“Auntie, is the elderly gentleman doing well? Has he had any more episodes since?”
“He’s doing great! Thanks to you, child, otherwise my father might not have made it this time. After resting at home for a night, he’s full of energy today. By the way, it’s almost mealtime, Miss Song. Do you have any plans later?” Lin Huiying asked warmly.
“If you’re free, come over to my place. I’ll cook you a nice meal to properly thank you!”
Song Zhiyi was about to find an excuse to decline. She was eager to inquire about housing matters and didn’t want to trouble others too much.
But then her aunt’s voice came from behind.
“Zhiyi?”
Song Zhiyi turned around and saw Zhong Shuxian walking quickly toward her, a faint trace of reproach on her face.
“So you came to the service center.”
When Zhong Shuxian’s gaze fell on Lin Huiying standing beside Song Zhiyi, her expression grew somewhat reserved.
“Sister Lin?”
This was the younger sister of Battalion Commander Lin, the daughter of the retired Elder Chief Lin!
In this compound, the Lin family had deep roots—three generations of military officers. Lin Huiying also worked in an administrative unit. Everyone usually treated her with respect. Zhong Shuxian never expected that her niece would know her, and that the two of them would be standing together, chatting and laughing.
Lin Huiying still wore a smile but seemed a bit unsure, staring at Zhong Shuxian for a few seconds before speaking:
“Hello, you’re Camp Commander Du’s wife, right?”
Zhong Shuxian nodded.
“Auntie Lin, this is my aunt,” Song Zhiyi said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Huiying’s attitude immediately became more familiar and affectionate than before.
“That makes it even more perfect! Sister-in-law, don’t just stand there. Zhiyi is a great benefactor to our family. You must do me the honor of coming home with me for a simple meal today!”
Zhong Shuxian’s mind was full of questions, but it was hard to refuse such warm hospitality, so she nodded in a daze.
Lin Huiying led them to a two-story house with its own small courtyard.
The red brick walls and sparkling clean glass windows stood out impressively among the rows of red-brick single-story houses nearby.
Song Zhiyi thought to herself that the Lin family must hold a high rank in the military unit.
While Lin Huiying was unlocking the door ahead, Zhong Shuxian quietly pulled Song Zhiyi aside, lowering her voice, her tone filled with astonishment.
“Zhiyi, how on earth did you get to know Chief Lin’s family?”
“Chief Lin?”
No wonder.
The elderly gentleman on the train, though plainly dressed and advanced in years, still carried an air of solemn dignity between his brows.
“Please, have a seat. Sister Zhang, we have guests at home today. Make a couple more dishes,” Lin Huiying warmly invited them to sit at the dining table before turning toward the kitchen and calling out.
The meal wasn’t overly lavish: a plate of braised pork, a plate of pan-fried fish, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a large bowl of steaming white rice.
In an era when even non-staple foods required ration coupons, this was already a high standard of hospitality.
“Miss Song, how long do you plan to stay in Bai City?” Lin Huiying asked while serving food, her tone as familiar as if speaking to a younger family member.
Song Zhiyi instinctively glanced at her aunt.
“I haven’t decided yet. I came to take a look first,” she replied vaguely.
“You’re so skilled in medicine, you’ll never go hungry no matter where you go.” Lin Huiying smiled, then turned to Zhong Shuxian. “Your niece is truly amazing at medicine! I never expected someone so young and beautiful to have such excellent acupuncture skills. If it weren’t for her on the train the other day, my father would have been in serious trouble!”
Only then did Zhong Shuxian learn what had happened on the train.
“Aunt Lin, you’re too kind. I only know a little bit,” Song Zhiyi said modestly.
“If that’s just a little bit, then what does that make the doctors at the hospital?” Lin Huiying laughed heartily, then changed the subject. “By the way, Zhiyi, have you settled on a job yet?”
Song Zhiyi replied frankly, “I was originally assigned to the Liaocheng Steel Factory, but due to some personal reasons, I gave up the position. I came to Bai City this time to see if there are any new opportunities.”
She couldn’t very well say that she had been schemed against by her stepmother and Song Yating, nearly forced to marry a scoundrel, and that she didn’t want to stay in Liaocheng, so she simply sold her job.
Zhong Shuxian looked at Song Zhiyi with pity. Giving up a job at the Steel Factory? That was an iron rice bowl! Who would give that up for no reason?
This was the first time she had heard these words from Song Zhiyi. The girl must have suffered greatly in the Song family.
Lin Huiying, however, didn’t press her about why she gave up the job. Instead, her eyes lit up.
“Then have you thought about what kind of job you want next?”
Song Zhiyi shook her head. “Not yet. I was planning to look around these past few days.”
“No rush. Stay at your aunt’s house and take your time searching,” her aunt said gently, patting Song Zhiyi’s hand, her eyes filled with affection.
Lin Huiying smiled slightly. “Zhiyi, Auntie would like to hire you as our family’s health care doctor for the old master. What do you think?”
“Health care doctor?” Song Zhiyi was taken aback. “Aunt Lin, I don’t have a medical license. I didn’t graduate from a medical school. My medical skills were all learned from my grandfather and mother.”
Lin Huiying nodded calmly. “I know that, so to outsiders, we might only be able to say you’re our family’s nursing nanny.”
“But you won’t have to do nanny work. Sister Zhang takes care of the old master’s daily needs, so you don’t need to worry about that. You just need to come over every day, check the old master’s pulse, and use your acupuncture to help regulate his health. After that needle you gave him yesterday, he said he felt the tightness in his chest that had been bothering him for years loosen up, and his whole body felt lighter!”
The key was, she was also very concerned about the old master’s poisoning incident.
She paused, then added, “We have plenty of rooms allocated to us here. If your aunt’s place is too crowded, we happen to have an empty room on the second floor. If you don’t mind, we can tidy it up for you to stay in.”
This offer was indeed appealing to Song Zhiyi.
Not only would she have a job, but more importantly, she could move out of her aunt’s house and stop being a burden to them.
Zhong Shuxian was surprised. She never expected the Lin family to hold her niece in such high regard, offering both a job and accommodation.
“Teacher Lin, after all, Zhiyi isn’t a professional doctor…”
“Xiao Zhong, just call me sister. I’ve seen Zhiyi’s medical skills firsthand, and they’re truly impressive. I’ve met many old Chinese medicine practitioners, and Zhiyi’s needle technique is steadier than many of them.” Lin Huiying waved her hand dismissively, looking sincerely at Song Zhiyi. “If you’re willing, we can offer you a salary of sixty yuan a month. What do you think?”
“Sixty yuan!”
Song Zhiyi and Zhong Shuxian were both astonished.
“Too little, right? How about sixty-five then?”
Song Zhiyi quickly waved her hands, “No, it’s too much!”
“As long as you agree, I feel this salary is even too low.”
The three chatted for a while longer, and Song Zhiyi finally accepted the job, starting from tomorrow. However, her aunt strongly suggested that Zhiyi stay at her place for a while, tentatively moving into the Lin family next week.
After the meal, Song Zhiyi was about to take her leave when the main door was pushed open from outside.
A lean elderly man walked in, supported by a young man in military uniform.
The old man was spirited and energetic—it was Elder Chief Lin from the train.
The man beside him stood tall and straight like a pine tree, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His face had sharp, defined features, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and handsome features that, set against his bronze skin, gave him a rugged handsomeness with a hint of wildness.
Only his eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, and when his gaze swept over, it carried an intimidating chill.
“Dad, why are you back? Why not stay in the hospital for another day of observation?” Lin Huiying hurried over to greet him.
“I’m perfectly fine!” Elder Chief Lin waved his hand dismissively, his eyes landing on Song Zhiyi. Surprised and delighted, his face immediately lit up with a smile. “Isn’t this Miss Song from the train? What are you doing here?” He then turned to his daughter. “Huiying, you’re quite capable! You actually found Miss Song?”
“Hello, Grandpa,” Song Zhiyi greeted politely with a smile and a nod.
“And this is?” Lin Huaiyu, who was supporting the old man, spoke up. His voice was deep and cold, and his gaze, sharp as hooks, subtly sized up Song Zhiyi from head to toe.
“Huaiyu, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Song Zhiyi, the one I told you about who saved Dad on the train,” Lin Huiying introduced. “Comrade Song is actually Camp Commander Du’s niece. I’ve already invited her to be Dad’s live-in health care doctor.”
“Hello,” Lin Huaiyu’s tone was neither warm nor cold, and his gaze toward Song Zhiyi was equally indifferent.
“Hello, Comrade Lin,” Song Zhiyi responded politely, her tone betraying no emotion.
“Great! It’s wonderful that Song girl agreed!” Elder Chief Lin’s voice was hearty. Suddenly, he remembered something and pointed to Lin Huaiyu beside him. “Song girl, since your medical skills are exceptional, why not take a look at my grandson too? He injured his head during a mission earlier and has been suffering from chronic headaches ever since. They get especially bad on cloudy or rainy days.”
Song Zhiyi looked at Lin Huaiyu, just as the man’s scrutinizing gaze met hers.
Lin Huaiyu locked eyes with her, finally taking a proper look at the woman before him.
A doctor?
This woman had a striking, vibrant appearance, yet when she smiled, there was an almost innocent sweetness about her.
Her simple, plain clothes couldn’t hide her graceful, well-proportioned figure.
She looked more like a star performer from a cultural troupe, or even a spy sent by the enemy, than a doctor.
The wariness and suspicion in his eyes were almost undisguised.
“No need.”
Lin Huaiyu coldly uttered the two words, outright refusing.
Song Zhiyi understood the guardedness in the man’s eyes but didn’t mind. She smiled gracefully and said, “Elder Chief, Comrade Lin’s headaches would be best addressed with a systematic examination at the hospital. I may not be able to help.”
Then, tactfully, she and Zhong Shuxian bid farewell to everyone.
After they had been gone for a while, Lin Huaiyu’s stern face turned toward his aunt.
“Aunt, how could you let a woman of unknown background move into our home?”
“Although she saved Grandpa, her background hasn’t been fully investigated yet. Isn’t it a bit risky to let her take care of Grandpa so closely like this?”