Fang Yan was in a hurry, just about to go to Aunt Wang's to borrow a bicycle to go to the county town to buy a quilt.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw Zhong Huai, as if by magic, pull out his military bag from somewhere and take out a quilt from inside.
"Dr. Zhong, I was just saying I was going to buy two quilts, but you brought them yourself?"
Fang Yan was very surprised. She actually wanted to ask him where he got this big military pack from.
However, firstly, he was not yet familiar with Zhong Huaijun;
Secondly, he had just given him a lecture;
Thirdly, Fang Yan felt that Zhong Huai was a bit stern and didn't dare to be too casual.
"Need not."
Zhong Huaizheng merely glanced at her indifferently before starting to lay straw underneath.
The straw is all from this year's newly harvested late-season rice stalks; it's clean and fresh.
Lay it down at the bottom, then put a thin cotton quilt on top; it's soft and warm.
In the days before mattresses existed, this was a very natural "mattress".
Fang Yan wasn't good at socializing, but she was forced to take the initiative to socialize because of her business dealings.
However, she was actually at a loss when faced with someone as serious as Zhong Huaizheng, unsure of how to get along with him. So she simply asked, "Dr. Zhong, we should go prepare dinner now. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
“I’m not picky about food.” Upon hearing this, Zhong Huaizheng stopped what he was doing and started rummaging through his backpack.
Fang Yan asked for more details, "Can you eat either bland or spicy food?"
Their family's food is at most mildly spicy; anything extra spicy or extremely spicy is unbearable, not even for Zhu Xiuhua and the others, let alone Fang Yan herself.
Therefore, their family's dining table would never have food that is extremely spicy or extra spicy.
Zhong Huaizheng finally found what he wanted, took it out, walked up to Fang Yan, and handed it to her, "This is my food allowance and some receipts."
"ah?"
Fang Yan was completely stunned, not expecting him to do this. "No...no need."
“In our rural area, the rice and vegetables we eat are all grown by ourselves, so we don’t have to spend any money.”
Fang Yan definitely couldn't accept it. "Besides, you came here to treat Ji Zhou's illness and help him recover. If we really have to talk about it, wouldn't we be the ones paying for it?"
“Ji Zhou is a member of the military, and I receive military allowances. It has nothing to do with you,” Zhong Huaizheng said firmly, insisting on stuffing the money and receipts into Fang Yan’s hands. “If it’s not enough, just tell me.”
Having been a veteran for so many years, he has always made it a habit to avoid causing trouble for the people wherever he goes.
Well, seeing the serious expression on her face, and that he was about to recite all the rules to her, Fang Yan had no choice but to accept the money and receipts.
She bought the ingredients for dinner on her way back from closing up shop at noon.
When Fang Yan arrived at the kitchen, Chu Chun had already prepared all the ingredients for dinner. "Third Aunt, I can't slice this fish as thinly as you do."
"Okay, I'll take care of it. You take a break. There are some candied oranges and crispy slices that I bought today in the main room. Go and have some."
Fang Yan rolled up her sleeves and began slicing the fish.
Tonight, she plans to make sauerkraut fish. The fish slices need to be sliced thinly; Chu Chun's knife skills are not as good as hers yet.
"It's okay, I'm not tired. I'll help you here and learn to cook so that I can cook for myself whenever I want to eat something outside." Chu Chun is diligent and down-to-earth.
If Fang Yan didn't order her to rest every day, she would be spinning like a top from the moment she returned from closing up shop, working non-stop until dark.
"You've watched me cook these everyday dishes countless times, and you still haven't learned how?"
Fang Yan had no choice but to order her, "Go, and bring me a few crispy slices of crispy chips while you're at it."
Crispy mango slices are a local variety of small mangoes that never grow big and never turn yellow; they remain green and are extremely sour!
Some people cut it into finger-sized pieces, marinate it in sugar water until it becomes sweet and sour, then take it out and mix it with licorice to infuse it with flavor.
In this way, it has a sweet and sour taste, and the crisp texture of the fruit is well preserved. It makes a "crunchy" sound when you eat it, which is refreshing and stress-relieving.
Little Fish suddenly appeared out of nowhere, shouting, "I want to eat Crispy Chips too!"
“If you want to eat, go get it yourself from the main room. Don’t let Sister Chuchun get it for you, understand?” Fang Yan said to him.
Little Fish was obedient and turned to walk away again, but suddenly stopped and asked Chu Xia, who was tending the fire, "Brother Chu Xia, can I give you nine?"
His little paws, in a strange pose, made a three, while he said "nine".
Chu Xia chuckled, "Do you want to give me three pieces or nine pieces?"
"Never mind, I'll get it for you." The little guy, like a maniac, ran out again.
After taking the crispy snack, Little Fish suddenly remembered that his father had come home.
There were people around the whole time, and he didn't even go to see his dad.
He held the crispy snack in his hand and went into the room where he usually slept with his mother and grandmother.
I saw Zhang Jizhou lying there with his eyes closed, an IV drip in his hand.
He had seen it before at the hospital; there was an old man who also received this kind of injection.
"Dad?" The little guy walked to the bedside and called out softly.
Zhang Jizhou on the bed showed no reaction.
He stared at him with wide eyes for a while, then asked, "Dad, where does it hurt?"
Zhang Jizhou could faintly hear the little guy's voice.
To be precise, he could hear what Fang Yan was saying, but he was too tired. He wanted to wake up, but his body just wouldn't.
A short while later, Fang Yan saw the little guy return with red eyes and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
The little guy kept only one crispy slice for himself, and stuffed the rest into Chu Xia's hands.
Then he came over, hugged Fang Yan's legs, and asked listlessly, "Mom, will Dad die?"
"No way." Fang Yan originally wanted to yell at him, "You little brat, you're holding my handsome hand and trying to hug me!"
But seeing him like this, she couldn't bear to yell at him. Instead, she gently comforted him, "Dad is just too tired and injured. His wound hurts, so he needs to sleep more so that his wound can heal faster. Once his wound is healed, Dad will wake up."
If Fang Yan hadn't known before whether the spring water would be effective for Zhang Jizhou's injuries, she certainly wouldn't have dared to say that.
Now, she was 100% certain that the spring water was very effective for Zhang Jizhou's injuries, and she believed that he should wake up by tomorrow at the latest.
Of course, this is on the condition that I feed him spring water several more times tonight.
"Really?" The listless little fish perked up immediately. "That's great! I don't want Daddy to die."
Fang Yan teased him, "Don't you dislike your father?"
“Yes,” the little guy said honestly, “I don’t want Daddy to die either.”
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