Fortunately, the Provincial Hospital always had staff on duty. Even in the middle of the night, doctors were diligently stationed in their offices. Bai Yichen carried An Xin on his back to the hospital. After a series of examinations, it didn’t take long for the doctor to hook her up to an IV drip.

Sitting by the hospital bed, Bai Yichen looked at the groggy An Xin and reassured her,
“Get a good sleep. You’ll be fine when you wake up tomorrow.”

Even in her fevered daze, An Xin didn’t forget her plans for the next day. She held Bai Yichen’s hand tightly, anxiously reminding him,
“Remember to wake me up at dawn. I still have to drive the truck.”

Outside, the night was still cloaked in light rain. The next day’s weather was uncertain, and this was An Xin’s first time contracting to transport goods. There could be no mistakes. If her delivery work fell through, she would struggle to establish herself in the transportation industry.

Bai Yichen understood her anxiety and gently reassured her,
“Okay, I get it. Don’t worry about the freight. Just have a good rest!”

Despite running a high fever and lying in a hospital bed, she was still preoccupied with her business. Bai Yichen couldn’t help but marvel at her dedication.

Hearing his promise, An Xin relaxed a little. Her eyelids grew heavy, and as she drifted into sleep, she murmured again,
“Don’t forget to wake me.”

Bai Yichen smiled softly. “I won’t.”

Of course, he had no intention of waking her. He planned to let her rest fully. After all, as a man, it was his responsibility to shoulder the burden. He wasn’t about to let her, a sick woman, push herself to work while ill just to earn a living.

The next morning, An Yang woke up, quickly washed up, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. During her time in the provincial city, she had taken on the task of cooking all three meals for the family.

Luckily, as a diligent kid from the countryside, she had picked up cooking quickly. Now, cooking had become more of a joy than a chore for her. There was something satisfying about seeing others enjoy the meals she made and showering her with compliments.

Feeling rather self-satisfied, the little self-proclaimed “kitchen goddess” An Yang stepped into the kitchen. However, she froze in her tracks when she saw a tall figure bustling about.

To her shock, her usually composed and stoic brother-in-law, Bai Yichen, was wearing an apron and busy in the kitchen. He was simultaneously stirring a pot of porridge and frying dough sticks.

What?! He can fry dough sticks?!

The thought sent An Yang’s mind reeling. Her steps halted as if she’d seen a ghost, and she stared at Bai Yichen in disbelief, her mouth nearly wide enough to fit an egg.

In the kitchen, Bai Yichen placed strips of dough into the bubbling oil. The dough quickly puffed up into golden, crispy dough sticks. Using chopsticks, his slender fingers deftly turned the sticks in the oil, and soon they were ready, placed neatly on a tray. He repeated the process until all the dough was fried.

After finishing, Bai Yichen washed his hands and turned to remove his apron. That’s when he noticed his sister-in-law standing at the doorway, her jaw practically on the floor.

Smiling warmly, he said,
“Good morning, An Yang. Go wash your hands and call An Wen and An Wu for breakfast. I’ll take some food over to your sister and mother.”

He didn’t mention that An Xin had been hospitalized for a high fever last night—there was no need to worry the kids unnecessarily. The doctor had reassured him that after finishing the IV drip today, An Xin could be discharged. When Bai Yichen left the hospital earlier, she was still sound asleep. He hadn’t wanted to wake her and had returned home quietly to prepare breakfast, including porridge, boiled eggs, and some dough sticks for the picky younger siblings.

An Yang finally snapped out of her daze and pointed to the tray of dough sticks.
“Brother-in-law, how did you even learn to make these?”

She had always thought of Bai Yichen as a stereotypical tough guy—someone who relied on others for meals and didn’t lift a finger in the kitchen. Occasionally, he would help out to show off in front of her sister, but she had never imagined he could actually cook, let alone fry dough sticks.

In fact, during the time they had been in the provincial city, Anyang and her two younger brothers had long wanted to eat the fried dough sticks sold at the hospital entrance.

Unfortunately, their sister said that the fried dough sticks sold by street vendors were not very clean and didn’t let them eat them.

Bai Yichen’s response was calm and distant, his eyes momentarily clouding with memories as he looked out at the rain.

“Oh, when I was trying to make a living outside, I learned how to make fried dough sticks from someone. At that time, I also set up a stall to sell fried dough sticks.”

The recollection of those difficult times—waking up before dawn to set up a street stall and enduring endless hardships—momentarily washed over him. Life had been tough, so tough it seemed devoid of hope or light.

But eventually, he had clawed his way out of that darkness, earning a place at the Geology University and later joining the exploration team. It had been a long, hard journey, but he had made it.

Unaware of the painful memories flickering in his mind, An Yang simply tilted her head and said,
“Ah, brother-in-law, I didn’t expect you used to sell fried dough sticks!”

She had always assumed her brother-in-law was just a steady iron rice bowl type. Who would have guessed he had such an intriguing backstory?

Bai Yichen shrugged off her curiosity.
“Yeah, it was just a small chapter of my life. Don’t think too much about it. Now go wake your brothers for breakfast. I need to take this food to your sister and mom. After you’ve eaten, stay home and look after your brothers. Make sure to cook lunch and dinner for the team like you’ve been doing.”

An Yang nodded, assuming her sister was still at the hospital taking care of their mom.
“Got it, Brother-in-law. Don’t worry about us—I’ll make sure everything’s ready on time.”

Waving him off casually, she added,
“Go on, go on. I’ve got this.”

She felt confident, especially after the compliments she’d received for her cooking over the past few days.