“What are you two chatting about?”
After entering the ward, Tian Ruanruan could not help but ask.
“Nothing.” Zhou Yinian covered for it.
Tian Ruanruan placed a tin of premium malted milk powder on the bedside table.
“Big Brother, I did not know what you liked to eat, so after thinking about it for a long time, I just brought you a tin of malted milk powder.”
“It is the thought that counts.”
Zhou Yinian really did not want to stay in the hospital, so after chatting for a few moments, he got up and left, calling Tian Ruanruan away with him.
When Ruan Qiu returned from washing clothes, she did not see Zhou Yinian and Tian Ruanruan, but she saw the tin of malted milk powder on the bedside table.
“Who came?”
“Yinian and his partner.”
Ruan Qiu guessed immediately that this malted milk powder must have been brought by Tian Ruanruan from home, as Zhou Yinian would never be willing to buy such expensive things to give to the Zhou family’s adopted son.
The book mentioned that the relationship between this adopted son and the Zhou family was lukewarm, and the exact reason was unclear, but following the author’s logic, this adopted son must be an ungrateful existence.
“Does your wound still hurt?”
“Not as much.”
Zhou Yishen’s ability to endure pain was still super strong, after all, he did not receive an anesthesia injection.
“You really know how to endure.”
“It is not really that I can endure, anesthesia just does not work on me, getting the injection is useless.”
So that was how it was, no wonder he refused to take anesthetics.
He could not eat, but she definitely had to eat, so she went to the hospital cafeteria to get a side dish and asked for a steamed bun.
Just as she was eating with great relish, the ward door was pushed open, and Xiang Zhuzhu stepped into the ward in her little leather shoes.
“Ruan Qiu, you are going too far! You are eating by yourself, and you just let Brother Shen watch?”
Ruan Qiu was speechless. Big Sister, he cannot eat anything right now!
“His wound.”
Xiang Zhuzhu had already carried the food box into the ward, placed it on the bedside table, and unscrewed the lid. A rich fragrance of chicken soup wafted out.
“Brother Shen, I brewed chicken soup for you, drink some.”
Zhou Yishen frowned, his face turning pale with displeasure: “I cannot eat anything.”
“I will feed you.” Xiang Zhuzhu expressed her enthusiasm.
Ruan Qiu could bear it no longer, raised her hand, and pulled Zhuzhu to the side. “Big Sister, he cannot eat right now. Not to mention chicken soup, he cannot even drink water.”
Xiang Zhuzhu shoved Ruan Qiu away. “Who says so? My mother is the director who worked her way up from being a nurse, and she did not say anything. What does a little nurse like you know? Also, what right do you have to call me big sister? Do I look that old? You are the big sister!”
Ruan Qiu pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Little Sister, it was just a slip of the tongue. I called you the wrong name, but really, he cannot drink this chicken soup,” Ruan Qiu said earnestly.
Xiang Zhuzhu refused to yield. “I think you are just deliberately trying to keep Brother Shen from getting better quickly. My mother said that chicken soup is great for recovery.”
“Yes, chicken soup is great for recovery, but he truly cannot drink it. Why do not you go ask his attending physician? If the doctor says he can drink it, I will not stop you.”
Since reason could not prevail when dealing with an unreasonable person, she would just find someone authoritative to set things straight.
Xiang Zhuzhu looked up at Zhou Yishen. His handsome face was crumpled into a knot, unsure whether it was from pain or from being angered.
“Then I will go ask, and if you dare to trick me, I will have you driven out!”
After saying that, Xiang Zhuzhu left the ward. Looking up and seeing her mother, she hurried a few steps over to Director Tian.
“Mom.”
Upon catching sight of her daughter, Director Tian knew immediately why she had come to the hospital, and she grabbed Xiang Zhuzhu by the arm, dragging her into her own office.
“What did you come here for?”
“To bring chicken soup for Brother Shen, of course!”
Director Tian said with furious indignation: “Zhou Yishen is married, and his wife is taking care of him. When is it your turn to bring chicken soup?”
“Mom, did you not say that as long as it is something I like, you would agree to it?” Xiang Zhuzhu felt deeply aggrieved.
It had been clearly agreed that as long as she took a fancy to someone, they would approve, but now her attitude had changed and she said she could no longer like Zhou Yishen.
“That was before. You threw a massive fit demanding to be with Zhou Yishen, and your dad and I also said that as long as Zhou Yishen agreed, we would not care about his background and would agree. But he is not willing to be with you, and now he is married. Can you show some dignity?” Director Tian hated nothing more than people throwing themselves at others to ingratiate themselves.
“Mom, are you saying that Zhou Yishen kissed me and can just walk away without taking responsibility?”
Director Tian poked Xiang Zhuzhu on the forehead. “He was saving you. At the time, you were crying and making a terrible fuss, so I just casually said it was a kiss, and you took it seriously. Zhuzhu, with our family’s background, what kind of man can we not find? Why are you lowering yourself to chase after Zhou Yishen?”
Zhou Yishen had been snatched away by a rural woman, and Director Tian harbored a bellyful of frustration over it.
No matter what, she was the head of the inpatient department, and her husband was the head of the military logistics department, yet her daughter had been defeated by a country woman.
Annoyed as she was, now that Zhou Yishen was already married, there was no need to hang herself from a single tree.
“Mom, I heard Dad say that Ruan Qiu’s background has some issues, and their marriage paperwork has not been approved yet. I still have a chance, right?” Xiang Zhuzhu tugged on Director Tian’s arm and pressed.
Director Tian grew even more distressed. Her husband spoiled this daughter even more than she did.
“Zhuzhu, even if that is the case, they are living together, so they are husband and wife in both name and fact. You should learn from your cousin Ruanruan, she found a university student.”
Xiang Zhuzhu was very persistent. “I do not like university students, I only like Zhou Yishen.”
Director Tian sighed and steered the conversation back to the chicken soup.
“Besides, Zhou Yishen just finished surgery, he cannot drink chicken soup.”
Hearing this, Xiang Zhuzhu felt quite defeated. “Mom, did you not just say chicken soup is great for recovery?”
“I did say that, but I meant it is great for recovery when he is actually able to eat food.”
Only then did Xiang Zhuzhu transform her worry into joy. “Mom, does that mean you agree to let me pursue Zhou Yishen?”
What could Director Tian do? She had to indulge her own daughter.
Ruan Qiu did not know when Xiang Zhuzhu had taken the chicken soup away. Before dinner, she made a trip to the bookstore and bought a few translated books to pass the time when she was bored.
Seeing her studying so diligently, Zhou Yishen felt ashamed of his suspicions toward her.
Even so, he still had to maintain high vigilance and could not afford to be careless.
Thus a week passed. Zhou Yishen’s injuries had improved somewhat, and he decided to be discharged to recuperate at home.
Zhou Yinian brought a letter from home to see Zhou Yishen.
After reading the letter, Zhou Yishen’s doubts deepened even further.
The letter stated very clearly that Ruan Qiu’s adoptive parents had arranged a partner for her, though the specific timeline differed slightly from what Ruan Qiu had said, and more importantly, they mentioned that Ruan Qiu had indeed learned medical treatment from the village barefoot doctor.
Yet Ruan Qiu had explicitly stated that she studied veterinary medicine.
“Big Brother, what is wrong? Do you not believe Mom and Dad’s words, or do you not believe what Ruan Qiu’s parents said?” Zhou Yinian looked at his eldest brother’s puzzled expression, and his heart skipped a beat.
Could Zhou Yishen have figured something out?
“It is nothing. Do not tell Ruan Qiu about this, I do not want to cause unnecessary trouble over it.” Zhou Yishen put the letter back into its envelope and warned him.
He had to investigate this matter in secret.