Sheng An Ning didn't say anything. She peeled the apple silently and handed it over: "Eat an apple first."

Ding Hong smiled, took the apple, took a bite, chewed it slowly, but her eyes fell on Sheng An Ning, swallowed it and said, "It's sad that Zhou Shixun likes you. You really can keep your composure."

Sheng An Ning raised her eyebrows: "What do you mean? Sister-in-law, I'm not as cunning as you think. In some things, I really don't care too much about Director Liu and my wife working together. If we were strangers, I might really ignore you. This is my personality."

Ding Hong didn't expect Sheng An Ning to speak so bluntly: "You don't pretend. I did have a preconceived notion before. When I was doing the surgery, I asked you to go because I felt safe with you. You might not believe me, but after seeing you a few times, I felt that I could feel safe even if you didn't do anything by my side."

Sheng Anning: "..."

She doesn't know she has this ability yet.

Ding Hong's expression was very serious: "I'm telling the truth. When you told me it's not a big problem, I felt relieved. It's not that I'm afraid of death. I have two children, both of whom are serving in the army in Tibet. They haven't started a family yet, and I feel a little unwilling to let them go. I didn't take good care of them when they were young, and now I can't watch them get married, so I can't bear it."

Sheng An Ning didn't say anything, knowing that Ding Hong was very eager to talk. She was going to have surgery tomorrow, but there was no family member to accompany her today. It was impossible for her not to panic.

"My two sons, one is 19 and the other is 18. They both signed up for the army without telling me and went to the farthest Tibetan areas. They only wrote a few letters to me throughout the year. If I died like this, wouldn't it be a pity?"

"Before, when they were young, Liu Zhiguo and I felt that life in the northwest was too hard, so we left the children in Beijing and let my parents-in-law take care of them. During those years, the children were also raised freely. It was good enough that they didn't go astray. When we came to Beijing, the eldest had already joined the army, and the second child didn't even recognize us. Although he is a sensible child, he must be resentful in his heart that we abandoned him for so many years."

"Later, the second child secretly signed up for the army. I found out after the list came out that after the children left, they only wrote letters to their grandparents. At the end of last year, after the two elderly people passed away, the children stopped sending letters home. It seemed that they had nothing to say to me as a mother."

It feels a bit sad to say it, and he smiled sadly: "Are we failed parents? My wife often said that when they get married, they will understand our painstaking efforts. When we went to the northwest, it was really hard. There were no houses. We lived in dugouts. The wasteland and Gobi were built bit by bit. How could we bear to take them to suffer in such an environment?"

As he spoke, the corners of his eyes turned red.

Sheng An Ning listened quietly. Although Ding Hong's words were a little out of order, she understood that she felt guilty towards her son and longed for home. She hoped that the family could live in harmony in the future, so she didn't want to die.

Because there were too many imperfections, she was unwilling to accept it.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Keep calm. Director Liu is right. When they get married and become parents, they will understand you. Don't think about these things now. Eat well and rest peacefully. You can sleep well after the surgery tomorrow."

Ding Hong smiled: "Well, I have thought it through these two days, and my mentality has improved a lot. I was completely broken before, thinking that I had never done anything immoral, so how could I get this disease? I have gradually figured it out in the past two days. I just can't bear to leave my two children, and I am also worried about Liu Zhiguo..."

As the two were talking, the door of the ward opened and Liu Zhiguo came in sweating profusely, carrying a lunch box.

Seeing Sheng An Ning and Ding Hong, one sitting on a stool and the other leaning on the bed, they seemed to be chatting harmoniously. Somewhat surprised: "When did An Ning come?"

Sheng Anning stood up and said, "I've been studying in the hospital recently. Today is my first day here, and I'm studying in the neurosurgery department."

Liu Zhiguo quickly waved his hand: "Sit down, sit down, don't be so polite. It's great that you come here to study. With you here, your sister-in-law feels more at ease."

Sheng An Ning smiled, feeling both amused and sad. She didn't expect that Liu Zhiguo and his wife would treat her as a mascot.

Liu Zhiguo walked to the bedside and diligently opened the lunch box to show Ding Hong: "I made dumplings with pork and fennel that you like. Try them. They are not well wrapped, but they taste quite fragrant."

The aluminum lunch box was filled with dumplings, some big, some small, and some in odd shapes. Some had the fillings leaked out and were still steaming.

Ding Hong took a look and her eyes turned red: "Look at you, why are you doing this? I don't have to eat. There is food in the hospital cafeteria."

Liu Zhiguo smiled innocently. He was afraid that the dumplings would get cold, so he put them in his pocket. He almost stepped on the pedal and made sparks. Fortunately, the dumplings were not cold. He picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and fed it to Ding Hong: "Try it quickly. I put more lean meat in it."

Ding Hong turned her head to the side, a little embarrassed: "I can do it myself."

Sheng An Ning felt that she was redundant here, but she was still very touched by the good relationship between the couple. She said as she walked out, "You guys go ahead and do your work. I have to go to work. If sister-in-law needs me, please go to the attending doctor's office to find me."

After saying this, he ran out quickly without waiting for Liu Zhiguo and Ding Hong to respond, and considerately closed the ward door, including the door of the room outside.

Ding Hong frowned and looked at Liu Zhiguo: "Look at you, you've scared others."

Liu Zhiguo chuckled, "It's okay, we're not strangers, eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold. Don't you like sesame oil? I put it in too."

Then he fed it to Ding Hong's mouth again: "Eat quickly, no one is here now."

Ding Hong took a bite and almost cried. This was Liu Zhiguo's first time making dumplings. He was not very good at cooking and was usually busy with work.

And she was afraid that he would waste food while cooking, so she never allowed Liu Zhiguo to enter the kitchen, and she prepared all the food and drinks in advance.

Liu Zhiguo saw Ding Hong take a bite of the dumpling and tears came out. He was instantly nervous: "What's wrong? Is it unpalatable? When I was mixing the stuffing, I added some salt and tasted it. It seems okay."

She wiped her tears with her hand and shook her head vigorously: "No, it's not bad, it's delicious. It's the most delicious dumplings I've ever eaten. Lao Liu, if I'm gone, you can find another woman who knows how to live to accompany you."

Liu Zhiguo's face darkened: "What nonsense are you talking about? Your illness is not serious. You can go home after a few days of rest after the operation."

He fed another dumpling to Ding Hong's mouth: "Don't think about it when you're full. I'll make dumplings for you when you get better!"