Zhou Mingshi stayed downstairs chatting with Lin Shuhe, Liu Zhengying, and Grandma Lin. Then he received a phone call. There was a document that required his attention, so he had no choice but to return to his room to deal with it.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi’an continued organizing the medicinal herbs with her grandmother. Seeing her granddaughter carefully rolling moxa[1]Moxa stick: A cigar-shaped roll of dried mugwort (Artemisia argyi) used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is burned near or over acupuncture points to apply therapeutic heat, a treatment known as … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3438616_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3438616_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); sticks, Grandma Lin smiled and said, “Mingshi is quite a good young man. He’s very patient. He helped me sort the herbs and even kept an old woman like me company. The way he speaks and carries himself isn’t pretentious at all. He knows when to be relaxed and when to be serious.”
What pleased her most was that when the young man looked at Bao’er’s parents, there wasn’t the slightest trace of oddness or prejudice in his eyes. He treated them exactly like everyone else. That alone put her heart completely at ease.
Lin Yi’an nodded. “He really is.”
Being a good person, however, didn’t mean the two of them would immediately get along perfectly. They still needed time to adjust to each other and gradually find a way of interacting that felt comfortable for them both.
Upstairs, after finishing the paperwork, Zhou Mingshi’s head felt heavy and muddled, so he lay down on the bed to rest for a while.
That “short rest” lasted for more than an hour. Sensing that something was wrong, Assistant Chen came over and knocked on the door. When no one answered after quite some time, he pushed the door open and found Zhou Mingshi asleep on the bed. He hurried over and saw an abnormal flush on his face. Reaching out to touch his forehead, he found it alarmingly hot.
He immediately rushed downstairs to call Lin Yi’an.
The moment Lin Yi’an heard that Zhou Mingshi had developed a fever, she hurried upstairs. Worried as well, Grandma Lin went to the clinic to fetch a thermometer before following behind her.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Assistant Chen hurried back upstairs and woke Zhou Mingshi.
Zhou Mingshi slowly opened his eyes. His voice was weak as he said, “Get me a glass of water. My head hurts.” After speaking, he closed his eyes again.
Hearing him from behind, Lin Yi’an turned around and went to pour him some water.
Assistant Chen said, “You have a fever.”
Grandma Lin came in carrying the thermometer. “It was probably from getting caught in the rain.”
After taking his temperature, the thermometer read 39°C. He really did have a fever. Grandma Lin sat down, took hold of his wrist, and checked his pulse.
Assistant Chen stood beside them, watching anxiously.
After finishing the examination, Grandma Lin said, “He hasn’t been getting enough rest lately, and his meals have been irregular. His resistance has dropped, and then he got caught in the rain today…”
Assistant Chen explained, “President Zhou has been busy taking over the family business these past few months. Work has been overwhelming. Sometimes he doesn’t even have time to eat. He’s only had a bit of free time these last few days.”
Grandma Lin said, “We have fever medicine at home. Let him take some first to bring the fever down. I’ll go prepare some herbal medicine for him.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yi’an came in carrying a glass of water and the fever medicine.
Assistant Chen helped Zhou Mingshi sit up. “President Zhou, take the medicine first.”
Zhou Mingshi sat up and leaned against the headboard. After taking the medicine, his headache grew so severe that he lay back down and fell asleep again.
Lin Yi’an took out a cooling gel patch and placed it on his forehead.
Zhou Mingshi opened his eyes.
Lin Yi’an said, “A cooling patch will make you feel a little more comfortable.”
Looking into her gentle eyes, Zhou Mingshi gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment before closing his eyes once more.
Lin Yi’an took out her phone and sat in the chair beside the bed, quietly keeping watch over him.
Seeing her personally stay by his bedside, Assistant Chen quietly slipped out of the room.
After a while, Lin Yi’an took out the thermometer again and checked his temperature. Seeing that his fever had gone down, she stood up and walked out.
Assistant Chen had been waiting on the sofa in the living room. The moment he saw her come out, he asked, “Is President Zhou feeling any better?”
Lin Yi’an replied, “His fever has come down. Let him sleep.”
After hearing that, Assistant Chen finally relaxed.
Zhou Mingshi slept straight through until five o’clock. When he woke up, Assistant Chen brought over the herbal medicine Grandma Lin had personally decocted for him.
Looking at the pitch-black medicinal brew, Zhou Mingshi didn’t feel like saying a word, nor did he feel like getting up.
Assistant Chen had been by his side, taking care of him for years. How could he not know him well?
He could not help but say, “The moment you got sick, Grandma Lin and Miss Lin were both terribly worried. Miss Lin even stayed here herself to watch over you, only leaving after your fever finally came down.”
“And Grandma Lin brewed this medicine herself. At her age, she still went to the trouble of preparing it for you…”
After everything they’d done to look after him, could he really refuse to drink it without feeling guilty?
Zhou Mingshi fell silent for a moment before saying, “…Bring me the medicine.”
Assistant Chen quickly carried the bowl over. Zhou Mingshi sat up, accepted it, and frowned as he stared at the dark liquid inside.
Seeing that he still wasn’t drinking it, Assistant Chen suggested, “It’s not hot anymore. How about just downing it in one go?”
Zhou Mingshi replied, “Be quiet.”
Assistant Chen nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay. I’ll be quiet.”
After a brief pause, Zhou Mingshi asked, “Do we have any candy?”
Thinking for a moment, Assistant Chen replied, “I think there are some candies in the fruit bowl downstairs in the living room. Drink the medicine first. I’ll go get them for you.”
Zhou Mingshi said, “Hurry.”
Assistant Chen jogged out. When he returned, he discovered that the bowl of medicine was already empty. He froze for a moment and instinctively glanced around the room. There weren’t even any potted plants in here…
Zhou Mingshi held out his hand. “The candy.”
Assistant Chen quickly handed him the candy. Lowering his eyes, Zhou Mingshi peeled off the wrapper and popped it into his mouth. As the sweetness spread across his tongue, it gradually washed away the lingering bitterness. The crease between his brows slowly relaxed.
Assistant Chen took the candy wrapper from his hand and tossed it into the trash bin, then could not help glancing around the room again.
Zhou Mingshi said, “Stop looking around. I didn’t pour it out.”
Assistant Chen let out an awkward chuckle. “I just never expected Miss Lin to take care of you herself.”
Zhou Mingshi responded with a quiet, “Mm.”
Looking at him, Assistant Chen could not help asking curiously, “President Zhou, Miss Lin isn’t just beautiful, she has a wonderful personality too. You got sick, and she took such gentle care of you. Yet your reaction… aren’t you even touched?”
He thought to himself, ‘He’s so hard to please. If a girl treated me like that, I’d be so touched I’d probably be in tears. I might even be tempted to marry her on the spot.’
Zhou Mingshi lay back down. “Why do you talk so much?”
Assistant Chen let out a sheepish laugh, picked up the empty medicine bowl, and left the room.
Looking at the closed door, Zhou Mingshi thought, ‘I’m not a machine. How could I not feel anything after Lin Yi’an took such thoughtful care of me?’
Considering that Zhou Mingshi had caught a cold, Liu Zhengying made congee for dinner, stir-fried a few vegetable dishes, and cooked a plate of shredded pork with green peppers.
Zhou Mingshi had little appetite. He only drank one bowl of congee before putting down his spoon.
No one in the Lin family urged him to eat more. It was normal to lose one’s appetite with a cold. A couple of days of rest and recuperation would take care of it.
Meanwhile, after returning to her room, Lin Yi’an received a video call from her eldest sister, Lin Manqing.
As soon as the call connected, Lin Manqing looked at her younger sister and asked, “Did Zhou Mingshi go to Changping to see you?”
Lin Yi’an nodded. “He got here a little after nine last night.”
“At least he had the decency to come.” Lin Manqing let out a soft snort. “He’s getting more and more comfortable handling work now. Since he’s finally got a bit of free time, it’s only right that he spends a few days with you.”
After all, they were about to get married. It would be far too unfair to An’an if the two of them remained complete strangers without ever spending time together.
Lin Yi’an told her, “He helped Grandma bring in the medicinal herbs this morning and got caught in the rain. He came down with a cold and a fever this afternoon.”
Lin Manqing was speechless for a moment. “…He’s still so young. His constitution is surprisingly weak.”
Lin Yi’an said, “I checked his pulse. He’s actually in very good health. He’s probably just been overworking himself these past few months and neglecting his body. Then, once he finally relaxed a little, he got caught in the rain and ended up with a cold.”
Lin Manqing leaned lazily against the sofa in her room. “He hasn’t had it easy either. His father is unreliable. He may have several siblings, but they’re all half-brothers from different mothers. None of them are on the same side as him. They’re all looking out for their own interests.”
“His grandparents do favor him, but they’re getting old. Aunt Tan has her own career and can’t help him much. So everything falls on his shoulders. Working himself to exhaustion is only to be expected.”
“It isn’t like our family. Second Uncle and Second Aunt work overseas and don’t interfere with the family business. Ever since Big Brother and I gradually took over the company, Dad has been able to relax. Most matters are left to the two of us now. Having someone to share the burden with makes things much easier.”
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