Chapter 69: The Older Man, Zhou Chenglei
Chapter 69: The Older Man, Zhou Chenglei
Ten minutes later, Zhou Zhou had taken her fever medication and was lying in the hospital bed, an IV drip attached to her arm.
Her temperature had spiked to 40.1°C, and the doctor was concerned about potential seizures and brain damage, so he recommended an IV drip to help her cool down.
Jiang Xia asked the doctor for a roll of gauze and borrowed a hot water bottle from a young nurse. She dampened the gauze and carefully wiped Zhou Zhou's forehead and armpits to lower her temperature.
Zhou Chenglei, worried that Jiang Xia might burn herself with the hot water, took over the task of dampening and wringing out the gauze, then handed it to Jiang Xia to help cool Zhou Zhou down.
The young nurse, with nothing else to do, joined in to help lower Zhou Zhou's temperature. Seeing the couple working seamlessly together, she felt the air was filled with pink bubbles of romance.
Curious, the nurse asked Jiang Xia, “Your daughter is so big already? When your husband carried you in, all worried and anxious, I thought you two were newlyweds.”
Jiang Xia relaxed and smiled, “We are newlyweds. This is our niece, my husband’s older brother’s daughter.”
Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but glance at her when she called him her husband, a smile playing on his lips.
“See, you look so young and beautiful, like you’re only seventeen or eighteen, younger than me. How could you have a daughter that big?”
The young nurse, who loved to fantasize, had been wondering if the child was Zhou Chenglei’s from a previous marriage and Jiang Xia was the stepmother.
Jiang Xia said, “I’m already twenty.”
The nurse looked at Jiang Xia’s skin with envy, “Twenty? The same age as me, but you look younger. Your skin is so good.”
Jiang Xia smiled, “We’re about the same, I’m just a bit paler. You should wear sunscreen when you go out…”
The hospital was quiet at night, and the young nurse started chatting with Jiang Xia, eventually bringing up the topic of their husbands’ ages.
Jiang Xia said, “My husband is nine years older than me.”
She had seen their marriage certificate.
The nurse was taken aback, “Nine years older? That’s almost thirty. Isn’t he old?”
Zhou Chenglei: “…”
The nurse, noticing the dark look on his face, quickly added, “But he doesn’t look it. Your husband looks young, like he’s only twenty-five or twenty-six. Anyway, I should check on the other patients.”
And she ran off!
Zhou Chenglei, with his stern expression, was intimidating to everyone.
He only softened his expression when he was with Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia found his dark look amusing. In her previous life, she had lived to be 28, so she didn’t think Zhou Chenglei was old at all.
Seeing the amusement in her eyes, Zhou Chenglei breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes were filled with warmth, and his expression softened. He asked, “Are you tired?”
Jiang Xia nodded, “A little. You sit on the bed, and I’ll rest my head on your lap while you watch the IV.”
Jiang Xia wasn’t really tired; she had slept on the bicycle. But there was only one chair, and she had been sitting while Zhou Chenglei stood the entire time, even when she offered for him to sit.
Zhou Chenglei sat at the foot of the bed, and Jiang Xia laid her hand on his thigh, resting her forehead against it.
She said she wasn’t tired, but she fell asleep soon after.
She always slept soundly, drifting off to sleep instantly.
Seeing Jiang Xia asleep, Zhou Chenglei gently draped a spare shirt over her. He glanced at Zhou Zhou, who was sleeping under a thin blanket, and the IV drip, which still had more than half a bottle left, estimating it would last until midnight.
Zhou Chenglei turned his attention back to Jiang Xia, looking at the back of her head. He gently stroked her hair, occasionally smoothing it, adjusting her shirt, checking for mosquitoes, pinching her soft fingertips, and playing with her braids...
His sharp features softened, and he continued these small, tender actions tirelessly.
Naturally, Zhou Chenglei didn’t forget to pay a bit of attention to Zhou Zhou and the IV drip.
The old doctor picked up a newspaper to cover his face.
Blinding!
The young nurse, with stars in her eyes, thought, He really is so loving! Older men are even better!
So, the young nurse took out a sheet of paper and wrote a letter to her soldier boyfriend, sharing this scene and encouraging him to learn from it.
An hour passed quietly as Zhou Chenglei amused himself with small antics. The IV drip was almost empty, and Zhou Chenglei called for the nurse.
Jiang Xia was woken by the commotion. She lifted her head and noticed a warm sensation at the corner of her mouth. She looked down at Zhou Chenglei’s trouser leg and saw a noticeable wet patch on the olive-green pants.
Jiang Xia: ...
The young nurse hadn’t noticed yet. She removed the needle, checked the thermometer, and said, "38.2 degrees."
Jiang Xia pulled Zhou Chenglei up and subtly positioned herself in front of him.
Zhou Chenglei’s eyes and brows were filled with amusement.
The old doctor observed Jiang Xia’s actions but said nothing. "The fever isn’t completely gone, but it’s lower now. Go home, drink plenty of water, eat light meals, take your medicine on time, and be careful. Children’s fevers can easily recur. Get home quickly."
"Thank you, Doctor." Zhou Chenglei picked up Zhou Zhou and said to Jiang Xia, "Let’s go home."
The two walked out together, and the young nurse whispered to Jiang Xia, "Your husband really loves you."
Jiang Xia was confused.
Zhou Chenglei, not noticing Jiang Xia following, turned back.
The young nurse smiled. "Head home quickly and be careful on the way."
Jiang Xia smiled, thanked her, and left the clinic with Zhou Chenglei.
They arrived home at twelve-thirty. After settling Zhou Zhou, the couple washed up and got back into bed by one.
They had to go out to sea the next day, so they cuddled and went to sleep, not doing anything else.
Zhou Chenglei got up to go out to sea after three hours of sleep. Jiang Xia didn’t go, fearing that Zhou Zhou might still have a fever and that Zhou’s mother might struggle alone at home.
Jiang Xia woke up when the sun was high in the sky. Zhou’s mother had already finished all the housework and smiled at Jiang Xia. "There’s porridge and corn in the pot. Take care of Zhou Zhou. She took her medicine and had breakfast at seven and went back to sleep. I’m going to the vegetable garden."
Jiang Xia smiled and agreed. Zhou’s mother carried a bucket of urine and headed out.
Vegetable Garden
Tian Caihua arrived early at the vegetable garden to water the plants and met Wen Wan, who was also there early.
The vegetable plots of the two villages were separated by a dirt path.
Wen Wan called out to Tian Caihua and handed her a stack of letters with a smile. "Sister Caihua, yesterday when I went to the city, a man surnamed Wu asked me to deliver these letters to Sister Jiang Xia. I was planning to give them to her after watering the plants, but I have to go back to tend to my sheep. Can you help me deliver them?"
Tian Caihua immediately took the letters. "What man surnamed Wu?"
"He said he’s Sister Jiang Xia’s high school classmate. He asked if I knew Sister Jiang Xia and then asked me to deliver the letters to her."
Early in the morning, many women from both villages were watering their plants.
When they heard about Jiang Xia’s high school classmate, they all perked up their ears.
Pan Daidi, who also heard this, saw Zhou’s mother approaching and immediately shouted, "It must be that classmate she eloped with back then! That man probably wrote to her again to elope! Some people are like fox spirits, I knew she wouldn’t stay put, and she’ll run off with another man eventually!"
Pan Daidi hated Jiang Xia and was always ready to spread rumors, regardless of their truth.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
