Chapter 153

With Lu Weiguo’s comment, Shi Muhuan realized it was already late.

When he was lying alone in the hospital, time seemed to drag, but with company, it passed quickly.

Shi Tingyu also noticed how quickly time had flown. Fortunately, Lijian was with the sentry and they had left some food, otherwise, Lijian might have gone hungry by noon.

Shi Muhuan urged, “You should go eat. I’m fine here.”

Shi Tingyu poured a glass of water for him and placed it nearby, “Brother, we’ll come back after eating and bring you something delicious.”

They walked to the state-run restaurant and arrived shortly.

Luckily, there weren’t many people inside.

Lu Weiguo invited Shen Ziming to order first.

No matter if Shen Ziming had any intentions toward his wife, he had indeed helped them, and Lu Weiguo felt he should be courteous.

Moreover, it was clear from his wife’s attitude that she had no other intentions toward Shen Ziming.

Shen Ziming asked Shi Tingyu to order first.

Shi Tingyu replied, “Comrade Shen, you should order. We appreciate your help, and you know this place better than we do.”

With that, Shen Ziming no longer declined.

He ordered two dishes.

Lu Weiguo looked at the blackboard and ordered two more dishes that Shi Tingyu liked, along with a pork rib soup and dumplings for Shi Muhuan.

They had brought food containers, so they could pack the food when they left.

The waitress didn’t find it strange that they wanted to take food away, as many people did that since the restaurant was near the hospital.

She was familiar with the process.

When it came time to pay, Lu Weiguo and Shen Ziming both tried to pay first.

The two of them insisted on paying, and Shi Tingyu worried they might start fighting.

Fortunately, the waitress, intimidated by Lu Weiguo’s imposing presence, took his money nervously, fearing he might hit her if she took the other man’s money.

The food came quickly. Lu Weiguo, remembering how long Shi Tingyu had been on the train, frequently served her food to help her recover.

Shen Ziming, who once thought Lu Weiguo wasn’t good enough for Shi Tingyu, now had to admit that he was attentive.

He noticed Lu Weiguo picking out the side dishes Shi Tingyu disliked and knew exactly what she liked.

Throughout the meal, Lu Weiguo was entirely focused on Shi Tingyu, taking care of her.

So this was why Shi Tingyu ultimately chose Lu Weiguo?

Seeing Shen Ziming silent, Lu Weiguo encouraged him to eat more.

Shen Ziming felt a pang of heartache.

They didn’t take long to eat, as they were all concerned about Shi Muhuan in the hospital. After finishing their meal, they quickly returned to the hospital with the packed food.

When they arrived at the ward, they saw a woman dressed as a doctor trying to feed Shi Muhuan.

Shi Muhuan frowned and leaned away.

“Dr. Liu, my sister will bring me food soon. You should eat your own meal.”

The doctor insisted, “Patients shouldn’t go hungry. You need to listen to the doctor.”

Shi Muhuan looked displeased, “I really don’t need it. Besides, my leg is injured, not my hand.”

If not for avoiding physical contact, he would have stopped her himself.

Shi Tingyu initially thought her brother might have a sweet romance in the hospital, but seeing this, it was clear the doctor was interested, while her brother was not.

She quickly intervened, “Brother, we brought you food.”

Shi Muhuan breathed a sigh of relief at hearing Shi Tingyu’s voice and told Dr. Liu, “Dr. Liu, my sister is here. You should go tend to other patients who need you more.”

Shi Tingyu sat beside Shi Muhuan’s bed, very close to Dr. Liu, smiling without showing any hostility.

Dr. Liu, as if burned, quickly stood up and awkwardly smiled, “Since you’re here, I won’t disturb you.”

Shi Tingyu thanked her, “Thank you, Dr. Liu.”

Dr. Liu nodded and left the room, embarrassed.

Shi Tingyu examined Shi Muhuan for a moment, “Even while lying in a hospital bed, your looks haven’t faded. No wonder people still come by to check if you’re hungry.”

Shi Muhuan poked her forehead, “You, teasing me now? Remember, you used to have…”

He was about to say she also had many admirers, but he stopped himself, remembering her husband was right there.

Lu Weiguo understood perfectly well what his brother-in-law meant. With a wife as beautiful as his, it was no surprise she had many admirers.

But in the end, she chose to marry him.

Shi Muhuan finished the soup and dumplings in the lunchbox.

When Shi Tingyu tried to wash the lunchbox, Lu Weiguo took it from her.

“I’ll wash it. You stay here and talk to your brother.”

Watching Lu Weiguo leave, Shi Muhuan asked, “Is he always this helpful at home?”

Shi Tingyu smiled, “Yes, whenever he’s home, he does all this. Now, Weiguo has even learned to cook.”

This time when she went home for the New Year, she learned from her mother-in-law about Weiguo’s actual cooking skills.

So it’s not about whether someone can cook, but whether they want to learn.

Shen Ziming had imagined many scenarios of Shi Tingyu’s married life but hadn’t considered that she would be treated so well.

It seemed Lu Weiguo wasn’t without his merits after all.

Seeing that Shi Tingyu wasn’t paying him any attention, Shen Ziming felt out of place.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Xiaoyu, is your luggage at the camp gate? I can go fetch it for you.”

Shi Tingyu hesitated, “My dog is there too. He doesn’t usually follow strangers.”

“Then… should you come with me?” Shen Ziming suggested, speaking his mind.

But Shi Tingyu didn’t agree, “It’s fine. We’ll go get it ourselves later.”

Shen Ziming turned to Shi Muhuan, “We’ve been partners for so long. Your sister is like my sister. It’s really no trouble.”

Shi Muhuan left the decision to Shi Tingyu, “It’s up to Xiaoyu.”

Shen Ziming bit his lip and, after a moment, asked, “Xiaoyu, are you still mad about the blind date?”

“That was my fault. I let you all down.”

Back then, he had excitedly gone home to prepare gifts and luggage, but his parents stopped him when they learned he was going on a blind date with Shi Muhuan’s sister.

He didn’t understand why he stubbornly refused to compromise with his parents. The result was that his father locked him up.

He could have called and canceled the blind date, but he didn’t. Subconsciously, he had already accepted his father’s words, but deep down, he didn’t want Shi Tingyu to go on the date. He naively believed that if he didn’t go or say anything, the blind date would fall through, delaying her marriage and maybe changing everything.

But in reality, he nearly severed ties with his best friend.