Chapter 69: The Threat Emerges

After leaving the hospital, Song Tingshen made a trip back to the Song family home.

Ever since he had been rescued from Moon Lake Island and returned to Taizhou, Song Tingshen had stayed in the men’s dormitory and hadn’t been home. Partly it was because military affairs kept him busy, and partly because Zuo Lan had told him that his sister-in-law, Jiang Yuan, was pregnant. With them in and out of hospitals and the military zone every day, they feared bringing any virus home, so it was best to avoid returning for the time being.

So Song Tingshen had stayed away. Before coming back today, he had showered thoroughly in the dorm, scrubbed himself repeatedly with soap and water, and put on a mask before heading home.

When Jiang Yuan opened the door and saw Song Tingshen standing there “fully armed,” she jumped in surprise.

“…Tingshen?” Jiang Yuan, her belly heavy with pregnancy, blinked at him. “It’s really you? I almost didn’t recognize you with the mask.”

Song Tingshen took a step back.

“The plague virus is rampant outside right now. I’m worried about infecting you,” he said.

Jiang Yuan smiled. “You’re exaggerating. I studied medicine too, remember?”

Song Tingshen said nothing.

Jiang Yuan’s smile faltered as she realized she’d said the wrong thing. She remembered, from what her mother-in-law had told her, that Tingshen was injured in the line of duty and had lost his memory—she shouldn’t have brought that up.

She quickly stepped aside. “Come in, Tingshen. Your brother’s been talking about you every day.”

Song Tingshen entered, changed his shoes, and asked, “I heard Mom is back too?”

“She is,” Jiang Yuan nodded, “she came to collect some of Dad’s things. Is he better now?”

Song Tingshen answered, “He’s not in any danger anymore. As long as he keeps taking his medicine and his fever goes down, he’ll be fine.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

“It’s late. Why are you still up?” Song Tingshen asked.

The question caught Jiang Yuan off guard. His tone was just as it always had been, the natural concern of the past, not at all like someone with amnesia.

But Jiang Yuan didn’t dwell on it. Perhaps it was just muscle memory, she thought—they’d lived together for so many years.

She laughed. “The little one in my belly is restless tonight. I decided not to sleep and just nap with him during the day.”

Song Tingshen glanced at her rounded stomach but said nothing and went upstairs to the second floor.

The Song family lived in a three-story house. In fact, given the ranks of Song Qingfeng, Song Yanzhou, and Song Tingshen, they could have been allocated a much larger home. But Song Qingfeng had refused, figuring that since he wasn’t close with Tingshen, if Tingshen ever started a family, he wouldn’t want to live with him anyway. They could always apply for new family housing in Tingshen’s name later.

Song Tingshen and Song Yanzhou’s rooms were on the second floor, while Song Qingfeng and Zuo Lan’s were on the third.

When Song Tingshen reached the second floor, he saw Zuo Lan’s back in Song Yanzhou’s room and walked over.

“Mom.”

“Tingshen?” The first to see him was Song Yanzhou.

When Song Yanzhou saw his younger brother return safe and sound, the iron-willed man who hadn’t shed a tear in all his years of paralysis suddenly felt his eyes redden.

When he’d heard that his father and brother might be in trouble, Song Yanzhou had spent countless sleepless nights. Later, when he heard they were back but Song Qingfeng had collapsed before he could return home and was still being resuscitated, it had only gotten worse. And then, hearing his brother had lost his memory and remembered no one, the pain in Song Yanzhou’s heart deepened.

Now, seeing Song Tingshen standing here, he felt a flood of emotions—relief, longing, worry.

He wanted to approach, but feared startling him. After a long moment, he finally said, “Tingshen, I’m your elder brother. Do you… remember me?”

Song Tingshen met his gaze.

Under Song Yanzhou’s hopeful eyes, Song Tingshen looked away, his tone indifferent. “I don’t.”

The hope in Song Yanzhou’s eyes dimmed, but he quickly composed himself. It didn’t matter if he’d lost his memory. Even so, he was still his brother—his only brother.

If need be, he would just love him all over again, and let him know that his family cared deeply for him.

Song Yanzhou’s tone was gentle. “Tingshen, come home and get some rest. I heard the hospital’s been especially busy lately…”

But Song Tingshen turned to Zuo Lan. “Mom, I need to talk to you.”

Zuo Lan had been helping Song Yanzhou with his rehabilitation massage. She stood up when she heard him. “What is it? Aren’t you at the hospital with your father?”

“He doesn’t need me there. He told me to come home,” Song Tingshen replied.

Zuo Lan sighed. Even after losing his memory, the relationship between father and son was still so tense.

She asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

Song Tingshen frowned slightly. “Zhong Xiao is currently staying in the female staff dormitory at the hospital. Isn’t that against the rules?”

Zuo Lan was startled.

She didn’t know why he was suddenly asking this, but thought for a moment before replying, “It is against the rules, but she arrived unexpectedly, had nowhere else to stay, and the military guesthouse was full. Besides, the conditions there… I was worried she wouldn’t be able to handle it, so I temporarily arranged for her to stay in the dorm. Why? Has someone reported it?”

“Yes,” Song Tingshen said. “Try to have her move out.”

“Move out?” Zuo Lan frowned. “With things so tense outside, where can a young woman go? Should we really send her to the guesthouse? The city guesthouse is so far away, and I’d worry about such a pretty girl staying there alone. Our military guesthouse is crawling with rats, and now with the plague going around—if anything happened to Xiaoxiao, how would I answer to my mentor?”

As mother and son talked, Song Yanzhou interjected, “Zhong Xiao? The daughter from the Zhong family in Yuecheng?”

Zuo Lan nodded. “Yes.”

“She’s come to Taizhou?”

“She has.”

Song Yanzhou looked at his brother. He knew something others did not…

Song Tingshen retorted, “Who said she should stay at the guesthouse? With how delicate she is, she probably wouldn’t even want to step inside.”

“If she can’t stay in the dorm or the guesthouse, then where?” Zuo Lan asked.

Song Tingshen pressed his lips together and said nothing. Outwardly, he appeared calm and collected, his expression indifferent.

Lying in bed, Song Yanzhou glanced at Song Tingshen, frowning slightly, and tentatively suggested, “Mom, why not let her stay with us?”

Zuo Lan was clearly taken aback.

Song Tingshen’s gaze slowly shifted to Song Yanzhou.

Meeting his brother’s eyes, Song Yanzhou said, “We have two spare rooms—one on the second floor, one on the third. Let her choose. Our home may not compare to the Zhong family’s in Yuecheng, but at least it’s clean and tidy. I doubt the young lady of the Zhong family would turn her nose up at that.”

It did sound like a good idea, Zuo Lan thought. The only question was… would Zhong Xiao agree?

“I’ll ask Xiaoxiao what she thinks,” Zuo Lan finally said.

But unexpectedly, Song Tingshen spoke up, “Yes. When you ask, make it clear: she can’t stay in the female staff dorm anymore. Either she goes to the rat-infested guesthouse, or she stays here.”

Zuo Lan was speechless.

Why did it sound like her son was… issuing a threat?