These past few evenings, Zhou Jie had been coming home with her cousin-in-law. Li Baolong and Zhou Jie had become increasingly familiar with each other, and he learned that her father had passed away when she was young, and her mother had remarried, taking her and her sister with her. Zhou Jie had suffered a lot during her childhood; she dropped out of school after junior high and started working to earn money. She used to work in a restaurant, a dirty and tiring job that didn't pay much. Finally, a fellow villager introduced her to a hair salon to learn shampooing and massage, saying that business was good and she could earn several hundred yuan a month.
One day, Li Baolong woke up to find Zhou Jie still at home doing laundry, not at work. He asked, "Aren't you going to work today?" Zhou Jie looked weak and replied, "I'm not feeling well today and want to take the day off to go to the hospital." Hearing this, Li Baolong immediately said, "Then I'll go with you." Zhou Jie looked at him hesitantly, "Won't that take up too much of your time?" Li Baolong smiled and replied, "The last thing I need right now is time." With that, the two went downstairs together and took a tricycle to the People's Hospital.
After a series of examinations at the hospital, the doctor told Zhou Jie with a serious expression, "You are pregnant, but it's an ectopic pregnancy. This child must be removed, otherwise it will have a serious impact on your health." Zhou Jie looked troubled and hurriedly asked, "Doctor, do I need to be hospitalized? How much will it cost?" The doctor replied, "Surgery is required. Hospitalization will take about six or seven days, and the cost will be about five hundred yuan." Zhou Jie's eyes were full of worry as she looked at the doctor and said, "I don't have that much money. Can you just prescribe some medicine?" The doctor immediately refused, "No, this condition requires hospitalization. Delaying treatment will endanger your life." At this moment, Li Baolong firmly said, "Doctor, we'll be hospitalized. Please help us with the procedures now."
After Li Baolong helped Zhou Jie complete the hospitalization procedures, everything proceeded smoothly. The next day, the surgery was successfully completed. Shortly after, the doctor came to check on her and cautioned, "You two need to be careful. You're both young and inexperienced. Getting pregnant after having sex will have a significant impact on your health. She's already physically weak, and frequent pregnancies can have serious consequences." Upon hearing this, Li Baolong was completely bewildered, filled with doubt, wanting to refute but unsure where to begin.
At this moment, Zhou Jie said softly from the side, "Brother Baolong, I'm so sorry to have wronged you. You've helped me so much, and now you're being unfairly accused because of me. Once I'm better, I'll definitely take good care of you, do your laundry and cook for you, to repay your kindness." Li Baolong looked at Zhou Jie, nodded slightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
A few days later, under Li Baolong's meticulous care, Zhou Jie was discharged from the hospital and returned home to rest. Seeing the two of them return together, her cousin-in-law beamed with joy, saying, "It's good that you're discharged. I prepared a delicious meal for you tonight, and even made pork rib soup. Your cousin is also back today; it's his 22nd birthday." Li Baolong immediately replied, "Then I'll go buy a cake for my cousin's birthday." With that, he ran downstairs.
An hour later, Li Baolong returned carrying a box of cakes and two bottles of wine. His cousin, Huang Jian, also arrived home at that moment, beaming with joy at the sight of the sumptuous meal laid out on the table.
After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was a little tipsy. Cousin and his wife returned to their room. Cousin's wife told Li Baolong, "You must take good care of Zhou Jie; she'll sleep in your bed." Li Baolong nodded in agreement, his heart pounding like a deer, after all, it was the first time he'd been alone in a room with the woman he liked.
Li Baolong told Zhou Jie, "Sister, you should rest well in bed. You can sleep on the floor." Zhou Jie replied, "How can I? The floor is cold; you'll easily get sick. I must sleep in the bed; it's so spacious, I can fit comfortably." Li Baolong felt uneasy. He got into bed and lay motionless, barely daring to breathe. He softly called out, "Sister, are you asleep?" Zhou Jie asked, "What's wrong, Baolong? Is something on your mind?" Li Baolong said, "Sister, I want to protect you from now on, to keep you from getting hurt, and to prevent bad men from bullying you." Upon hearing this, Zhou Jie sat up abruptly, tightly gripping Li Baolong's hand. She said, "Brother, are you speaking from the heart? No one has ever said anything like that to me before. Everyone here is just trying to take advantage of me." Unable to sleep that night, Li Baolong held Zhou Jie's delicate hand, unwilling to let go, and drifted off to sleep.
When Li Baolong woke up early, his cousin and his wife had already left; they were attending a friend's wedding and had gone out early. After washing up, Li Baolong went downstairs to buy two breakfasts and came back to wake Zhou Jie up for breakfast. When he opened the door, he found that Zhou Jie wasn't properly covered with a blanket. It was a bit warm, and Zhou Jie was only wearing a women's tank top, revealing her perfect figure. Her skin was fair and tender, and her full breasts were almost spilling out. Li Baolong's heart raced at the sight, and he secretly thought that Zhou Jie was his type, even prettier than the actresses in Hong Kong videos.
After Zhou Jie got up, washed up, and ate breakfast, she asked Li Baolong, "Did you keep your word last night?" Li Baolong laughed and said, "Of course I did! A real man keeps his word." "That's good," Zhou Jie said. "From now on, I'll rely on you for help. I can help you with laundry and cooking." Li Baolong happily replied, "That's wonderful! We can help each other and have a happy and fulfilling life." Zhou Jie came over and gently tapped Li Baolong, saying, "What do you know about happiness and fulfillment? You'll understand when you go to university and find a partner. I'll tell you then." With that, she turned and went downstairs to work.
At eighteen, he was like the rising sun, full of energy like a burning flame, and brimming with endless curiosity about everything in the world. For the past two months, Li Baolong's days had been uneventful and routine, going to school and coming home every day as usual. Weekends belonged to him in the video arcade, where he could immerse himself in a world of light and shadow. However, he had already watched all the movies in the arcade, and those scenes that had once captivated him could no longer stir any emotion within him.
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