Chapter 12 Be good and eat five more bites

Huo Changzheng’s meeting in the county didn’t end until nearly five o’clock. By the time he returned to the compound, it was already completely dark. Fang Weiguo drove him straight to the canteen. Just as he got out of the car, Dr. Zhang walked out of the building. Seeing him, he asked with concern, “Commander Huo, how is Doubao doing?”

“What’s wrong with Doubao?” Huo Changzheng looked confused.

Only then did Dr. Zhang realize he didn’t know about the child’s condition yet, so he quickly explained, “He had a fever. Comrade Lin brought him to the clinic this afternoon. I prescribed some herbal medicine to bring the fever down.”

Huo Changzheng’s brows furrowed slightly as he asked, “Is it serious?”

“It doesn’t seem too bad at the moment,” Dr. Zhang said, “but Comrade Lin mentioned that Doubao was hospitalized with pneumonia just last month, so she’s worried it might relapse. I could tell she was really scared. You should go check on them as soon as you can.”

“Got it. Thanks, Dr. Zhang.” Without even bothering to eat dinner, Huo Changzheng turned and headed straight to the dormitory.

Earlier that afternoon, after leaving the clinic, Lin Suisui had returned to the dorm with Doubao. Since she couldn’t cook traditional herbal medicine in the dorm, Fang Qianqian helped her by taking the herbs home to brew. The medicine was bitter, and Lin Suisui had been worried Doubao wouldn’t drink it. She even considered finding a preserved plum to help with the taste. But surprisingly, he was very well-behaved—he took the bowl and drank it all down without hesitation.

After the medicine, Doubao lay down to sleep. Lin Suisui filled a basin with water and kept soaking and wringing out a towel to cool his forehead, repeating the process over and over. Looking at her poor little one on the bed, she began to regret rushing to Lincheng. She should have waited until he fully recovered before making such a tiring journey.

But at the time, she hadn’t had a choice—if she had waited even a little longer, the telegram requesting divorce would have reached Huo Changzheng.

Sigh… He was such a tiny child, yet he kept having to suffer illness. If she could, she would rather be the one who got sick instead.

She held Doubao’s little hand in one of hers, gently stroked his soft cheek with the other, and silently prayed for him.

When Huo Changzheng pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was her sitting beside the bed, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked down at Doubao. At that moment, he felt as if something had stabbed directly into his chest.

Hearing the door, Lin Suisui looked up. She froze when she saw it was him, then quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, realizing she must look a mess.

“How’s Doubao now?” Huo Changzheng walked over to her in a few long strides.

Lin Suisui knew she probably looked like a blotchy, tear-stained mess, so she didn’t dare meet his eyes. She just said, “He’s started sweating—he should be breaking the fever.”

Huo Changzheng removed the towel from Doubao’s forehead and felt it with his hand. He was still quite warm, but his hair was damp with sweat, indicating the fever was beginning to come down.

“Don’t worry, Doubao will be okay,” Huo Changzheng said gently. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll have Fang Weiguo bring you something.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry,” Lin Suisui shook her head. “Have you eaten? If not, go eat now. I can take care of Doubao.”

Seeing how she kept pushing him away, Huo Changzheng suddenly got a little irritated. His tone hardened. “Lin Suisui, can you stop trying to tough everything out alone? What’s the harm in relying on me for once?”

Lin Suisui looked up abruptly, startled by his slightly angry gaze. She unconsciously shrank back a little, and the tears she had just stopped couldn’t help but start falling again.

Realizing he’d scared her, Huo Changzheng immediately softened. His expression eased, and his voice turned gentle. “I’m not scolding you. I just mean—you want to take care of Doubao, right? But you need to take care of yourself first. If you’re too weak, you won’t even be able to hold him.”

As he spoke, he reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face with the pad of his thumb, his tone helpless. “Still the same crybaby as before.”

As soon as he said it, both of them froze for a moment—his touch, his words, all of it instantly pulled them back to that time five years ago.

In that instant when their eyes met, it felt like something was stirring deep in their chests.

Knock knock knock…

A soft knocking on the door broke the subtle tension. Lin Suisui was the first to look away, while Huo Changzheng retracted his hand and went to open the door.

“Commander, I brought you two meals—one for you and one in case Sister-in-law wants to eat,” Fang Weiguo stood at the door, offering two lunchboxes like a treasure.

He’d overheard Dr. Zhang earlier. As Huo Changzheng’s trusted aide, he liked to think he was quite perceptive. Knowing the commander hadn’t eaten, and figuring his wife probably hadn’t either, he took the initiative to bring two portions.

“Thanks,” Huo Changzheng said, taking the food, though his expression remained neutral, leaving Fang Weiguo a little uncertain. He thought he’d done the right thing by bringing food, but somehow it felt like he might’ve misstepped too.

Before he could overthink it, Huo Changzheng gave him an order: “Go move the bed from 309 here.”

“…Alright.” Fang Weiguo was momentarily stunned, but immediately carried out the task.

It was a narrow wooden cot, only 1.2 meters wide. Fang Weiguo moved it by himself with ease and left quickly.

By the time Lin Suisui realized what was happening, their tiny dorm room had been filled with two beds, leaving only a narrow fifty-centimeter-wide path.

“I really don’t mind… I can take care of Doubao myself,” she said. But since the two beds had been pushed together, they now formed a giant 2.4-meter-wide bed. The thought of sharing it with Huo Changzheng made her head spin.

“I know you can,” Huo Changzheng said matter-of-factly. “But I won’t feel at ease unless I keep an eye on Doubao myself.”

That one sentence shut down any argument she might’ve had. After all, he was here for their son—what right did she have to tell him to leave?

“Go ahead and eat.” Huo Changzheng opened one of the lunchboxes and handed it to her.

“Thanks.” Lin Suisui took it carefully, afraid that even the slightest touch would brush his hand.

Watching her so timid and cautious, Huo Changzheng could guess what she was thinking, and his heart felt like it had suddenly inflated.

The two of them ate quietly, each focused on their own food. Lin Suisui thought the meal was quite good today, but with Doubao still feverish, she just couldn’t bring herself to eat.

Huo Changzheng finished first and glanced over. Seeing that she had barely touched half of her food, he sighed lightly and asked, “Can’t eat?”

Wasting food was shameful, and Lin Suisui felt a bit guilty as she nodded.

The next moment, she felt the lunchbox leave her hands. She looked up and saw Huo Changzheng take her meal, scoop a bite with a spoon, and hold it out to her.

“Be good. Just eat five more bites. After five, you don’t have to eat anymore.”