NovelEnglish
Chapter 80
Eileen was busy scheming 108 ways to pack her stuff when suddenly she felt a piercing gaze on her.
She turned her head in confusion.
It was Egbert.
She frowned and asked, “Why are you eyeballing me? Just so you know, even if I can’t fit all this stuff,
I’m not sharing with you.”
Egbert chuckled softly, stood up and walked over to her.
He looked at the mess on the floor and asked, “Ever heard of the military packing method?”
Eileen was taken aback and looked up at him.
Egbert squatted down, emptied Eileen’s bag and started packing it anew.
As he was doing this, he explained, “When out on a mission, the logistics team ensures the supplies
are packed to the brim and sorted
out.”
Eileen watched as he managed to fit the large items that she previously couldn’t into the bag. Her eyes
widened with surprise.
A moment later, although many things still didn’t fit, her bag could now carry a third more than before.
king me
And thanks to his systematic packing method, retrieving items was a breeze.
Eileen was surprised, “Didn’t expect you to be so handy, did you learn this on a movie set?”
Egbert looked at her, paused for a moment, and then said, “I learned it at a military academy.”
Eileen was stunned, “You attended a military academy?”
Egbert averted his gaze, “Someone in my family did.”
Eileen looked at him for a moment, then at her bulging bag, and nodded approvingly, “Pretty good.”
It was unclear whether she was praising his packing skills or the military academy.
Egbert added, “Go get some rest. I’ll take first watch.”
Eileen scoffed, “No need, you go sleep. I’ll wait for Burton to take over later.”
Suddenly, Egbert stood up, took Eileen’s hand and helped her up.
Eileen, taken by surprise, swayed a little…
She asked unhappily, “What are you doing?”
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Egbert, still holding her hand, led her to the tent and whispered, “Get some rest since you’ve had a long
day.”
Eileen frowned.
Egbert coaxed her, “Come on, I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”
It had been an eventful day and Eileen hesitated for a moment before finally stepping into the tent to
rest.
But, perhaps because of Egbert’s mention of the military academy, Eileen had a dream that night.
She dreamed of a time long, long ago.
One afternoon, a 10-year-old girl in a red plaid dress sat in a room full of clocks.
“Eileen, it’s time for dinner,” a sprightly old man called from the doorway.
The little girl didn’t move. She pouted, her back to the door, refusing to leave out of anger.
After a while, her kind old grandmother came in, stroked her hair and soothed, “Your dad got called
away on some work and can’t make
it home for your birthday. How about grandma and grandpa accompany Eileen for a big meal?”
The little girl turned her head in disappointment, buried her face in her grandmother’s lap, and said,
“Daddy promised.”
Her white-haired grandpa laughed from the doorway, “Oh dear, is our little Eileen going to cry?”
The little girl quickly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes with her tiny hands and replied
loudly, “No way, I’m not crying!”
Her grandpa and grandma both laughed heartily.
As the orange light from the window flooded in, the phone in the living room suddenly rang.
“It’s father!” The little girl jumped up excitedly and rushed to answer the phone, “Father!”
On the other end of the line, however, was not her father, but a stranger’s voice, “May I speak to the
Howard family?”
The little girl lowered her head in disappointment, but still politely replied, “Yes, who are you looking
for?”
“I’m looking for… Mr. Howard.”
The little girl carefully handed the phone to her grandpa who walked over.
Grandpa took the phone with a smile, but within moments, his face turned pale.
That night, the little girl didn’t go to the restaurant to celebrate her birthday with her grandpa and
grandma.
Grandpa was rushed to the hospital, grandma cried uncontrollably, and the little girl sat at the entrance
of the empty hospital corridor, lost and confused.
Ten days later, she learned the truth.
Her father had died while on duty.
On that day, it was raining heavily.
She was taken by her grandparents to a cemetery.
Many relatives came to the funeral, all dressed in military uniforms. Their eyes were full of pity when
they looked at her.
“Is this Mr. Robin’s daughter?”
“Little girl, your dad was a hero!”
They all spoke to her, but she didn’t respond, just staring at the unfamiliar cemetery and the neatly
arranged tombstones.
She heard that soldiers who died were buried here.
In her tent, Eileen, asleep, had tears streaming down her cheeks.
She turned in her sleep, took a deep breath, and buried her face in her arm.
The dream shifted at this point.
The cemetery disappeared, and so did her grandparents.
In the dream, the little girl woke up from a large white bed.
Her head was throbbing with pain, her entire body ached, she was hooked up to many IV tubes, and
she had a mask on her face.
She knew it was an oxygen mask. Her grandpa was a renowned doctor and he had taught her a lot
about medical science and devices.
But she didn’t understand why she was wearing an oxygen mask.
“She’s awake, she’s finally awake.”
“Little girl, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
There were many doctors and nurse. ?
They were all excited to see her awake.
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The little girl looked at them in confusion. She removed the oxygen mask from her face and weakly
said, “Grandpa… Grandma…”
The room suddenly fell silent.
They looked at her sympathetically, changed the subject and didn’t tell her where her grandparents had
gone.
A few days later, some social welfare workers came to her ward.
They talked to her, but behind her back, they discussed privately.
“Why doesn’t this child speak? Is she unable to speak?”
“No, she can speak. She just can’t accept the fact that her grandparents are dead.”
“She’s very beautiful, so she should be adopted quickly in the orphanage. But she’s a bit grown-up, it
would be better if she were more lively. D
They were discussing where to send her, possibly still in this city, or perhaps another city.
The little girl sat on her hospital bed, she heard everything.
But she was always tight-lipped.
Only at night would she hide under her blankets, quietly shedding tears.
“Eileen, no need to be scared. The police found your mom; she’ll be here to take you home soon.
You’re not an orphan and you’re not going to an orphanage.”
The kindhearted medical staff showed special care for this little girl who had lost her family.
They’d offer her candy, try to make small talk. But this kid, she never smiled, never said a word, like
she was unresponsive to everything. Until one day, a big crowd of people came to the hospital.
“This is Nathan’s daughter.”
A man in a military uniform, tall and upright, approached the little girl.
He squatted down, trying to maintain eye contact with her, and gently asked, “What’s your name?”
The girl, as always, didn’t respond, just stared blankly at him.
Someone whispered from behind, “General, she’s been like this for two weeks. It might be post-
traumatic stress disorder. She hasn’t spoken at all, but the doctors say there’s nothing wrong with her
vocal cords. It’s probably psychological.”
The man’s face flashed a complex expression, and he asked again, “Your name’s Eileen, right?”
The girl didn’t nod or shake her head. She was like a lifeless puppet, her dark eyes devoid of any light.
“I’m Mr. Reed. I was a good friend of your dad’s. Eileen, would you like to come home with me? There’s
a boy at my house, and I’m sure he would love to meet you. Eileen, will you come home with me?”
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