The woman's face turned unsightly. She collapsed onto the ground, devoid of the arrogance and sharp tongue of years past.
I suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction, as if all the resentment that had been pent up for years had been completely released.
I held Khang's hand, my thumb unconsciously stroking the back of it, signaling that I was okay. The pain in Khang's eyes was unconcealed. My heart warmed, and I suddenly felt a sense of relief.
Whatever happened to that woman was no longer my concern.
Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly lunged forward, the scissors hidden in her hand glinting with a cold light.
It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react; I could only raise my arm to block it. A sharp pain shot through my arm.
Khang landed a kick to her stomach, causing her to lose her balance and be thrown backward.
The wound on my arm wasn't very serious, but Khang was extremely tense, insisting on taking me to the medical room for a doctor to look at it. I couldn't sway him, so I had to go along with his wishes.
The gash on my arm looked bloody, but I felt it was fine, still within my limits of endurance.
Khang took off his jacket and wrapped it around my arm, the pristine white fabric instantly stained with a patch of red. I was a little annoyed; this jacket was as good as ruined.
Seeing my silence, Khang asked worriedly: "What's wrong? Does it hurt a lot?"
Seeing his anxious expression, his face flushed and beaded with sweat, my heart warmed, and I said:
"No, it doesn't hurt. I was just worried about how to wash this jacket of yours."
Khang let out a sigh of relief, the corners of his eyes curving up slightly in a smile: "Just wash it like normal."
The medical room was already short-staffed, and they were busy tending to more seriously ill patients, so they had no time to treat my wound.
Khang was getting impatient, one moment craning his neck to look around, the next getting up to pace back and forth, occasionally glancing at me hesitantly.
I knew what he was thinking. Khang was probably worried that I was upset about the incident with the woman and wanted to ask but hesitated to do so.
Watching him, I felt both amused and touched. I had stopped caring about those old stories long ago.
To be honest, Khang's kick earlier had given me immense satisfaction. That woman, if she knew what was good for her, would never come looking for me again.
As Khang anxiously waited, a doctor finally freed up to examine my wound.
Seeing how worried Khang was, the doctor said bluntly: "The wound isn't deep. Just make sure to change the dressing for a few days, and most importantly, don't let it get wet. It'll heal quickly, so don't you worry needlessly."
Khang scratched his nose, pretending not to see the doctor's meaningful gaze, and nodded, obediently replying: "Yes, I understand."
The doctor quickly treated the wound and then shooed us away. Khang wanted to ask something more, but I had already pulled him away.
He looked at me blankly, seemingly a bit resentful that I had pulled him away, his lips turning down slightly.
I sighed inwardly and flicked his forehead lightly.
He dodged, clutching his head and looking at me with even more grievance: "Tran Thanh Phuong, what was that for?"
This guy was usually so smart, how could he not realize that the doctor meant for us not to bother them over such a minor injury.
I said with a smile: "The doctor told us to make way for others. You kept trying to ask questions, what was I supposed to do but pull you away?"
Khang pouted, not quite agreeing with what I said. I didn't want to argue further about it and offend his good intentions.
The lodging that Vu had arranged for us was near the main gate of the camp. There were quite a few guards here, so if anything unexpected happened, it would be easy to manage. I didn't say it out loud, but I noted his thoughtfulness in my heart.
There was already a person in the tent. Khang stepped forward to introduce us: "Ly, this is my friend, Thanh Phuong. Sorry to trouble you tonight."
Ly stepped forward with a broad smile: "Hey, don't be so formal."
He then turned to me and said openly: "Hello, young man, my name is Minh Ly, just call me Ly. If you need any help, just say so, don't be shy."
This Minh Ly, though he looked quite thin, the bulging muscles under his rolled-up sleeves showed he was a man of martial prowess, yet he seemed very gentle and easygoing.
"Then I'll be troubling you a lot tonight."
Ly waved his hand, no longer engaging in false pleasantries with us, and led me into the tent.
Seeing that I was settled in, Khang said he had something to attend to and left after a brief farewell. I watched his hurried figure, an indescribable feeling rising in my heart.
I glanced around; the young guard who had been outside earlier had been replaced by someone else.
I asked directly: "Ly, where is the young soldier who was on guard just now?"
Minh Ly scratched the back of his neck and sighed: "That kid felt guilty about you getting injured this afternoon, so he went to report himself for discipline."
I was a bit surprised, but on second thought, Vu must have given some instructions. Soldiers have always been dedicated to their duties. I was truly moved that they could maintain such discipline under these circumstances; it was truly admirable.
Minh Ly added: "That woman has been a bit crazy ever since we rescued her, so don't you take it to heart."
I nodded, and then we chatted about the situation here.
On this topic, Minh Ly seemed to have found someone to confide in, launching into a long complaint about how difficult management was, how these rescued people didn't know how to do anything...
After listening, I too felt that their team was truly difficult to manage; no wonder Vu's brows never seemed to relax.
The evening inside the tent was even more stifling than when I was in the village; waves of heat washed over my face. Minh Ly was fast asleep, his snores rising and falling rhythmically, sweat soaking half of his shirt.
I was too hot to sleep, the image of that woman from the afternoon replaying in my mind. I patted my head, forcing myself to push the images out of my thoughts.