“Son, son, don’t be angry. Your eldest sister didn’t mean to do it,” Liu Cuihua was desperately afraid of Lin Jianguo getting angry.
But Lin Jianguo was already angry, he just couldn’t lose his temper in public.
“I’ve arranged accommodation for you. Stay here for a few days and then go back.”
Lin Jianguo was truly afraid of them now – all his current troubles were caused by them.
Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei shrunk their necks, their faces showing clear dissatisfaction though they didn’t dare speak up.
Meanwhile, many people had gathered around Mingxi, curious about her reaction to the Lin mother and daughter’s arrival.
Mingxi looked somewhat helpless at the sudden influx of patients. “Comrades, if you’re not sick, there’s no need to come running to me.”
As she spoke, she spotted a patient she had specifically instructed not to go out in the wind yesterday.
“Hey! You – yes, you! Didn’t I tell you not to go outside in the wind during this period? Are you really neglecting your health just to watch the commotion?”
Mingxi grabbed a broom and charged out, sending the patient fleeing in terror.
While Mingxi was usually quite polite and gentle with everyone, her approach to patients varied depending on the individual.
With cooperative patients, she maintained a good attitude, but with disobedient ones, she would act just like now.
“Doctor Ming, I’ll go back right away! I have medicine brewing at home, I’m going back immediately!” The patient ran wildly ahead, the sensation reminding him of being chased by his parents as a child.
After chasing for a while, Mingxi stopped, panting and supporting her waist. “You… you’d better behave yourself.”
These patients were really too difficult to handle.
Mingxi’s fierce appearance scared away the other onlookers too.
This Doctor Ming was excellent in every way, except for her somewhat fiery temper.
Yue Kai had been worried about Mingxi being bullied, so he returned quite early today.
Though not sick, he visited the hospital daily, earning him teasing from his superiors, while Old Qi mocked him relentlessly.
When Mingxi returned to her residence after work, she found Yue Kai shirtless, wearing an apron and cleaning for her.
Mingxi: …
Was this guy cleaning or causing distraction?
Yue Kai approached with a smiling face, his fox eyes full of flattery. “How’s my cleaning?”
Mingxi looked at him and rubbed her nose. “Pretty good, pretty… bare.” Damn! That slipped out.
Yue Kai then brought out the meat he had stewed and lifted the lid. The aroma made Mingxi’s stomach growl with hunger immediately.
The thing was, she wasn’t just hungry in her stomach – she felt another kind of hunger in her heart too.
This man Yue Kai was toxic!
“The residence Old Qi arranged for you is still somewhat small, with only one room. After we get married, I can get separate quarters, then we’ll have more space.”
Yue Kai fantasized about their future happy life while Mingxi’s small hands stealthily untied the apron knot behind his back.
This… this apron was a bit dirty. She’d take it off to wash it later – she definitely wasn’t being lustful.
As the apron fell to the ground, Yue Kai pretended not to notice, continuing to talk while subtly showing off his shirtless physique.
Suddenly, Mingxi covered her nose. Yue Kai, who hadn’t even had time to retract his smile, was startled.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Mingxi turned her back to him and said in a muffled voice, “Nothing, I just got so angry with you that my nose started bleeding. I’ll be fine after a moment.”
The allure of men is truly harmful! Her temper had been particularly short lately, and with Yue Kai sending over lavish feasts of meat and fish every day, she’d actually gained a little weight.
In this day and age, who could afford to eat like this? Only someone as extravagant as Yue Kai.
Seeing her like this, Yue Kai felt both concerned and amused. Even in this state, she still had to find an excuse for herself.
Even if she was genuinely angry, it definitely wasn’t because of him.
“Alright, alright, so I’m the one who upset you. Since you’re a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner yourself, brew some herbal tea tomorrow to cool down your internal heat.”
Mingxi glared at him. Cool down what heat? It was all because he wouldn’t dress properly and kept tempting her.
The housing here was all allocated by assignment. Four families lived on this floor, and the aromas coming from Mingxi’s place made her next-door neighbor practically drool.
“Feasting on meat and fish every day – such capitalist behavior!”
Next door, Ma Dalan drooled while grinding her teeth.
When Mingxi first moved in, Ma Dalan had been reasonably polite to her, though with ulterior motives.
But Mingxi wasn’t easy to manipulate, and since Ma Dalan couldn’t take advantage of her, she grew to resent Mingxi.
When Yue Kai first visited, Ma Dalan nearly reported him. It was only after Yue Kai claimed to be courting Mingxi that the matter was dropped.
So in outsiders’ eyes, Mingxi and Yue Kai were indeed in a relationship – otherwise, why would a man send delicious food daily to an unrelated woman?
“Elder sister, keep your voice down. Doctor Ming is a good person. You can’t hold a grudge against her just because you failed to benefit from her.”
Ma Lanlan shook her head at her older sister’s behavior.
Her sister had been cheerful and straightforward before marriage – how had she become like this?
Ma Dalan grew even angrier at her sister’s words. “Oh, so you’re taking her side now? You’re so nice to her, but does she appreciate it? She’s a divorcee yet has such a good suitor. If you’re so good to her, why hasn’t she introduced anyone to you?”
Ma Lanlan truly found her sister unreasonable. Other people’s relationships were their own business – why was she always fixated on them?
Mingxi could hear the sisters quarreling next door, but she was used to it by now.
However, Yue Kai frowned. “The sound insulation here is terrible, and your neighbors are unpleasant too. Why don’t we register our marriage first, then slowly develop our relationship afterward?”
Mingxi elbowed him directly. “Don’t try your tricks on me. Who gets married first and cultivates feelings later?”
Yue Kai wasn’t embarrassed at having his scheme exposed. “We would.”
Mingxi: … She truly couldn’t match this man’s thick-skinned attitude.
While Mingxi was engaged in this playful banter, mother and daughter Lin were nearly worried to death.
“This room is so small! Brother, can’t you arrange a larger place for us?”
Lin Hongmei complained incessantly. Though their family home in the countryside was poor, they never lacked space – they even had a yard for growing vegetables.
This place was barely larger than their outdoor toilet back home.
Lin Jianguo felt irritated just hearing their voices now. “This is a guesthouse. The rooms are all this size. You’ll only be here for three days, then you should return home.”
“I’m living in a dormitory myself – how could I possibly arrange housing for you?”
Liu Cuihua thought of Mingxi. “Son, Mingxi lives alone now, doesn’t she? We could stay with her.”
After Liu Cuihua finished speaking, she still thought herself quite clever. She had also heard from the brigade leader that the guesthouse couldn’t be stayed in long-term. Since they wanted to settle down here, of course they couldn’t leave after just three days, so living with Mingxi was the best option.
When Lin Jianguo heard Liu Cuihua’s words, he thought he must have misheard. “Mother, what did you say?”
Liu Cuihua repeated herself.
Lin Jianguo sneered coldly and said, “Given your relationship with Mingxi, you still want to stay with her? She’d be doing you a favor if she doesn’t beat you up at the sight of you.”
Lin Hongmei immediately retorted, “We’re her in-laws, why can’t we stay with her? Besides, she’s no match for us anyway. She used to be the one getting beaten up before – I remember making her howl in pain back then.”
Lin Hongmei wore a proud expression as she said this.
She had only been hit by Mingxi that one last time; during the first two years, she had never suffered any grievances from Mingxi.
Hearing this, Lin Jianguo’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. If these weren’t his family members, he would have asked whether they were even human.
He hadn’t believed before how much Mingxi must have suffered at home, but now he was convinced.
“I don’t want to say much more to you now. I’ll just tell you one thing – don’t provoke Mingxi while you’re here.”
Although Mingxi hadn’t been here long, her medical skills were excellent and she had won over many people.
All the patients she cured remembered her kindness. Though she only treated minor illnesses, they were all difficult and complicated cases.
These minor illnesses weren’t life-threatening, but they were tormenting and prone to relapse. Mingxi’s ability had already become famous.
Those who came to this hospital were either wealthy or influential, most having connections and power. Mingxi was no longer the Mingxi she used to be.
If they went looking for trouble with Mingxi and let things escalate, he wouldn’t know how to handle the aftermath.
He, Lin Jianguo, had capability, but lacked connections. Besides genuinely liking Zhao Qingling herself, he also appreciated her family’s network.
But he couldn’t use those connections yet – he had to officially become the Zhao family’s son-in-law first.
Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei exchanged glances, thinking Lin Jianguo was speaking nonsense. How capable could Mingxi possibly be? Surely she couldn’t be more powerful than him.