Qin Man fell silent. She had saved Tan Xiwen purely out of a doctor’s instinct, never expecting anything in return.
However, judging from Tan Zheng’s attitude, he was determined to repay her.
The more influential a family was, the less they wanted to owe anyone a favor. They preferred to settle debts quickly rather than risk someone cashing in that favor for even greater demands later.
Qin Man understood perfectly. Calmly, she said,
“Right now, the only thing I need is a job. As for any other reward, you can forget about it.”
She hadn’t saved the patient because of her identity.
To Qin Man, every life was equal.
“Alright.”
Yang Xiaoyun had already mentioned that such a request would be easy for the Tan family.
Tan Zheng remained standing at the doorway without stepping inside.
“I’ve delivered everything. I’ll go check on my cousin now.”
After taking two steps, he suddenly turned around and pulled out a stack of industrial coupons.
“These are the industrial coupons I promised you before. You can use them to buy your eldest brother a sewing machine for his wedding.”
Qin Man: “…”
If she hadn’t reacted quickly, she wouldn’t have understood what he meant.
People in the 1970s told deadpan jokes too?
The sewing machine and industrial coupons were part of the lie she had fed the human traffickers.
But Tan Zheng’s expression was so serious that she couldn’t tell whether he was teasing her or not.
“Comrade Tan Zheng, wait a moment.”
Qin Man’s eyes fell on the old-fashioned insulated food container in his hand.
“What’s inside?”
“Chicken soup.”
Tan Zheng pointed to the enamel mug she was holding.
“Our housekeeper started simmering chicken soup early this evening. I brought a portion for both you and my cousin.”
“Don’t give it to her!”
Qin Man was so startled that she nearly jumped.
After the surgery, she had already explained the postoperative precautions to Dr. Xu and the nurses.
After a cesarean section, the patient must not eat or drink immediately.
Seeing Tan Zheng standing there stiffly, Qin Man patiently explained,
“A C-section irritates the abdominal cavity and intestines, causing temporary intestinal paralysis. If she eats or drinks too soon, it could worsen bloating and nausea, or even cause vomiting.”
“So she can’t even drink water?”
Tan Zheng immediately took a fountain pen and a piece of paper from his pocket and leaned against the wall to take notes.
Qin Man set down what she was holding and stepped closer to look.
His handwriting was beautiful—strong, sharp, and disciplined, just like the man himself.
“It’s not that she can’t have any water at all. If she’s extremely thirsty, she can take a small spoonful.”
A few hours later, Qin Man still planned to visit Tan Xiwen’s room and help with postoperative abdominal massage.
“Once she passes gas, she can start with liquid foods—rice soup or lotus root starch first.”
Qin Man explained everything seriously while Tan Zheng wrote down every word with meticulous care.
Fortunately, he was quick to understand and didn’t press for more details.
In her previous life, Qin Man had heard plenty of jokes from the obstetrics department.
Doctors would tell families the patient couldn’t eat until she “passed gas,” only for confused relatives to keep asking if that meant burping.
Eventually, one exasperated doctor had shouted,
“I mean farting!”
“For the next three days, avoid soy milk, milk, and sugary foods. They can all cause bloating.”
Qin Man mentally reviewed everything. There wasn’t much left to add.
Tan Zheng capped his pen, folded the paper, tucked it into his pocket, then handed over the insulated container.
“This one’s for you too.”
“I…”
Qin Man was about to decline when Yang Xiaoyun returned carrying a bundle of clean clothes.
“Commander Tan, delivering dinner?”
Yang Xiaoyun looked from Qin Man to Tan Zheng and greeted him cheerfully.
Tan Zheng simply nodded before striding away.
Completely unfazed by being ignored, Yang Xiaoyun grinned.
“Dr. Song says Commander Tan hardly talks. All he knows is training soldiers. Every new recruit in the army starts shaking whenever they hear his name.”
Qin Man pursed her lips.
If she told Yang Xiaoyun that Tan Zheng actually had a dry sense of humor, Yang Xiaoyun’s eyes would probably pop out of her head.
“Xiaoman, sorry I got back so late.”
The snowy roads were slippery, so Yang Xiaoyun had ridden her bicycle very slowly.
She placed the clothes on the radiator to warm them.
“Xiaoman, I’m shorter than you. My mom, Comrade Ma Chunmei, just made herself a brand-new thermal underwear set. You can wear it.”
“How could I wear Auntie’s brand-new clothes?”
Qin Man waved her hands repeatedly.
Yang Xiaoyun had already helped her so much.
In the city, cloth ration coupons were scarce, and every household was short of them.
A single set of thermal underwear took a long time to save up for.
New clothes bought at this time of year were usually saved for the Lunar New Year.
“Xiaoman, why are you being polite with me again?”
Yang Xiaoyun puffed out her cheeks.
“Besides, this wasn’t even my idea. Comrade Ma Chunmei insisted.”
When Yang Xiaoyun got home, she vividly recounted how Qin Man had taken on both the Zhou and Tian families at the state-owned restaurant before going to the hospital and saving lives.
Naturally, she exaggerated a few details.
Her mother, Ma Chunmei, was so impressed that she reportedly applauded for a full ten minutes.
“My mom said having a friend like you is my good fortune.”
Yang Xiaoyun was blunt by nature.
She often offended people at the hospital and usually maintained only surface-level relationships with coworkers.
Seeing her praise Qin Man nonstop, even Ma Chunmei couldn’t help but like the girl.
“My mom said you have to come over for dinner when you have time.”
Though Yang Xiaoyun had been the one constantly helping, she acted as though she were the lucky one.
In her previous life, everyone around Qin Man respected personal boundaries.
People didn’t pry into one another’s private lives or casually share secrets.
She had never met someone as warm and enthusiastic as Yang Xiaoyun.
Feeling a warmth spread through her heart, Qin Man touched the now-heated clothes on the radiator and quickly changed into them.
She pulled Yang Xiaoyun over to the table.
“Xiaoyun, come taste the cooking from Commander Tan’s housekeeper!”
“I… I’m not hungry.”
Yang Xiaoyun’s mouth watered, but remembering that Qin Man hadn’t eaten yet, she firmly refused.
Qin Man insisted.
“There’s so much food. I can’t possibly finish it all.”
Besides the portion Tan Zheng had brought specifically for her, Qin Man had also intercepted the serving originally intended for Tan Xiwen.
“Commander Tan is really generous. There’s practically more chicken than soup!”
Yang Xiaoyun rubbed her hands together and cautiously sipped a spoonful.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
Delicious!
“Scrambled eggs with garlic chives!”
She could occasionally drink chicken soup.
But fresh garlic chives?
She hadn’t tasted those in ages.
Harbin winters were brutally cold and incredibly long.
For months, people survived on vegetables that stored well—radishes, cabbage, potatoes, and onions.
Even bean sprouts counted as fresh produce.
She never imagined Commander Tan would send garlic chives.
“Xiaoyun, eat more.”
Seeing Yang Xiaoyun carefully picking at only a few strands of chives, Qin Man immediately piled a large helping into her bowl.
“When I get my own place, I’ll grow garlic chives in a big flowerpot. This winter I’ll make chive dumplings for you.”
Her storage space was overflowing with fresh vegetables.
She had originally planned to donate them all to nursing homes just to free up space.
Who would have thought that after traveling back to the 1970s, these once-ordinary vegetables would become precious luxuries?
“Dumplings?”
Yang Xiaoyun nearly started drooling.
Chive and egg dumplings…
If they had shrimp filling, they’d be absolutely heavenly!
Even without shrimp, dried shrimp would make them incredibly flavorful.
“Deal. Our lives are only going to get better and better.”
Qin Man smiled.
She was saying it for Yang Xiaoyun.
But she was saying it for herself, too.
“Xiaoman, I’ve suddenly realized something.”
Yang Xiaoyun stared regretfully at the delicious spread on the table.
“I shouldn’t have asked Commander Tan to find you a job.”
“Oh?”
“I should’ve encouraged Commander Tan to marry you instead!”
She slapped the table excitedly.
“If you became the commander’s wife, you could just move with the army. Then who’d have to worry about finding a job?”