday."

Zhao Lanlan's nose tingled with emotion: "Sister-in-law, if we leave, who will do the work?"

"With Lin Yi, Li Hong, and Sun Jianjun there, you two can go home without worry." Ye Zhen placed the remaining half of the steamed bun on the side of the plate, her tone very calm. "Your mother went to all this way to have someone bring things for you, it wouldn't be right for you not to go back."

Zhao Lanlan nodded vigorously, folded the wool vest neatly, and put it into her handbag, her movements as careful as if she were storing something valuable.

Gu Yue also breathed a sigh of relief, nudged Zhao Lanlan lightly with her elbow, and the two of them stopped talking.

Gu Zheng unscrewed the cap of the Xifeng liquor bottle and poured Gu Jianguo a full glass. The liquor had a spicy grain aroma as it flowed from the bottle.

"Second Uncle, have a drink."

Gu Jianguo picked up the cup but didn't drink it; he just held it under his nose and smelled it.

"You sure know how to pick wine."

"There's only this one bottle left in the warehouse, and I haven't even opened it myself." Gu Zheng poured himself a glass, picked it up, and touched it to Gu Jianguo's glass, making a crisp sound as the glass clinked together.

The two of them silently took a sip of their drink.

The liquor was spicy. After swallowing it, Gu Jianguo picked up a large piece of pork knuckle with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, he put down his chopsticks and glanced silently at Gu Yue, who was sitting diagonally across from him, eating her rice with her head down.

"I'm talking about Gu Zheng," Gu Jianguo began.

"Please speak."

"Do you think that kid surnamed Sun is reliable?"

Gu Zheng picked up a piece of the tenderest fish belly with his chopsticks and put it into Ye Zhen's bowl, his hands moving without stopping as he spoke.

"Second Uncle, what era are we living in?"

"What era?" Gu Jianguo glared at him.

"In this era of freedom in love," Gu Zheng said, picking out the fish bones and tossing them into a dish on the table. "Look at him, he gets up at four in the morning every day to practice his basic skills, and after work he runs to the triage office to help Yueyue sort out her letters. He stands in this hospital by his own hard work and ability, without taking any crooked paths."

Gu Jianguo picked up a piece of braised pork ribs, tapped the sauce on the rim of the bowl, and didn't say anything.

"Take another look at that Officer Zhao's son." Gu Zheng poured himself another half glass of wine. "He keeps talking about junior high school graduates and temporary workers, and about how they live in some poor, remote place. In front of a room full of people, he belittled the girl's job from head to toe, making it worthless."

Gu Zheng picked up his wine glass and swirled it.

"Second Uncle, you've led troops your whole life, you know better than I do what kind of people you can't stand."

Gu Jianguo paused for a moment, the piece of pork rib he was holding hovered in mid-air for two seconds, and then slowly put it back into the bowl.

The second aunt kicked Gu Jianguo's shoe under the table with her toe, putting a bit of force into it.

Gu Jianguo downed his second swig of wine, then slammed the glass down on the table, causing the plates on the table to wobble.

"OK."

Just one word.

Gu Yue suddenly looked up, almost dropping her chopsticks.

"Then I don't care anymore." Gu Jianguo pointed at Gu Yue with his chopsticks. "But let me make this clear: the top three in the graduation assessment, even one less, is unacceptable. If we can't produce that, this matter ends here."

Gu Yue nodded repeatedly, her whole face lighting up. She turned to Zhao Lanlan and winked.

Zhao Lanlan secretly tugged at her sleeve under the table, signaling her not to get too cocky.

The second aunt glanced at Gu Jianguo, then at Gu Yue, shook her head, picked up a meatball, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and said, "This girl, the older she gets, the more disobedient she becomes."

"She takes after her father," Gu Zheng added.

Gu Jianguo glared at Gu Zheng, ignored him, and took another swig from his cup.

Ye Zhen took a sip of warm water and didn't interrupt.

Although Gu Jianguo has relented, the threshold of being in the top three is still there, and it carries considerable weight.

The graduation assessment for interns at the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital not only tests theory and practical skills, but also includes comprehensive evaluation, department head's score, and supervising teacher's comments. Any one of these can eliminate someone.

Sun Jianjun has the ability, but whether he has enough ability depends on whether he can withstand the pressure in the remaining time.

As the meal drew to a close, only a layer of oily sauce remained on the braised pork knuckle, and the meatball soup was almost empty.

Auntie put another piece of pork rib into Zhao Lanlan's bowl.

"Eat more. When we get back, I'll tell your mom that her daughter is doing well in Beicheng, with plenty of food and warm clothes, so don't worry about her."

Zhao Lanlan nodded vigorously, took a big bite of the rib in her bowl, her cheeks bulging, as if she wanted to chew up all the homesickness she had accumulated over the past six months and swallow it all.