The person who called him was Wang Tao's father.

Wang Tao was supposed to come to the ward at twelve o'clock to take over his shift, but today he waited and waited but no one came. He had to go to the factory to work the night shift at two o'clock in the afternoon. He had no choice but to ask the family of the patient in the next bed to help take care of him, and then went downstairs to rush to the factory.

Unexpectedly, just after going down one floor, I saw a familiar figure in front of me. Then I looked again and it was Wang Tao walking forward with his head down, so I quickly called out to him.

Wang Tao turned around and saw his father, then he remembered that he had to come to the hospital to change shifts at noon, and slapped his head:

"Oh no, Dad, I forgot to bring you food!"

Wang Tao's father also patted his head and pretended to be angry:

"Don't you see what time it is? I'm afraid I'll be starving by the time you bring me food. Your mother still has no appetite. She didn't drink the porridge she bought this morning, so I just had a couple of mouthfuls."

Wang Tao's mother didn't know whether she was really feeling unwell or was just playing a trick on Wang Tao. She basically didn't eat anything in the past two days, and asked the doctor to prescribe glucose for her when she needed an IV. Neither the father nor the son could do anything about her.

In the morning, Wang Tao's father saw her staring at the bed next to her while she was drinking porridge, so he kindly went to the hospital cafeteria to get her a bowl of porridge and put a fried egg in it.

His mother had taken it and was about to eat it, but his father said something else:

"Hurry up and eat. You're so old, you shouldn't starve yourself to death. Your son isn't here right now, so don't pretend."

This was a serious matter. Wang Tao's mother was immediately furious when her pretense of illness was exposed in public. She just lay down, closed her eyes, ignored everyone, and refused to drink the porridge no matter what.

Wang Tao completely forgot about this matter.

Originally, he planned to go out to a state-owned restaurant and order two dishes, eat half himself and give half to his father. However, as soon as he went out, he met Ding Ling. After a busy meal, he completely forgot about eating and changing shifts.

Now that his father mentioned it, he remembered that he hadn't had lunch yet.

His heart tightened. His sister-in-law and Ding Ling must not have had lunch either. A pregnant woman cannot go hungry!

He hurried downstairs, but his father grabbed him and said in surprise:

"Where are you going? I have to go to work at the factory right away. Go up and look after your mother. She's been complaining about you for a long time because she can't see you."

Wang Tao knew that his mother was probably pretending to be sick in order to force him to compromise and agree to the blind date. As long as he agreed to the blind date, his mother would be able to be discharged from the hospital and start making arrangements immediately.

"Okay, got it. I'll be up in a minute. Go get to work!"

After he finished speaking, he ran away in a hurry, leaving his father standing there confused, wondering what this kid was busy with all day.

Considering that the hospital cafeteria had closed at this time, Wang Tao could only run to a snack shop outside to buy two baskets of meat buns and send them to Shao Jingque and Ding Ling respectively.

Ding Ling had just taken the medicine and was sitting on a bench in the corridor, at a loss. When she saw Wang Tao running towards her in a hurry, her eyes lit up instantly.

"Brother Wang Tao!"

The word "brother" made Wang Tao's smile deepen a little, and he handed her the meat bun in his hand:

"Here, the hospital cafeteria is closed, and I only bought a few meat buns. Let's make do with that for now."

Ding Ling held the hot meat bun in her hand, her face flushed slightly, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Tao:

"This bun smells so good, thank you, Brother Wang Tao!"

Ding Ling kept calling him "brother", which made Wang Tao touch his head in embarrassment:

"It's just a few meat buns, what's there to thank me for? Just eat them. If you don't have enough, I'll buy you more!"

The meat buns smelled delicious and tasted tender and juicy. Ding Ling ate them one bite after another and felt very satisfied.

While chewing, she did not forget to ask:

"Hmm...Did Sister Jingque eat too?"

Wang Tao saw that her cheeks were stuffed with pine nuts, like a little squirrel with its mouth full of pine nuts. She was inexplicably cute, and the smile on his face unconsciously had a hint of pampering.

"I've eaten it. I sent it to her first and then came to see you. Eat slowly and don't choke."

Ding Ling nodded obediently. She didn't know if it was because she had been hungry for a long time today or because she had consumed too much energy, but she felt that the meat bun in her hand was particularly delicious. She couldn't stop eating it one bite after another.

I was enjoying my meal when I suddenly heard a "gulp" sound beside me.

She looked up in surprise, only to find that Wang Tao, who was standing next to her, blushed instantly and was awkwardly pretending to press his elbow against his stomach, trying to suppress the gurgling sound.

Who would have thought that the next second——

"Gu——", another loud cry was heard.

Seeing Wang Tao's face instantly turn red like an apple, Ding Ling's lips, which were pursed tightly, were tightened into a slit.

She thought about all the serious things she could think of in her mind, and finally held back her laughter. She silently gave him two of the meat buns in her hand.

Wang Tao was still pretending to be calm. He pushed back the meat bun she handed him and said:

"I'm not hungry—"

“Gu——”

But the sound of his stomach rumbling was almost as loud as his voice. Ding Ling could no longer hold back her laughter and stuffed the meat bun into his hand.

"Brother Wang Tao, I can't eat so much by myself, help me eat two!"

Wang Tao was too embarrassed to continue pretending. He could resist eating, but his stomach couldn't help but growl.

His face flushed, and he muttered softly:

"...If you really can't finish it, I'll help you eat two, don't waste it..."

After saying that, he started eating with big mouthfuls.

You know what, these meat buns are really delicious today!

The two of them were chatting and laughing while sharing the basket of meat buns, not realizing that this warm and loving scene had been seen by others.

Ding Ling's foot injury does not require hospitalization, just change the dressing on time.

Wang Tao asked her where her home was and said he could take her back later. Ding Ling looked embarrassed.

Her home is not in Shangdu City, but in a township in a small county town under Shangdu City. It is dozens of kilometers away from Shangdu City. It takes two buses and half an hour to walk on a dirt road to get there.

She had accompanied her father for surgery in the county hospital and slept on the floor next to the hospital bed at night because it took an hour and a half to get from the county to her home. If she went back and forth every day, not only would it take a long time, but she would also have to pay for the train ticket.

Now when Wang Tao asked her where she was going, she was a little confused.

Her father is still lying in bed in the county hospital recuperating, waiting for her to work and earn money to pay for the medical expenses. She definitely can't go back now with such a limp, it will make her father anxious to death.

But if she doesn't go back, where else can she go?

Wang Tao noticed that she looked a little flustered, and seeing that she was carrying such a large luggage bag, he had some guesses in his mind. After thinking for a while, he said:

"Well, you sit here and wait for me for a while. I'll go upstairs to see my mother, and then I'll take you to the guesthouse to get a room for you to stay in first. We'll discuss other matters after my sister-in-law is discharged from the hospital tomorrow."