Go to the hospital for a follow-up examination
Beneath a row of red brick and gray tile houses sit the village's brigade headquarters and clinic. The clinic employs two doctors: one is Yao Lingling, the village head's daughter, who is twenty-three years old and married.
The other one was the doctor Li Yutao specifically requested to come to her home, named Song Weidong. He was from the city, thirty-two years old, and still unmarried.
Yu Chunsheng didn't want to come. The gossipy people in the village had tried to match Xu Tangmian with this doctor, and he found the sight of the doctor annoying. But if he didn't come, he wouldn't feel comfortable letting Xu Tangmian come to invite the doctor alone.
He didn't think the doctor was prettier than him, but he and Xu Tangmian had done everything they could, yet they hadn't reached the final step. He never felt secure, as if... she might leave him at any moment.
It's not that she wouldn't leave if they were a real couple, it's just that she's always been unwilling, so Yu Chunsheng feels that Xu Tangmian must have someone else in her heart. And that pocket watch—why is the pocket watch he gave to his friend in Xu Tangmian's possession? He never asked her about it.
Regardless of whether she had a relationship with Xu Zhilian or not, now that they were husband and wife, Yu Chunsheng accepted his fate. He now only wanted to live a peaceful and uneventful life with Xu Tangmian.
The two entered the house together. Xu Tangmian didn't react much and politely told Song Weidong the purpose of their visit, just like usual.
As usual, Song Weidong asked about the symptoms, then turned and went to the dispensing room next door. He came out a while later with several packets of medicine in his hand and instructed, "Take one packet three times a day after meals."
Xu Tangmian: "..."
"It's like this, Dr. Song, my friend is a teacher and has to teach tomorrow. The course can't be rushed. Do you think we could go to her house today to get her an IV drip? That way she'll recover faster."
"Teacher?" Song Weidong frowned. "Your friend wouldn't happen to be Li Yutao from Hongxing Elementary School, would he?"
It seems Li Yutao has been bothering him quite a bit. Xu Tangmian and Yu Chunsheng exchanged a glance, suppressing a laugh as they asked seriously, "Yeah, can't she get sick?"
Song Weidong took back the medicine, his face appearing cold and ruthless. His gaze swept over the two of them, as if he were pondering something. After a moment, his hand moved to the mercury thermometer on the table, and he hesitantly asked her:
"Is she really sick or faking it? I'm very busy here, don't waste my time on trivial matters."
“She’s really sick.” Xu Tangmian stopped joking. “She’s not feeling well right now. Her forehead is very hot, and we’ve been using cold towels to cool her down.”
Song Weidong nodded thoughtfully, then went to the dispensing room to prepare two bottles of medicine. He returned to them with a syringe, cotton balls, and adhesive tape, saying, "In that case, lead the way."
He turned back and gave Doctor Yao another instruction before leaving with Xu Tangmian and the others.
No one knows what Li Yutao said to him, but Song Weidong really stayed in the room watching over her and didn't leave. Seeing that the two seemed to be getting closer, Xu Tangmian tactfully withdrew and pulled Yu Chunsheng outside to talk.
She said, "It would be great if Xiao Tao really got together with Dr. Song. Although Dr. Song is a bit old, he seems steady and honest, and he is a good person with a good job."
Yu Chunsheng said in a low voice with a hint of jealousy, "It seems that Xiao Tao is not the only one who is attracted to him."
This was the first time Xu Tangmian had heard him speak so sourly, and she couldn't help but feel the urge to tease him again. She tilted her head and turned to look at him, saying, "It sounds like someone's jealous?"
"Can't I be jealous?" Yu Chunsheng said frankly, "I treat you so well every day, serving you tea and water, doing your laundry, cooking for you, and even warming your bed, and I've never heard you praise me like this."
Xu Tangmian chuckled and said, "How can that be the same? He's an outsider, so he's bound to say some official things. I can't just keep focusing on other people's shortcomings all day, can I? As for you, we're family. Isn't this what you should be doing?"
"Besides, I didn't say anything bad about you, did I?" Xu Tangmian put her hands in his pockets and clasped them together. "You know I'm not good at saying nice things to you. I don't praise you because I'm afraid you'll become too proud. If you really had a problem, I would have scolded you long ago."
Yu Chunsheng didn't seem to believe this, and with a stern face, he said pointedly, "I did what family members should do, but when have you ever done what family members should do for me?"
Xu Tangmian understood what he meant, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, whispering, "Didn't I say I'd wait until your arm was better...? Why do you keep bringing it up..."
"Are you really ready?" Yu Chunsheng gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I'm going for a follow-up check-up tomorrow. Do you hope I recover well or not?"
"I don't know." Xu Tangmian blushed and turned away embarrassedly to the other side.
After returning home, Xu Tangmian seemed to have caught the infection as well, experiencing difficulty swallowing and constant coughing.
Yu Chunsheng went to the clinic again to get some medicine. By this time, the river had frozen over, and since he had been bored, he had laid a plank across both sides of the river, making it a perfect shortcut.
It was too cold to ride a bike, and the road wasn't far, so he simply walked there. When he came back, he saw a short figure peeking out furtively at the gate of the courtyard.
Yu Chunsheng probably recognized who it was from behind, and walked over silently, then stretched out his hands with an "Ah!" sound to deliberately scare her like a ghost.
Zhi screamed and turned around. When she saw it was him, she turned and ran.
Yu Chunsheng grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, jokingly saying to her in a fierce tone, "Where are you running off to, you little rascal? Why haven't you come back to see us for so long?"
But Zhi Meizi seemed to have become a different person; she picked up a broken brick from the ground and threw it at him.
Caught off guard, Yu Chunsheng was immediately struck on the forehead, leaving a gash. His eyes widened in disbelief at how Zhi Meizi had ended up like this, so he chased after her to get an explanation.
When he gave chase, Zhi Meizi turned pale with fright and ran away without looking back.
Yu Chunsheng was bewildered. He went back into the house with the injury on his forehead, startling Xu Tangmian, who was preparing her lessons.
"What happened? Did Song Weidong hit you?"
“You won’t believe me even if I tell you this.” Yu Chunsheng sat down in a chair with a sullen look on his face. “I saw Zhi Meizi at the gate of the courtyard.”
"Zhi Meizi?" Xu Tangmian carefully rubbed his wound a few times with a cotton swab dipped in medicine, and casually said, "Didn't you talk to her? Ask her where she lives now, and tell her we're worried about her."
Yu Chunsheng was even more frustrated. "I hadn't even had a chance to say anything when she picked up a brick and started hitting me. It was all so inexplicable."
Xu Tangmian paused, looking worried. "Did something happen? Is that why she came to me for help?"
"Why didn't you tell me you wanted help?" Yu Chunsheng was still annoyed. "I just made a face to scare her, she didn't have to hit me with a brick, did she? This child! She's getting worse and worse!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Xu Tangmian raised her hand and lightly slapped him across the face, inexplicably remembering the heartless words she had said to Zhi Meizi before, such as "Yu Chunsheng would hit her when he was drunk."
Could it be that Zhi thought Yu Chunsheng was going to hit her, which is why she threw a brick at him? Good heavens, wouldn't Yu Chunsheng suffer an undeserved disaster because of a casual remark she made?
Xu Tangmian's gaze towards Yu Chunsheng became guilty again; she dared not tell him the truth of the story. She had misunderstood Yu Chunsheng at first, which was why they couldn't get along at all. But after spending time together, she understood that Yu Chunsheng wasn't a scoundrel, and those remarks were entirely her own conjecture.
If she told Yu Chunsheng, the two of them would start arguing again, so she chose to say nothing.
But the two of them still didn't understand why Zhi had come over. As long as this matter remained unresolved, Xu Tangmian's mind was in turmoil.
She instructed Yu Chunsheng: "When you have time, go and find out where Zhi Meizi and her mother have moved to. I really miss Zhi Meizi and I'm afraid something might have happened to her."
"Let's wait until tomorrow afternoon. I need to go to the hospital for a follow-up check-up in the morning." Yu Chunsheng raised his injured hand and brushed the stray hairs behind her ear, looking at her intently. "You can decide on the results of tomorrow's check-up."
——
"Congratulations! Your arm has recovered very well and you can work normally again. Just try not to do any heavy work for the next year, and be a little careful."
After hearing the doctor's words, Yu Chunsheng was already quite impatient.
Before he was even discharged from the hospital, he pulled Xu Tangmian inside as soon as they arrived at an empty emergency room. He locked the door, pinned her against the wall, and gave her a deep kiss.
He only let go of Xu Tangmian when she was out of breath, and whispered in a deep, magnetic voice, "I can't wait to go home, I want to collect some interest first."
Xu Tangmian blushed and punched him hard on the shoulder a few times: "Aren't you going to get out of here! If someone passes by and finds someone here, we're doomed!"
Knowing she was shy, Yu Chunsheng stopped teasing her and the two quickly came out.
On the way back, the wind was biting, but Yu Chunsheng kept speeding up.
Even before that moment arrived, just feeling the wind whistling past her ears on the road, Xu Tangmian felt as if Yu Chunsheng was blowing, making her heart itch. Her heart pounded faster and faster, as if it were racing against a bicycle.
The hospital, which used to take forty or fifty minutes to reach, was returned home by Yu Chunsheng in just half an hour.
The courtyard gate was closed and locked. Yu Chunsheng couldn't wait a moment longer. He picked up Xu Tangmian and carried her to the main house, heading straight for the large bed in the bedroom.
She had rejected him too many times before, and she had already promised him that they would be a real couple once his arm recovered. No matter how shy she was now, Xu Tangmian couldn't go back on her word.
Her face was flushed red, her head was lowered, her hands were clasped around his neck, and she couldn't say a word of refusal as he strode forward.
Yu Chunsheng gently placed her on the bed, then drew the curtains, closed the door, and quickly took off his clothes.
Xu Tangmian sat up, not daring to look at him, and turned her face to the side, not knowing what to do.
After a few creaking sounds, a warm, large hand gently stroked her chin and turned her around, gazing at her with tender affection.
Although the curtains were drawn, a faint light still shone through, allowing one to make out the image. The face in front of me had exceptionally striking features, which were gradually magnified…
In the quiet bedroom, only the sounds of their heartbeats, breathing, and the intertwining of their lips could be heard.
Whew…
It's snowing again.
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