Xu Ningyan was indeed tired. Seeing Gu Zhiyuan lying on the bed with his eyes closed and not saying a word, she assumed he was just exhausted.
He gathered up his clothes, took a towel, a thermos, and a basin of bathwater, and went out.
After the ward door closed, Gu Zhiyuan secretly let out a long breath, reached out to touch his burning ears, and closed his eyes.
I don't know how much time passed, but Xu Ningyan pushed the door open and came in, bringing with her the smell of soap.
Gu Zhiyuan opened his eyes slightly and saw that Xu Ningyan had also changed his clothes, carrying a basin and a thermos. The basin contained only the towel he had just used, which had been washed white with soap.
I used a clothes hanger to hang the towel on the headboard.
He poured half a lunchbox of boiled water into it and left it to cool so that Gu Zhiyuan would have water to drink if he got thirsty at night.
Then I turned off the light, climbed into the empty bed next door, lay down fully clothed, and soon started snoring softly as I fell into a deep sleep.
With an extra person suddenly in the room, Gu Zhiyuan, though exhausted and sleepy, couldn't fall asleep.
Bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window, smelling the soapy scent of the towel by the bedside, and listening to the soft snoring beside her, she gradually drifted off to sleep. But just before falling asleep, something suddenly occurred to her: Xu Ningyan probably only bought a basin and a towel. So, she took a shower too. Would she...
Before I could think it through, I fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, it was already broad daylight.
I was woken up by the nurses' rounds. I was a little dazed when I woke up, but I quickly came to my senses.
Xu Ningyan had already left sometime earlier, and he couldn't help but glance at the bed next to him.
The nurse saw him and thought he was looking for someone. "Your little sister saw you were sleeping soundly and didn't let us wake you. She made your breakfast and asked us to watch you. She said she'd try her luck and see if she could buy you a fish to make soup."
This "trying your luck" thing, as everyone knows, means going to the black market.
There's a black market in a grove of trees not far from the hospital, where people from the countryside sell their chickens and ducks, eggs, and fish.
This is something Xu Ningyan found out by asking the cafeteria chef's apprentice while holding a bag of sunflower seeds.
Gu Zhiyuan was worried that seeing Xu Ningyan would be awkward, but he didn't expect to not see her at all.
Turning my head, I saw a lunchbox of millet porridge on the cabinet next to me, and two steamed buns that had been broken open and filled with pickled vegetables, still warm.
He lowered his eyelids and silently began to eat his breakfast.
The nurse didn't say much, only that she would call them after breakfast to put him on an IV drip, and then she left.
Not long after, a series of hurried footsteps stopped outside the door, which was then pushed open, and Sun Zhou, with a scruffy beard, rushed in.
His expression was anxious, and he couldn't hide his worry.
Upon seeing Gu Zhiyuan, she first looked him up and down before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Watching him take a couple of sips of porridge, put down his lunchbox, and then take a couple more bites of a steamed bun, looking completely carefree, I finally felt like teasing him: "Wow, even in the hospital, you're living a more comfortable life than most people! They even put pickled vegetables in your steamed bun? When did hospital service become so good? So thoughtful—"
Gu Zhiyuan glanced at Sun Zhou, and instead of answering, asked, "Is everything resolved?"
When it came to business, Sun Zhou's expression turned serious: "They've all been dealt with! I arrived in time; those people are still unconscious on the spot! They've all been arrested. Now we'll see if we can pry anything out of them and follow the trail!"
Gu Zhiyuan nodded: "Have you spoken to the police yet?"
"Don't worry about that. Can't I even handle something this simple? If I hadn't made proper arrangements, you probably would have been taken away last night!" Sun Zhou said, patting his chest.
Gu Zhiyuan's expression remained serious: "Three people escaped this time. We must capture them all as soon as possible! Otherwise, if the news leaks out, all our previous efforts will be in vain!"
Sun Zhou rubbed his dark circles: "See my eye sockets? I didn't sleep a wink last night. I led the brothers to chase after them, and we searched the whole town all night but couldn't find those escapees. They've probably already left the county! I've already notified people to search the nearby villages and towns!"
Seeing that Sun Zhou had made the arrangements, Gu Zhiyuan remained silent.
Sun Zhou then inquired about the specifics: "What exactly happened? How did they find you? And what about the little girl who brought the message? Are you seriously injured?"
A series of questions were thrown out.
Gu Zhiyuan answered the first two questions, and only briefly mentioned his injury.
However, they were very secretive and avoided talking about Xu Ningyan, who had delivered the message.
Sun Zhou and Gu Zhiyuan have been friends for many years, and seeing Gu Zhiyuan's evasive attitude, he became interested.
He chuckled and said, "If you don't tell me, I'll find out myself! I haven't had breakfast yet, so I'll go to the cafeteria to buy something to eat!"
With that, he turned and left.
Gu Zhiyuan didn't stop him. He knew that Sun Zhou suspected that Xu Ningyan might have other motives for sending the letter and saving him, so he wanted to investigate it himself.
Although he knew Xu Ningyan's background, yesterday's events were too coincidental. He went to the county town on business, and apart from the head of the Tuanjie Brigade, no one else knew about it.
He said he was going to the commune, but no one knew he had come to the county town.
How did Xu Ningyan end up in the county town? And how did she manage to save him at such a crucial moment?
Too many coincidences, then they are no longer coincidences!
It's better to check it out for peace of mind!
Not long after, Sun Zhou strolled into the ward with a steamed bun in his mouth and two more in his hands.
Gu Zhiyuan was already on an IV drip and was quietly staring out the window in a daze.
Seeing him come in, without saying a word, just one look was enough to tell that Xu Ningyan should be fine.
Gu Zhiyuan himself didn't realize that the anxiety he had been carrying had finally subsided.
Sun Zhou, however, noticed Gu Zhiyuan's momentary relaxation; it was rare to see him with such an outward expression.
"I heard that yesterday you were carried into the hospital by that little girl, crying and screaming? She said you were crying and screaming for help even before you got into the hospital! And in the end, it was that little girl who carried you into the operating room?" His tone was full of schadenfreude.
If this gets out, those brothers will laugh their heads off. Gu Zhiyuan actually has a day like this?
It's a pity he didn't see it with his own eyes.
Gu Zhiyuan glanced at Sun Zhou indifferently without saying a word.
Sun Zhou took a bite of his steamed bun, looked Gu Zhiyuan up and down, and then said with a smile, "Was it that little girl who washed your body and changed your clothes yesterday?"
"I was worried that you'd be left without anyone to take care of you in the hospital, but after asking the nurses, I found out that you're living a much more comfortable life than we are! That young lady brought you chicken soup and scrambled eggs yesterday to help you recover, and this morning she even went to the black market to buy you fish! Tsk tsk, you're really lucky with the ladies!"
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