When Li Weiwen woke, she found herself lying on the kang in Li Weibing's home. Li Weibing sat wearily on the edge of the kang. Last night Guo Yungang had reminded her again and again:
"Please keep an eye on Li Weiwen. Don't let her do anything foolish."
Last night, Xu Yumei had told Li Weibing what had happened in the kitchen. Just as she was worrying about Li Weiwen, Guo Yungang had arrived at her door, carrying Li Weiwen in his arms. Li Weibing knew well that Li Weiwen's background was her deepest wound and the barrier in her heart she could never truly overcome. What Li Weiwen longed for was recognition and trust from those around her. Although her medical skill had earned the trust from the people. But once this trust was shaken because of her background. Then that sense of inferiority buried within her would surely crush her. Watching the sleeping Li Weiwen, Li Weibing couldn't help but recall Guo Yungang's words before he left:
"Sister Weibing, please allow me to call you that. I know that, in Li Weiwen's heart, you are now her only family. Whatever you say, I believe she will trust. That makes you someone I trust as well. But I have to ask you, please believe me too: I love her. No matter what she is or what her background may be, I love her for who she is. From the moment I fell in love with her, I knew it would be my unchanging duty and responsibility to protect her. I know you may doubt my sincerity, but I will prove it to you and to Weiwen. All I ask is that you take good care of her. Thank you!"
Two days after what had happened to Li Weiwen, she finally stepped out of Li Weibing's home, braving to face the stares and whispers of those around her. What caught her off guard was Guo Yungang's behaviour: He made no effort to avoid suspicion, meeting her frequently in full view of others and even going so far as to openly declare her as his girlfriend. Whenever he overheard anyone's speaking about her background, he, without hesitated, would respond with immediate refuting and sharply criticizing the speaker, doing everything he could to prevent Li Weiwen from hearing any harmful remarks. This not only infuriated Liu Yun, making her jealousy and angry, but also left her powerless. With a huff, she used her father's illness as an excuse and stormed out of the base, returning home in a fury. Guo Yungang's action deeply moved both Li Weiwen and Li Weibing. Taking the opportunity, Li Weibing persuaded Li Weiwen:
"Xue'er, I won't waste words on what doesn't matter. Let me talk about what's real. How many couples have been forced to separate because of one person's background or political troubles, afraid of being dragged down together? But Guo Yungang is different. He not only stays by your side without abandoning you, but also defends you at every turn. Over the past few days, you have seen with your own eyes how has acted. He's a man with true responsibility, far better than Lin Feng in every regard. That's why you must cherish his bond and not let his devotion go to waste. I know it's not that you don't like him. You're afraid that because of yourself, he would be involved in your trouble, which might hinder his future. I admit your intentions are good but look at him, even knowing everything about you, his heart has never wavered. He still loves you, still pursues you, still chooses you. He has done everything for you. Just for that, I think you should confidently be with him. Only then can you face challenges together, rather than doing something foolish that would hurt those who love you and please those who wish you harm. And remember you must also think of his feeling."
These words forced Li Weiwen to re-examine her feelings for Guo Yungang. In fact, after more than ten months of being close to him, she was truly grateful in her heart for the care he had shown her, and out of that gratitude, a different, deeper feeling had quietly taken root. But her background and her green eyes constantly reminded her how different she was from him, so she had to bury this unusual affection in the depth of her heart so that she didn't dare to open her heart and respond to his love. Now that her background was exposed to everyone, despair and pain overwhelmed her so she chose to end her life to free herself, without thinking of how much it would hurt others, especially Guo Yungang.
Because he was afraid that she might be hurt, his constant defense of her filled her with guilt. Later she heard from Xu Yumei that Instructor Zhang had received Guo Yungang's marriage application. Once Instructor Zhang signed, Guo Yungang would send it to the relevant supervisory authorities. She was at a loss for words. In the end, she could do nothing but promise Guo Yungang every time he asked for a date. And she would, with a sincere heart, let her feelings for him slowly unfurl, embracing his wholehearted love. One night, in Guo Yungang's jeep, she finally devoted herself to him completely. In that moment, suddenly she understood her mother, understood her father and understood why they had brought her into the world. So the next day she wrote the first letter to her mother since they had severed their mother-daughter ties. The letter had neither a heading nor a signature, only two words: Thank you!
Ten days later, in the remote labour prison of Jiangxi, Shen Hui received the letter which had already been torn open before it reached her hands. The moment her eyes fell on the familiar handwriting, which brought silent tears streaming down her face. In a trembling murmur she said:
"Thank you, Xue'er!"
Not long after Liu Yun came back the base, Guo Yungang was summoned to the regimental headquarters. He knew at once why they wanted to see him and even Li Weiwen had her suspicions. She asked softly:
"Is it because of me that you have to go there?"
Guo Yungang kissed her before answering with quiet certainly:
"It's not just because of you. It is because of us. I have already submitted our marriage application to the regimental command. I guess they just want to talk with me about this."
Li Weiwen asked with worry:
"Do you think they will reject?"
"I don't know." he admitted. Then, with a sudden, stubborn glint in his eyes, he added, "But you don't need to worry. You have no idea how stubborn I can be. If the regimental command turns me down, I'll take it to the division. And if that fails in the division, I'll march right up to Xinjiang or even to Bejing. Do you really think a boy who grew up in the cradle of the cavalry is given up so easily?"
She hesitated:
"But...it doesn't seem right. You...just for..."
Guo Yungang cut her off gently:
"Wen, don't worry. Leave everything to me."
Before she could protest further, Guo Yungang silenced her with a fierce kiss. His lips pressed against hers until her doubts melted away, until she surrendered completely ---- lost in the fire of his embrace, and carried away again and again on its surging tide.
It was nearly a month before Guo Yungang returned to the base, bringing with him an order from the regiment headquarters delivered through Instructor Zhang. Guo Yungang's authority as the company commander was restricted formally. The responsibilities taken from him would be shared temporarily between Instructor Zhang and Yu Dayong, the leader of First Platoon. As a result, this year's seasonal migration was placed entirely under Yu Dayong's command, while Guo Yungang was forbidden to leave the base, required to remain on standby for further orders from higher authorities at any moment.
Hearing this order, Li Weiwen felt a deep ache in her heart. She knew that it was her background that had ultimately cast a shadow over Guo Yungang's future. Although he put on a show of indifference, as if nothing happened for him,Xu Yumei confided to her in secret that Guo Yungang had truly taken the matter all the way to the division headquarters and had even approached senior leadership of the Xinjiang Military Region. The order restricting his duties was, in truth, a way of buying time, as neither the regiment nor the division had been willing to give him a clear answer.
But what astonished everyone most was Liu Yun. Since her return, she seemed like a different person completely. At first, people suspected something must have gone wrong in her family. But later they discovered that her family was untouched by misfortune. On the contrary, her father had even received a promotion thanks to his close ties with Director Wu Yiren of the Revolutionary Committee.