Chapter 37: Discharge

Li Lin listened to her mother’s words and nodded in agreement. After all, no one wants to risk their health.

She was still young—if her health wasn’t good now, what would she do later?

But at the same time, just when she had confirmed her relationship with Fang Mingyi, she was unsure how he would react if she left now. 

Zhao Chunmei, seeing that her daughter had agreed, smiled in relief. “That’s the right mindset. No matter what happens, don’t go against your body—health is the foundation.”

“I know, Mom,” Li Lin replied with a smile. She closed her eyes and pretended to rest, but in reality, she was deep in thought about how to tell Fang Mingyi. After all, she didn’t know when she would be able to return once she left.

Moreover, judging by her mother’s attitude, it seemed like after she returned to Kyoto and recovered, they wouldn’t let her return to the countryside. That would mean long-distance separation. How would they maintain their relationship if they were so far apart, with communication being so difficult?

Li Lin thought about it for a while, and after much internal conflict, her conclusion was this: If her body recovered well, she would continue her work in the countryside. But if her health didn’t improve, she would leave it up to Fang Mingyi to decide. Regardless of the outcome, she would never be the one to suggest breaking up.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Fang Mingyi or didn’t want to stay with him. It was simply that once she had agreed to be with him, she couldn’t back out by just saying “goodbye” after returning to the city. She didn’t want to be the subject of gossip, nor did she want to bring embarrassment to herself or her family.

After coming to this decision, Li Lin felt at ease and quickly drifted off to sleep.

But it felt like she had barely slept when she was awakened.

“Mm~”

Li Lin rubbed her eyes as she slowly woke up. When she saw her father, Fang Mingyi, and two officers standing before her, she smiled and asked, “Are the officers here to question me about Liu Lan?”

“Yes, Comrade Li Lin. We’re just here to ask some routine questions,” one of the officers replied.

“Alright, but I’m not able to get up right now, so I’ll just answer your questions lying down,” Li Lin said calmly, letting the officers ask while she stayed in bed.

About ten minutes later, the officers took their leave.

Fang Mingyi was about to go downstairs to see them off, but Li Lin stopped him. “Dad, Mom, can you send the officers off for me? I need to talk to Fang Zhiqing.”

Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei exchanged a glance, then nodded and agreed, leaving the room.

“Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Fang Mingyi asked gently as he approached her bed.

Li Lin glanced at him for a moment, and just as he was about to ask what was going on, she said, “I’m going back to Kyoto.”

“I know,” Fang Mingyi replied with a calm expression. “I’ve already spoken to Aunt Zhao. Once you’re in Kyoto, I’ll arrange for you to see a doctor at the military hospital, and then I’ll find someone to help you with your recovery.”

He sat down beside her bed, holding her hand gently. With a smile, he added, “You don’t have to stay just because you’ll miss me.”

“Who would miss you?” Li Lin rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by his teasing.

Fang Mingyi knew exactly what she was thinking, so he smiled even more affectionately. “I know you might not come back, but don’t worry. If you decide to stay in Kyoto, I’ll figure out a way to go back to the city and be with you. How about that?”

Li Lin was touched by his words, but she couldn’t help teasing him. “Aren’t you worried that when I go back to the city, I might decide not to want you anymore?”

Her words caught him off guard for a second, but Fang Mingyi’s eyes darkened for a moment. Then he looked at her with a firm expression and said, “I’m afraid of that. That’s why, if you decide to stay in Kyoto, I’ll follow you back to the city.” 

“Okay.”

Li Lin nodded when she heard Fang Mingyi’s words. She understood that love in this era was simple and pure. Since Fang Mingyi was unwilling to give up on their relationship, she would not back down either.

“Linlin, I’ve already told my family about you. They might visit you after you return to Kyoto. Please be a bit understanding when they come, alright?” Fang Mingyi said, explaining that he had already called his family to inform them about Li Lin.

Li Lin hadn’t expected that, just after confirming their relationship, Fang Mingyi would already inform his family. But since it had already happened, it was better to say some things upfront:

“Just to make things clear—if your family is unhappy with me and says anything unpleasant, I won’t stay quiet about it.”

“Don’t worry,” Fang Mingyi reassured her, “My family is really nice. But like you said, if they say anything rude, just stand up for yourself. Don’t let anyone bully you, alright?”

Although Fang Mingyi believed his family wouldn’t be that kind of people, he still wanted to make sure she didn’t feel uncomfortable or put on the spot.

“Alright.” Li Lin nodded, and seeing that Fang Mingyi had already said what needed to be said, she didn’t have much else to add. They chatted a bit more, and after Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei returned, Fang Mingyi went to get some food.

When Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei came in, seeing Fang Mingyi had left, they didn’t ask their daughter what she had discussed with him. Their daughter had grown up and had her own ideas now. They needed to give her more personal space and freedom to speak her mind. As for her relationship with Fang Mingyi, it was better not to get too involved.

The next few days passed peacefully, with everyone getting along harmoniously. To any outsider, it would have seemed like a happy family.

Then, one bright, sunny day, Li Lin was discharged from the hospital.

Fang Mingyi had somehow managed to borrow a car to pick her up, and his thoughtfulness and resourcefulness earned him some recognition from Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei. They were starting to warm up to him, but the real test would come with time, to see if he was truly suitable to be their son-in-law.

After that, they went to the commune to inquire about Liu Lan’s punishment. They learned that Liu Lan had been sent to a remote labor camp for twenty years, which left them all feeling rather contemplative as they made their way back to the commune.

They didn’t go directly back to Kyoto because they needed to stop at the commune office to get some paperwork stamped before they could leave. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bothered with all this hassle.

By the time they returned to the commune, it was lunchtime, and the workers were finishing their shifts.

When the car appeared, many people thought it was an important person arriving.

Some went to call the commune leader, while others came forward to look at the car—many had never seen a four-wheeled vehicle in their lives.

“Excuse me, could you make way? We need to go back to the youth station.”

Fang Mingyi rolled down the car window and stuck his head out to shout.

“Hey, it’s Fang Zhiqing! Where did you get that car? So impressive!”

A woman, whose daughter had a soft spot for Fang Mingyi, looked at him with wide eyes and asked, “Hey, Fang Zhiqing, where did you get this car? It’s really something!”

“Ma’am, today my girlfriend is being discharged from the hospital. I borrowed this car to pick her up. Could you please make way? We’re in a bit of a hurry to get back to the youth station,” Fang Mingyi said, his tone becoming a little less patient when the woman didn’t move.

When the woman heard that it was Li Lin being discharged, she hurriedly stepped aside, fearing that if anything happened, it might be blamed on her for blocking the way.

The people around, upon hearing this, quickly stepped aside as well, though they all craned their necks to get a glimpse into the car, curious to see how Li Lin was doing after her injury.

After all, she had been stabbed with a sharp tool. How could she recover so quickly? Was she truly healed enough to be discharged?