Chapter 52 A Village Girl in the 1970s

Xie Jingyue gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "Then thank you."

Since you're going to take care of him, then go ahead and do it. It'll be a good opportunity for him to recover faster.

Once he's fully recovered, you'll be in for a world of hurt!

Lu Jiaxing actually picked up a spoon and started feeding him porridge spoonful by spoonful.

The two of them, one eating and the other feeding, looked remarkably harmonious.

However, Lu Jiaxing finished the bowl of porridge quickly, no matter how much he delayed. Now he had no reason to stay any longer, and could only say sullenly:

"Sister-in-law, you eat first. After you finish, just leave the lunchbox here. I'll take it to wash in a bit."

Xie Jingyue coldly refused: "No need, there are caregivers here, they will take it to be washed later."

Lu Jiaxing readily agreed: "That's fine. I'll go eat first, and then come back to pick up my sister-in-law so we can go back to the guesthouse together."

Xie Jingyue choked up, unable to utter the words of refusal.

He was genuinely worried about letting Zhenzhen go back to the guesthouse alone.

He wouldn't agree to let her stay with him at the hospital.

The guesthouse was already in poor condition, so how could Xie Jingyue allow Zhenzhen to stay in a ward that was even worse than the guesthouse?

Moreover, the air in the hospital is not good, and it is not suitable to stay there for long.

For the next period of time, Lu Jiaxing accompanied Yao Yunzhen to and from the hospital every day, and personally fed Xie Jingyue every time, just like a filial son.

Of course, in Xie Jingyue's eyes, the other party was definitely an unfilial son.

Taking advantage of his inability to move, he took up a lot of the time he spent with Zhenzhen.

If this continues, is he trying to take my place?!

Feeling a strong sense of crisis, Xie Jingyue decisively drove Lu Jiaxing away the moment he regained the ability to move freely.

"Jiaxing, thank you for taking care of me during this time. I've almost recovered now, so I won't trouble you anymore. You've been away from the team long enough, so you should go back soon."

Lu Jiaxing felt both unwilling and disappointed, but he had no right to say anything.

He should be content to have spent so much time with Zhenzhen.

Yes, he should be satisfied...

Even this period of time was stolen... no, forcibly borrowed by him. What more could he possibly want?

Lu Jiaxing looked at Yao Yunzhen: "Then, sister-in-law, I'll head back now?"

He was unaware of how obvious the expectation in his eyes was at that moment.

Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed.

Yao Yunzhen smiled faintly: "Okay, be careful on the road. Thank you for your help this time. I'll have Jing Yue treat you to a meal later."

Over such a long period of time, no matter how much the two tried to avoid each other, Yao Yunzhen eventually noticed their subtle tension.

As for the reason, she knew it perfectly well.

But what does this have to do with her?

This is their own business, and they should handle it themselves. She won't interfere; she might as well watch the show.

Of course, she's only interested in watching the show. If those two dare to spread their anger to her, she wouldn't mind finding another man.

After experiencing the pleasures of love, she had always regretted getting married too early, especially since it was a military marriage...

How many people and things have I missed?

However, Xie Jingyue doesn't need to know these things.

Lu Jiaxing walked away dejectedly.

As he walked out of the hospital, snowflakes began to fall gently, landing on his shoulders.

It turned out that it was already November, and the weather had turned completely cold.

But the body's cooling is no match for the coldness in the heart.

It felt as if a huge hole had been torn in his chest, and a cold wind was blowing through it, making his soul feel as if it were frozen.

He knew that Yao Yunzhen had already made her choice.

She didn't choose herself, but still chose Xie Jingyue.

Is it really that important to arrive first or last?

If only he had been the one to do that task back then...

He clearly had a chance, but he was temporarily transferred elsewhere.

Looking at the vast expanse of white, Lu Jiaxing was momentarily at a loss as to where to go.

He only took a stiff step when his head and shoulders were covered with a thick layer of snow.

His family already knew he was in Beijing and had sent people to urge him to come home several times. He might as well go back and visit now.

He... now had another reason to stay in Beijing...

Lu Jiaxing walked forward step by step, slowly and hesitantly, occasionally looking back.

However, all that met the eye was a vast expanse of white and hurried pedestrians.

...

Meanwhile, Xie Jingyue and Yao Yunzhen were going through the discharge procedures together.

Now that he could move freely, Xie Jingyue's injuries had mostly healed, and there was no need for him to stay in the hospital any longer. So he simply left the hospital and moved to the guesthouse to live with Yao Yunzhen.

They're a married couple, with a marriage certificate, so they can share a room, unlike Lu Jiaxing who can only live next door.

Thanks to the care of the caregiver and Lu Jiaxing in shifts these past few days, Xie Jingyue's health has recovered a lot, at least he has regained the weight he lost.

However, this is all on the surface. As for whether it has really been made up for, Yao Yunzhen needs to examine it carefully.

…………

At the Lu family home, Fang Qing was sitting on the sofa knitting when there was a knock on the door.

Who is it?

She got up and opened the door, only to bump into a snowman.

The person was covered in snow, even their eyebrows were white, and their eyelashes were covered with tiny icicles. Their face was blue from the cold, and their lips were dark purple. The person looked completely lifeless, like a frozen corpse.

"ah--"

Fang Qing was so frightened that she staggered back a few steps uncontrollably.

At this moment, the "frozen corpse" slowly moved its mouth and made a weak sound: "Mom, it's me."

Fang Qing seemed to wake from a dream, and stared wide-eyed as she carefully examined the surroundings.

This isn't a frozen corpse; it's her youngest son, whom she hasn't seen in a long time!

"Jiaxing, what happened to you? How did you get yourself into this state? Quick, come inside, don't catch a cold here, quick, quick!"

Fang Qing hurriedly pulled the person into the house, running hot water and finding clean, warm clothes, keeping herself extremely busy.

After a flurry of activity, Lu Jiaxing finally shed his previous demeanor, and his complexion returned to its rosy hue.

At this moment, Fang Qing cautiously asked, "Jiaxing, what happened to you? Tell Mom, and Mom will help you figure out a solution."

"It's nothing, Mom. I just missed the bus, so I walked back. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, that's enough. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going back to my room to lie down for a bit."

By this time, Lu Jiaxing had recovered considerably, and all his emotions were buried deep in his heart, but he was still not in high spirits and couldn't muster the energy to deal with his mother.

How should I put it? Should I say he had his eye on his best friend's woman, and then failed to steal her away?

"Okay, okay, you go to sleep first, Mom will make you some chicken soup."

Lu Jiaxing forced a smile, got up, went upstairs, and returned to his room.

Although he is not in Beijing, his room is cleaned regularly and is ready to be lived in.

Lu Jiaxing slept until evening, and when he went downstairs, he happened to see his father, Lu Weihua, returning from outside.

When Lu Weihua saw Lu Jiaxing, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "You finally decided to come back?"

"You've really made something of yourself. You've been in Beijing for so long and you haven't even thought to go home once. I have to beg you three or four times before you'll come back..."

Lu Jiaxing didn't hear a word of Lu Weihua's complaints; he stared intently at Lu Weihua's hand.

"Dad, what are you holding in your hand?"

Lu Weihua wasn't angry at being interrupted; he simply waved the two letters in his hand.

"These are the letters I took out of the mailbox. This one is from a friend, and the other is for your grandfather. It's strange, how did a letter for the old man end up here? Your mother, isn't she the one who usually collects the mail? How come she didn't check? Looking at the date, it's been a while. I wonder if it's delayed him. Remember to take it to the old man after you finish eating."