CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 287: SEVERE LOSSES

Beisitian was slightly disappointed and looked up to see the apology in Luo Xudong’s eyes. She immediately put on a smile, "Don’t worry about it. You’re a soldier at the moment, and you have to follow military discipline. This matter is tough for you to handle anyway."

Luo Xudong patted her head. He thought about having Zhuangzhuang act as a military dog, though it wasn’t raised from a young age. However, Zhuangzhuang was smart, but Beisitian couldn’t become a dog trainer, which still wouldn’t be a fundamental solution, so he said nothing more.

On Saturday, Beisitian was off work. After breakfast, she was ready to go out. Although she only had one day off a week, she didn’t feel tired.

When Beisitian arrived, Zhang Baoli was already waiting there. She was wearing the trendy bell-bottom pants and looked very fashionable.

"It’s been over a month since we last saw each other, hasn’t it? Why do you look thinner?" Zhang Baoli sized up Beisitian. She always wanted to lose weight but never succeeded.

Beisitian was never chubby, and now her waist seemed even slimmer. Her long, straight legs were wrapped in dark blue jeans, and she wore a pair of black ankle boots, looking stunning.

"Little Tian’er, you look great in this outfit!" Zhang Baoli sincerely exclaimed. Beisitian always had a good foundation. Not just good, but excellent, and a little dressing up made her stand out.

"How old is his child, and what are the usual issues?" Beisitian asked.

"His child is three and a half, ready to be sent to a nursery. They haven’t sent him yet because his constitution is too weak. They’re afraid he can’t handle it. He catches every ailment throughout the year. They don’t need to have snacks or water in their bag, but they must have medicine."

Beisitian nodded. The child’s constitution was indeed weak.

The two talked and walked, and the meeting place wasn’t far from her friend’s house. It wouldn’t take long to get there on foot.

"Do you know what caused it?" Beisitian asked.

"I didn’t dare to ask in detail. I think it was because he inhaled amniotic fluid at birth or something. I only caught a bit of it. You can ask when you get there."

While chatting, they arrived at her friend’s house.

The houses here were all single-story. Apartment buildings were still rare. In Beijing, only buildings within the Second Ring were coming up, and further out were mostly single-story houses. In places like theirs, that didn’t even count as a second-tier city, there were even fewer buildings.

However, most people still preferred living in single-story houses. Like Zhang Baoli’s friend, the front was a music store, and the back was their living quarters.

This area wasn’t exactly in Anding City, but it was a bustling spot. The music store had been running for seven or eight years, making it an old shop. To survive this long, it had to have been quite profitable.

The music store was not small, but it was filled with guitars and pianos and didn’t have a single traditional instrument. This was probably the trend.

She had heard tunes played on piano and guitar, each with different sounds and feelings, quite matching the contemporary taste.

"Zhang Aimin, I’ve brought Doctor Bei for you!" Zhang Baoli called from the entrance.

Soon, a man walked out from inside. He was not tall, looking like he was in his twenties. He wore a somewhat worn leather jacket and had an average appearance—neither handsome nor unattractive, the kind you wouldn’t notice in a crowd.

Zhang Aimin came out, glanced at Beisitian, his brows slightly knitting but quickly smoothing as he nonchalantly greeted Zhang Baoli.

"This is the Doctor Bei I told you about, now a military doctor in the 119th Division’s medical team, trained in Chinese medicine," Zhang Baoli said with a smile.

Zhang Aimin greeted her with a smile and asked in confusion, "Do military doctors also learn Chinese medicine?"

Beisitian smiled slightly, "Comrade doesn’t believe it?"

Zhang Aimin quickly smiled, "It’s not that I don’t believe, I just find it a bit strange."

Though he didn’t directly express it, his gaze at Beisitian was filled with doubt—not questioning her military doctor status, but skeptical about her credentials in Chinese medicine.

She was only in her early twenties?

In Chinese medicine, the older you are, the more skilled you become. Beisitian, at her age, was likely just starting. Trusting a novice doctor to treat his son felt like using his son as a test subject!

Thinking of this, he felt slightly displeased but couldn’t show it out of respect for Zhang Baoli.

He invited the two to the back of the music store, and Zhang Aimin’s wife brought out two cups of water from inside.

Zhang Aimin’s wife was a typical rural woman. After giving birth, she became broad and sturdy. People said she had a good figure before, but unfortunately, the weight never left her body after childbirth.

"What instrument do you want to rent?"

After sitting down, Zhang Aimin didn’t discuss the illness but directly brought up the topic of renting musical instruments.

"Piano, recorder, or flute," Beisitian replied.

If there could be a piano ensemble, she thought a recorder or flute would suit well.

"The piano isn’t a problem, but I don’t have a recorder or flute. This is a Western instrument shop," Zhang Aimin said.

"Daddy!"

At this time, a soft voice called out, and soon a little boy ran over from the back. The small figure was very endearing.

Seeing the child, Beisitian couldn’t help frowning. The child was severely blood deficient, continuing to lose blood without replenishment. At this rate, he might only live until thirteen or fourteen.

It wasn’t that his physiological functions were inadequate, but his severely depleted blood led to a critically low immunity, unable to resist various harmful substances from the outside world. Over time, his body would develop various illnesses, eventually draining his vitality in just over a decade.

"Daddy taught you, remember to greet people when you see them," Zhang Aimin seemed very affectionate towards his son and said with a smile, holding him.

The little guy’s name was Zhang Ran. After listening to his father, he turned and called out "Aunt" to Zhang Baoli and Beisitian, in a sweet and soft voice that was very charming.

"Your child really needs proper care, and it needs to be done quickly!" Beisitian said.

Zhang Aimin nodded, "Yes, but we plan to go to the hospital to get it checked. The child is too young to endure any ordeal."

Hearing this, Zhang Baoli frowned. What did he mean by that?

Beisitian casually smiled, undisturbed, "No matter where you get treated, do it quickly!" With a final note of advice, she said no more about the topic, but renting the instruments might not be fully possible.

Only having the piano wasn’t enough, other traditional instruments needed a solution.

Zhang Baoli was somewhat displeased. It had been quite an effort to find Beisitian, so how could he talk like this? Annoyed, she said a few words before getting ready to pull Beisitian to leave.

"Goodbye, Aunt."

Beisitian turned around and saw Zhang Ran’s small figure standing there, looking at her with a bright smile, waving goodbye. Her heart softened.

"If there’s an urgent situation, you can come to the 119th Division medical team to find me," Beisitian said before leaving.