Chapter 121: You are not allowed to say thank you when you act like a spoiled child, so

Did you fight back?

The question she asked could be interpreted in two diametrically opposed ways: Did she instigate the conflict and become a part of it? Did she fight back in time to protect herself? The two meanings were completely different: one opposing, the other supporting. Based on Zhu Yingning's usual personality, Xu Sirui felt the former was the correct interpretation. He couldn't quite pinpoint the reason, but he knew she meant the latter.

She asks him if he ever rebelled against his father's brutality.

His heart felt like being gently squeezed by something.

It was because he knew that she was not someone who would advocate violence against elders, so this gesture at this moment seemed even more precious. The bullying advocated by the rule-abiding people was even more shocking.

Xu Sirui really wanted to respond coolly with a "nonsense," but unfortunately, reality isn't a fairy tale; it's just so pathetic. He said, "It hurts so much I can't even lift my arm."

If you can't even lift your hands, there's no way you can fight back.

“…”

Zhu Yingning simply didn't know what to feel.

Should I encourage him to fight back after his injury heals? If the X-ray shows a real fracture, it'll probably take over a month to heal. By that time, his momentum would have long since faded. Fighting back at this point would be like intentional assault. While revenge is never too late, this method of revenge seems rather despicable.

She helped to fight for him? If the target wasn't Xu Zhengkang, it wouldn't be impossible, but the target was Xu Zhengkang. He paid for her education. How could she fight back? Isn't she a complete ungrateful person?

The more Zhu Yingning thought about it, the more she wondered how such a pathetic thing could happen in the world.

Her ever-changing expressions caught Xu Sirui's eyes, inexplicably dispelling the gloom in his heart caused by Xu Zheng. Just as he was about to say something, Zhu Yingning suddenly shook off his arm that was on her shoulder and rushed forward diagonally.

There was no way. It was difficult to get a taxi at this time. Fully loaded taxis with red license plates passed by them. Zhu Yingning glanced anxiously and finally saw a fully loaded taxi stopped at the intersection where they were, dropping off a passenger whose destination was CBD. She was afraid that if she drove slower, the empty taxi would be taken by someone else first.

Xu Sirui was thrown violently by her and almost lost his balance. He covered his side abdomen with a pale face and took a long time to calm down before slowly walking towards her.

She had already told the driver the address. When she saw him coming, she opened the back door, helped him in, and then went around to the other side to get in.

After closing the car door, it took him some effort to fasten the seat belt. He had to put his fingers between the seat belt and his ribs, otherwise the seat belt would hurt him.

The car drove away from here and headed for a nearby hospital.

After arriving at the hospital, Zhu Yingning rushed to take him to the emergency room and took him for X-rays and CT scans.

The doctor looked at the X-ray and said that two ribs were broken. Fortunately, the broken parts were well aligned and not displaced, and there was no damage to the internal organs and pleura. Conservative treatment could be considered. He put a chest belt on him to fix the injury, prescribed some painkillers, explained the precautions clearly, and let them go.

Zhu Yingning felt mixed emotions as she held the X-ray film and other items.

When she got home, she placed these things on the coffee table in the living room. She also took out the X-ray films and other items from the bag and turned on a desk lamp next to it.

"What are you doing?" Xu Sirui asked with a smile, "Studying my bones and publishing a paper?"

Zhu Yingning said seriously, "I want Uncle Xu to see it when he gets home."

"Then you might as well put it on his bed." He sneered.

Zhu Yingning nodded and agreed: "That makes sense." After saying that, he went into the master bedroom with the X-ray film.

"?"

Xu Sirui was shocked by her logic and had to call her back, "He wouldn't care even if you put it on his pillow."

"Then you have to let him know how badly he hurt you."

She didn't look back or stop. Not only did she put the inspection report in a conspicuous place in the master bedroom, she also stubbornly turned on the desk lamp and aimed the light at the X-ray film, making sure that Xu Zhengkang could notice the existence of these things as soon as he entered the room.

Xu Sirui felt that what she was doing was another form of spiritual victory. Expecting Xu Zhengkang to repent or feel sorry after seeing this thing was worse than expecting a sow to climb a tree.

However, while he couldn't be expected to regret or feel ashamed, Zhu Yingning's eerie formation still looked quite frightening at night with the lights out. The dim light from the desk lamp made it look like a ghostly fire. And for some reason, she'd even propped the X-ray film upright against the bedside. Under the light of the desk lamp, it looked like a skeleton at first glance. Xu Sirui was amused by the thought that Xu Zhengkang would probably fart in fear the moment he opened the master bedroom door.

Every smile made his chest hurt even more, so he quickly stopped smiling, suspecting that he had also been infected with the Ah Q spirit by her.

Put on your pajamas and go to the bathroom to take a shower.

Despite his physical disability, Xu Sirui endured the pain and rubbed himself clean from head to toe.

As he walked out of the bathroom, he smelled the aroma of food.

The hourly worker usually only comes to cook at mealtimes. It's almost ten o'clock in the evening now, and the smell can only be from Zhu Yingning tinkering with it.

He walked to the kitchen door and leaned inwards, and sure enough, he saw her busy in the kitchen.

The soup pot on the stove was bubbling. She heard him walking and said without turning her head, "I made bone soup and some simple dishes. Let's have a meal."

In the mountains, Zhu Yingning occasionally helped Liu Guifang with cooking, but her cooking skills were only okay; ordinary home-cooked dishes tasted good, but they weren't anywhere near as good. After coming here, and with Xu Zhengkang hiring a part-time worker, she had to cook breakfast herself, and the part-time worker occasionally taking time off for personal matters. Her cooking skills hadn't improved at all.

Sometimes Zhu Yingning couldn’t figure out whether she really had no talent for cooking or she just wasn’t learning well enough.

She began learning to cook at the age of eight. Zhu Dashan said that girls had to be good cooks to get married. This terrified her and she secretly resolved to become a mediocre cook, because every married girl seemed to have a hard time. She didn't dare cook badly, for fear of being criticized, nor did she dare cook well, for fear of being noticed by someone soon. Perhaps it was this self-suggestion that, day after day, she truly became a mediocre cook.

I wanted to make it more sumptuous, but I only made some home-cooked stir-fries and cauliflower. The only sumptuous thing was the bone soup I made specially for Xu Sirui.

As she was serving the rice, she heard Xu Sirui's voice coming from the kitchen door. He said sullenly, "I told you not to worry and have a good rest, but it seems I made you even more tired."

Zhu Yingning was stunned for a moment, turned around and glanced at him, then quickly focused on the present and said, "It's okay, I did get some rest this afternoon."

This was not a show of strength. She did take a nap for a few hours in the afternoon and slept soundly.

"My mother's affairs have been bothering you."

She chuckled, but felt a little helpless: "Don't be so polite, really, you have helped me a lot."

Afraid he might suddenly say thank you, she quickly added, "You're not allowed to thank me either!"

Then he opened the cupboard and started looking for chopsticks.

Two people, two pairs in total.

After finding it, Zhu Yingning was about to turn around and put the chopsticks and other things on the dining table when he suddenly smelled a fragrance coming from behind him.

The scent of shower gel.

Then, before she could react, an arm reached out from behind and hugged her around the waist.

The hug was light. His left arm was still restrained by the chest strap, leaving only his right arm free to move. Plus, he had a rib injury, so he didn't dare hug her too hard. But the moment he covered her, the hairs on her back stood up, her scalp tingled, and her heartbeat quickened.

Xu Sirui slowly leaned down, and his hair, still damp from the shower, scratched her ear bones.

He didn't say a word, but just rubbed his cool face against her cheek, which was hot from the heat from the stove, like a spoiled dog. Then he stood up as if nothing had happened, took the chopsticks from her hand, turned and walked towards the dining table.