Chapter 33: Illustrated Explanation of Military Orders

Just as breakfast was set on the table, the door to the pharmaceutical factory was pushed open. Captain Zhao strode in, wearing a faded military uniform with a satchel slung over his shoulder, followed by two soldiers. They looked travel-worn, with road dust still clinging to the cuffs of their trousers.

"Director Su, I hope we haven't interrupted your meal?" Captain Zhao smiled as he placed his satchel on the table, revealing a folder of documents inside. "The penicillin you provided last time worked wonders for our soldiers. This time, we need 5,000 vials."

Su Yao quickly cleared a space for them to sit. "Not at all, please, have a seat. Xiao Zhang, pour the Captain a bowl of hot water."

Captain Zhao took the water, sipped it, and got straight to business. "There is a special request. Most of our soldiers come from farming backgrounds and haven't had much schooling. Terms like 'intravenous injection' or 'intramuscular injection' are hard for them to understand. Is it possible to provide a simple, illustrated instruction with each vial so they know exactly how and when to use it at a glance?"

Su Yao paused. Her previous instruction manuals were written according to research institute standards—filled with technical jargon—and had indeed failed to account for the soldiers' actual circumstances. She looked over at Lu Shihan, the little girl currently using crayons to draw little suns on a piece of paper while humming a nursery rhyme.

"Captain Zhao, what do you think of this?" Su Yao pointed to Shihan. "We could have the child draw some simple cartoons. For a fever, she can draw a red face; for an allergy, she can draw a little person sneezing. The soldiers will understand immediately."

Captain Zhao’s eyes lit up. He turned to Shihan and asked, "Little one, would you like to help the uncles by drawing some pictures?"

Shihan stopped her hand, looked up with her small face, and asked, "If I draw them well, will the soldier uncles be able to use the medicine properly?"

"That’s right," Captain Zhao nodded. "If you draw them well, the uncles can get better faster and defend the country."

The little girl immediately opened her crayon box, took out red and blue crayons, and pulled over several sheets of rough paper. "I’ll start now! Mom, I want to draw the red faces and show where the injections go."

Su Yao stroked her hair. "Good. Mom will teach you. For a fever over 38 degrees, draw a red face and write '38℃↑' next to it. For an intramuscular injection, draw an arm with a checkmark; for intravenous, draw the back of a hand with a checkmark. If there’s an allergy, draw a little person sneezing with an 'X' next to it to show it shouldn't be used."

Shihan listened intently. She used the red crayon to draw a round face, coloring it in fully, then sketched a thermometer next to it with the mercury rising past 38, adding a small arrow pointing upward. She followed this with a little figure, drawing a small circle on the arm with a checkmark—the lines were wobbly, but incredibly adorable.

"Mom, is this right?" Shihan held up the drawing.

"Yes, it’s beautiful," Su Yao nodded. "Now draw the allergy one—a person sneezing with an 'X' beside it."

Shihan switched to the blue crayon, drawing a little figure with its mouth wide open, adding small circles to represent a sneeze, and then marking a bold red 'X' over it. After finishing, she added a tiny flower in the corner. "The medicine for the soldier uncles should be pretty."

Captain Zhao leaned in to look and couldn't help but laugh. "This is wonderful! It’s much clearer than text. Director Su, let’s do exactly this. Put one in every medicine box."

***

However, 5,000 vials meant 5,000 instructions. The commune had no copy shop, and the only photocopier in the county was at the Education Bureau and not available for public use. They would have to be hand-drawn. Su Yao frowned. "Captain Zhao, it’s hard to find a place to copy these; we’ll have to draw them by hand. It might be a bit slow."

"Slow is fine, we can wait," Captain Zhao replied. "This batch is for the soldiers on the front lines. If it helps them understand, waiting a few extra days is worth it. We’ll leave two soldiers here to help."

The soldiers immediately nodded. "We know how to draw; we can help."

Su Yao felt a warmth in her heart. She had Xiao Zhang find more paper and crayons, dividing them into piles on the table. Shihan became the "little teacher," instructing the soldiers on how to draw the red faces and the sneezing figures. "The red faces must be filled in completely, no white spots left. The thermometer’s mercury column must be straight, or the uncles won't understand."

The soldiers learned diligently. Their drawings weren't as cute as Shihan's, but they were clear, stroke by stroke. Lu Xingchen and Lu Yuxuan joined in after breakfast as well—Xingchen cut the finished instructions to size, while Yuxuan stacked them in sets of ten, making them easy to pack.

The courtyard became lively. The rustle of crayons against paper, the laughter of children, and the chatter of soldiers blended together, creating a heartwarming scene. Watching this, Su Yao thought about how the soldiers came from all over the country and spoke different dialects, and some terms might still be unclear.

She shared her thoughts with Lu Zhanye, who had just returned from the Armed Forces Department. As he helped trim the paper, he pondered and said, "I can translate the key information into dialects like Northern Shaanxi or Sichuanese and stick them on the inside of the boxes. We have many soldiers from those regions; it will feel more personal to them."

"That’s a great idea," Su Yao said. "But it will be hard work—how long will it take to translate so many?"

"It’s no trouble," Zhanye smiled. "If it helps the soldiers, it’s worth it."

That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Zhanye was still working under the lamp. He used graph paper to translate "Use if fever is over 38 degrees" into the Northern Shaanxi dialect and Sichuanese, adding pinyin to ensure even those with limited literacy could read it. He was meticulous, ensuring every version was clear.

Su Yao woke up to feed the twins and saw the study light still on. She walked over and found Zhanye rubbing his eyes, pen still gripped in his hand. Stacks of translated dialect instructions were already neatly piled on the desk.

"Don't work too hard; there's always tomorrow," Su Yao said, draping a coat over his shoulders.

"It’s alright. If I finish more tonight, we can start boxing them sooner tomorrow," Zhanye said. "These instructions are a matter of safety for the soldiers; I can't be careless."

Su Yao didn't try to stop him further. She sat beside him and helped pair the dialect instructions with the cartoon illustrations, tucking them into the boxes. Moonlight spilled through the window, bathing them in a quiet, cozy glow.

In the following days, everyone was busy packing. Shihan checked the cartoons every day, taking back any that weren't up to standard. "This red face isn't filled in; the soldier uncle might get confused. This thermometer is crooked—I'll redraw it."

The soldiers didn't take offense, laughing instead. "Our little teacher is very strict; we have to do a good job."

***

While packing, Su Yao noticed that some of the medicine was nearing its expiration date. She grew anxious—this batch was for the front lines, and if it expired during transport, all their hard work would be in vain. She remembered using the spiritual spring water to treat Xiao Wang’s burns; it had anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, and perhaps it could extend the shelf life of the medicine.

Taking a chance, she used a small amount of the spring water from her space, mixing it into the penicillin solvent at a 1:10 ratio, and placed it in the laboratory incubator for observation. To her surprise, after a few days, the shelf life of the treated penicillin had extended by 15 days.

"That's wonderful!" Su Yao exclaimed. Just then, Zhanye walked in, and she quickly explained, "The penicillin treated with the spring water lasts 15 days longer. We can send more to the plateau troops—the roads are long, and I was always worried about the expiration dates."

Zhanye was equally pleased. "Then let's prepare a special 'long-lasting' batch for them. I’ll tell Captain Zhao to prioritize sending this batch to the plateau."

Su Yao nodded and immediately began preparing the "long-lasting" penicillin, carefully recording every step to ensure accuracy. Xingchen helped record the data and drew a little sun as a marker for the "long-lasting" version. "This way, it can be distinguished from the regular batch."

The 5,000 vials were soon boxed, each containing Shihan’s cartoons and Zhanye’s dialect instructions. 1,000 of these were the "long-lasting" version, marked with Xingchen’s little sun.

On the day of the delivery, Captain Zhao arrived to collect the medicine. Seeing the cartoons and dialect notes, he was deeply moved. "Director Su, you have been so thoughtful! The soldiers will be so happy when they see these."

Shihan tugged at Captain Zhao’s uniform, looking up. "Uncle Zhao, will the soldiers like the red faces I drew?"

"They will, they certainly will," Zhao said, crouching to pat her head. "When we win the battle, I’ll have them send you a medal of merit."

Watching the truck slowly pull away, Su Yao felt a sense of profound peace. These medicines weren't just for healing; they were a bond between her, her children, and the soldiers. She knew that with these, the soldiers could better defend the country, and all she had to do was continue making the medicine well and keeping their needs at heart.

Back home, Shihan was still talking about the soldier uncles. "Mom, I want to draw even more pictures in the future so all the uncles can understand how to use their medicine."

"That’s a wonderful idea," Su Yao smiled. "Whenever our factory produces new medicine, I'll let you draw the instructions."

Shihan nodded vigorously, her face beaming. The sunlight in the courtyard was perfect, shining on the children and warming Su Yao’s heart. She knew that as long as everyone worked together, there was nothing they couldn't achieve. This factory and this home were her most tangible supports in this place.