In the 1980s, the gaps between the wrought iron railings in the stairwells were wide, and one could easily see the scene below simply by bending down from the upper floor.
Through the railing, Zhou Qiqi noticed that the older woman with her hair up looked around before speaking.
It was already past eleven o'clock, and there weren't many people in the hallway, so she spoke up boldly.
"Why didn't they come!"
"It's been three days already, and that woman is always bringing chicken or duck soup to the commander's ward! She's probably still there, all lovey-dovey..."
The short-haired nurse poked her, her face full of resentment.
"How shameless! I heard from the commander's orderly that she's not his wife at all, yet she has the nerve to wear a floral dress and hang around his hospital room every day! That shameless vixen dares to seduce the commander! If the commander's wife finds out, she'll be in big trouble! She'll be scratching her face to pieces!"
The nurse with her hair up shook her head, a hint of mystery hidden in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
"You're too young to understand the intricacies of this situation."
"This matter is probably not that simple. The commander is injured and hospitalized, but his wife is nowhere to be seen. Instead, another woman comes to the ward to take care of him every day. In my opinion, the commander might have some feelings for that woman..."
The short-haired nurse's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? That's shocking?"
The nurse, who was styling her hair, became even more interested and continued.
"You bet! I overheard her talking about it when I passed by. She kept saying things like 'when I was little' and 'from the past.' I bet there's more to this than meets the eye. Maybe she's the leader's old flame! They've rekindled their old flame!"
She was speaking animatedly when the short-haired nurse pursed her lips and sighed.
"Sigh, that commander's wife is so pitiful..."
Before the words were finished, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
The two nurses hurriedly tugged at each other's clothes and whispered, "She's here, don't say anything!"
Zhou Qiqi had been listening for a while and was also a little curious. She looked down through the railing and saw a woman in a light pink floral dress walking towards her with her high heels clicking on the floor.
The woman only showed a side view and walked quickly, so Zhou Qiqi didn't see her face clearly, but she had a vague feeling that she was not someone to be trifled with.
After she came downstairs, the nurse with her hair up rolled her eyes dismissively, "You even wear such strong perfume to the hospital!"
Having found new "material," the two huddled together, heads bowed, ready to continue chirping. Zhou Qiqi quickly coughed twice.
At first, she saw the two chatting enthusiastically and thought she would wait until they finished before leaving so as not to disturb them. However, they intended to continue their conversation, so she had to interrupt them, otherwise Zhu Yingying would get impatient.
Hearing a commotion upstairs, the two nurses whispered a few words to each other and then dispersed.
Zhou Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to the second floor to get the test results. Then she went to the door of the ward on the first floor to find Zhu Yingying.
Zhu Yingying's eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry.
"Why did it take so long? Did the result not go well?"
Zhou Qiqi put her arm around her shoulder.
"Why is it not good? Don't overthink it! We need to see a doctor to find out. How can you cry before you even have a diagnosis?"
"Think about it, if nothing happens in the end, wouldn't all your sadness have been for nothing?"
"Even if things don't turn out well, we'll still have plenty of time to cry later, so what's the harm in a little while?"
Her reasoning was like a sow wearing a bra, one set after another, leaving Zhu Yingying stunned, before she burst into laughter through her tears.
"Why do you have so many fallacies!"
Zhou Qiqi patted her chest.
"Never mind if it's fallacious or not. Just listen to it if it makes sense!"
As he spoke, he quickly pushed Zhu Yingying toward the doctor's office.
"Hurry up, or the doctor will be off work!"
Her joking remark eased Zhu Yingying's tension considerably, and they went to see the doctor together.
The doctor who saw me was a middle-aged woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses. She looked at the lab results for a long time, asked a lot of questions, and then frowned as she scribbled on the prescription.
Zhu Yingying's hand, which was gripping Zhou Qiqi's, was sweating. Finally, she gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Doctor, am I... am I no longer able to have children?"
The doctor looked up and saw that the little girl's eyes were red, so he quickly waved his hand.
"No, no, don't worry."
Zhu Yingying was immediately overjoyed and happily took Zhou Qiqi's hand.
Zhou Qiqi raised an eyebrow, giving off a "I knew it" look, and then asked.
"Doctor, what exactly is wrong with her?"
The doctor explained patiently.
"This disease is called polycystic ovary syndrome. It is very common among women of childbearing age. It is an endocrine problem. As long as it is properly treated, you can still get pregnant in the future."
Stepping out of the doctor's office, Zhu Yingying finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhou Qiqi put her arm around her shoulder and they talked as they walked.
“From now on, you can run with me. Learn from Sister Cuixiang and listen to more gossip. Don’t always keep it all to yourself.”
At this point, she suddenly remembered what she had overheard in the hallway earlier and quickly shared it with Zhu Yingying.
Zhu Yingying was a little surprised to hear this.
"Really? The commander those two nurses were talking about, his wife must also be a military wife, right? It's so pitiful, I wonder if she's from our military region or somewhere else..."
Zhou Qiqi was pondering what to eat for lunch when she casually agreed.
"Who says otherwise? They might still be kept in the dark..."
As the two were talking, they walked to the hospital entrance and spotted the woman in the light pink dress.
She seems to have left something at the newsstand and is arguing fiercely with the old man selling newspapers.
Zhou Qiqi quickly pointed over there and said to Zhu Yingying.
"Hey, look, it's that woman..."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman turned her face around.
Zhou Qiqi recognized the face, but couldn't quite place where she had seen it before.
For some reason, the gossipy things those two nurses had said earlier kept replaying in my mind.
A sudden thought struck him, and he remembered the woman in the floral dress when he first transmigrated.
She quickly grabbed Yingying's arm.
"Yingying, I'm afraid I can't go back to the military dependents' area with you today."
"Huh? Why?"
Zhu Yingying looked on with curiosity, while Zhou Qiqi gave a dry laugh, a bitter taste rising in her throat.
"Because I think I know who that poor drummer is..."
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