Shanshan stood at the entrance, tilting her head back to look at the closed door. She blinked.
Just now, that young guard had called him "Leader" and said something about "returning to the unit."
Putting those two things together, she instantly understood a little more.
Shanshan tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and then broke into a grin.
Her little mind was spinning.
'Since he's from the military unit, maybe I'll run into that leader again when I go visit Uncle Yang in the future!'
'Then I can tell him if my herbs really work!'
At that thought, she clenched her empty fist. A hopeful smile spread across her face as she turned and skipped back toward the main hall.
Just then, Auntie Pang wheeled Yang Dapeng out of the examination room, her face blooming with a wide smile.
Yang Dapeng sat in his wheelchair, an old woolen blanket covering his legs.
Although he still couldn't walk, his spirits were much higher.
The check-up results were in, and Yang Dapeng's body was recovering exceptionally well!
The doctor compared the new scans with the data from a few days ago, shaking his head in amazement again and again.
"For such severe traumatic injuries, for the nerve functions to begin repairing themselves... this is nothing short of a rare clinical miracle!"
They had originally predicted it would take at least half a year for him to get out of the wheelchair.
But now the doctor was saying he could try walking with crutches in three months.
At this rate, there was real hope he would be able to walk steadily on his own again!
A nurse chimed in, "That's some constitution. Not something you see in an ordinary person."
Her words made Auntie Pang's smile grow even wider.
"Shanshan! My little lucky star!"
Auntie Pang scooped the little girl into a hug and planted three or four noisy kisses on her, the chubby flesh of her cheeks trembling with joy.
"The doctor said your Uncle Yang is recovering better than expected! It's a miracle! It must be thanks to you and those herbs you're always talking about!"
Shanshan puffed out her little chest and lifted her chin proudly.
"I told you my method would work!"
Although she herself couldn't say for sure if the herbs were truly effective, the results were right in front of them.
'Uncle Yang really is getting better, and that's all that matters!'
The family left the hospital cheerfully and made a stop at the supply and marketing cooperative on their way.
Auntie Pang bought Shanshan some fragrant sponge cakes.
Then, she picked out a piece of fabric with a pattern of little white flowers on a soft yellow background.
"I'll make a new dress for Shanshan later. She'll look as pretty as a flower fairy in it."
The family wasn't well-off; they had to budget carefully every month just to buy rice and oil, and they were even reluctant to burn their lamp for a moment longer than necessary.
But when it came to Shanshan, their little benefactor, the whole family would give her their all without a second thought.
On the way back, they missed their unit's supply truck.
The truck, with its peeling green paint, had already rumbled away.
So, they had to squeeze onto the shuttle bus that ran between the town and the countryside.
The bus was packed shoulder to shoulder, and the air was a mixture of smells.
Shanshan was held tightly in Auntie Pang's arms, her small face pressed against the warm crook of her arm.
Even though the ride was terribly bumpy, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Just as the bus was approaching the main gate, Shanshan was about to pop her last piece of candy into her mouth when a flicker of movement outside the window caught her eye.
A man was crouching behind a tree on the side of the road.
He was huddled behind the thick trunk of a plane tree, only half a shoulder visible. He kept his head down furtively, holding a small notebook and quickly sketching something.
Not only that, but he also kept glancing up toward the guard post.
Shanshan immediately furrowed her little brow, a wary expression appearing on her face.
The man had a strange smell about him; a scent of motor oil, dust, and stale sweat drifted over from the distance.
It wasn't like the cozy, homey scent of her aunt and uncle.
Instead, it carried a cold, damp feeling.
She tugged on Yang Dapeng's sleeve and lowered her voice.
"Uncle, look at that man. He's hiding behind the tree and spying on the gate. He's so suspicious. Is... is he a bad guy?"
Yang Dapeng had honed his sharp alertness on the battlefield.
The moment he heard her words, his relaxed expression instantly tensed.
He didn't respond right away, but instead followed the direction of Shanshan's little finger and looked over discreetly.
Sure enough, he saw the man acting strangely, his movements furtive. He was clearly mapping the terrain.
His face immediately darkened, and alarm bells went off in his head.
"Yun Hua, hold Shanshan tight and get off the bus first," Yang Dapeng instructed in a low voice.
Hearing this, Auntie Pang's heart tightened, and she instinctively hugged Shanshan closer.
Yang Dapeng quickly opened the bus door and jumped out.
Although his legs had not yet fully recovered from his old injuries and he walked with a slight limp, he still used the cover of the roadside grass to stealthily approach the man.
The man seemed to sense the movement. He froze, quickly put away his notebook, and turned to flee.
At that critical moment, Yang Dapeng let out a sharp yell.
"Stop!"
He lunged forward. Despite his impaired legs, he used the incredible explosive power of his upper body to grab the man's wrist.
The man struggled desperately, twisting his body.
Just as he was about to break free from Yang Dapeng's grasp, in a moment of desperation, he suddenly pulled a short knife from his coat!
The sharp blade pointed straight at Yang Dapeng's throat.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and everything around them slowed down.
In the nick of time, with a WHOOSH, a brick flew through the air.
It smashed into the back of the man's head with a THUD!
The blow was so powerful that his head snapped forward and his body shuddered violently.
He collapsed to the ground, the short knife falling onto the concrete with a CLANG.
The one who threw the brick was none other than Shanshan, who had run after them.
Her face was flushed from running, and her little braids were a mess.
But she paid no mind to that. Puffing out her cheeks, she shook her fist at the man on the ground and shouted, "You bad guy! Don't you dare bully my uncle! I'm the strongest! I won't let bad guys win!"
Yang Dapeng and Auntie Pang were stunned speechless on the spot.
They never would have imagined that the normally sweet and adorable little girl would step up at such a crucial moment.
Auntie Pang stammered, "Shan... Shanshan! A-Aren't you scared?"
Meanwhile, Yang Dapeng quickly turned back and pinned the man down, taking out a handkerchief to tie his hands.
Just then, the sentry heard the commotion and ran over with his rifle at the ready.
Yang Dapeng immediately identified himself and quickly coordinated with the sentry. The two of them firmly restrained the suspicious man.
After confirming the man was completely subdued, Yang Dapeng immediately used his walkie-talkie to report the situation to his superiors.
An emergency interrogation was quickly convened.
Several experienced security officers took turns rigorously questioning the man.
After a round of psychological pressure and evidence-based questioning, the man finally cracked and confessed his true identity.
It turned out he was an enemy agent who had been infiltrated for several days, specifically tasked with gathering internal intelligence.
His mission was extremely covert, and his methods were very cunning.
If not for Yang Dapeng's vigilance, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
During a further search, investigators found an unfinished guard rotation schedule in his inner pocket.
This time, Yang Dapeng not only thwarted a potentially major security threat but also performed a great service for the entire unit.
His decisive reaction was highly praised by his superiors.
What was even more remarkable was that his physical condition and quick-thinking abilities displayed during the incident far exceeded everyone's expectations.