Caring Dr. Jiang

After dinner, the two of them did not take a taxi, but walked back. The hustle and bustle of the night market was gradually left behind them, and the noisy voices and the strong smell of fireworks were replaced by the clear evening breeze from the mountains.

There were no streetlights on either side of the road, only scattered lights from farmhouses in the distance. The place above head, where there should have been a brilliant starry sky, was now a dark, opaque blue.

A chill seeped into his clothes with the night breeze. Gu Yansheng wore only a short-sleeved T-shirt, and the mountain breeze caressed his skin unhindered, stirring up tiny goose bumps. He couldn't help but wince, and then, without warning, a loud sneeze erupted.

"A-choo!"

Jiang Lin paused and turned to look at him. His outline was a little blurry in the night, but Gu Yansheng could feel the gaze on him, with the usual scrutiny.

"Is it cold?" Jiang Lin's voice sounded particularly clear on the quiet mountain road.

"A little bit," Gu Yansheng rubbed his nose and sniffed, "The temperature difference at night in the mountains is really big."

Jiang Lin didn't say anything else, just turned around and continued walking forward, but his pace seemed to slow down a little. He took out his mobile phone, and the light from the screen instantly illuminated his cold jawline and his slightly furrowed brows.

He quickly opened the weather app and took a quick look. It said it would rain in three hours. This information was like a tiny needle, silently piercing him.

He looked up at the dark night sky where not a single star could be found. At this time of year in the past, the sky above Shilong Town would have been filled with low-hanging stars and silver light, but now it was as oppressive as a thick velvet cloth soaked in water.

The air was filled with thick moisture, carrying the unique cool scent of moist soil and grass, pressing heavily on the skin.

Jiang Lin silently put the phone back into his pocket, but subconsciously quickened his pace, his target clearly pointed at the low house that could shelter from the wind and rain. He needed to make sure that Gu Yansheng could stay in the dry room before the rain fell.

Gu Yansheng, however, seemed to be completely unconcerned about the sudden change in weather and the increasingly thick moisture in the air. He was excitedly taking out his mobile phone and finally had time to click on the Moments icon that was flooded with countless red dots.

"Wow..." He clicked on his "Beautiful Mountains, Beautiful People" status and gasped in amazement at the explosion of comments and likes. He scrolled quickly across the screen, his expression shifting from curiosity to surprise, then finally to a state of helplessness and amusement.

"Oh my god...what the hell is going on here!" He couldn't help but grumble softly, "What kind of playboy, wild man, running for love...and even seducing an innocent beauty?"

He saw Lin Yang's comment about taking a photo, and only frowned slightly, his fingertips sliding calmly across the room without stopping or responding. He had already planned to drive over every weekend as long as Jiang Lin was still in Shilong Town. He didn't want to go to Lin Yang's invitation for the time being.

His eyes continued to slide down, and he saw the familiar ID without any fancy avatar or nickname mixed in among the many comments.

Jiang Lin: [The mountain god will punish disobedient children.]

The time showed that it was shortly after he posted on WeChat Moments.

Gu Yansheng was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. The image of Mr. Insulator, the bad-tempered and expressionless man from the day before, resurfaced in his mind, and his heart felt like it was being gently tickled by a feather, warm and itchy.

He could imagine Jiang Lin, in the middle of his busy schedule at the clinic, clicking on his status with a cold face, frowning even more when he saw the messy comments below, and then typing these words with a hint of admonition.

Without hesitation, he tapped his finger and replied directly to Jiang Lin's comment: [The mountain god is also a soft-hearted god. He even gave the child a bed to sleep in when he was angry. (Laughing)]

After typing, he clicked send. Seeing his reply appear under Jiang Lin's "dignified" comment, Gu Yansheng couldn't suppress the smile on his face. Like a child who had stolen candy, the secret pride of "stepping on the line of tiger indulgence" in his heart emerged again.

He was completely immersed in the joy of "criticizing" Jiang Lin, and never thought about how ambiguous his reply would be from the perspective of his mutual friends, especially in the eyes of the group of onlookers who had already imagined a "rural love story" in their minds.

He was grinning foolishly at the screen of his mobile phone, but Jiang Lin, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Don't play with your phone while walking." Jiang Lin's voice was not loud, but it was full of unquestionable force. It was particularly clear on the silent mountain road. "Watch the road, it's dangerous."

Gu Yansheng looked up when he heard the voice, and met Jiang Lin's gaze, which still looked deep and sharp in the night. The smile on his face was still bright, like a blooming sunflower, and his eyes were sparkling in the faint light of the mobile phone screen.

"Oh! Got it!" He responded happily, without any displeasure at being scolded. Instead, as if he had received some kind of permission, he immediately and obediently put the phone back into his pocket.

Then he jogged a few steps, keeping up with Jiang Lin's noticeably faster pace, and walked side by side with him into the growing darkness. The evening breeze was still chilly and humid, but his heart felt warm, and the chill brought by the sneeze seemed to have been dispelled.

The two walked in silence, only the sound of their footsteps echoing on the quiet mountain road. Ahead, a dim light shone through the window of Jiang Lin's low house, like a small, warm beacon in the inky night.

Gu Yansheng could feel the subtle urgency in the footsteps of the people around him.

Pushing open the slightly flimsy wooden door, the dim light and dry air from inside instantly enveloped him, dispelling the thick dampness and chill of the night outside. Gu Yansheng breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling his tense nerves relax a little.

"You wash first." Jiang Lin's voice came from behind him. He was bending over to check whether the window was closed tightly.

"Okay." Gu Yan responded, picked up the soft cotton pajamas and toiletry bag he brought with him, and walked into the small bathroom that was only big enough for him to turn around.

The moment the hot water gushed out of the shower, it brought a comforting warmth, temporarily ironing out the chill brought by the mountain breeze. He closed his eyes and let the hot water wash over his body, trying to wash away the fatigue and hustle and bustle of the day.

However, this comfort did not last long.

The fine pricking sensation came without warning. At first, it was just a slight itching on the arms and shoulder blades. Gu Yansheng thought it was because the water temperature was too high or the new shower gel was not suitable.

But soon, this feeling spread like a prairie fire, rapidly spreading throughout his body. The hot water flowing on his skin was no longer a gentle comfort, but turned into countless red-hot needles, densely packed and mercilessly piercing his skin! Every time the water rushed, it brought a sharp stinging pain.

He suddenly turned down the water and looked down, his mind awash with negative thoughts. Large, irregular patches of pink, with slightly raised edges, had begun to appear on his once-fair skin, glaring in the swirling steam. His skin felt scorching and sensitive, and even the movement of air felt like sandpaper.

At this moment, he clearly heard the sound coming from outside the window - it was no longer the rustling sound of leaves blown by the wind, but a fine, continuous "rustling" sound, gently but with a declarative meaning, knocking on the roof and window frames.

It’s raining again…

Gu Yansheng's heart suddenly tightened. The moisture brought by the rain, even through the walls and windows, was like an invisible tentacle, instantly detonating the super-sensitive bomb lurking under his skin.

Although this time he was not accompanied by the suffocating feeling of blocked airways as before, the excruciating pain on his skin, like a thousand needles pricking him, was enough to make him shiver all over and his teeth began to chatter.

"Gu Yansheng?" Jiang Lin's voice came from outside the door, with a hint of imperceptible tension. He obviously also heard the sound of rain, and more keenly caught the unusual pause in the sound of water in the bathroom.

"Are you okay?"

Gu Yansheng gritted his teeth, suppressing the painful groan that threatened to escape his throat, and quickly turned off the shower. The sound of water suddenly stopped, leaving only his rapid, suppressed breathing and the increasingly clear sound of rain outside the window.

"No...it's okay!" He tried to make his voice sound steady, but the trembling at the end of his tone still revealed the truth.

He grabbed the towel and carefully tried to wipe away the water droplets on his body. However, the soft towel felt like rough sandpaper rubbing against his red, swollen, and sensitive skin! Every inch of contact brought a tearing pain, and tears suddenly welled up uncontrollably, blurring his vision.

He could only suck away most of the water droplets very gently, as if he were handling fragile items, and his movements were so fast that it felt like he was being tortured.

He almost shivered as he put on the softest cotton pajamas he had brought with him.

The soft cloth covered the hot and stinging skin, providing a slight cushion, but the sensitivity and pain that penetrated deep into the bone marrow did not disappear, but was simply wrapped up, still clamoring under the skin.

Gu Yansheng took a deep breath and unlocked the bathroom door.

A hot air with a strong fruity aroma mixed with water vapor blew out. Jiang Lin was standing outside the door, just one step away. His tall figure almost blocked the light in the living room.

His gaze stayed on Gu Yansheng's face for only a moment, then swept sharply to his neck exposed outside the collar of his pajamas - there, the pink rash was already clearly visible, and was spreading and deepening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Jiang Lin's brows knitted together instantly, his eyes becoming as cold as ice. Without a single question, he reached out his left hand and firmly supported Gu Yansheng's upper arm, practically half-lifting him, bringing him quickly but steadily to the bedside.

"sit down."

Gu Yansheng was carried down by the undeniable force, his body still trembling slightly from the persistent stinging pain on his skin. He raised his head, his wet eyes still shimmering with tears, and looked at Jiang Lin blankly.

Jiang Lin turned around quickly and picked up two things accurately from the small bedside table - a cup of steaming warm water and a small pill on a white medicine plate.

Warm water and anti-allergy medicine... they were right on the bedside table, within easy reach... obviously prepared long ago.

Gu Yansheng was stunned as he looked at the glass of water and the small white pill. He suddenly looked up at Jiang Lin, his lips slightly parted, but he couldn't say a word.

It turns out... he knew all along! He even calculated the time and prepared the medicine and water here before he took a bath! He silently watched the changes in the weather, silently took all the precautions, but never said a word.

All of his "speeding up his pace" and "checking doors and windows" were for this moment!

An indescribable, scalding torrent instantly washed away the grievance and fragility brought by the stinging on the skin, rushing straight into Gu Yansheng's nose and eye sockets. Every time he had an attack, he seemed to become particularly "sentimental".

Jiang Lin seemed completely oblivious to his emotions. He simply stuffed the warm water and pills into Gu Yansheng's trembling hand without hesitation. Then, the bony hand that had just been supporting him lifted up and, with a soothing touch that was completely different from his current hard expression, gently touched the skin on the right side of his neck.

This was a habitual action. Jiang Lin felt that facial expression was a deceptive disguise, but the aorta would not lie. At this moment, there was a slightly faster pulsation coming from there, without the rhythm of being on the verge of suffocation as in the previous attacks. The situation was still under control.

"I ate it." His voice was still flat, but it was like a magic needle that stabilized Gu Yansheng's turbulent emotions in an instant.

Gu Yansheng lowered his head, looking at the small white pill in his palm, as if holding a reassurance pill. Without the slightest hesitation, he tilted his head back and put the pill into his mouth, then picked up the cup of warm water at just the right temperature and gulped it down.

The warm water slid down my throat, seeming to slightly alleviate the sharp pain on my skin.

He put down the water cup, leaned against the head of the bed, closed his eyes, and felt the silent storm in his body before the medicine started to take effect. His skin was still sensitive and tingling.

The sound of rain outside the window was dripping, hitting the eaves, but it seemed to be isolated by this small space.