RTAMEIN70s Chapter 32

To Eat and Drink Well

Zhan Aiping is a college student who, upon graduation, chose to stay in a big city like Shanghai and pursue a career as a doctor. The starting salary for a doctor is higher than that of an ordinary worker, and she earned 58 yuan per month when she first graduated in Shanghai.

Now, she has come to a township hospital to work as an ordinary township doctor. However, the salary and benefits are not much better than pocket money.

Zhan Aiping: “…” Since she’s here, she’ll make the best of it. There’s no need to regret it. Although the salary for township doctors isn’t high, at this moment, there’s not much need for money to buy things. Being a doctor also has its perks. In this era, township doctors never lack food.

Township doctors and teachers don’t have much money, not to mention farmers. Many times, the fees for medical treatment are paid with eggs, fruits, and various local produce.

Although Yunnan Province is a border area, the climate here is good, vegetation is lush, and local produce is abundant. There are plenty of black truffles, matsutake mushrooms, morel mushrooms, chicken mushrooms, and boletus mushrooms. There’s always enough to eat, and perhaps even enjoy some delicacies.

Wherever you go, you eat what’s available.

The township hospital can also allocate her a piece of land for growing vegetables, provide a house, and she can plant flowers in the front and backyards. Later, she can even make flower cakes to eat.

Zhan Aiping asked the accountant, Qin Yanfang, “Xiao Qin, are there any other vacant houses in the hospital? I have quite a few things, and I want to process Chinese medicinal materials myself, make herbal pills, and medicinal plasters. I’m afraid you won’t like the smell…”

This is a botanical kingdom, with a wide variety of Chinese herbal medicines. Chinese herbal medicines cannot directly have medicinal effects when dug out; they require specialized processing by professionals, each with its own method.

Although she said so, in reality, Zhan Aiping didn’t want to share a house with others. After all, she is now a person with “family members”. If some doctor’s family member comes here to stay overnight, it would be inconvenient.

Revolutionary comrades must come and stay in her family quarters!

Qin Yanfang was stunned. “You—”

Qin Yanfang was indeed a bit unable to keep up with Zhan Aiping’s train of thought. Although she warmly welcomed Zhan Aiping, she never thought that Zhan Aiping would truly settle down here. She thought that this young Dr. Zhan would just smile and nod politely after hearing about their hospital’s conditions, but in reality, she would be preparing to escape secretly and would never really stay in Yanxin Health Centre.

That’s why she invited Zhan Aiping to stay with her, which would be more convenient and save her the trouble of cleaning up the house. If Zhan Aiping felt uncomfortable after staying for a few days, she could leave without causing any trouble.

And now, she’s asking if there are any vacant houses?

Could it be that Dr. Zhan really intends to stay at the health Centre?!

“Well, there are some vacant ones, but I’m afraid you won’t like them. The roofs leak when it rains. In my house, I have to put a basin to catch the water when it rains…” The hospital’s tile houses are sufficient, and there are several vacant ones. However, they have been neglected for a long time and are not inhabited, lacking the “vitality” to keep them in good condition.

In Qin Yanfang’s tile house, there’s also a leaky spot on the roof. It’s fine during light rain, but during heavy rain, a bucket is needed to catch the water. Fortunately, there are distinct wet and dry seasons here. Only during the rainy season, which mainly falls in the peak of summer, does it rain heavily. The leaking roof is considered a gift from heaven for “cooling down”. Sleeping to the sound of rain is quite comfortable. Qin Yanfang never thought about repairing the roof; she just manages to get by.

Zhan Aiping said, “Which ones are vacant? Take me to see.”

Qin Yanfang replied, “They’re over there. I’ll take you.”

The hospital’s brick and tile houses are lined up, with a drainage ditch in front of each house leading to vegetable plots, or “flower beds,” as they could be called. Qin Yanfang’s house has a very tall sunflower planted in front of it. She casually pointed, “I’ll treat you to sunflower seeds in the future.”

It remains to be seen if Dr. Zhan will still be around when the sunflower seeds ripen.

“Sure.”

As Qin Yanfang led her over, she introduced the other houses where some doctors lived. “That’s Dr. Zhou’s house. There’s even a swallow’s nest under the eaves.”

“This one is vacant. There’s a beehive on the edge. Since no one lives there, we haven’t cleared it out. It’s not a hornet’s nest, so there might still be honey in the future…” Qin Yanfang didn’t know much about bees, but she heard from other doctors that it’s not a hornet’s nest, so there might still be bee larvae to eat.

“Dr. Zhan, there are a lot of wild bees in the mountains here, probably dozens of species. I can’t even recognize them all. Anyway, the locals love to eat bee larvae. If you go down to the village, they might even give you some and ask you to try them. I don’t know if you’d dare to eat them. City girls like you usually don’t dare to eat them.”

“It’s actually not scary at all. Those bee larvae are chubby and cute. I only dare to eat bee larvae at this bug feast. I wouldn’t dare to eat other bugs like spiders or grasshoppers…”

Zhan Aiping glanced inside and said directly, “I’ll take this one.”

“Eh?!” Qin Yanfang was startled. Has it been decided just like that?

“Dr. Zhan, are you really going to stay here?”

Zhan Aiping asked, “Why, is there a problem?”

“It’s not that, it’s just…any house would do. Since you’re a new doctor, you should have a place to stay. You won’t be able to go home after night shifts, and if you want to nap at noon, it’s good to have a place. But there’s no furniture inside, so you’ll have to find someone to make furniture…” Qin Yanfang scratched her head. Moving seems easy to talk about, but it’s actually quite difficult. There’s only one empty house inside. “You see, it’s leaking up there. If someone’s going to live here, we’ll have to find a craftsman to fix it—Dr. Zhan, you, you, you, oh my goodness!”

Before Qin Yanfang could finish her sentence, she had no idea what had happened to Zhan Aiping. In a flash, she had climbed onto the roof and disappeared from her sight.

Qin Yanfang: “?”

How come a pretty female doctor from the big city has skills like a monkey?

Zhan Aiping popped her head out from the roof, “Don’t worry, I can fix the roof myself, and I’m planning to reinforce this house.”

“Xiao Qin, is that your roof over there? I’ll go help you patch it up in a bit.”

“We’ll need some roof tiles. I think there might be some broken ones in that corner.” Zhan Aiping caught sight of a stack of tiles under the eaves and a jujube tree not far away.

Seeing her effortlessly manoeuvring on the roof, Qin Yanfang was both amazed and terrified. “Dr. Zhan, be careful up there, don’t fall.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t fall from this height.”

Zhan Aiping asked Qin Yanfang to hand her the tiles. Since they were fixing one house, they might as well fix them all. Qin Yanfang passed materials to her from below, “Dr. Zhan, you really… you’re like a cat.”

Qin Yanfang felt Zhan Aiping was like a beautiful wild cat she had seen before, all snowy white, elegant, fluffy, and arrogantly licking her own paws. But she was incredibly capable. If she wanted to get on the roof, she just did it, swaying her tail leisurely. Her mouse-catching skills were even more remarkable. With a swipe of her paw, she toyed with the mouse as if it were a plaything.

So impressive!

Qin Yanfang’s face flushed, feeling very excited.

As they were repairing the house, Dr. Zhou, who usually sat in the herbal medicine room, came out to watch. Dr. Zhou was nearly forty years old. He used to be a barefoot doctor in the village, then went to the county hospital for training for a while before being assigned to the township hospital as a doctor.

Dr. Zhou Zhonghua saw a young and pretty girl like her repairing the house. His wife had asked him to do it before, but he refused, fearing he might fall due to his age. Yet here was a delicate young lady climbing onto the roof, which made his face blush involuntarily.

He came out, cleared his throat, and, in order to demonstrate his own abilities, adjusted his glasses and reassured the young lady on the roof, “Zhan, thank you for fixing the roof. Don’t worry, I’m very good at orthopaedics. Even if you fall, I’m not afraid. Everyone comes to me for bone-setting.”

And if he fell himself, no one would set his bones. That’s why he didn’t climb onto the roof.

Orthopaedic doctors need to be protected.

Zhan Aiping: “…” What a heart for farting.

Qin Yanfang was speechless too, so she had to explain, “Dr. Zhou is indeed very good at orthopaedics.”

Zhan Aiping: “I’m good at it too! You can come to me for bone-setting if you fall.”

“Really, I know several former military doctors who specialized in orthopaedics.”

Dr. Zhou: “???” He couldn’t believe someone could be better than him. This girl can also do orthopaedics? What a big talk.

Qin Yanfang: “???” Why do these two doctors speak so unsettlingly?

It feels like a crow just flew by.

Repairing the roof wasn’t too difficult. Zhan Aiping temporarily fixed it. Of course, if reinforcement was needed, it would take more effort. For now, it wasn’t leaking anymore.

Zhan Aiping came down from the roof, and Qin Yanfang went to find the keys to the house for her. “If you want to change the locks, you can find a locksmith to replace them.”

The doors of the brick and tile houses were made of wood, with old-fashioned wooden door locks inside, along with a bolt. The locks were just ordinary small iron locks, which couldn’t really stop any thieves. They could be easily forced open with a hammer. But having such a lock was just for show. Nowadays, there wasn’t much to steal in every household.

“Okay.” Zhan Aiping went inside to take a look. It was covered in dust and needed to be cleaned. There were two rooms, slightly smaller than the set assigned to Gu Sheng. There were front and back doors, and there was also a drainage ditch at the back. Both doors could be used to enter and exit.

“Dr. Zhou has a wife and children. They added a room at the back of his house. If you want to add one, you can do it yourself. You can even build a shed. Although our hospital doesn’t have much else, the place is quite big. We also have some fruit trees planted at the back…” These houses didn’t have individual property rights; they belonged to the hospital. As long as one continued to work at the hospital, they could live there for life, until retirement and beyond.

Of course, they still had to symbolically pay one yuan in rent to the hospital every month.

Although their health Centre looked run-down, in reality, the area it covered was quite large. A significant portion of the land belonged to the hospital. The government was actively encouraging and supporting the development of township hospitals, providing substantial support for rural medical development. They even offered training to barefoot doctors in the countryside, hoping to integrate them into the hospital system.

Qin Yanfang didn’t have much ambition. She figured she’d probably work at this small township hospital until she retired and beyond.

Anyway, the accounting work at the hospital was currently very easy, which she found quite comfortable.

In the future, when she got married and needed more space, she could use her own money to build additional rooms, just like Dr. Zhou did. After all, some people had families to support, and rural land wasn’t worth much. With everyone’s agreement, one or two extra rooms could be added.

Qin Yanfang is currently single, although she has a boyfriend, they haven’t gotten married yet. She lives in a small two-room place, which is already sufficient.

“At our hospital, we have an orchard. You can pick fruits freely since they aren’t worth much. When we harvest, everyone gets a share.” Here, fruits are abundant and very sweet. However, they don’t keep well, so some are left to rot in the ground. People pick the tastiest fruits for themselves or give them to friends and relatives.

The lesser quality fruits are fed to the pigs raised at the hospital, which are quite fat and often get extra meals.

“I live alone, and it’s enough.” Zhan Aiping thought she could manage without building a house; she might even make a simple clay oven to bake bread, cakes, sweet potato chips, and such in the hospital, without drawing attention.

Compared to the barracks, the township hospital offers more freedom and is less conspicuous. According to what Qin Yanfang said, one can build a house as desired and arrange things however they like.

There are many doctors here, so even if cash is scarce at home, food is never lacking. There might even be many hidden gourmet treasures at home.

“Xiao Qin, can I borrow a broom? I want to sweep and clean the house.” Zhan Aiping planned to tidy up and then ask Gu Sheng to help with some old furniture so she could move in quickly. If she couldn’t get furniture, there were plenty of bamboo here, and she could make some bamboo products herself.

“Yes, I’ll get you a broom. Dr. Zhan, you go ahead with your work. I’ll go check on the pharmacy side. Stay for lunch here at noon.” Qin Yanfang fetched a broom and a cloth for her and went back to work.

Zhan Aiping quickly cleaned the house, clearing away the dust. She opened both the front and back doors; the lighting inside was excellent. There was a skylight in the middle, ensuring good ventilation with airflow from front to back. Of course, according to Feng Shui, this setup wasn’t good for accumulating wealth, but most buildings nowadays were like this—doors facing each other, comfortable to live in.

After a while, it was already noon. Qin Yanfang indeed invited her to lunch. “Dr. Zhan, I’m almost done cooking.”

She was cooking at the doorstep; when needed, she would take the stove and dishes outside.

Dr. Zhou came over at this moment. “Both of you, come over and join us for a meal at my place. Welcome, Dr. Zhan, to our hospital.”

Dr. Zhou Zhonghua found it very unusual that the new Dr. Zhan was already cleaning up the place. Could it be that Zhan Aiping really intended to stay at the township hospital?

—She even helped fix our roof.

It’s really embarrassing for male doctors.

Dr. Zhou Zhonghua practiced traditional Chinese medicine and had a bit of a reputation in the area for orthopaedics. His wife worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, and their child was in school. Their family conditions were considered good—not wealthy, but they had enough to eat at home, so they generously invited the two to dinner.

Other hospital staff had already eaten, were out on calls, or had returned to their nearby hometowns and didn’t necessarily stay at the hospital every day.

A table was set up in front of the house. Dr. Zhou Zhonghua’s wife, Meng Xiaoyun, was also there. She worked at the supply and marketing cooperative and came home for lunch. She was a slightly plump lady, with a round face and figure, very kind when she smiled. But when Meng Xiaoyun saw Zhan Aiping, who was beautiful, and how her husband had invited her for lunch, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

She glared at Dr. Zhou Zhonghua, who smiled back, “You should thank Dr. Zhan for helping fix your roof, after you had been going on about it endlessly.”

“Huh? She fixed the roof?” Meng Xiaoyun was dumbfounded. Fix the roof? This slender, pretty, delicate young lady in front of her? Surely this was a joke.

“Are you sure you’re not conspiring against me?” Meng Xiaoyun looked at Qin Yanfang, who nodded, “I was the one who passed up the tiles.”

“Really? That’s great then. I was actually thinking of climbing up there myself. I even borrowed this ladder—”

Zhou Zhonghua teased her, “With your weight, our house would collapse.”

Everyone laughed, including Meng Xiaoyun, who felt relieved that the roof was fixed. Dr. Zhou continued, “You better not attempt such things yourself. Just thank Dr. Zhan properly.”

“Yes, thank you, Dr. Zhan.”

Meng Xiaoyun brought out several dishes: steamed fish, stir-fried pork with pickled bamboo shoots, tofu with scallions, and some pickled spicy ginger. Qin Yanfang also brought her own dishes: vinegar soup with pumpkin and pickled radishes.

Upon seeing her dishes, Zhou Zhonghua couldn’t help but comment, “Qin Yanfang, what are you going to do after you get married? Eating vinegar soup with pumpkin every day, aren’t you tired of it?”

Qin Yanfang, who wasn’t married yet and lived alone, was very casual about her meals. She often ate boiled pumpkin, which was easy to make: boil large pieces of pumpkin with white vinegar and ginger. It was a simple dish, sometimes paired with pickled radish and spicy ginger, just enough to get by.

“Pumpkin lasts a long time and is very convenient. Occasionally stir-frying some vegetables or meat is enough to get through meals,” she explained.

“Don’t turn up your nose. My pumpkin soup is really delicious. Dr. Zhan, come try a bowl of my pumpkin soup. Dr. Zhou, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to drink it,” Qin Yanfang said as she served Zhan Aiping a bowl. Zhan Aiping tasted it and found the vinegar soup with pumpkin surprisingly delicious, with a unique sweet and sour aroma, the pumpkin tender and fragrant with a hint of ginger. The light yellow-orange broth complemented the bright pumpkin colour, appetizing and refreshing.

“This tastes really good,” Zhan Aiping remarked.

All four of them enjoyed a bowl of pumpkin soup. Meng Xiaoyun chimed in, “It really is. She cooks this dish every day; she’s practically perfected it.”

Qin Yanfang chuckled, clearly pleased with herself, “Isn’t it tasty? One dish is all I need.”

Zhan Aiping thought to herself, “Suddenly, I realize there are all sorts of interesting people in this world. Just like how I could eat carrots for a month straight, Gu Sheng could eat potatoes for a month, and Qin Yanfang could eat pumpkin for a month.”

They had all endured difficult times, and abundant ingredients were a luxury they hadn’t yet experienced.

Meng Xiaoyun asked Zhan Aiping, “Dr. Zhan, do you have a boyfriend? Are you married?”

Zhan Aiping replied, “Yes, I’m married. My husband is in the military, and I followed him here.”

“Is that so? A military wife.” Meng Xiaoyun felt relieved upon hearing this, recalling her earlier misunderstanding, and blushed slightly.

She had helped fix her roof and was so beautiful and easy-going; Meng Xiaoyun felt a bit guilty and couldn’t help but warm up to her even more.

“No children yet?”

“Newly married, just got married not long ago.”

Meng Xiaoyun: “Oh, that’s great, Xiao Qin, why don’t you learn from Dr. Zhan and get married soon?”

Qin Yanfang smiled and remained silent.

Zhou Zhonghua asked Zhan Aiping, “Dr. Zhan, did you study traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine? Did you really know an old military doctor before? You also know orthopaedics, with your petite frame?”

Orthopaedics requires natural talent, not just medical skills; treating orthopaedic cases requires a lot of physical strength, and miracles can happen with great effort.

“I studied both traditional Chinese and Western medicine. I’m a discharged female soldier, graduated from the Military Medical University.”

“Really?” All three of them stared at her in disbelief. This young and pretty woman in front of them was actually a discharged female soldier.

“Why didn’t you go to a military hospital then?” Zhou Zhonghua asked.

Zhan Aiping didn’t hide anything, “I left the military hospital before; they didn’t want me anymore.”

“It’s okay. In the future, let’s work well in our hospital. With your qualifications, you might even become the director,” Zhou Zhonghua encouraged.

Meng Xiaoyun: “Who cares about being the director of this rundown hospital…”

Zhou Zhonghua chuckled a few times. Although he said so, he didn’t really believe that this young girl, despite her high qualifications, could compete with the decades of medical experience of the old doctors.

After finishing the pumpkin soup, Qin Yanfang said, “I’m waiting to call you Director Zhan.”

Zhou Zhonghua added, “The director isn’t here. The Chinese medicine room needs someone; how about you work there? Do you really know traditional Chinese medicine? If not, I, as a veteran doctor for many years, can teach you.”

Zhan Aiping replied, “Yes, I know traditional Chinese medicine.”

Having just picked up the scalpel again, she hadn’t expected to return to her old job. In fact, there were too few Western medical supplies and materials in the town’s hospital to make any impact, and villagers tended to trust traditional Chinese medicine and folk remedies more.

Currently, Zhan Aiping’s goal was to settle in, familiarize herself with the hospital and its surroundings, and sort out the affairs of her “new home.” Having grown up eating canteen food, she no longer wanted to eat that way, indulging instead in snacks to satisfy her cravings.

Life was long, and many things didn’t need to be rushed. Thinking back to what Qin Yanfang had mentioned earlier about wild bees, Zhan Aiping planned to find time to go up the mountain to collect wild honey, raiding the bees’ old homes!

Wild honey here was a treasure! She could also search for medicinal herbs on the mountain. This place was a kingdom of plants, with many varieties of herbs; perhaps she could find some treasures.

However, preparing adequately was essential for going up the mountain, as there were many treasures but also dangers.

After lunch, Meng Xiaoyun pulled Zhan Aiping aside, “Dr. Zhan, thank you for helping repair our roof. Here, have a taste of something. The ham from my hometown is delicious. I cut a piece for you, the fattest one.”

Qin Yanfang added from the side, “Dr. Zhan, you must try this. It’s really tasty!”

“Alright, thank you, Sister Meng.”

“Ah—” Meng Xiaoyun chuckled amiably. Seeing that Zhan Aiping, such a pretty young girl, called her “sister,” she felt delighted.

Zhan Aiping also happily accepted the ham they gave her. She thought it was good to get to know more fellow villagers. The Yunnan ham was quite famous; even the military canned goods used this ham. But canned goods couldn’t compare to the local delicacies.

In the afternoon, Zhan Aiping cleaned up and chatted with people idly. Before leaving, she wrapped the ham in oil paper and picked some peas and sweet peas grown in the hospital’s garden.

She was full of anticipation for her future life. She planned to treat her revolutionary comrades well in the future.

At this time, many things were still in their natural state. There were plenty of treasures on the mountain that hadn’t been discovered yet. For example, Yunnan black truffles were fed directly to pigs by farmers. Sows loved to eat black truffles; they didn’t have such a high-sounding name, they were sows’ favourite—pig mushrooms.

Wild mushrooms picked fresh from the forest were truly the best in the world.

Just thinking about them made her mouth water.

Zhan Aiping waited for the camp’s car with her things. She wore a watch and didn’t have to wait long before the camp’s car picked her up. Sitting in the car on the way back to the family courtyard, Zhan Aiping held the ham in her arms without making a fuss, displaying the tender pea shoots she had plucked.

She didn’t chat with anyone on the car. Zhan Aiping thought about going home to cook. After getting off the car and rushing towards her courtyard, she met the neighbour’s officer’s family, also a young woman who was a teacher at the elementary school, named He Lingling. The two of them often quarrelled. Zhan Aiping wasn’t familiar with this person, but she knew her voice. Since she came here, they hadn’t exchanged more than a few words.

“Captain Gu’s wife, you’re back?” He Lingling stopped her. Looking at Zhan Aiping, her gaze was somewhat complicated. She thought to herself that times were really changing.

Before, He Lingling and Captain Xie were the young and handsome couple in the officer’s family courtyard. They were both good-looking and young, and their family conditions were considered good. Neither of them were peasants. He Lingling was the youngest daughter in her family, raised somewhat delicately. Seeing that Captain Xie was handsome and a military man, she followed him far away to this place. Although they often quarrelled, they could still get along.

When they quarrelled, they could quarrel furiously, but after quarrelling, they were as close as glue, more affectionate than anyone.

Now, a young new couple moved next door, with even better family conditions. One was tall and handsome, and the other was charming and lovely, both college students. There was even a female military doctor among them. At first, He Lingling didn’t want to have much to do with their family.

He Lingling thought that perhaps the new neighbours’ relationship was similar to theirs. She expected them to quarrel every day, but after a few days, she hadn’t seen them argue at all.

Even Director Li Yuxia came to reprimand her: “Learn from the young couple next door. When do they ever argue?”

He Lingling felt uncomfortable hearing this. She thought to herself that the young couple next door seemed to be pretending to be affectionate.

Childhood sweethearts? Innocent and naive?

Are they really “deeply in love”? With Gu Sheng’s background, why did he stay single in the army before suddenly getting married now?

He Lingling didn’t particularly like interacting with military wives whose conditions were better than hers. She had thought that Zhan Aiping would go to the military hospital, but she ended up at the township hospital instead. This made He Lingling feel that being an elementary school teacher was superior to her, and being a doctor was so dirty and tiring.

Now that she heard Zhan Aiping had really “adapted to the environment” at the township hospital, she deliberately waited to ask her about it when she came.

“Teacher He?” Zhan Aiping called out holding the ham. Though she didn’t really want to chat with He Lingling, she still had to be polite.

He Lingling took the initiative, saying, “I see you get along so well with your husband. Director Li even told me to learn from you. She said we argue every day, but it’s not like I want to argue. It’s just that my husband is so sloppy, full of faults. He snores loudly at night, no matter how many times I tell him to clean up…”

He Lingling’s complaints flowed out smoothly, detailing a litany of her husband’s faults.

Zhan Aiping listened quietly, holding her ham. She had heard about the neighbouring couple’s situation and knew it was just the usual dynamics of some couples.

When she complained to her friends, she could list a long string of her husband’s shortcomings. But when her friends joined in and criticized her husband, suggesting she should “leave,” she would naturally list a long string of her husband’s virtues and then blame them for not understanding the way they interact as a couple.

Then she would say—”this is the sweetness and helplessness of loving someone.”

She might even ask, “Don’t you have this with your spouse? Actually, my Old Xie is especially considerate to me…”

“Scolding is caring, fighting is loving. No scolding, no fighting, no love.”

Because of this, Director Li Yuxia suffered a lot, hence why she said this couple was “perfect for each other.”

“As for our Old Gu…” Zhan Aiping didn’t join in with He Lingling’s criticism of her husband, but instead brought up her own man.

Curious, He Lingling listened attentively, hoping to hear if Zhan Aiping would also mention any shortcomings of Gu Sheng.

Zhan Aiping continued, “My Old Gu has only one virtue—good-looking since childhood. He’s so good-looking that even when I want to scold him, I can’t bear to.”

“I really can’t bear to scold him.” Actually, she used to be quite harsh with him before, although not seriously, just enough to leave a little mark on his face.

In hindsight, this was the beauty of battle scars.

He Lingling: “…” She had only wanted to talk about their arguments, but now it had escalated to physical fighting.

“Yes, that’s right? My husband and I argue often, but we know where to draw the line; we’ve never laid a hand on each other.”

“My Old Gu and I grew up together since childhood, and I can’t even count how many times we’ve fought.” Zhan Aiping pre-empted, “Scolding is caring, fighting is loving, you know.”

He Lingling: “…Is that so?”

He Lingling encountered this for the first time and wasn’t sure how to respond. She changed the subject, asking, “Dr. Zhan, how was your day at the hospital today?”

“It was fine. I’m looking forward to the future.” Zhan Aiping waved casually, “Teacher He, I’ll be heading home now.”

With the ham in her arms, Zhan Aiping returned home. There wasn’t much meat, but she was afraid others might covet their ham.

Anyway, they had enough household gossip. Zhan Aiping turned and walked away.

Watching her graceful departure, He Lingling couldn’t understand her. She stayed at the township hospital, yet everything seemed calm between her and her husband? Wasn’t there any drama in their house at all?

After returning home, Zhan Aiping quickly tidied up and began preparing her signature dish—ham and pea simmered rice. She cooked a large pot of it, alongside a ham and potato stew, and finished off with a stir-fry of tender pea shoots.

Rolling up her sleeves, she focused on cooking so intensely that when Gu Sheng returned, he could smell the enticing aroma of ham wafting from their home even in the yard. He had come back late and skipped eating at the cafeteria, so he was really hungry now. The smell was driving him crazy.

Walking into the house, Gu Sheng asked directly, “What are you cooking? It smells so good.”

“It’s ham simmered rice, and ham stew with potatoes. Come, try some,” Zhan Aiping invited him over, scooping a spoonful of potato and ham for him. Gu Sheng didn’t bother with formalities; he just bent his head and ate it directly.

The flavour was simply too delicious. The salty richness of the ham melded perfectly with the soft potatoes, creating a divine taste that made him want to take another bite immediately. Gu Sheng pointed to his mouth, signalling for more.

“Still hungry? Hurry up and take a shower. Look at you, covered in sweat,” Zhan Aiping said. Gu Sheng still had beads of sweat on his forehead, his handsome face now even more resolute and matching the savoury aroma of the ham.

Zhan Aiping urged him to shower quickly, and Gu Sheng swiftly cleaned up and changed clothes. “You doctors really have a taste for the finer things.”

After his shower, just in time for dinner, Gu Sheng couldn’t talk much as he dug into the food ferociously, eating like a ravenous beast.

Seeing him devouring the food so eagerly, Zhan Aiping quickly served herself before he could eat it all. They both knew they were big eaters—him a big rice bowl and her a small rice bowl—and she couldn’t let his big rice bowl swallow up her small one.

Gu Sheng eyed the boundary between their bowls and acknowledged it.

“This tastes good, doesn’t it?” Zhan Aiping asked.

Gu Sheng admitted, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Your cooking is indeed delicious.”

Zhan Aiping smiled proudly, patting his shoulder and bragging, “In the future, Sister Ping Ping will treat you to the finest dishes and drinks.”

Gu Sheng’s lips twitched. “…”

“I haven’t had many days of fine dining in my life.”

Gu Sheng spoke the truth. Growing up in the Gu family, who didn’t live like this? He dreaded his mother’s bad cooking and enjoyed cooking more than eating in the cafeteria.

He thought his life would be like his father’s, but he didn’t expect his wife to suddenly become such a good cook.

Gu Sheng asked, “You went to the hospital and came back with food?”

Zhan Aiping blinked, “Got it through my skills.”

Gu Sheng sighed, “I thought you’d go to the hospital and come back to take my pocket money.”

Zhan Aiping clicked her tongue, “At least you know yourself.”

“Okay, I won’t deduct it, I keep my word.”

Gu Sheng gently patted her head and said softly, “Are you really planning to stay at the township clinic? If you want, I can go plead with Director Xu. I can swallow my pride and go to his office.”

“No need, things are good now. I even got assigned a house at the clinic. Next time, I’ll take you, the esteemed spouse of Dr. Zhan, to meet everyone,” Zhan Aiping replied.

Gu Sheng smiled, “Alright, I’m Dr. Zhan’s spouse.”

“Make me proud.”

“Got it.”

Later that night, the young couple sat under the light, continuing their sewing while the radio played softly. Occasionally, they could hear some arguing from the neighbours. Gu Sheng held his wife close as they headed to bed.

“Can you manage to get some old furniture? The house they assigned me is empty,” Zhan Aiping asked.

“I’ll figure something out,” Gu Sheng replied.

Gu Sheng felt exceptionally joyful. He kissed Zhan Aiping’s forehead, feeling like these past few days had been like a dream—good food and drink, and his wife in his arms at night. It truly felt like living a fairy tale.

As for Gu Xiangyi, when would she come over to see her elder brother living the high life?

However, before Gu Xiangyi arrived, Gu Ze’an received a call. It was clear from the outset that he was furious, already aware that Zhan Aiping hadn’t gone to the military hospital but had chosen a small township clinic instead.

“How could I have such an incompetent son like you? Making Ping Ping suffer because of you. Oh, if they don’t accept her there, fine. But aren’t you her man? Why don’t you have the guts to go bang on the director’s desk? Who does he think he is, rejecting Ping Ping?” Gu Ze’an ranted over the phone, clearly upset.

Gu Sheng remained silent, listening to his father’s scolding.

“You’re just like your little sister, always hiding in your shell.”

“I sent your little sister to your side, to be a nurse at the military hospital. I thought you two could look out for each other…” Gu Xiangyi hadn’t done well academically, barely managing nursing school. Gu Ze’an and his wife had intended to keep her close, but as she grew older and more rebellious, they had to let her go where she wanted.

With shortages of doctors and nurses here and a border area designation, transferring wasn’t difficult.

“It’s not far, she can still be taken care of. Tell her to come over quickly,” Gu Sheng suggested.

Gu Sheng thought it would be convenient if she could work at the military hospital nearby.

Gu Ze’an was suspicious. “Let her come, and see how you treat Ping Ping.”

Gu Sheng replied calmly, “Just let her come over. Tell her her little sister-in-law wants to see her.”

As he mentioned his wife, there was an unmistakable hint of a smile in his voice.

Gu Ze’an hung up the phone, feeling a pang of unease.

Could it be that his son really had everything under control with Ping Ping?