Professor Zhou found himself liking Qiao Yuwei more the longer he looked at her.
“Comrade Qiao, have you studied this kind of knowledge before?”
Qiao Yuwei scratched her head. How was she supposed to explain this? She couldn’t exactly say she had gone to medical school in her previous life.
She gave a vague answer:
“Uh… yes, I learned a bit from an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who was my neighbor before…”
“Then your neighbor must be quite remarkable. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation isn’t very well developed here yet. I wonder if Comrade Qiao would have time to demonstrate today’s life-saving technique at our medical seminar next week?” Professor Zhou invited, clearly impressed.
Qiao Yuwei glanced at him, then at Song Zhinian, and shook her head innocently:
“I… can’t give you an answer right now.”
Professor Zhou adjusted his glasses, puzzled.
“Is there something difficult you can’t talk about? Tell me I might be able to help.”
She shook her head. “You can’t solve it.”
“Oh? Now I’m even more curious. Go on, tell me.”
Having spent decades saving lives, with wide connections and great prestige, everyone respectfully called him “Old Zhou.” He was genuinely curious.
“Well… Commander Song said he wants to divorce me. I might not be in the compound next week. I’ll probably be packing up to return to my hometown.”
As soon as she said this, not only was Song Zhinian stunned, but the women nearby flushed with embarrassment.
Usually, she had made the compound chaotic and unpleasant. Now that she had saved Huzi, hearing her say this made them feel guilty.
Professor Zhou pushed up his glasses and looked at Song Zhinian.
“Is that so?”
“Family matter.”
After a long pause, the man finally squeezed out two stiff words.
Professor Zhou patted his shoulder each slap heavier than the last, his tone carrying authority:
“Zhinian, this seminar is for contributing to medical work. I trust you can tell what’s important. I’ll give you one week to sort out your family matters. Next week, I expect to see Comrade Qiao there on time.”
Then his tone softened as he turned to Qiao Yuwei:
“Comrade Qiao, it’s settled then. Next Friday at 8 a.m., at the family stage in the compound. Don’t be late.”
She secretly glanced at Song Zhinian. Seeing him silent with a stern face, she replied to Professor Zhou:
“I… should be able to.”
As she turned to leave, she didn’t forget to shoot Song Zhinian a glare her eyes full of dissatisfaction and warning.
After Professor Zhou left, the others went into the ward to see Huzi, leaving the two of them staring at each other. An awkward silence hung in the air.
Grrr~
Her stomach suddenly growled. Qiao Yuwei hurriedly covered her flat, hungry stomach and laughed awkwardly.
“Hehe… must be mealtime…”
Song Zhinian froze for a moment, then remembered he hadn’t brought her any food since last night or this morning.
“Come with me.”
With that, he turned and walked off, his long strides giving her no chance to catch up comfortably.
The midday sun blazed overhead, heat rising from the ground.
Qiao Yuwei clutched her clothes and jogged after him, sweat forming on her forehead.
Inwardly, she grumbled: What’s so great about having long legs? No sense of gentleness at all.
When they were still about a hundred meters from the canteen, Song Zhinian suddenly stopped.
Lost in thought, Qiao Yuwei didn’t react in time her nose bumped straight into his solid back. It wasn’t light; her nose instantly turned red.
She hissed in pain, quickly covering it.
“Why did you stop without saying anything?”
Rubbing her nose, she recalled the firm, solid feel even through the thin shirt, she could sense the tight muscles underneath.
If…
If they ever shared a bed, and her nails traced down that back… would it feel rough? Would her soft nails scratch him? Should she take care of them first?
At the thought, the corners of her lips lifted uncontrollably. Maybe the nose pain wasn’t so bad after all…
“What are you smiling at? Is bumping into me that funny?” His cold voice came from above.
He had a feeling her smile wasn’t exactly innocent.
Qiao Yuwei quickly lowered her head, smacking her lips awkwardly to hide her embarrassment.
“N-no, nothing…”
Song Zhinian didn’t press further. He pulled out a few meal tickets from his pocket and handed them to her.
“Go eat by yourself. I have something to do.”
She reached out and took them, her eyes lighting up, completely forgetting her earlier flustered thoughts.
“Tha ”
Before she could finish, he had already turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
“F ” Her thanks got stuck halfway, turning into a reflection of her current mood.
After eating two big bowls of noodles with meat in the canteen, Qiao Yuwei happily hummed her way home. Even when she ran into a few gossiping women along the way, she greeted them casually without caring.
Being full made everything feel better let people think whatever they want!
As soon as she got home, her sharp eyes noticed something on the table a green mesh bag filled with items.
White Rabbit candies, malted milk powder, canned fruit, two jin of noodles, two jin of flour, sugar, and even a slab of glossy pork belly.
These weren’t cheap things. Malted milk powder, especially, was a scarce item you couldn’t always get it even with money.
“I bought those for you. Stop going to other people’s homes to mooch food. If you need anything, tell me,” the man said as he walked out of the room.
“About this morning…”
Seeing his hesitant expression, Qiao Yuwei raised an eyebrow knowingly. So when he said he had something to do earlier, he had actually gone to the supply store to buy these as an apology.
“What about it? I already forgot…”
“You don’t know how to cook. I’ll make something tonight when I get back. If I’m late, I’ll have Sister-in-law Zhao cook it and bring it over.”
Don’t know how to cook?
“Mm.” She smiled but didn’t expose his concern.
The original owner might not know how to cook but she did. In her previous life, she was a true foodie, skilled in all kinds of cooking methods. She never treated herself poorly.
Though Song Zhinian still disliked her, at least he wasn’t completely unchanged. So she decided to move on to step two of her plan: if you want to win a man’s heart, first win his stomach.
Once Song Zhinian left in his crisp military uniform for training, she immediately threw herself into the kitchen with renewed determination.
Fortunately, although the original owner was lazy, she had stocked up on all kinds of seasonings while competing with Lin Sen’s girlfriend to appear like a virtuous wife truly over-prepared in all the wrong ways.
But
The old-fashioned wood-fired stove of the 1980s gave her a headache. In her previous life, she had used gas or electric appliances. How was she supposed to use this?
Her confident plan to win him over seemed doomed before it even began.
She sat in front of the stove for a long time. Finally, with no other choice, she gritted her teeth and gave it a try. Recalling short videos she had seen before, she grabbed a handful of dry leaves from the backyard and picked a few pieces of firewood that looked about right, carrying them into the kitchen.