CH 7.3

Bai Xia Xia leaned on the car window looking at the outside, on the two sides of the road there were big and small simple meal shops.

Practically none of the shops in the 90s were decorated internally, so much so that, most of the shops, after only using a wooden plank to write the name of the shop, it would be placed without care on the entrance.

It was enough to let others know what they did, and there were many shops that did not even have a sign board.

Occasionally those that had a bright plaque, they would become very conspicuous and attracting.

Bai Xia Xia’s cat head stuck out of the window, ten or so meters away, the red cross on a high-rise was especially conspicuous.

Tongcheng Second Military Region Hospital, the front of the entrance was bustling, with people coming and going.

A nostalgic and strange scenery, shops that contained the smoke of cigarettes… Bai Xia Xia’s small head that was leaning on the window, there was a moment of coveting, looking on stunned.

I’ve left the mountains, I, have gone down the mountains.

“Growl~”

Bai Xia Xia touched her very flat stomach, she did not know until what time she had slept. But looking at the sunlight coming from the west, the appearance of the sun about to set soon, it must be time for eating dinner, right?

I’m very hungry!

Bai Xia Xia hesitatingly walked to the side of the car’s door, not knowing if she should leave the car.

It’s my first time leaving the mountains, I can’t tell the difference between east, west, north, and south, and I’m very unfamiliar with this place too. If a stray cat without money leaves the car, there won’t be anything to eat either…

Bai Xia Xia sniffed at the smell of fragrant food that wafted in the air, tears accompanied with saliva dripped down together: “Meow~”

“Crash.”

The car’s door, along with piercing sunlight, was opened, Bai Xia Xia slightly narrowed her eyes.

Guo Chao Ming, who carried dinner boxes in his hands, subconsciously looked at the car’s seat, not seeing a cat.

His heart tightening, he hurried to find Bai Xia Xia.

Worried that this cat would run without leaving a shadow.

Lowering his head, he saw Bai Xia Xia sitting pitifully, its right forepaw was even pressing on its soft and flat small belly, with a very pitiful appearance of being hungry to death.

“Hungry?”

“Do you want to stay in the car, or come with me?”

Bai Xia Xia immediately jumped down from the car, pacing towards the direction of the hospital. After walking about ten or so steps, she noticed that there was no one by her side, so she turned her head to look, patiently waiting.

Guo Chao Ming took some things from the car, caught up to Bai Xia Xia in two steps, and looking this cat that seemed to be very impatient, he was speechless.

I’m so envious of Qin Xiao!

When will I also get this type of treatment.

Just look at how hungry this cat is to the point of having its chest sticking to its back, but once it heard my words, it started running upstairs.

He did not know, though, about Bai Xia Xia’s deliberation, a cat staying in a car was not good.

She did not have a way of seeing Qin Xiao by herself.

Moreover, Bai Xia Xia was very afraid of getting lost once she left the car, being forced to stay in Tong City. She did not have the guarantee, that if she got lost, Song Bei and the others would look for her.

Getting lost would be terrible, as not only the preliminary preparation would all be wasted. She would also maybe have to eat garbage with stray cats.

Guo Chao Ming talked with Bai Xia Xia the whole way, one human, one cat, somewhat harmoniously walked in the direction of Qin Xiao’s ward.

On their way, they encountered many waves of passers-by, all of whom used strange gazes to look at Guo Chao Ming, especially when they noticed that this military man, who was wearing a combat uniform, was talking with a grayish dirty small wild cat that was by his feet while climbing the stairs, every single one turned wide-eyed.

Two relatively young girls muttered: “Is this cat able to understand human language?”

“Who knows, I’ve heard that there are military dogs in the army, maybe this cat is a military cat?”

The other girl with a ponytail’s eyes widened, unbelieving: “Really? Cats can also be trained?”

“It must be true. Otherwise, why did he keep talking with the cat?”

Qin Xiao’s room was on the second floor, they arrived very fast.

Not long after Qin Xiao had been sent to the military hospital, he regained consciousness. Right now, Qin Xiao was out of danger, and his life was not at risk, however, he still had to live in the hospital to be observed for a while.

Song Bei sat by the side of the bed, teaching a lesson to Qin Xiao while grumbling and sighing like an old, worried mother: “You, always being so impulsive.”

“Haven’t I not died? Colonel doesn’t have to cry yet.” After Qin Xiao had a blood transfusion, his skin was morbidly pale. Only his two eyes were calm and profound, as if they were hiding a dazzling light of the morning. His gaze was bright, with a hidden edge, and did not seem at all like a patient that had just awakened from a coma.

Song Bei: “…” Pressing between his eyebrows with a headache: “You got lucky big time this time, do you know?! You clearly got injured with a gunshot, so why did you have to entangle with that group of outlaws without stop! Even if there was no discovery, and we lost this opportunity, there’s still the next time! We can wait, there was no need for you to earnestly put your life at stake!”

“Colonel, this Old Liao isn’t simply a member of a gang of smugglers. Do you still remember the kidnappers from Bei’an Province?”

“Bei’an Province…” Song Bei’s heart moved, “Naturally, that group of people was too alert. Adding on that there were very few clues, we were never able to find the middleman.”

“Are you saying…” Song Bei’s gaze abruptly turned fierce: “These guys weren’t simply members of Tanglin’s smuggling gang, but they were also kidnappers?!”

“Correct.” Qin Xiao sat leaning on the head of the bed, his relaxed posture still revealed the fierceness and coldness of a military person, and lightly said: “I can guarantee, this Old Liao is related to the group of kidnappers in Bei’an Province.”

“That ‘Tang Ge[1]’ from Bei’an Province is truly sly, last time, he dodged a calamity. Those in Bei’an Province couldn’t find clues and their traces until the end, and as it happened, this guy couldn’t be found on the surface, but behind the scenes, he became increasingly savage.” Just thinking about those missing children and young girls, was enough to make people feel hate! Qin Xiao spoke weakly, his voice weak like a rootless duckweed.

The coldness and severity in his tone made those who heard him feel chilled from the bottom of their hearts: “Other people didn’t matter, but I was worried that this Old Liao would escape, dragging in those women and children…”

Translator’s comments:

I thought Qin Xiao was close to death, but the woke up relatively fast?

Thank you Serina Tsukaya for becoming our first patron!

Translator’s notes:

[1] Tang Ge or 堂哥(táng gē) is the nickname or sobriquet of the person that’s being talked about. It can be translated to ‘paternal cousin’, but then the gender would be lost, because 哥 means ‘brother’. For that reason, it felt more congruent to use the pinyin to refer to him. Of course, the person may also be a woman who is using a nickname to make people think that she is a man, who knows. It’ll be subject to change in the future.