Chapter 3: The Poisonous Sand Demon
Chapter 3: The Poisonous Sand Demon
As the tractor drove away, Jiang Xia noticed the female lead still staring in their direction. She asked, "Do you know her?"
Earlier, she had heard the female lead call him "Big Brother Zhou," but she remembered from the book that the male and female leads met for the first time when he saved her from being swept away by the sea.
Zhou Chenglei’s right ear had been injured during a mission, leaving his hearing in that ear nearly nonexistent. The loud noise of the tractor made it difficult for him to hear clearly. He turned his head and asked loudly, "What did you say?"
Jiang Xia shouted back, "Do you know the girl we just saw?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "No, I don’t."
"Oh," Jiang Xia responded, and didn’t say anything more.
Zhou Chenglei was a man of few words. When she didn’t speak, he didn’t initiate conversation either, focusing instead on the road, trying to avoid the potholes.
The road from the village to the town was unpaved, with various sizes of potholes and uneven terrain.
The tractor jolted and bumped its way to the town’s health clinic.
Jiang Xia felt like she was about to fall apart and wanted to throw up.
And they had only been driving for about ten minutes!
Zhou Chenglei parked the tractor and was about to help her down, but seeing her pale face and white lips, he feared she might faint. He picked her up horizontally and carried her into the clinic.
The health clinic was a simple two-story building.
It was close to closing time, so there were few people around.
The elderly doctor on duty saw Zhou Chenglei carrying someone in and thought it was a serious case. He quickly stood up and called for a nurse to bring a hospital bed.
After a series of examinations,
the result was that the patient only had a fever and motion sickness!
37.1°C!
Not much of a fever at all!
The old doctor, looking annoyed, prescribed a packet of antipyretic powder and told them to drink plenty of water before sending them on their way.
The two of them walked out, their faces flushed.
Jiang Xia didn’t realize her fever had broken while she was unconscious, and she felt much better now.
The old doctor disinfected the thermometer by placing it in a brown bottle and couldn’t help but grumble, "What a fuss, telling me the patient was delirious and needed a check to see if their brain was damaged. Does someone with a damaged brain look like that? I think he’s the one with a damaged brain! Getting so worked up over 37.1°C!"
He really wanted to use his stethoscope to check if the man’s brain was filled with water!
The young nurse on duty, who was engaged to be married, understood the situation well and laughed, "Doctor Xu, you don’t get it. They look like newlyweds. That man clearly adores his wife. Didn’t you see how worried he looked at her? His head must be full of thoughts about her."
Her fiance looked at her the same way when she was sick!
The old doctor snorted, "The brain should be filled with brain matter, not a wife. That’s called ‘love brain.’ It’s a brain disorder, and it needs to be treated!"
The old doctor didn’t realize he had inadvertently coined a term that would become popular in the future.
His conversation with the nurse carried through the air and reached Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei’s ears.
Zhou Chenglei wished he was deaf in both ears.
He supported Jiang Xia and unconsciously quickened his pace.
Zhou Chenglei was nearly six feet tall, while Jiang Xia was only about five feet five. Each of his long strides was equivalent to two or three of hers, and her body was still weak from the fever.
Jiang Xia gently tugged at his sleeve, "Zhou Chenglei, slow down. I can’t keep up."
Zhou Chenglei paused, looked down at her, and saw her face turning pale again!
Was it possible he had encountered an incompetent doctor?
He picked her up again and glanced back at the emergency room, considering whether to ask the doctor to do a more thorough examination.
The old doctor rolled his eyes when he saw Zhou Chenglei pick up Jiang Xia again. He grabbed the newspaper from the table and used it to cover his face.
Zhou Chenglei: "."
Jiang Xia had only asked him to slow down, but she hadn't expected him to pick her up again. However, since he had already done so, she didn't want to make things more awkward by saying anything.
She might as well pretend she was too weak to walk. Besides, this man had strong arms and a steady gait, and it was quite comfortable to be carried by him. The only downside was the strain on her neck from looking up, but since he had already picked her up, a little more wouldn't hurt.
Jiang Xia reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his broad shoulder to make herself more comfortable.
They were legally married, and he was a soldier, so serving the people was his duty. Jiang Xia tried to console herself with that thought.
Zhou Chenglei's body stiffened, and he began to suspect that the doctor was incompetent.
She had always avoided him like a snake, but now she was not only touching him but also voluntarily hugging him, as if she had become a different person.
Wasn't this a sign of a fevered mind?
"We should go to the city hospital for an X-ray and a check-up." Fortunately, he had come in a tractor, which had headlights, so they wouldn't have to worry about the dark road at night.
Jiang Xia: "."
He might not mind the embarrassment, but she did!
"I've already broken my fever and feel much better. You were just walking too fast earlier. My body is still weak from the fever and couldn't keep up with you. There's no need to see a doctor again." Jiang Xia finished speaking and closed her eyes, finding a more comfortable position to pretend she was asleep.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at the woman pretending to sleep in his arms. Her breaths, which had been hot against his neck, now felt normal, indicating that her fever had indeed broken.
Earlier, when he had checked her, her breath had been hot.
Zhou Chenglei hesitated for a moment but decided to trust her and carried her out of the room.
A young nurse with stars in her eyes commented, "That's so sweet! Is he a soldier? He's so strong."
Her own boyfriend was also a soldier, and they could only communicate through letters. She wondered if he was as strong as this man.
She'd ask him in her letter tonight.
The old doctor shook his head. "This is too much! Young people these days!"
The young nurse replied, "Doctor Xu, the reforms have brought new winds. They are a married couple, and it's only natural for a husband to take care of his sick wife. What's so embarrassing about that? Don't be so old-fashioned!"
The old doctor's mouth twitched. "Just don't let those new winds blow you off course!"
The tractor "vroomed" away from the hospital. As they passed the supply cooperative, Zhou Chenglei noticed it was still open and stopped the tractor to go inside.
Jiang Xia was curious about what the supply cooperative sold in this era, but she didn't have any money on her, so she decided against it.
Zhou Chenglei quickly returned with a bottle of glass-bottled soda, the cap already off.
Jiang Xia thought he must be thirsty, but she was also thirsty.
She had heard that the soda in this era had a menthol flavor, but she had never tried it.
Zhou Chenglei placed the soda in the back of the tractor and then took out the fever-reducing powder the doctor had prescribed.
Jiang Xia: "."
Was he planning to use the soda as water to help her take the medicine?
Was he really that unreliable?
But the reality was even more surprising!
Zhou Chenglei poured the entire packet of fever-reducing powder into the soda.
Jiang Xia was utterly shocked!
The powder mixed with the soda, causing it to fizz and bubble.
Then, Zhou Chenglei handed her the bottle of fizzy soda. "Take your medicine."
Jiang Xia looked at the fizzing soda. "."
Was he trying to poison her so he could marry the female lead?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
