Chapter 35 "Why don't you take care of your own cold first?"
When the team returned to the stilt houses in Yuntou Village, dragging their tired but satisfied bodies, the sky had already become completely dark and a drizzle was falling in the mountains, adding a bit of chill.
As soon as everyone entered the house, the first thing they did was to rush to the kitchen, scrambling to boil water for a bath. The small kitchen suddenly became extremely crowded and lively.
Chu Yi first returned to his small room on the first floor. He put down his heavy medical bag and notebook, and breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he feel the aching muscles all over his body.
I simply packed up the things I brought with me and just took out my spare clothes when I heard raindrops hitting the wooden window.
He stood up to close the window. Just as his fingers touched the window frame, he clearly heard a suppressed sneeze from the opposite side - "A-choo!"
Chu Yi paused and subconsciously looked across the window.
The door to Zhou Ai's room was not completely closed, but ajar, letting in a dim light. Zhou Ai was seen hunching over his waist, searching for something in his huge suitcase.
His 1.92-meter-tall figure seemed particularly cramped in this low, cramped room. He had to be careful to lower his head when turning around, for fear of bumping into the beams or doorframes. That way, he looked a bit embarrassed and a little funny.
Chu Yi withdrew his gaze and silently closed the window, blocking out the sound of rain outside and... the noise from next door. He picked up a towel and toiletries and decided to take a shower first.
After Chu Yi finished taking a hot bath and dispelled some of the cold and fatigue, he walked back to the room wiping his half-dry hair with a towel. The rain seemed to fall even more heavily.
He saw at a glance that Zhou Ai was not staying in the room, but moved a bamboo chair and sat down next to his "bed" - that is, the long couch - in the main room, just diagonally opposite Chu Yi's door.
Zhou Ai seemed to have just taken a shower and changed into a comfortable pair of black casual trousers and a loose gray sweatshirt, which made his shoulders look broad and his legs long.
His signature silver-gray hair was wet and unkempt, with a few strands hanging unruly in front of his smooth forehead. Water droplets were dripping from the ends of his hair, wetting a small area of the shoulder of his sweatshirt.
One of Zhou Ai's long legs was casually bent, while the other was stretched out. He leaned lazily against the back of the chair, looking down at the screen of his mobile phone. The light from the screen illuminated his overly outstanding facial features, and his expression was somewhat nonchalant.
Hearing Chu Yi's footsteps, Zhou Ai raised his head and looked over.
Their eyes met in the air.
Chu Yi's steps slowed down almost imperceptibly. His gaze swept across Zhou Ai's damp hair and slightly open collar, finally landing on his eyelashes, which were particularly prominent due to his lowered head and seemed to be covered with a tiny amount of moisture.
Zhou Ai's lips curved up naturally when he saw Chu Yi. He didn't say anything, but casually rested his phone-holding hand on his knee. He leaned slightly toward Chu Yi, giving him more room to pass. This action was incredibly natural, like an unconscious act of politeness.
Chu Yi pursed his lips, lowered his eyelashes, avoided the other person's gaze, and quickened his pace towards his own door.
Just as he was about to pass by, Zhou Ai suddenly spoke, her voice still carrying a hint of relaxation from a bath and a barely perceptible nasal tone: "Doctor Chu."
Chu Yi stopped and looked sideways at him.
Zhou Ai shook his phone, revealing a shopping website. He looked up at Chu Yi, his tone lazy but with a hint of seriousness, "Tell me, if I donate a portable electrocardiogram and some common chronic disease medications to Dr. Li's health center, does that count as what you meant by... exerting influence?"
Chu Yi was stunned. He had never expected Zhou Ai to ask this suddenly, and so quickly.
He looked at the pictures of medical equipment on Zhou Ai's mobile phone screen, then looked at Zhou Ai's peach blossom eyes that looked particularly serious in the dim light, and for a moment he forgot to react.
The sound of raindrops hits the ancient stilt house and flows down along the corners of the eaves.
"Why don't you take care of your cold first?" Chu Yi's words made Zhou Ai pause in his motions, shaking his phone. He subconsciously looked up, seeing the other person's gaze clearly fixed on his still dripping hair.
Zhou Ai subconsciously raised her hand and touched the ends of her wet hair, feeling a cool and wet sensation at her fingertips.
He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something teasing, but seeing Chu Yi's serious expression that said "doctor is the most important", he swallowed the words back, just touched his nose and said "oh" a little embarrassedly.
Chu Yi didn't say anything more, turned around and went into his room and closed the door.
Zhou Ai looked at the closed wooden door, raised an eyebrow, and lowered his head to continue swiping the screen of his phone, his mind seeming a little unsettled. The coolness brought by his wet hair spread down his neck, making him sniff softly again.
Just as he was wondering whether to continue looking at the medicine list or find a towel to wipe his head first, Chu Yi's door creaked open again.
Zhou Ai looked up when he heard the voice, only to see Chu Yi coming back with a white portable hair dryer in his hand, with the wire wrapped around the handle.
He walked up to Zhou Ai, said nothing, and just handed the hair dryer to her.
Zhou Ai was visibly stunned. He looked at the hair dryer being handed to him, then glanced up at Chu Yi's expressionless face. He didn't react immediately, forgetting to put down his hand holding the phone. He hadn't expected Chu Yi to specifically give this to him.
Chu Yi saw that he didn't accept it, and frowned slightly, as if he felt that he was a little hesitant. He reached out and took Zhou Ai's empty hand, and stuffed the hair dryer into his hand a little forcefully. But when he withdrew his hand, his fingertips inevitably touched Zhou Ai's slightly cool and moist palm.
“…”
Zhou Ai looked down at the hair dryer that suddenly appeared in his hand and still had a hint of the warmth from Chu Yi's palm, and was speechless for a moment.
Chu Yi, however, seemed to have completed a task. He immediately let go of her hand, still without saying a word, and turned around and walked back.
Zhou Ai looked at his back, then lowered her head to look at the hair dryer in her hand. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise up, and a tingling sensation spread from the palm of her hand that had just been touched.
He was about to say something, like "Thanks, Dr. Chu is very thoughtful," but perhaps because he was too proud of himself, or perhaps because his legs were numb from sitting for too long, he suddenly wanted to stand up.
But he completely forgot that he was sitting on a low bamboo chair, and above his head was a low, old wooden beam that was stretched horizontally for hanging things.
There was a dull "bang!" sound, so solid that it hurt just to hear it.
“Uh…”
Zhou Ai cried out in pain instantly, and her whole body shrank suddenly. The hair dryer and mobile phone in her hands almost flew out.
He covered his head which was hit hard in an instant, grimaced in pain, bent down with his forehead almost touching his knees, and gasped.
Chu Yi, who had just walked to the door, was startled by the sudden noise and turned around abruptly.
I saw the big star who was lazy and unruly just now was now curled up in a bamboo chair in a mess.
He covered his head tightly with one hand and supported his knee with the other. His facial features were wrinkled in pain and he let out a suppressed gasp. His wet silver hair became messy because of his rubbing movements.
Chu Yi: “…”
Chu Yi looked at Zhou Ai's miserable appearance with bared teeth, and was speechless for a moment.
He quickly walked back to Zhou Ai and squatted down, "Where did you bump into? Take your hand away, let me take a look."
Zhou Ai hissed in pain, but still slowly loosened his hands covering his head as he was told, revealing a small piece of skin that was red from being hit. Fortunately, the skin was not broken, but a small, inconspicuous bump quickly appeared.
Chu Yi took a closer look and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a minor injury. He stood up, his tone returning to his usual calm, even with a hint of subtle helplessness. "It's nothing serious. Rub it and apply a cold compress, it will heal faster."
After saying that, he no longer cared about Zhou Ai who was still curled up in the chair and groaning. He turned around and went back to his room again, this time closing the door completely.
Zhou Ai rubbed his aching head, looked at the door that closed again, and then looked at the hair dryer that fell at his feet. He found himself a little funny.
He gritted his teeth as he picked up the hair dryer and cell phone, plugged them in resignedly, and began to blow his wet hair randomly.
The buzzing sound of the hair dryer lasted for a long time before it stopped.
The main room became quiet, with only the sound of the raindrops falling.
About a minute or two later, Chu Yi was sitting at his desk sorting out his afternoon medical notes when he heard two knocks on his wooden door, neither light nor heavy.
“Knock knock.”
There was a hint of hesitation in the voice.
Chu Yi paused, guessing who it was. He stood up, walked over, and opened the door.
Zhou Ai outside the door was much taller than Chu Yi. When the door opened, his gaze naturally dropped.
Chu Yi changed out of his going-out clothes and put on a set of soft and comfortable apricot-colored pajamas, and casually put on a thin knitted cardigan in the same color. He shed his cold and professional appearance during the day and looked particularly homely and...soft.
Zhou Ai's gaze uncontrollably swept across Chu Yi's slightly open collar, revealing a small piece of white and smooth collarbone and neck line, which seemed to glow warmly in the dim light.
His Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, as if burned. He quickly looked away and awkwardly handed the hair dryer to her. His voice was a little lower than usual: "...Thank you."
Chu Yi looked at him, who seemed unusually reserved, and glanced at his slightly damp hair and still slightly red forehead. He said nothing, but reached out to take the hair dryer.
Just when Zhou Ai thought the conversation was over and was about to turn around and leave this doorway that had made him a little heart-beating, Chu Yi suddenly said, "Wait a minute."
Zhou Ai paused and turned his back to Chu Yi. He felt that the blood that had just calmed down seemed to rush to his head again, and his ears felt hot.
He didn't dare to turn around completely, but just turned slightly to the side, his eyes drifting to the dim light in the corner of the main room, trying his best to sound normal: "...anything else?"
Chu Yi didn't care about his awkwardness, turned around and went back into the house, and soon came out again with a box of cold medicine and a brand new thermos cup in his hand.
He handed the item to Zhou Ai and said, "This thermos is new and hasn't been used yet. Go to the kitchen and borrow some hot water. Take the powder three times a day after meals."
Zhou Ai stared blankly at the medicine and cup handed to her. The cold touch of the metal shell of the thermos cup passed through her fingertips, and it seemed to burn her heart all the way.
He raised his head and looked at Chu Yi, but Chu Yi's expression remained calm, as if he had just done something very ordinary.
Zhou Ai took the item, tightened her fingers slightly, and whispered, "...Thank you."
Chu Yi just said "hmm" lightly, and then said: "It's getting late, take the medicine and go to bed early." After that, he gently closed the door.
Zhou Ai stood outside the closed door, holding cold medicine and a thermos cup in his hands, listening to the faint noises coming from inside. He looked up at the low wooden beam that had just hit his head, and finally looked down at the things in his hand, and the corners of his mouth slowly and uncontrollably rose up.
The rain was still falling, hitting the eaves, making a regular sound.
However, Zhou Ai felt that the nights in the mountains suddenly became less cold.
He gripped the thermos tightly, turned around and walked towards the kitchen where the light was still on.
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