Chapter 55.2

Jiang Suihan frowned and pushed the soy milk she was holding away. She had just smelled the beany odor and felt the familiar nausea returning.

The chef at the cafeteria made genuine meat pies. Each pie was as large as a child’s face, freshly baked, aromatic, and still warm. Biting into it, the crust was slightly crispy, with a chewy texture and meaty flavor.

Jiang Leyun sat on a bench, holding the meat pie with both hands, his cheeks puffed out as he ate. He couldn’t help but swing his small feet and occasionally shake his little head.

Jiang Suihan took a bite of the meat pie. It did taste good, but after a couple of bites, she started to feel a bit queasy and lost her appetite.

“Why aren’t you eating, Sister?” Jiang Leyun, focused on his meal, noticed his sister had stopped and looked up at her.

“It’s a bit greasy,” Jiang Suihan handed the meat pie to her brother. “Can you still eat more?”

“I can eat three of these delicious meat pies,” Jiang Leyun puffed out his chest proudly, showing off his confidence. “Are you really not eating anymore?”

“I don’t feel like eating. I’m not hungry.” Jiang Suihan picked up the soy milk and tried to take a sip, but as soon as it was near her mouth, she felt the urge to vomit.

“Not again! You threw up yesterday and now today. Will you still be sick tomorrow?” Jiang Leyun looked at his sister with concern, abandoning the meat pie and reaching out to pat her back.

“Don’t. Your hands are oily.” Jiang Suihan turned away, relieved she reacted quickly to avoid needing to change clothes.

“Oops, I forgot.” Jiang Leyun grinned, having forgotten his dirty hands while focusing on his sister. “Aren’t you going to the hospital to get checked?”

Being constantly nauseous wasn’t a solution. She still needed to see a doctor.

“I can’t go now. I have classes later and can’t leave. We’ll go tomorrow if it’s still the same.” Jiang Suihan had her own plans. She had classes all day and no time today. If she still felt unwell tomorrow, she would go to the hospital.

Although he couldn’t persuade his sister, Jiang Leyun reluctantly agreed to go to the hospital the next day. He took the remaining piece of meat pie and tore off a bit to give back to her.

Jiang Suihan had no appetite but knew she had to eat something. Without food, she would have no energy for the morning classes and might suffer from low blood sugar. She forced herself to eat another two or three bites but couldn’t manage more.

Upon entering the cafeteria, Chen Xiuni immediately spotted Jiang Suihan and her brother. They were sitting near the door on the right side. Seeing Jiang Suihan’s picky and affected demeanor, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Eating a pie like such a delicate lady—truly a young miss’s behavior.”

People would hesitate to buy such delicious meat pies, but Jiang Suihan acted as though it were poison, eating it in small, reluctant bites.

Why so much drama?

“Hurry up, there might still be some left,” Chen Xiaohong, focused on eating, didn’t notice what was being said around her and continued to urge Chen Xiuni to walk faster.

At the meat pie counter, seeing several pies still available in the basket, Chen Xiaohong immediately said, “I’ll take four meat pies.”

The cafeteria staff took the meal tickets and money from Chen Xiaohong and handed her four meat pies.

As soon as the meat pies were in her hands, Chen Xiaohong eagerly took a big bite without even finding a seat, her mouth full as she mumbled, “So delicious, really delicious!”

“Comrade, please give me three meat pies,” Chen Xiuni said through gritted teeth, planning to get three—one for the younger child, one and a half for the older child, and half for herself to taste.

“We’re out of those, only two left. Do you still want them?” The staff glanced at the remaining two meat pies in the basket. The meat pies made by Chef Zhang were highly praised, and there was no trouble selling them.

Someone in the line behind said, “She doesn’t want them, I’ll take them.”

Chen Xiuni quickly said, “I want them all.”

Two meat pies weren’t enough for the two children. If she had known, she would have bought them first. Chen Xiaohong could easily eat four by herself and still be fine.

Riding the bike to the classroom, some children on the road called out, “Hello, teacher!” Jiang Suihan smiled and nodded at them.

“Teacher Jiang is so gentle, much gentler than the village teachers before, who used to hit people.”

“Teacher Jiang is really beautiful. I want to marry a wife as beautiful as Teacher Jiang in the future.”

“Cut it out, you! Wanting to get married already? How embarrassing. I’ll tell your mom you’re thinking about getting married.”

“I wish I could be Teacher Jiang’s younger brother. I’d get to ride a bike to school every day.”

“I also wish we had a bike at home. I could ride it everywhere. It would be so impressive.”

The children, all classmates of Jiang Suihan, were noisy and playful, hitting each other lightly, chasing and laughing along the way.

At school, Jiang Leyun went to his second-grade class. Jiang Suihan glanced at the time—there were still ten minutes before class—and headed back to the office.

“Xiao Jiang, are you feeling unwell? You look so pale,” Dai Jia asked out of concern when she noticed Jiang Suihan’s pale complexion.

“Ah? Do I look bad?” Jiang Suihan touched her face. Her temperature seemed normal, not very hot.

“Don’t you notice? Your face is all white.” Dai Jia placed her hand on Jiang Suihan’s forehead and felt it. “It seems a bit warm. Would you like to take the day off and rest?”

With Xu Zhao not at home, Dai Jia wanted to take extra care of Jiang Suihan. The young girl was new to the army and didn’t have anyone familiar around to take care of her when she was sick.

“Could it really be an illness?” Jiang Suihan also checked her forehead, which was indeed a bit warm. “No, I’ve come this far. I need to teach the children first. I don’t want to delay their learning. I feel okay and can manage.”

“Wait for me a moment.” Dai Jia went back to her seat, pulled out a drawer, and took out a pack of brown sugar. She poured half a cup of hot water from Jiang Suihan’s enamel mug, added two spoons of brown sugar, and stirred it.

“Drink some brown sugar water to replenish your energy. I’m worried you might collapse at the podium during class.”

This pack of brown sugar was what Dai Jia had brought from home a few days ago when she had her period and had forgotten to take it back home.

“I also want some sweet water,” her son said, pulling at her sleeve and looking up with anticipation.

“Sorry, I forgot. Wait here. I have to teach soon. Drink the sugar water and stay in the office. Don’t run around,” Dai Jia said, preparing a small cup of brown sugar water for her son, careful not to add too much water to avoid him wetting his pants.

“Thank you.” Jiang Suihan drank the brown sugar water and felt a bit warmer.

After finally making it through the morning classes, Jiang Suihan was able to rest, sitting in the office chair.

“Your complexion is really pale. I think you should take the afternoon off. Don’t push yourself too hard; it’s not worth it,” Dai Jia advised. She had classes in the afternoon too and couldn’t cover for Jiang Suihan.

“Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll rest a bit and then teach the kids. I don’t want to break my promise,” Jiang Suihan appreciated Dai Jia’s concern but didn’t want to cancel the interesting experiment she had planned for the afternoon.

Lunch was also at the cafeteria. Jiang Suihan had little appetite, ate only a few bites, and then stopped. Jiang Leyun was very worried.

“Sister, your face is so hot! Wake up, let’s go to the hospital.” After a nap, Jiang Leyun woke up groggily and, not seeing his sister, went to find her in her room.

He saw his sister lying on the bed, her face flushed, and unconscious.

Jiang Suihan vaguely heard someone calling her, struggling to wake up and opening her eyes to see Jiang Leyun’s worried expression.

“Sister, you’re finally awake. You have a fever. We’re going to the hospital now,” Jiang Leyun said, relieved to see her awake, and quickly helped her up.

Jiang Suihan touched her forehead: “It’s so hot.”

She really had a fever. The nausea she had felt since yesterday and Dai Jia’s comment about her pale face were all signs.

Jiang Suihan checked the time and realized that Dai Jia’s house was a bit far. By the time she got there, Dai Jia might already be at school.

“Quickly find Zhao Xiaojun and ask him to tell Teacher Dai that I’m sick and can’t go to class. Have him help me request leave from the principal and also from your homeroom teacher.”

Jiang Leyun immediately ran off and, after a while, returned panting and sweating.

He handed her a handkerchief to wipe her sweat while she changed into dry clothes. She had felt hot and sweaty while sleeping, and her clothes were damp.

“Sister-in-law, what happened? Are you sick?” Wang Dahe met Jiang Suihan at the hospital entrance as he was coming out.

“It’s nothing serious, it just seems like I have a fever. I’m here to get checked,” Jiang Suihan stopped and glanced at the medicine Wang Dahe was holding. “Are you injured?”

“No, this is medicine for my roommate. He twisted his ankle and couldn’t come,” Wang Dahe quickly waved his hand and said with concern, “Sister-in-law, let me take you inside.”

“No need, if you have something to do, go ahead. My illness is just a small matter, it won’t bother me,” Jiang Suihan told him, insisting that he need not worry about her.

“That won’t do. Deputy Commander Xu specifically asked me to take good care of you and your brother before he left. I’m not scheduled for training this afternoon, so I’ve got plenty of time,” Wang Dahe refused to leave, insisting on staying to help.

Hearing the words, Jiang Leyun looked up at Wang Dahe. This guy seemed simple and honest.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t argue with him any longer and let it go. Her head was spinning, and she didn’t have the energy to argue.

The doctor attending her was a young woman in military uniform with short hair, looking sharp and capable.

“Your temperature is 38.6 degrees. I’ll write you a prescription. Take the slip, turn right, and hand it to the nurse. You’ll need two bottles of IV drip. I’ll prescribe two days’ worth of medicine. Take it with warm water after meals. If the fever persists after taking the medicine, come back,” Zhong Xiangxue instructed as she wrote, handing the slip to Jiang Suihan.

“Thank you, doctor,” Jiang Suihan said softly as she took the slip and prepared to find the nurse.

“Wait a moment,” Zhong Xiangxue called out to Jiang Suihan.

“Is there something else, doctor?” Jiang Suihan turned back, puzzled.

“Are you Jiang Suihan?” Zhong Xiangxue’s hand tightened around the pen as she forced a faint smile.

“Yes, I am,” Jiang Suihan replied, wondering why she was suddenly called back. She thought there might be more instructions, so she waited quietly for the doctor to speak.

“It’s nothing. Just make sure to rest and drink plenty of water,” Zhong Xiangxue averted her gaze and casually added a couple of reminders.

“I understand. Thank you, doctor,” Jiang Suihan thanked her again.

After Jiang Suihan left, Zhong Xiangxue looked towards the door and murmured, “So, this is the person you like.”