Chapter 251 Hospitalization
As the bell rang to signal the end of the last midterm exam, a chorus of soft sighs of relief filled the classroom.
Nan Zhiyi packed up her pen and draft paper, and Shan Xiaoyan came over impatiently: "Finally, the exam is over! My brain has been full of notes these past few days, it's about to explode."
Yang Mei smiled and nodded, saying softly, "Yes, it felt like we fought a tough battle."
The three walked out of the teaching building side by side, the warm May sunshine shining on them.
Shan Xiaoyan stretched her shoulders, remembering their previous agreement: "Hey, Zhiyi, Yangmei, about that article we talked about, I'm really excited now! I can't wait to go to the library, find some materials, and think about what to write."
Inspired by her, Yang Mei said, "I happen to have some ideas too, we can discuss them with each other."
Listening to their excited discussion, Nan Zhiyi smiled and asked, "Where's Huiqin? How did she do on the exam?"
Shan Xiaoyan gestured towards the library: "She rushed to the library as soon as she finished her exams. She said it was her turn to do part-time work today and she had to organize a batch of newly arrived books. If we go to the library, we might run into her and ask her if she has any plans to write an article."
Nan Zhiyi hummed in agreement and said, "Perfect timing, I also need to borrow two reference books to take home and study. Let's go."
The library at Kyoto University is perpetually filled with a tranquil and solemn scholarly atmosphere.
They walked in quietly and saw Gao Huiqin by the bookshelf near the window. She was carefully putting away thick books one by one, her movements swift and focused.
The three of them did not disturb her and each went to the bookshelf to find the books they needed.
Nan Zhiyi picked out a book called "A Brief History of Western Literature" and sat down with Shan Xiaoyan and Yang Mei in a corner of the reading area, quietly flipping through the pages.
About half an hour later, Gao Huiqin finished her work and saw the three of them. She said in a low voice, "You're here too? Wait for me a moment. I'll put the registration book back on the workbench and come right back."
A little while later, Gao Huiqin returned and sat down in the empty seat next to Yang Mei.
Shan Xiaoyan immediately shared her submission plan with great enthusiasm.
Gao Huiqin rubbed her fingers together and nodded seriously, "I... I'll think about it too, to see if I can write something, but I'm afraid I won't write it well."
"It's okay, take your time, we'll discuss it together," Shan Xiaoyan and Yang Mei encouraged her.
Nan Zhiyi watched as the three of them huddled together, discussing their topic and writing style in hushed tones.
Seeing that they were gradually getting back on track, Nan Zhiyi closed the book in her hand and said softly to them, "Xiaoyan, Yangmei, Huiqin, you two keep chatting, I have to go home."
Shan Xiaoyan and the other two waved gently at her.
Nan Zhiyi smiled and nodded, picked up the book she wanted to borrow, and turned to leave.
Xiaoman's birthday is in a few days.
That day, after school, Nan Zhiyi made a special detour to Wangfujing, where she ordered a small birthday cake for Xiaoman at a newly opened food store, and then went to the department store to pick out a light blue sailor suit.
By the time she returned to the army compound with her things, it was already completely dark.
Sister Zhang was sitting on the living room sofa, feeding Xiaoman, who had her legs up.
Upon seeing Nan Zhiyi return, Sister Zhang hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law is back. Xiaoman played wildly this afternoon, and I saw he was hungry, so I fed him some first."
Nan Zhiyi put down what she was holding and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Zhang. You should let him eat by himself. Why did you have to feed him?"
Her gaze swept across the side of the entryway and she saw two canvas packages. "What's this?"
"The postman delivered it this afternoon; one of the packages came from the south," Sister Zhang replied.
Nan Zhiyi went over to take a look. One was sent by Aunt Feng, and the other was from the south, naturally sent by Gu Yan.
She first opened Aunt Feng's package, which contained two sets of soft cotton clothes and two pairs of handmade cloth shoes for Xiaoman, as well as several jars of pickled vegetables that Aunt Feng had made herself. At the bottom was a wax-sealed glass jar containing Chinese medicine pills for Nan Zhiyi.
Nan Zhiyi took this medicine for more than two months... As for the effect, it wasn't immediate, but when she had her period last month, it seemed to be less uncomfortable.
She put the pickled vegetables that Aunt Feng had sent into the kitchen. "Sister Zhang, you can eat those pickled vegetables with porridge in the morning."
Sister Zhang sighed and continued to coax Xiaoman to eat.
Nan Zhiyi carefully put away the medicine bottle before opening Gu Yan's package.
The room was filled with all sorts of things, including toy guns, toy cars, trendy candies and cookies from the south, and several sets of pretty children's clothes for Xiaoman.
Scrolling to the bottom, there were two dresses, made of smooth fabric with elegant patterns, along with some skincare products and lipsticks, and a men's belt that looked to be of good quality.
Attached was a note, written by Gu Yanlong in a flamboyant style: "These are for Xiaoman. The dress and skincare products were picked out by Wenjing; she said you'd definitely like them. The belt is for Fifth Brother. There's also a small bag next to it; please give it to Anping."
Looking at this huge pile of things, Nan Zhiyi felt a warm glow in her heart.
Gu Yan is quite lucky to have found such a thoughtful and considerate girl as his partner.
She took out the small package meant for Zhou Anping separately and set it aside, intending to deliver it to him over the weekend.
The next day after school, the first thing Nan Zhiyi did when she got home was to call Zhou Anping's performing arts troupe.
After several transfers, the call was finally answered, but the person who answered said, "Comrade Zhou Anping twisted his ankle during rehearsal yesterday and has taken leave to be hospitalized."
Nan Zhiyi's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "How serious is the injury? Which hospital are you in?"
The other party replied, "I don't know the specifics. He was sent to the 285th Military Hospital. They only said it was a sprained ankle."
Nan Zhiyi thanked him and hung up the phone with a worried expression.
Looking out the window, it was already late. It wasn't realistic to rush to the hospital to visit her now, so she had to suppress her anxiety and said to Sister Zhang, who was busy in the kitchen, "Sister Zhang, Anping injured her foot and was hospitalized. I have to go to the hospital to see her tomorrow. I'll probably be back late, and Xiaoman will have to trouble you again."
Sister Zhang waved her hand repeatedly: "No trouble at all, leave the child to me, you can go with peace of mind."
Just then, Gu Xiao came home from get off work, took off his coat and hung it on the hanger. Seeing Nan Zhiyi's worried look, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Anping twisted her ankle during rehearsal and is in the hospital," Nan Zhiyi sighed. "I don't know how serious it is."
Gu Xiao walked over and reached out to smooth her slightly furrowed brow. "Twisting your ankle is common in the performing arts troupe. You'll recover after a while, so don't worry too much."
He put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the restroom. "Go wash your hands and have some food first. Isn't tomorrow Saturday? We'll have plenty of time to go to the hospital after class in the morning."
Nan Zhiyi was somewhat reassured by his calm tone, suppressed her worries, and nodded.
Tomorrow is May 13th, Saturday. She only has two classes in the morning, and she can go to the hospital right after class.
The next morning, as soon as classes ended, Nan Zhiyi slung her bag over her shoulder and took a bus to the 285th Military Hospital. She bought some fruit and canned goods at a small shop near the hospital before entering the inpatient department.
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