“If… I mean if…” Jiang Wanqing emphasized deliberately, observing Cheng Ran’s expression to make sure he was calm before continuing, “If I can’t take care of you all the time because of work, can I hire a housekeeper to help me share the burden?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Ran's eyes flickered, and his fingers tightened unconsciously.
What she said seemed reasonable; it would allow her to take care of his daily needs without interfering with her work, but...
He took a breath and shook his head: "You can leave me alone, but don't dump me on someone else. I can walk and use my hands now. Do you think I can't take care of myself?"
That's not what I meant...
Jiang Wanqing hurriedly tried to explain, but he raised his hand to stop her from continuing.
“I know your intentions are good. Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden to you. After all, I need to get back to work as soon as possible.”
After he finished speaking, he immediately got up, turned his back to her, and walked out the door, pausing for a moment just before stepping out.
"I'm going out for a walk, don't follow me."
Jiang Wanqing's lips moved slightly; her words still struck a chord with him. She pursed her lips, regretting that she hadn't tested him.
He walked outside for a long time, but fortunately he was still in the courtyard and hadn't gone far. Although Jiang Wanqing couldn't get close to him, she could see him through the window, so he was still within sight and relatively safe.
He didn't come in until evening. Perhaps because he had been walking for so long, sweat was seeping from his face, and his expression became even more silent.
She simply prepared two dishes and ate with him. The small space was filled with quiet.
He fell silent. She wanted to speak but dared not, afraid that she might say something wrong that would make him even more agitated.
This eerie atmosphere continued into the night. She went to bed early, thinking he was ignoring her, but when she snuggled into his arms, he didn't push her away. Instead, he adjusted his position to make her more comfortable. Jiang Wanqing felt very uncomfortable.
Every time I was about to say something, I held the belief that it's better to avoid trouble, and in the end, I said nothing.
Jiang Wan slept soundly until dawn. When she woke up, Cheng Ran was no longer in bed, so she quickly got out of bed.
Sure enough, I saw him practicing rehabilitation in the yard through the window again.
She breathed a sigh of relief. It was better to exercise in silence than to not find anyone. She decided to make breakfast first, as she still had things to do.
After making breakfast, she called him home for dinner. They had only eaten half of it when they heard a car horn outside.
A short while later, Du Ming walked over excitedly and greeted him warmly.
"Commander Cheng, sister-in-law, good morning!"
"You're the one who came to pick me up?" Jiang Wanqing guessed at a glance.
Du Ming scratched his head and chuckled twice.
"Yes, it's such a coincidence that the person you're working with is my brother. He told me that you and Commander Cheng are my benefactors, and I will definitely make this trip a success."
Cheng Ran put down his chopsticks, looked up at Du Ming, and for some reason, found that unrestrained smile somewhat irritating...
Sensing something was amiss, Du Ming swallowed and looked at Jiang Wanqing.
"Sister-in-law, is it inconvenient today?"
"Oh, no, it's convenient. You sit down and have something to eat first, I'll go pack up and then come with you."
"good."
Jiang Wanqing got up and went to her room to tidy up, leaving only Du Ming and Cheng Ran in the living room. Seeing the dark cloud in Cheng Ran's eyes, the former couldn't help but speak first.
"Commander Cheng, how is your recovery going?"
"Not so good. The doctor said I should go out for walks more often," Cheng Ran replied, his voice somewhat indifferent.
"Going out for a walk is good, you should walk more..."
"Yes, so can I come with you today?"
Cheng Ran's words surprised Du Ming. This was not a difficult topic to discuss; as a visitor, going to the factory to take a look would certainly not be a problem.
But given the atmosphere and the fact that it came from Cheng Ran, a meticulous person, Du Ming felt something was off. He wondered if he had done or said something wrong.
Just as he was about to answer, Jiang Wanqing came out of the room with her bag, interrupting their conversation.
"Du Ming, you go wait in the car first, I'll come out and say a few words to your Commander Cheng."
Relieved, Du Ming readily agreed, but still felt somewhat guilty.
"Okay, sister-in-law." He pursed his lips and apologized to Commander Cheng, "I'm sorry, Commander, please discuss this with your sister-in-law first."
It's clear that the couple hadn't discussed it beforehand; he's not directly refusing or agreeing. We'll see if they come out together later.
As soon as Du Ming left, Jiang Wanqing sat down next to Cheng Ran. He thought she was going to persuade him, but instead she picked up a coat and draped it over him.
"It's windy outside, wear some more clothes. Do you want to eat a little more breakfast? If not, let's go. Don't keep Du Ming waiting."
"You agree to take me with you?"
"Yeah, it's not like it's something I can't let you see. If you want to go, I'll take you."
"No need, you can go by yourself."
Cheng Ran suddenly felt a little despicable for trying to test his lover, which was wrong. However, he couldn't correct his awkward state of mind in a short time and could only slowly process it.
She stood there, pursed her lips, and lowered her head slightly to ask him, "Are you sure?"
"Okay, you can go now. I'll wait for you to come back."
He couldn't be a burden to her, nor could he be her shadow. If she brought him to work, she would definitely face criticism, which wouldn't be good for her.
As if knowing he would answer that way, she nodded and went along with him.
"Alright then, once you've recovered a bit more, I'll take you out to see the world."
He grunted in agreement, waved his hand, and told her to leave quickly.
The longer she stayed, the less he wanted her to leave. This thought grew uncontrollably in his mind, causing him great distress.
Jiang Wanqing agreed and told him to take good care of himself at home before leaving, turning back to look at him several times.
Du Ming waited by the car. When she came over, he opened the door for her. Seeing that there was no one behind her, he tentatively asked her a question.
"Isn't Commander Cheng going?"
"He's not going. He's just a little awkward because of his injury. Don't worry about it."
"No, Commander Cheng's injury was ultimately caused by me. I'm really sorry. I'll come to see him more often in the future."
"Alright, enough of that. Let's get down to business. This place isn't close to southern Xinjiang, is it? How long do you have on leave?"
Jiang Wanqing had asked the important question, and he smiled.
"I only have one day off, and I have to go back to my unit tonight."
"That's right, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go, then come back and you can rest for a while."
"Okay!"
Du Ming quickly got into the car and drove Jiang Wanqing to the Jiangnan Machinery Factory.
The road conditions changed many times along the way, and it took nearly two hours to finally reach the Jiangnan Machinery Factory...
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