Moving
Gu Sheng was in a private hospital room, and Zhan Aiping sat beside him, peeling fruit. With just the two of them in the room, Gu Sheng turned his head, watching her with a twinkle in his eye.
Zhan Aiping cut the fruit into small pieces and fed it to him. She was both his family member and his dedicated doctor, assigned to care for him personally.
As he chewed, Gu Sheng couldn’t help but remark, “This is like a state guest treatment.”
“This is a hero’s treatment. Just eat, and stop with the flattery.” Zhan Aiping fed him another piece of fruit and straightened his bedsheet.
Lying on the white hospital bed, Gu Sheng looked pale and weak, giving him a more delicate, handsome appearance. His hospital gown was slightly unbuttoned at the collar, revealing his strong chest.
Feeling warm, Gu Sheng complained.
“Calm your mind, and you’ll feel cooler,” Zhan Aiping advised.
“With my wife here, how can I stay calm?”
Zhan Aiping stifled a laugh. “Whether you like it or not, you have no choice. Even if you want to move, you can’t.”
Gu Sheng looked at her lovely face, staring for a few seconds before asking, “You really don’t blame me?”
“Why would I blame you? I feel sorry for you.”
“If other wives faced this kind of danger, they’d be sobbing and scolding their husbands for putting themselves in harm’s way. But look at you—you’re even smiling.”
“We both understood the risks when we joined the military,” she replied.
“So you were ready to be a widow? Heartless. If I were really gone, would you take my pension and remarry?”
“Well, if you did pass away, I’d have to find a good stepfather for the kids. And you know what happens when there’s a stepfather…”
Zhan Aiping ruffled his hair, “I’m not arguing with you; you’re just talking nonsense now.”
She added softly, “I’m not planning to be a widow. If you’re gone, I won’t go on either. The kids can be entrusted to my younger sister.”
“Don’t scare me,” Gu Sheng said, blinking as he touched her face. His face was pale, but he managed a gentle smile, his eyes full of affection. “Don’t be silly.”
“People die, but the living have to keep going.”
Zhan Aiping replied seriously, “I’m selfish, Gu Sheng. You’re very important to me. I already had to say goodbye to my mother—I don’t want to lose you too, only to be left with a pile of cold medals.”
“You’d better outlive me. Don’t make me suffer.”
“I don’t want to be the wife of a martyr, at least not while I’m still alive.”
Gu Sheng paused, “You—my wife, you’re so stubborn.”
“With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?”
Commander Jiang came to the hospital to visit Gu Sheng and saw Zhan Aiping by his side, pouring tea, tending to his needs, and helping him with everything. Commander Jiang couldn’t help but feel a deep pang of envy.
Everyone ends up in the hospital at some point, but who gets to have their wife by their side all day?
Commander Jiang sighed, “You’ve got it made.”
Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow, “Jealous? Go ahead, lie down here.”
“Could you bear to?”
Gu Sheng chuckled, “No, I really can’t. I rarely get to see my wife like this.”
“Not only your wife, but your kids are here too. How’d you get so lucky?”
Faced with Commander Jiang’s envy, Gu Sheng just chuckled.
After Commander Jiang left, Zhan Aiping came in and wiped his face. “What’s wrong? Did I play the role of the perfect wife and mother well enough? Make you proud?”
Gu Sheng laughed, “Honey, go back to your old self. If you keep this up, I’ll be in shock when I recover.”
“It’s easy to go from simple to luxurious, but hard to go back.”
“You’ve been humouring me so much lately, it feels strange.”
Zhan Aiping gave him a gentle smile, “I’m your wife; it’s only right to treat you well.”
“No need to bicker with you all the time.”
Gu Sheng, satisfied, said, “You’re wonderful. Later, feed me dinner, and do it very gently.”
He didn’t have many other strengths, but he sure had thick skin and knew how to take things a step further.
Zhan Aiping: “…Your hands aren’t hurt.”
“Injured inside. It hurts—”
“Alright, alright, I’ll feed you. You really think you’re a baby now.”
Zhan Aiping added, “With this treatment, I bet Commander Jiang is jealous of you.”
Gu Sheng chuckled, “Jealous? Not at all. He’s thrilled; he’s just too shy to show it off.”
Their troop had gained a great achievement, and Commander Jiang would soon be promoted. He’d been waiting years in his position, so he was more than happy.
Zhan Aiping sighed, “You’ve got good fortune; a spot has opened up.”
Such luck—she was feeling envious herself. Her own deputy director position was still pending.
“Honey, don’t be so obsessed with positions, alright?” Gu Sheng said smugly, patting her shoulder in a victorious manner.
Zhan Aiping put her hands on her hips, “Even if you get a raise, I’m not increasing your pocket money.”
Gu Sheng: “Doesn’t matter; my allowance is pretty useless.”
“I don’t smoke now, just maybe buy a couple of bottles of liquor…”
Gu Sheng recovered quickly at the military hospital and soon had to go home to recuperate. He, of course, was reluctant to leave, preferring to stay, but Director Xu was tired of him.
“If you’ve got a family, go recover at home; no need to cling to the hospital.”
So, Gu Sheng was sent home, where his two kids clung to him, and he spent time playing with them.
Deputy Commander Qian from next door was particularly jealous, always saying when he saw Gu Sheng, “You’re so lucky.”
Every man wanted to get promoted. Gu Sheng, by sticking it out, was about to take over Commander Jiang’s position.
But Qian’s jealousy didn’t stop there; he often saw Zhan Aiping doing laundry in the yard lately. Seeing Gu Sheng doing the laundry used to annoy him, but now, watching Zhan Aiping do it, he was even more irritated.
All he could think was, “Why does every good thing fall into his lap?” he grumbled at home to his wife.
Mrs. Zhou replied, “Why bother? Now that Dr. Zhan’s showing her good side, you’re still unhappy?”
“Dr. Zhan has really changed lately, taking such good care of her husband. Just look at Commander Gu, so well-cared-for, he’s even got a rosy complexion.”
Qian’s heart ached, and he said, “For now, he’s still Commander Gu, but soon he’ll be promoted to Battalion Commander Gu.”
He felt utterly stifled.
“I mean, his hands aren’t broken. He looks perfectly fine, walking and eating. Why can’t he do the laundry? Why can’t he cook?”
“Why should his wife be doing it?”
**Nomad: Oh how the tables have turned…**
“It’s driving me mad.” He just hoped Gu Sheng would hurry up and fully recover so he’d be back to cooking, doing laundry, and taking care of the kids right in front of him—that would make him feel better.
Mrs. Zhou: “…”
Men’s jealousy is truly something.
Commander Jiang’s transfer orders came through quickly, and he hosted a farewell dinner at home. Both Gu Sheng and his wife, as well as Wang Youli and his wife, attended.
As they were leaving, Qin Lanfang felt reluctant to go, though she was comforted by the fact that her sister, Qin Yanfang, had married and had children, and Jiang Meihui would stay behind.
Commander Jiang chuckled, “Both of our sisters are staying; that’s nice. Makes visiting family easier, like two families in one.”
That’s the benefit of working at the same hospital.
Qin Lanfang: “…”
“Meihui and Yanfang can look after each other.”
“And Dr. Zhan is here too.”
Commander Jiang’s son, nicknamed “Big Plate Chicken,” truly lived up to the name. At almost two years old, he was strong and chubby, with layers of fat around his belly and a little swirl of hair on top that gave him a fierce look.
People said he was no ordinary child; he had an aura that set him apart.
It’s believed that kids with a swirl of hair on their heads are destined for great things.
Commander Jiang felt the same way. Holding his son with pride, he noticed that his son, “Big Plate Chicken,” didn’t enjoy being held—instead, he preferred riding on his father’s shoulders. So, Commander Jiang had no choice but to let him ride.
Commander Jiang thought, “…Good grief, this kid is heavy, like carrying a mountain on my shoulders.”
Meanwhile, Wang Youli arrived with his son and daughter in each arm, initially feeling tired. But when he saw Commander Jiang struggling with Big Plate Chicken perched on his shoulders, he swallowed nervously.
It was like hauling a sack of rice on one’s shoulder.
Shen Liqing laughed heartily from the side.
Gu Sheng and Zhan Aiping came over with their kids, Guobaorou and Xiaotangyuan. At nearly three years old, the two were too independent to be carried and instead ran around energetically.
Watching this, Wang Youli felt a pang of envy, muttering, “Some people are just lucky.”
He’d been in the hospital to get his appendix removed, while some people had their wives by their bedside daily, pampering them like kings.
Before leaving, Commander Jiang said to Zhan Aiping, “Don’t spoil Xiao Gu too much, or you’ll make us all jealous.”
“When he first married a beautiful doctor, no one envied him, because you didn’t coddle him. He was always fussing around the family compound, doing laundry, cooking, and even quitting smoking, all just to earn a little pocket money.”
“But now, with a beauty like you doting on him… he’s insufferable.”
Even Commander Jiang felt that “that Gu fellow” had become detestable.
A few years ago, when Gu Sheng married Zhan Aiping, no one really envied him, thinking she’d be difficult to please—she was a former military doctor, likely fiery and thorny, like a rose with thorns. So while people admired him, they didn’t truly envy him.
And it was true; Gu Sheng had been moulded into the model husband, utterly compliant under his beautiful wife’s authority.
But things had changed; his wife had softened, and this beautiful rose had shed its thorns. Now, people realized that Gu Sheng had lucked out—he not only had a beautiful wife but also twins, a boy and a girl.
“Before, we didn’t see it as a rose on cow dung. But now, it’s clear—that’s exactly what it is.”
Gu Sheng clicked his tongue, “Don’t listen to him, honey. They’re all just jealous of me, completely jealous.”
With Commander Jiang’s departure, Gu Sheng took over his position, becoming Battalion Commander Gu. This meant Zhan Aiping would need to prepare to move and change houses once again.
Seeing the roses in full bloom all over the yard, Zhan Aiping felt a bit overwhelmed.
They say moving is costly, and indeed, every move requires rearranging everything from scratch. They’d have to bring along all their plants, too. Fortunately, the move wasn’t far—if they’d been transferred somewhere like Commander Jiang, it would mean sorting through a lot more belongings.
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