Chapter 6: Calm Down and You’ll Come Back

Lu Zhixing pressed his lips together, feeling an inexplicable unease in his heart. As the attending doctor, sometimes he was very busy and got off work late, but no matter when, there was always a faint yellow light on at home, and after entering, there was always a steaming hot meal laid out on the table.

He was used to the warmth she brought. This kind of darkness made him temporarily unable to adjust. Having been in the hospital for five days, he understood that although the environment there was tough, at least they wouldn’t starve or freeze. Under such circumstances, to protect Xin Yue’s reputation, there was no other choice.

If it weren’t for Xie Yunshu making a scene in public, he wouldn’t have been forced to make such a decision.

Next door, Dr. Zhang’s wife, Chen Xue, poked her head out: “Doctor Lu, you’re back. Xin Yue’s child is alright, right? Oh, such a small child—one really needs to be careful! Tell me, why does Xin Yue’s girl have such a hard fate? If it weren’t for back then…”

After sighing a couple of times, Chen Xue’s gaze flicked to the locked front door and she curled her lips: “Doctor Lu, I know you’re a good man, but Xie Yunshu really went too far. Poor Xin Yue and she still fusses over every little thing!”

Lu Zhixing instinctively defended Xie Yunshu: “She’s not that kind of person.”

“Not that kind of person, and yet she still ended up in a mental hospital?” Chen Xue didn’t believe it. She didn’t notice Lu Zhixing’s face slightly change and continued on her own: “You see, she’s a girl from a single-parent family. If she hadn’t married you, how would she have qualified to live in our staff housing?”

The family housing at Haicheng First People’s Hospital was quite good. Plus, with Lu Zhixing’s position as an attending doctor, he got a two-bedroom apartment, which was much better than the old-style communal dormitories! Xie Yunshu should be grateful and quietly be a good wife at home. How could she cause trouble at the hospital?

If it weren’t for bad luck, would Zhou Xin Yue even get to be Mrs. Lu?

“Zhang Sister!” Lu Zhixing’s voice suddenly turned cold, his expression darkening. For the first time, he defended Xie Yunshu in front of outsiders: “She is my wife. If she doesn’t live here, then where else would she live?”

Chen Xue’s face stiffened. She hadn’t expected Lu Zhixing to suddenly speak up for Xie Yunshu. She had thought that the person Lu cared about was Zhou Xin Yue…

“Hehe, Yunshu doesn’t seem to be here?” Chen Xue forced a dry laugh and awkwardly changed the subject: “My old Zhang will be back soon, I have to go cook!”

She turned back to her own room but smirked in her heart. Yesterday afternoon she saw Xie Yunshu pack her things and leave. Probably because she saw Doctor Lu helping Xin Yue’s child yesterday and now she’s throwing a tantrum! So unreasonable. When Doctor Lu really doesn’t want her anymore, let’s see where she’ll cry then?

The packaging factory was the least profitable place. She wasn’t a university student; her monthly wage was only about twenty or thirty yuan. If she left a good man like Lu Zhixing, she’d at most marry some old, deadbeat guy and go back to live in that cramped dormitory!

Let her act out all she wants! She’ll regret it later!

After Lu Zhixing pushed open the door and entered, the back room was empty. He sat tiredly in the dark, rubbing his forehead weakly.

Locking Xie Yunshu in the ward was a last resort. Xin Yue’s child was so young. If rumors spread again, how could the orphan and widow survive? And how could he face Xin Yue’s mother-in-law?

He knew he had gone too far. After picking Yunshu up from the hospital, he immediately explained his relationship with Xin Yue to her, cooked for her to apologize, and promised to support her for life.

Wasn’t that enough? Why did this have to drag on?

Turning on the bedroom light, Lu Zhixing noticed something was missing: the red mirror on the table, the neatly folded clothes on the bed, even the two pairs of black cloth shoes that Xie Yunshu usually wore—all gone.

Because he had just taken Xiao Wei to the hospital, she wanted to leave?

Anger suddenly flared up inside Lu Zhixing. He had already tried to make amends. Why did she have to be so stubborn? She argued with Xin Yue, and now even with a child? She even dared to mention divorce!

Looking at the Haitang cake on the table, Lu Zhixing’s face darkened. Since she wanted to make such a fuss, then let her cool off properly. He understood Yunshu—her temper flared fast and she left fast. Once she calmed down, she would naturally come back.

…

Of course, Xie Yunshu wouldn’t return now. She had already completely put Lu Zhixing out of her mind.

Since she had decided to give him up, she wouldn’t think like before—what to eat for dinner before he got off work, her life revolving around her job and Lu Zhixing. Now, without her job and without Lu Zhixing, she had only one thought: make money!

Li Fenlan sat by the stove at the door cooking porridge, watching her daughter sit properly at the table doing accounts. She urged, “Yunshu, I’ll try to find your dad’s old friends to see if you can get a job at another factory. It’s so cold outside; you’re a young girl selling lunch boxes—it’s hard on you!”

Besides, how much could selling lunch boxes earn? There was no life as comfortable as holding a steady factory job. Haicheng had been open to reform for years; people’s thinking wasn’t as old-fashioned. Divorce wasn’t so rare these days.

A divorced woman’s life was never easy. If Yunshu could get a formal job, she might still find a good man someday.

Xie Yunshu had taken over the factory work at sixteen, never afraid of hardship. She raised her eyebrows, smiling as she looked up: “Mom, I’ve made up my mind! I’ll save 3,000 yuan for Mingcheng’s schooling and use the rest to start a business. At first, renting a shop won’t be suitable, so I’ll buy a tricycle and a bigger stove. I’m sure I can make money!”

Slow and steady, she would definitely not lose money.

Oh, and Lu Zhixing still owed her 3,000 yuan! She’d give that money to her mom. Mingcheng was already a senior this year, and after the New Year, he’d take the college entrance exam. She knew how important studies were and would never let her brother be distracted and fail the exam like Meng Zhong, ending up working in the factory.

Li Fenlan sighed deeply. Her youth hadn’t been too hard. Her husband was a considerate man, and their two children were very sensible, which also made her a little soft-hearted.

She was the mother; she should hold this family together, but now she could only watch her daughter suffer and be bullied…

Seeming to understand what Li Fenlan was thinking, Xie Yunshu put down her notebook, sat beside her, and smiled brightly: “Mom, don’t worry. We’ll definitely have a good life! When I make money, I’ll buy you a big courtyard, full of magnolia trees…”

She remembered how when her father was alive, every year when the magnolias bloomed, he would pick one for her mother. That poor but beautiful life made her mistakenly think all couples were like that, which was why she couldn’t accept that Lu Zhixing was supporting Zhou Xin Yue.

Li Fenlan laughed: “You girl, planting so many magnolias in a big yard is a waste. If you plant some water spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and keep a few chickens, you’d have fresh eggs every day for you and Mingcheng!”