Chapter 9 – Qin Lie, Don’t Move

“I just want to marry him even more now.” Xie Yutang’s gaze turned resolute.

Xie Yutang, the heroine of this tragic romance, was going to marry her fiancé!

An Minghua blinked. If Qin Muhan found out about this, how devastated would he be?

She really wanted to witness it!

“By the way, Minghua, there’s news about your Second Brother. He’s been released. His job has been suspended though, and it’s still unclear where he’ll be assigned next.”

Second Brother had been released?

That didn’t match the timeline in the book.

But it didn’t matter. Qin Lie was still alive now, and even Xie Yutang, the female lead, had come to her senses and decided to marry her fiancé. Some changes in the plot were normal.

Second Brother being released early was a much better outcome than being demoted and sent to the northwest like in the book. As long as things weren’t getting worse, it was a good sign!

“If you want to marry him, Yutang, you should stay here a few more days. The doctors haven’t made any conclusions about whether Qi Beiguo’s leg can recover. Maybe now that you’re here, his leg will start getting better?”

An Minghua looked at her with a teasing smile. “At that point, Qi Beiguo might be the one begging you to marry him!”

As for how badly Qi Beiguo’s leg was actually injured, she wasn’t sure herself. She was afraid today’s chicken soup didn’t contain enough of the healing spring water.

She’d have Ping’an bring something else over tomorrow!

After chatting, the two of them returned to the hospital ward. The moment An Minghua opened the door, she met Qin Lie’s gaze — like a statue of longing, he stared at her as if she were his wife returning from war.

An Minghua suddenly had a very bad feeling. When this man fully recovered…

Would she still be safe?

“Finished talking?” Qin Lie was already able to sit up on his own, half-reclined on the bed. He looked at An Minghua with burning eyes. “Hua Hua, come here.”

Something might happen if she went over, right? An Minghua suddenly felt a little nervous.

Even if they hadn’t seen each other for years in the real world, there would still be some awkwardness, not to mention in her current complicated situation.

“Hua Hua?”

Qin Lie called her again when she didn’t move.

An Minghua made up her mind and walked over in large strides. Nervous? What was there to be nervous about? It wasn’t like she didn’t like him. In Qin Lie’s current condition, all he could manage was a hug, or at most, a kiss!

In the modern world, she’d been timid and overworked. But now? She was a pampered young lady — what was there to be afraid of!

“Qin Lie, don’t move.” An Minghua sat down at the edge of the bed, leaned closer to Qin Lie, and said: “Let me kiss you!”

…

Early in the morning, Ping’an came bouncing in, greeting everyone along the way.

“Daddy! Mommy! We’re having siu mai for breakfast! Grandma took me to buy siu mai!”

Even in this era, An Minghua still felt that if she stayed in Guangcheng any longer, she’d definitely turn into a ball — she’d gain so much weight!

There was just too much good food!

The siu mai had been bought by the grandmother and grandson duo from the guesthouse restaurant. Even through the lunchbox, An Minghua could smell the delicious aroma.

“Thank you, Grandma and Ping’an.” An Minghua said as she took the lunchbox and opened it. Her fingers hovered over the top — the siu mai, already steaming, seemed even more enticing now.

“Ping’an, do you want to take a couple to Uncle Qi next door and let him have a taste?”

Ping’an nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I haven’t even said good morning to Uncle Qi yet today!”

He ran off with little pattering footsteps, and before long, lively voices could be faintly heard coming from the hospital ward next door.

As soon as the doctors finished their morning rounds, Ping’an came trotting back with two eggs in his hands.

“Doctor Uncle, is my daddy better today?”

“He’s doing even better than yesterday.” said the doctor in charge of Qin Lie with a kind and earnest expression. His thick hair was streaked with white, but his voice was gentle. “Very soon, your daddy will be able to leave the hospital!”

The army doctor in the white coat was clearly pleased to see wounded soldiers escaping death. He tucked his stethoscope back into his pocket and muttered to himself: “Young men really do recover fast — good constitution.”

Ping’an jumped up with joy. “Daddy! Doctor Uncle said you can go home soon!”

Right after his happy little bounce, a loud voice came from the ward next door.

“Really!! There’s a very high chance his leg can recover!!”

An Minghua blinked. “Ping’an, want to go with Mommy to see what’s happening next door?”

“Wanna go, wanna go!”

The door to the next ward wasn’t even closed. As soon as An Minghua and Ping’an stepped out, they saw a familiar sight — a group of white coats rushing into the ward across the hall.

The mother and son decided not to go inside. Instead, they leaned against the doorframe and peeked in from the side.

Auntie Fang had tears glistening in the corners of her eyes as she clutched Xie Yutang’s hand tightly, so emotional she could barely speak. “Yutang, you’re like a second parent to Qi Beiguo…”

An Minghua pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. If Yutang got ranked as an elder now, Qi Beiguo would have to cry for real!

Qi Beiguo was quickly wheeled out for further tests. When the results came back, the doctors gave a definitive answer: “After surgery, he’ll be able to recover normally!”

An Minghua allowed herself a proud smile. Look at her — perfectly controlled dosage of the miracle spring water!

The first thing Qi Beiguo said upon hearing the good news from the doctors was to Xie Yutang: “What you said yesterday, about marrying me — does it still count? If it does, I’ll submit a request report right away!”

“Heehee!”

Ping’an realized he’d laughed out loud and quickly covered his mouth.

But the mother and son had already been discovered. When Xie Yutang met An Minghua’s bright eyes, her already shy face turned even redder. “It… it counts.”

“Auntie Fang!” An Minghua didn’t bother hiding anymore. She showed no embarrassment whatsoever. “When are you handing out wedding candy?”

Auntie Fang was overjoyed. “I’ll go buy some right away!”

With Qi Beiguo’s condition improving, he was wheeled into surgery that very afternoon. The operation was a success.

Qin Lie’s recovery also improved steadily day by day. After An Minghua had been out shopping for half a month, the doctor looked at Qin Lie’s latest report and said: “You’ve recovered very well. The wounds are also healing nicely. We can consider discharging you.”

“But after discharge, be mindful not to get the wound wet, and absolutely no intense physical activity for one month!”

That last warning from the old physician was delivered with stern emphasis.

An Minghua stood calmly to the side, nodding again and again as she listened. I’ll keep an eye on him myself — no intense activity, guaranteed!

As a result of needing to rest, Qin Lie was granted a month-long vacation.

Chen Yun Yan returned to Beijing, and An Minghua took her little family of three back to the provincial capital.

“Brother Qin, Sister An, if you’re going back to the provincial capital, let’s travel together?”

Qi Beiguo was also being discharged. Though he still needed to use crutches for a while, he could recuperate comfortably at home.

“Perfect timing. My mom and Auntie Chen are heading back to the capital together, so we’ll travel back to the provincial capital as a group!”

Qi Beiguo grinned, flashing a mouth full of bright white teeth, his eyes large and sparkling. “Brother Qi, your little brother is finally getting married!”

Xie Yutang blushed quietly. An Minghua watched from the side with great interest. The beautiful woman with the pure and innocent image, shy like this — it really tugged at the heart.

Qi Beiguo really lucked out!

Qin Lie raised an eyebrow lazily and looked at Qi Beiguo. “What do you want?”

“I didn’t get the chance to buy a ticket. Brother Qin, could you sponsor mine?”

Qin Lie let out a short, amused snort. He put one hand on his hip and struck a commanding pose. “I’ll get someone to buy the ticket. But pay for it? No way. Do I look like someone who controls the household finances?”

An Minghua gave a dramatic little hey! and turned to Chen Yun Yan for backup. “Mom, is your son throwing shade at me?”