My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Chapter 10 - Cherry Blossom

Meanwhile, Shi Nian was spending her time in leisure as she enjoyed the scenery outside the hospital. Her room was on the fifth floor, and there was even a small balcony. Outside of it directly faced the busy road and many food stalls, once in a while there were sounds of cars honking and whistles from the parking guards.

Shi Nian put her hands on the railing and took a deep breath.

The spring air felt cool and refreshing. Maybe because it's the hospital, the atmosphere was so serene and peaceful that it didn't seem like it was situated in the middle of the city. Rows of huge cherry blossom trees were planted along the front road, the petals swirling in the air.

Shi Nian felt that the combination of blue sky and the pink flowers were such a sight to behold.

The springtime bloom was a lavish spectacle, yet it was remarkably brief. Only less than two months time, and the petals would drop to the ground and withered, falling like the snow in winter.

"Do you know what cherry blossom represents?"

She closed her eyes and the General's deep voice rang in her ears.

It was the time of spring, and outside the General's residence, the cherry blossoms were blooming spectacularly, the sight was breathtaking to see. It was Shi Nian's first time seeing this kind of pink, fluffy cloud-like flower. Her eyes were glued to the huge trees and she shook her head blankly.

The man beside her stepped forward, and in a moment, he was enveloped amidst the raining petals. He was dressed in thin, silk garments that accentuated his body. His arms hung beside his body, the skin of it was filled with multiple scars from numerous wars.

Strangely though, as he was surrounded by the rain petals, his sharp and cynical countenance softened somehow, giving him an air of peacefulness as well as a tinge of abrupt melancholy.

He reached out and grabbed a piece of falling petal, twiddling it between his long fingers. Those fingers which always held sharp weapons were unexpectedly gentle and patient as he touched the flower. Shi Nian felt that the man in front of her was more beautiful than the scenery.

She tried to imitate him and stretched her hand forward. But to her dismay, she couldn't touch even one bit of the falling petals!

Frustration grew between her eyebrows and she pursed her lips sullenly.

The General gave her a fleeting glance and chuckled. He turned around and pinned the petal he was holding into her hair. "It represents life and death." he answered his previous question.

Shi Nian stared into his eyes while her mind spun. Such gentle and beautiful flowers unexpectedly brought forth a kind of heroic meaning?

"Do you believe in the circle of life and death?" he asked.

Shi Nian thought for a while and nodded.

"Me too." He smiled more sincerely as if pleased with her answer. "Humans die and then go through reincarnation, over and over again. It is a cycle of renewal. As long as our soul is still alive, even if our body goes through eternal death, one day, we will be reborn again."

"Do you trust me?"

She did. She trusted his words wholeheartedly.

Was she not the best evidence there was? In this cycle of life and death, she experienced rebirth, and then…surely, he too.

Just that, in this vast world, where could she search for him?

Under the boundless sky and stretching horizon, Shi Nian's eyelashes trembled, she couldn't help but wonder, was there any possibility that he was seeing the same cherry blossom she did?

General Jiang…Jiang Jinyan…

The hands on the railing tightened and Shi Nian took another deep breath.

There was a knock on the door, bringing her out of her reverie. She recovered herself and turned around. It was Nurse Zhang. She blinked in confusion, silently asking what was wrong.

The young and capable nurse smiled and lifted the plastic bag in her hands. There was a very cute transparent plastic with decoration of cakes around. In the middle of it was the colorful sign 'Happy Sweet Paradise'. Very bright and dazzling.

"Surprise." Nurse Zhang put the bag atop of the table and beckoned for her to come over. "See what you've got here. Who knows who is so kind and benevolent as to treat you to such a mouth-watering dessert?"

Shi Nian walked over with interest and peered into the box and saw three pieces of cakes there. The coldness of it created a foggy mist on the plastic wrap. She gulped subconsciously.

"Do you want to eat it?"

Shi Nian automatically wanted to nod but she held herself back. She wrote. [Who is the one buying it? Is it for me?] The first person who surfaced in her mind was Doctor Chun, after that it was Qiang Fei. Apart from the two of them, Shi Nian had no one else in this world.

After such a long time of eating bland porridge, Shi Nian was so tempted that she wanted to grovel to whoever bought these little sweets.

"Yes." Nurse Zhang laughed heartily. "It is for you. Do you want to see the card over there?"

Shi Nian pulled out a very adorable blue bear card. There was a line of sentences there.

[Compensation. Don't eat it all at once. X.]

Shi Nian was visibly surprised by the unexpected person. She took her words back. She didn't want to grovel to uncle detective.

The image of a particular haughty detective popped up in her mind. When she compared it to the cute and colorful cakes, Shi Nian burst out in laughter, surprising Nurse Zhang who was helping her unwrap the box.

"What's wrong?" She teased playfully. "So happy?"

Shi Nian shook her head, amused. She handed the card to Nurse Zhang. After reading it, Nurse Zhang's face changed, her smile slipped and her brows furrowed, after that, she returned to her usual smile, just that the excitement level had dropped significantly.

"Well, he is kind enough to buy the cakes for you after what had happened."

[It's not uncle detective's fault.]

"I know. But it doesn't mean that this little gesture will improve my opinion of him!" Nurse Zhang harrumphed. Apparently, after knowing that Xu Binchen had a hand in Shi Nian's hypnotherapy session, she began to hold a grudge toward the detective.

Shi Nian shook her head helplessly and scooped up a mouthful of black forest cake. The sweetness of the chilly chocolate as well as the fluffy cream melted in her mouth. She squinted her eyes happily, her legs swung in joy.

Nurse Zhang's eyes softened.

Oftentimes, she felt that Shi Nian was too mature for her own age. She was independent, steady and calm. She looked like she had nothing to fear after experiencing such a huge accident. The 18 years old boy upstairs was still wailing for his mother because one of his arms was broken, but Shi Nian never did.

She didn't search for her mother, nor did she show any side of fragility befitted of a sixteen years old girl.

She was so sensible that it made people's hearts ached for her.

Ever since she first woke up, this was the first time Nurse Zhang saw the childlike innocence of joy within her eyes.

Her impression of Xu Binchen improved a notch and she sighed. "Okay, one piece is enough. Save it for tomorrow again, okay?"

Shi Nian whined and batted her eyelashes pitifully.

"What should we do if Detective Xu comes tomorrow and see that there's nothing left of it?"

Shi Nian bit her spoon and cradled her cake with both hands.. Her eyes clearly said 'I don't care if he knows!' Nurse Zhang was ruthless and packed the box again even if the girl hung on her arms like a koala.