"Yes," Dong Jian nodded. "It feels like we’ve been here almost a year without realizing it."
Zhu Yanyi had arrived here last November after undergoing special training with Yan Aohan. Her identity documents were arranged by Yan Aohan, but the name Yan Yi was her own choice. She had picked it casually because it sounded similar to her own name, but Yan Aohan had been delighted, saying that Zhu Yanyi had finally taken his surname.
Zhu Yanyi smiled indifferently. "I can apply for leave in March next year. You can go back then." Generally, peacekeeping soldiers could not leave their posts unless there was a special circumstance, but military doctors were often an exception.
Dong Jian looked at Zhu Yanyi. She did not know her background. Among the group of military doctors who had arrived, Zhu Yanyi was the youngest, yet her medical skills were the most advanced. In this war zone, however, ability spoke louder than origins.
"Aren't you going back?" Dong Jian asked.
Zhu Yanyi gave a faint smile. "It is not yet time for me to return. When the time comes, I will go. It may be soon, or it may be later, depending on the timing." She added softly, "I am a bit tired. I will go back to rest now."
Zhu Yanyi had her own tent here. Everyone lived in tents, as there were no permanent structures in this war zone. She could adapt to life here because she did not have to worry about daily necessities. She could secretly take showers in her Ruyi Space, and if she disliked the local food, she could eat secretly in the space as well. Without these conveniences, even just the issue of bathing would have been a major problem.
Although there were communal bathing facilities, water was scarce. People usually bathed only once every few days to conserve resources. If Zhu Yanyi did not have her space, she would have found this difficult to accept.
Other aspects of life here gave her new perspectives. Facing various injuries, her ability to respond quickly had improved significantly. In nearly a year here, she deeply understood why her senior brother, Yu Qingyun, had stayed on the front lines. Life here was both the strongest and the most fragile.
With strong wills but fragile bodies, their role as healers was to protect that fragility, supporting their strong wills to give them more chances to survive.
Zhu Yanyi’s purpose in coming here was not to improve her medical skills, as there was little room for growth in that regard. Instead, she came to strengthen her state of mind and to avoid the turmoil in the capital.
Yan Aohan had told her to return when she felt ready. The timing was for her to sense herself.
Life here was hard, but undeniably fulfilling. Her state of mind had indeed improved substantially.
Zhu Yanyi returned to her tent and sat cross-legged on the ground. She no longer needed to lie down to sleep, especially here. Sitting cross-legged helped her cultivate her spirit and allowed her to stay aware of her surroundings.
"Is there a military doctor?" Soon, soldiers carried a wounded person over. Dong Jian was there and immediately went out. "What happened?"