Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 129
by Little PandaVolume 5: Extra
Peace Dove (5)
Mutual respect and equal love between people can pierce hearts more deeply than swords.
The autumn in the desert is brief. After several windstorms, the temperature drops sharply, and the desert poplar slowly turns yellow.
The war continues. These days, Gu Yanzhi visits more frequently than before, often coming alone to the Doctors Without Borders camp after sunset to find her.
Sometimes she keeps her company with conversation, sometimes she quietly watches her perform surgery on patients when she’s busy, and sometimes when she’s wounded, Lu Qingshi calls her into the tent to clean her wounds.
More often, she takes her by camel into the depths of the dunes, where the Desert Eagle training base is located.
She teaches her basic firearms handling, seven-meter and fifteen-meter rapid pistol shooting…
How to use technique to create escape opportunities when facing physically superior enemies…
Vehicle operation…
Common Arabic phrases, how to identify terrorists…
How to drop and take cover the instant an explosion occurs.
All the training has one goal: to enhance her survival capabilities.
Though Lu Qingshi is already an exceptionally independent, resilient, and clear-headed woman with remarkable intelligence, Gu Yanzhi knows that in turbulent times, these qualities alone aren’t enough.
She can’t always be there to protect her.
Better to teach someone to fish than to give them fish.
But if she had known that she would use these skills to keep an appointment with fate, she would never have taught her any of it.
A handgun’s effective range is only fifty meters. Mike and Gu Yanzhi hunker in the trench, watching through sandbags as Lu Qingshi aims at a desert poplar sixty meters away.
“Will she hit it?”
Gu Yanzhi lies back in the trench with a grass stem between her teeth: “Just watch.”
As soon as she finishes speaking, a shot rings out, and wood splinters fly. Mike’s eyes widen: “Oh my God!”
Gu Yanzhi smiles proudly: “Don’t underestimate her. When I first met her, she was already an excellent archer, and being a doctor, her hand stability and endurance are far superior to most people.”
Mike excitedly runs out of the trench, waving from the yellow sand: “Qingshi, amazing!!!”
Lu Qingshi turns around, wearing protective goggles, watching his lips move – presumably praising her – and smiles shyly.
Gu Yanzhi leads the camel over: “I’ll take you back.”
She climbs onto the camel’s hump using both hands and feet, with Gu Yanzhi supporting her arm. Together, they amble through the desert.
Night falls, and the desert autumn air is crisp and clear. Without the smoke of war, the stars shine brilliantly in the sky, so close it seems one could reach out and touch them.
She had never seen such a clear, bright night sky back home. Lu Qingshi looked up as Gu Yanzhi slowed their pace.
She took out her phone, focused on the stars and moon, and quickly pressed the shutter.
The doctor sitting on the camel’s hump wore a windbreaker, her hair now almost as long as when they first met, tied in a ponytail. Her features were delicate, and even without makeup, she possessed a natural beauty like a lotus emerging from clear water.
She had matured, becoming even more beautiful.
Even though time and desert winds had roughened her skin somewhat and deepened the fine lines around her eyes.
These were all part of her unique charm.
In Gu Yanzhi’s heart, she was as beautiful as the starry sky above.
While she watched the stars, Gu Yanzhi watched her.
Lu Qingshi came back to herself, catching Gu Yanzhi’s unretracting gaze – tender, devoted, sincere love mixed with flowing undercurrents of sadness.
These days, she kept her distance, avoiding unnecessary contact except for occasional greetings or training, especially physical contact.
She feared losing control again due to the resentment in her heart and hurting her.
Lu Qingshi feared being told ruthlessly to stay away again, but even if they couldn’t return to how things were before, standing under the same starry sky like this was enough.
Gu Yanzhi shifted her gaze from her face, rubbing her nose: “Would you like to stay here a while longer?”
It was still early, and she wanted to look at her more.
Reading her lips, Lu Qingshi nodded, dismounting from the camel with Gu Yanzhi’s customary assistance, which was quickly withdrawn.
They sat side by side on the dune, watching the scattered lights of the distant town as the moon climbed above the poplar forest.
“How are Hamburger and French Fries doing?” Lu Qingshi asked, head lowered, drawing circles in the soft sand until they formed the outlines of two small figures.
Gu Yanzhi handed her phone over, opening photos and videos sent by Yu Gui: “Yu Gui is taking care of them, and she really likes them.”
Since becoming an attending physician, she had moved into a larger house, and living alone with those two little ones wasn’t lonely.
Lu Qingshi rested her head on her knees, holding the screen, smiling at the images of the two pets, though her eyes gradually grew wet.
She looked at her profile: “Homesick?”
“Mm.”
Gu Yanzhi didn’t say anything about going back anymore. Putting herself in her shoes, what right did she have to say such things now?
Knowing the dangers, they had both come here without hesitation.
She was a soldier, with her own responsibilities and sense of duty.
Ready to give her life whenever the country and people needed.
Lu Qingshi was a doctor, with her own ideals and aspirations.
The doctor for her patients, she for peace – in a way, though their paths diverged, they arrived at the same destination.
Gu Yanzhi wanted to reach out and touch her soft hair, but after hesitating repeatedly, her hand, clad in fingerless tactical gloves, remained at her side.
Lu Qingshi noticed nothing, staring at the flowing sand at her feet as the wind gently swept over it, covering the name she had just written.
Gu Yanzhi stood up, extending her hand: “Let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
Lu Qingshi dusted off her clothes, stood up, and gave her hand to her.
In the days that followed, even amidst gunfire, they lived simply but warmly. Gu Yanzhi remained busy, working with government forces to establish citywide control, clearing terrorist hideouts, conducting guerrilla operations, carrying out raids, and executing missions across the country.
Romance in such circumstances was limited to occasional shared chocolates and exchanged glances through the fence when patrolling past the Doctors Without Borders compound.
She would lean against the city gate, waiting for her silhouette to return through the sweeping sand.
She gave her an old hairpin.
She wrote her handwritten letters.
There was the moon above and stars in the desert.
On her birthday, a light rain fell in the desert. As the jeep passed, mud splattered her trouser legs.
She was fully equipped, rifle slung across her neck, ammunition belt secured, a sharp knife tucked in her combat boots.
They marched in formation past the hospital compound’s gate; she knew she was heading out on another mission.
Thanks to their efforts over the past six months, the region had become more stable.
Simple local residents came to bid farewell, and children from the compound ran out to watch, with Lu Qingshi standing at the roadside protecting them.
As she passed by, the doctor stepped forward: “Gu Yanzhi.”
She turned back in the silence, giving her a brilliant smile.
It reminded her of many years ago, after He Miaomiao’s birthday, when they passed each other in the hospital corridor.
“Do your best.”
That’s what she said.
Gu Yanzhi, with her back turned, gave a thumbs up, then made an “X” sign.
Lu Qingshi couldn’t help but smile, silently adding in her heart: “Come back safely.”
War times were different from peacetime, and unlike that year, she couldn’t rush back in the early morning for her birthday.
However, Lu Qingshi did receive a nice birthday gift.
The children gathered borrowed flour and water to make dough, built a roaring bonfire, and steamed it in bamboo steamers. Without meat, they sprinkled pine nuts and chopped onions – the traditional way locals welcomed far-traveled guests.
They affectionately called her: “Doctor mom.”
They sang happy birthday in Arabic, wishing her well.
The vast, desolate sound carried far across the desert.
Lu Qingshi shared the steamed bread with everyone in the compound.
Looking at their smiling faces, she thought that besides music and swords being without borders, there should be one more thing without borders.
Love.
Mutual respect and equal love between people could pierce hearts more deeply than swords.
At the start of the new year, she finally returned.
As the convoy drove through the city gates, civilians lined the streets in welcome, enthusiastically calling her name, calling them “Desert Eagles,” calling them “heroes.”
Handfuls of candy were thrown from the vehicles as children swarmed forward. Box after box of mineral water and supplies were unloaded and delivered to the Doctors Without Borders compound, the shelters, and the refugee camps.
She watched as Gu Yanzhi’s candy was completely cleaned out by the children. Barefoot children in tattered clothes laughed around her, many running back to offer her olives, tree branches, and colorful pebbles.
These were the children’s treasures.
An elderly local woman came over with needle and thread, gesturing that she wanted to mend Gu Yanzhi’s torn clothes.
The normally decisive military officer became flustered on the battlefield, repeatedly saying in Arabic: “No need, no need…”
Lu Qingshi stood at the compound gate, watching her with a gentle smile.
The person she loved was a great hero.
Several enthusiastic young women surrounded Mike, offering flirtatious attention.
The shy young man blushed in the sunset.
Desert Eagle and several tall local officers mixed together, telling ribald jokes and planning their evening entertainment.
Gu Yanzhi set down the child playing on her shoulders and walked over to her.
They stood together in the sunset.
“I’m back.”
The desert wind was strong, and with the noise around them, she couldn’t hear clearly.
“What?”
She stepped closer and whispered in Arabic: “I love you.”
She shouldn’t have been able to hear it.
Yet a gentle wind carried it past her ear.
In that instant, ripples spread across still waters, her heart surging like ocean waves.
She felt lifted high to the sea’s surface.
The world had never been so clear.
She heard the children’s laughter, the rolling of wheels, the vendors’ calls, Mike’s voice calling her.
Most importantly, she heard her confession.
The doctor in her white coat smiled slightly, her face reddening, unable to meet her gaze at first. After a moment, she looked up and said tenderly but firmly: “I love you too.”
They had returned victorious after more than half a month of grueling combat, destroying the largest terrorist hideout near Meyer City, seizing substantial supplies, killing the leader, and capturing terrorists who were all handed over to government forces – either for execution or military trial. But none of that concerned her now.
What concerned her now was only when the curry in front of them would be ready.
And her.
A bonfire was lit in the clearing with an iron pot set up above it. Mike threw wood into the fire, adding chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and curry blocks. The iron ladle stirred, releasing fragrant aromas.
She hadn’t eaten hot food in half a month, and her appetite was ravenous.
Not far away, Lu Qingshi was bandaging wounds for several Desert Eagle team members, including Sand Hawk herself.
She’d been shot in the arm during a raid. Emergency treatment had stopped the bleeding, but the bullet remained.
Lu Qingshi gave her no anesthetic, making her howl in pain: “F*ck! Why does everyone else get anesthetic but me?!”
The doctor pointed at the medical box, expressionless: “Ran out.”
Sand Hawk angrily reached for the gun in her boot but was quickly restrained in a standard hold against the chair as tweezers went into the flesh, gripped firmly, and extracted the bullet.
Lu Qingshi released her: “I think you should thank me.”
Sand Hawk, face pale, surprisingly burst out in Chinese: “Thank your moth-“
Lu Qingshi picked up the scalpel, and she quickly fell silent.
“Keep the wound dry for three days, no sexual activity, and avoid strenuous exercise to prevent the wound from reopening.”
Lu Qingshi carried the tray out of the tent. Gu Yanzhi was waiting outside, giving her an enigmatic smile.
She must have heard everything.
The doctor’s ears reddened: “All done, I’m heading back.”
She was jealous.
Gu Yanzhi held her back: “Mike made curry, come eat with us.”
Forty kilometers outside Meyer City.
In a dark, damp basement.
Rats scurried across the wooden bed board.
The person lying there was barely breathing, thick bandages around his chest slowly seeping blood.
A man with a high bridge nose and full beard held a military doctor at gunpoint. The doctor trembled violently, a foul liquid running down his legs.
“I’m sorry, Sir, I really did my best…”
As soon as he finished speaking, smoke rose from the gun at his temple, and a red mist sprayed from the other side.
The military doctor collapsed like a pile of mud.
Several muscular men in black vests came forward to drag the body away.
The man knelt beside the bed, burying his head against his brother’s body: “Bal, I will definitely avenge you…”
He gritted his teeth, his eyes seeping with venomous light, repeatedly chewing one name in English: “Mountain Eagle…”
After the satisfying meal, someone in the camp started clapping and singing. Different languages mixed together, but all faces showed smiles.
Lu Qingshi had drunk some whiskey, her face slightly flushed. Gu Yanzhi took water heated over the bonfire, poured it into a bucket, and went to her side.
“Come with me.”
It was the washroom again.
Not-so-pleasant memories surfaced.
Lu Qingshi hesitated, but the temptation of a hot bath was too strong.
She clutched her clothes nervously: “You…”
The other put down the bucket: “While everyone hasn’t returned yet, wash quickly. Tell me if you need more water, there’s still more heating downstairs.”
Lu Qingshi nodded: “Okay.”
The washroom was empty, the window looking out over endless night and undulating dunes in the moonlight.
Soldiers’ songs faintly carried from the distance.
Insects danced under the lamp.
When the water ran out, she softly called her name, and she would always promptly bring a new bucket to the door.
She had never had such a satisfying bath in the desert, and with hot water too!
Lu Qingshi felt her heart could soar.
She seemed to sense her joy from outside the door.
“Don’t save water on my account, I can wash whenever I want.”
She received her smiling reply: “Okay~”
After bathing, she gave her quick-dry clothes to change into, the large t-shirt covering past her bottom. As she was drying her wet hair, before she could stop her, she had already taken her changed undergarments to wash under the tap.
“Gu…”
She watched her bend down, water flowing over her fingertips as she kneaded the small fabric, finally rinsing away the soap suds and laying them flat to dry on the chair.
Lu Qingshi’s face reddened. It had been a long time since she’d done these things for her – partly due to conditions not allowing it, partly due to their relationship entering an awkward state after last time’s incident.
Though she had thrown the ring and treated her that way, if not completely giving up, being hurt was at least a normal reaction. But it hadn’t reached the point of not loving her.
She was certain she loved the person before her, and for love’s sake, after carefully considering the consequences, she knew the answer lay with herself.
“I’m sorry.”
Unexpectedly, they both spoke at the same time, startled each other, then laughed together.
Gu Yanzhi came over and took the towel from her hands to dry her long hair.
Lu Qingshi enjoyed this rare moment of peace: “Do you still hate me?”
“I never hated you for pursuing your ideals, I just resented that you didn’t discuss it with me. We’re not children anymore – dating isn’t about restricting each other. Before becoming each other’s lovers, we should first be complete individuals.”
Lu Qingshi lowered her eyes, unable to hide her sadness: “Everything happened so suddenly. I never expected the application I submitted when I first arrived at Renji Medical to be approved after so long. I had just recovered then, I understood you, so…”
She paused: “You don’t need to apologize to me. This is what I should bear.”
“And I guess you were also trying to protect me.”
Gu Yanzhi smiled – as expected of Lu Qingshi, still so clever.
She had her completely figured out.
“Yes, shortly after you left, my former instructor found me,” Gu Yanzhi continued.
The doctor let her dry her hair, pouting: “So you would have come even if I hadn’t gone abroad.”
It was a statement, not a question. She understood her as well as she understood herself.
Gu Yanzhi tapped her nose: “Yes, but I would have protected myself better.”
She looked past her shoulder at the night outside: “When do you think the war will end?”
When will people truly find peace?
Gu Yanzhi shook her head, tucking stray hair behind her ear: “I don’t know, but when we go back together, that will be when the war ends.”
That night, she dreamed of her homeland blooming with flowers. She ran through meadows with Hamburger and French Fries rolling beside her. When she grew tired, Gu Yanzhi caught her in an embrace.
Just like that autumn years ago, when she held her and spun beneath the ginkgo trees, falling leaves covering their shoulders.
As she fell asleep in her arms listening to her heartbeat, she almost believed that the war would truly end.
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