Chapter 16

Big Sister packed half a lunchbox full of rice for her, the other half with vegetables. There wasn’t much meat, but the aroma was wonderful.

Then she poured a whole bowl of stewed old hen soup into the lunchbox, closed the lid, put it in a bag, and handed it to Su Wan.

“All set.”

“Thank you!”

Su Wan hadn’t expected such a generous portion—about 200 grams, she guessed. Big Sister probably didn’t make much profit from it. The money she earned was mostly from the vegetables and the soup. Especially the soup—that’s where the real profit was. Still, probably not more than what Su Wan could earn selling braised pork for a whole day.

Carrying the lunchbox, Su Wan returned to the hospital room. Chen Yuan had fallen asleep at some point.

She tiptoed in and started eating with the spoon she had bought.

The pork wasn’t raised on modern feed, and the vegetables were mostly pesticide-free, so the taste was exceptionally good. She finished every last bite of the food and soup, and then it occurred to her—nowadays, if you bought a chicken, you had to slaughter it yourself.

Full and satisfied, she washed her hands and feet, emptied and cleaned Chen Yuan’s urine bag, and adjusted everything neatly. Then she moved the sofa closer to him and lay down to sleep with her eyes closed.

That night, Chen Yuan slept soundly.

The next day, when the doctor arrived, Su Wan was already awake. After checking on him, the doctor smiled and said, “Comrade Chen Yuan is in great physical shape. He’s recovering very well and very fast. In a few more days, he’ll be able to get out of bed.”

“It’s all thanks to the experts and the attending doctors that my husband is recovering so quickly.”

Su Wan meant it sincerely.

Over the past couple of days, she had read up on the doctors at this hospital and asked around. That’s when she learned that the experts had come from the capital to attend a conference in Ming Province. It just so happened that Chen Yuan needed brain surgery, and considering his special occupation, the experts immediately agreed to perform the operation without hesitation.

Not all experts are the same.

The one who operated on Chen Yuan was the kind of specialist who treated top-level leaders back in the capital. Su Wan felt truly lucky he had been willing to help. If it had been another doctor, the incision would’ve been much larger. But this specialist had excellent medical skills and a high level of expertise—he was able to remove the blood clot through a very small opening, which is why Chen Yuan woke up quickly and was recovering so well.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Su Wan woke up at dawn and went out with meat and grain ration coupons to buy groceries. She also bought fish, various New Year’s goods, and plenty of food. She spent the entire morning busy in the kitchen.

By noon, she finally had a full table of dishes prepared.

Five dishes and one soup—the chicken soup alone had simmered for three hours over low heat. She didn’t want it to cool down too quickly and wanted it soft enough to eat easily. The doctor had said Chen Yuan could have a little meat and rice, but not too much.

She set the table right in front of the hospital bed and raised the bed’s headrest. Then she served a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Chen Yuan.

“It’s New Year’s Eve today. I asked the doctor—you can eat a little bit of meat and rice, but not too much. Let me feed you first.”

She held the soup, but Chen Yuan said, “You already fed me some just now. I’m not hungry. You’ve been busy all morning—you must be starving. Eat first.”

“I’m not hungry…”

Growl…

Right as she said that, her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl, and Su Wan’s face turned bright red.

“Eat a little first to settle your stomach. The soup is still quite hot—let it cool down a bit.”

Su Wan nodded quickly, scooped a bowl of rice, and picked up a piece of braised pork to eat. She ate with relish.

She ate quickly. Chen Yuan lay there watching her, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile.

After half a bowl of rice, she stopped and brought the soup over to feed Chen Yuan.

“I cooked the meat until it’s really soft. Just eat a chicken leg—that should be enough. I’ll feed you half a bowl of rice after that, nothing spicy. One piece of braised pork too…”

After feeding him the soup, she gave him a chicken leg. Once he finished, Su Wan fed him a small half bowl of rice and two tender pieces of braised pork before finally setting down the bowls and chopsticks.

“No more for now. In a few more days, you’ll be able to eat normally again.”

“These days must have been hard on you,” Chen Yuan said.

“It’s not that bad,” Su Wan replied. “But I hope you can be a bit selfish next time. Always remember—you have parents and family. If you died, what would we do?”

Chen Yuan fell silent, eyes lowered. After a long while, he said quietly, “If I hadn’t rushed in, everyone would have died. I couldn’t just watch them die.”

Soldiers of this era truly had a deep sense of duty to their country.

Su Wan picked up the half bowl of rice she hadn’t finished earlier, only to find it cold. She quickly added hot soup to soak it.

She devoured the braised pork, beef stew with potatoes, and sweet-and-sour ribs—all her favorites. The braised fish and duck were also delicious. She ate heartily.

After two bowls of rice and a bowl of chicken soup, Su Wan finally felt alive again.

She had been too hungry. Even after eating so much, her stomach remained flat—she had lost too much weight recently. Despite the heavy meals, she didn’t gain any fat, probably because she was still young and constantly doing physically demanding work. Her waistline had even developed faint abs and a well-defined curve.

After the meal, she washed all the dishes, then sat by the bed and used a warm towel to wipe Chen Yuan’s mouth and hands. She massaged his hands and feet as well.

While massaging, she said, “The doctor said you’ll be able to get out of bed tomorrow. But the cashmere sweater I bought for you is a pullover—you might have trouble putting it on. Luckily, you don’t need to go out. Just stay in the room wearing thermal underwear and your hospital gown with your army coat, and you won’t be cold.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just wear the army coat over everything.”

“I went out today and bought you two pairs of warm slippers. It’s freezing here. I didn’t bring much with me, so I had to buy them locally.”

“If you need to buy something, buy it. Don’t save money. Just use my salary.”

About 1,000 yuan—a decent sum in 1983.

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, and a young nurse stood at the entrance.

“Comrade Su Wan, we’re making dumplings tonight. Come join us!”

“Thanks, but I already cooked here. I’ll stay. I don’t feel comfortable leaving my husband alone.”

“We’re making them in the first-floor cafeteria. If you get hungry later, come on by. There’s always someone on duty watching over things.”

With that, the nurse smiled and walked off.

Su Wan continued massaging Chen Yuan’s legs, a smile playing in her eyes.

Since her rebirth, it had been over half a year. Though the 1980s were tough and lacked modern social media, every day felt full and meaningful.

Chen Yuan noticed the smile in her eyes, and somehow, the pain in his chest eased a little.

The next day, Chen Yuan got out of bed.

He could basically use the bathroom on his own now, but since there was no toilet seat, he still needed Su Wan to help him over and pull down his pants.

The first time she did that, Su Wan was completely flustered. Even though she had seen and touched everything while cleaning him these past few days, it still felt very different helping him use the bathroom.

Because, well…

When he went to the bathroom, she had to support him with her hand—or else the urine would go everywhere.