Li Zheng and Lin Xiaomei were busy in the house in an orderly manner.

Lin Xiaomei was incredibly diligent, her nimble hands moving through the laundry. In no time, the scattered clothes on the floor were neatly arranged. She expertly gathered the dirty ones together, preparing them for washing; the clean ones were meticulously folded and stored in the closet.

Li Zhengze was responsible for putting the crooked tables and chairs back in place.

With the tacit cooperation of the two, the originally messy scene in the house was greatly improved and began to become orderly.

Then they turned their gaze to the disgusting pool of vomit on the bed.

Lin Xiaomei didn't hesitate at all, nor did she show any disgust. Together with Li Zheng, she laboriously removed the bed sheet.

In this era of relative material scarcity, washing bed sheets is not an easy task.

There is no washing machine in the staff dormitory, so everything has to be done by hand.

The two of them carried wooden basins filled with water and came to the public laundry pool at the end of the corridor.

Some of the tiles in the laundry sink have fallen off, revealing the mottled cement inside.

Lin Xiaomei plunged her slender hands into the icy water without hesitation and began to rub the sheets back and forth. Soon, her fingers were red from the cold.

Li Zheng looked at it, and felt a pang of heartache in his heart. He couldn't help but said, "How about I do it, you take a rest."

Lin Xiaomei raised her head, her hair soaked with sweat, clinging to her rosy cheeks. She smiled brightly and said, "It's okay, I'm not tired. Let's wash together and we'll be done soon."

After their unremitting efforts, the sheets were finally clean. They twisted the wet sheets like a twist to remove excess water and hung them on the clothesline outside the corridor.

Back inside, looking at the newly renovated room, Lin Xiaomei breathed a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile on her face. Her hair was disheveled, a few strands casually scattered across her forehead, and beads of sweat still adorned her face. Under the dim light, she possessed a unique charm.

"Li Zheng, you must be hungry after all this time. Let me make you dinner," Lin Xiaomei suddenly said, her eyes full of anticipation and her cheeks slightly flushed. In the 1980s, a girl offering to cook for a boy was a very straightforward and bold way to express her affection.

Li Zheng was slightly stunned. He looked at the enthusiastic girl in front of him, feeling both touched and somewhat overwhelmed. Although he had reached the pinnacle of global surgery in his previous life, he was a complete blank slate when it came to love.

When he was in college, he devoted himself to his studies and never had a relationship. After work, he devoted himself to his major. It was not until he was 35 that he met a partner through a blind date. However, after only half a year of marriage, the other party cheated on him. He had no choice but to choose divorce and never remarried.

In his previous understanding, the interaction between men and women should be slow, subtle and gradual. Lin Xiaomei's proactive show of goodwill made him, who was used to restraining his emotions, a little overwhelmed for a while.

"No, I want to take a shower first. You see, I stink and feel uncomfortable all over." Li Zheng refused tactfully. There was a hint of apology in his eyes and his tone was particularly gentle, for fear of hurting this simple and kind girl.

When Lin Xiaomei heard this, a hint of imperceptible disappointment flashed across her face, but she quickly regained her smile and said, "Oh, well, you take a shower first. I...I'll leave first."

At this moment, she felt a little regretful, thinking that she might be too anxious and worried that Li Zheng would misunderstand her as a shameless girl.

After saying that, she turned around hurriedly and left Li Zheng's dormitory quickly, her steps a little flustered.

Li Zheng looked at Lin Xiaomei's departing back, feeling mixed emotions.

This girl never despised Li Zheng when he was at his lowest and most miserable, and always paid attention to him silently.

It's not that he has no feelings for Lin Xiaomei, but his failed marriage in the past has made him cautious in relationships, like a wounded snail hiding in its shell, not daring to stick its head out easily.

Li Zheng shook his head, putting these complicated thoughts behind him. He knew that the emotions of girls in this era were simple and pure, and he couldn't compare his ex-wife who had betrayed him in his previous life with Lin Xiaomei in front of him.

He took his change of clothes, picked up a large red plastic bucket, and walked towards the public bathhouse on the first floor.

"Doctor Li, you're here!"

Uncle Ding, standing at the door, greeted Li Zheng warmly with a broad smile. Because Li Zheng often got drunk and vomited profusely, he came here to bathe more often than the other doctors. Every time he came, Li Zheng politely offered him a cigarette and a fifty-cent gift.

Li Zheng threw the money to the old man, with an apologetic smile on his face, and said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Ding, I don't have any cigarettes with me."

Uncle Ding casually pulled out a pack of Hongmei cigarettes from his pocket, took out a cigarette, and handed it to Li Zheng. He smiled a little nervously and said, "Doctor Li, I don't know if you can get used to smoking these Ma Hu cigarettes."

Li Zheng took the cigarette, and memories of Hongmei cigarettes resurfaced. Hongmei cigarettes, produced since 1972, quickly became popular in the 1980s thanks to their rich aroma, mellow flavor, and consistent quality. Their affordability made them a popular and affordable cigarette brand for ordinary people at the time.

"Old smokers all love to smoke this cigarette, I like it too!" Li Zheng said with a smile, and at the same time gestured to the old man to light it for him.

Although Li Zheng was a doctor in his previous life, due to the huge work pressure, sometimes he would smoke a cigarette to relax after performing an operation because he was too tired, but he did not have a smoking addiction.

And now this body has completely adapted to cigarettes, so he took a light puff, and the mellow taste instantly slid down his throat into his lungs, and then directly transmitted to his brain, making him feel a long-lost relaxation.

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