Hospitals always had a lingering smell of disinfectant, which wasn’t unpleasant. With both windows open, the wind blew in and transformed the disinfectant smell into the scent of mango and watermelon.

The nurse’s duty room was always filled with magazines, snacks, melon seeds, and fruit.

There was a basket of mangoes on the table. Even without getting close, the sweet, tropical scent of the fruit was unmistakable.

Qin Yao and Zhang Yufei, the two new nurses, had just started working at the military hospital. To welcome them, the senior nurses organized a simple welcoming ceremony.

“You two are finally here.”

“Qin Yao looks even thinner now, thinner than when we were in training.”

“All they eat on the sea is fish. It’s no wonder they’re not strong. I’ve never seen a fat person by the seaside.”

“Come eat some fruit!”

…

Qin Yao picked up a small mango. The skin was hard to peel, and in the end, it was uneven, but when she took a bite, it was sweet and fragrant, with a rich fruity flavor and a hint of sourness.

“This was just picked, and if you leave it for a few more days, it’ll be so sweet it’ll make you sick.” 

“On our island, we have plenty of fruit. There are fruit trees in many of the villages around here, all grown by the locals. They sell them for just a few cents, and you can pick all the longans and mangoes you want from the trees.”

The farmers on the island grow fruit trees in their small plots, and they don’t require much care. These trees bear fruit all year round. Fruits like lychees and longans spoil quickly after being picked, so locals are happy to sell them for just a few cents in exchange for something to eat.

Qin Yao put on her white nurse uniform and cap. It was her first day at work, so she was just getting familiar with the environment. Later, she still had to clean the dormitory and make the bed.

“Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin, you’re here?”

Head Nurse Ge called Qin Yao into her office. There were dark circles under her eyes, stacked in several layers, clearly indicating that she hadn’t slept well the night before and had something on her mind.

Yesterday, Commander Gu had come to the hospital and spoken to her.

When she saw Qin Yao today, Head Nurse Ge, with her exhausted yet bright eyes, flashed a knowing glance. She thought to herself, no wonder—men are all the same, they’re all lustful.

Compared to the Qin Yao from months ago, the girl in front of her had lost the baby fat, and her eyes seemed to hold a watery depth. Her cheeks were still as delicate and fair as ever, but she now looked like a blooming red tea flower—strikingly beautiful.

Even though she had lost weight, her figure wasn’t thin and frail. Instead, she looked healthy and full of life, her body proportional and vibrant.

What was even more surprising was the calm, scholarly aura she carried—an unexpected elegance.

“Are you two in a relationship now?” Head Nurse Ge asked.

Qin Yao shook her head slightly. “Sort of, but not exactly. There’s still a trial period.”

Her relationship with Gu Cheng was very ambiguous. They had agreed on a three-month trial period, and after that, they would decide whether to officially date. However, Gu Cheng was already impatient, practically announcing their relationship as if it were official.

If Qin Yao refused, he would give her a pitiful look, as if saying, “You kissed me, now you want to back out? Are you trying to play the bad girl?”

That look was so wrong, it made Qin Yao want to raise the white flag and cry for help. It was unfair!

When Gu Cheng wasn’t intentionally showing a cold and serious demeanor, his face looked like a flawless young college student—pure and innocent, without a trace of any ill intentions.

—It made her heart flutter and left her unable to resist.

Qin Yao, momentarily confused, agreed. Afterwards, she thought, “Men’s looks can really be misleading.” Fortunately, Gu Cheng didn’t realize how powerful his charm was.

Next time they met, she hoped to see “Commander Gu” in his official role, not the boyish “Xiao Gu” behind the scenes. The experience of “King Zhou” might be delightful at first, but too much of it could lead to regrets and exhaustion.

“Heh.” Head Nurse Ge sneered a few times. “A trial period? He really thinks highly of himself, doesn’t he? How about he just fly up to the sky while he’s at it?”

Qin Yao: “?!”

The room fell into a heavy silence, with only the rustling of paper documents as the wind blew through the room. Qin Yao remained quiet, while Head Nurse Ge’s face was filled with mockery and disdain.

“Men and women look at each other, and when they’re right for each other, they’re together. If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t. This is the first time I’ve heard someone talk about a trial period for a relationship. Do they have no shame? These so-called leaders have really gone too far,” Head Nurse Ge grumbled, holding Qin Yao’s hand, her tone filled with anger.

Qin Yao was trying to keep a serious face, learning from Gu Cheng’s expression, because this was something he was really good at—being emotionless and expressionless.

Head Nurse Ge’s words, however, felt like a direct insult aimed at her.

It was Qin Yao who suggested the trial period.

Qin Yao kept her face stiff, trying to maintain a calm tone as she asked, “What did Commander Gu say to you?”

“He came over yesterday,” Head Nurse Ge mimicked Gu Cheng’s cold demeanor, with raised eyebrows and a stern look, her chin slightly tilted. She had to admit, she did a pretty good job mimicking him. “At first, I thought he was going to talk to me about something serious. I was nervous. But then he started talking about wanting to date you.”

His official tone was completely unlike that of a man talking about a relationship. There was none of the usual awkwardness that other men displayed when talking to her.

Head Nurse Ge was taken aback, but she didn’t dare to ask too many questions.

“I told him, ‘Don’t ruin a marriage just to build a temple.’ I asked him, ‘Are you two dating?’ He actually said no, and mentioned the trial period of three months. Ha, men these days…”

Qin Yao: “…”

Qin Yao looked up at the ceiling, watching the fan turn and blow cool air on her.

Head Nurse Ge noticed Qin Yao’s expression and sighed. “Commander Gu is a great catch. He’s a good man and very popular with young girls. You’re no exception. If you two end up together, it’ll be a good thing.”

“However, if you choose him, be prepared to endure some hardships.”

“Xiao Qin, you can go talk to Nurse Xu Yun. She’s a good woman, and you can learn how to handle men from her. If you do that, you might get through the trial period.”

Head Nurse Ge wasn’t trying to discourage Qin Yao, she was actually encouraging her. However, she knew that Gu Cheng was stubborn and difficult to deal with. It would be hard for Qin Yao, and she’d likely face some challenges.

Qin Yao: “…”

What else could she say? She nodded.

This was what you call shooting yourself in the foot.

Gu Cheng, you big idiot!

“If you feel wronged, come find me. I’ll talk to Commander Gu for you,” Head Nurse Ge offered.

On her first day of work, Qin Yao didn’t have many tasks. She ate lunch in the canteen, helped organize equipment in the afternoon, and was then asked to clean the dormitory.

The hospital staff dorms were small—just a ten-square-meter room shared between two people. It had a simple wooden door painted green, and inside were two basic iron-frame hospital beds. Yes, “hospital beds.”

The old, worn-out hospital bed was about 1.2 meters long, painted green, with a number marked on it. Zhang Yufei chose the iron bed inside, while Qin Yao took the bed near the corridor. Each bed had a brown two-tier wooden cabinet beside it, with drawers on top and pull-out doors below.

The window was made of two wooden, painted panels. If the curtains weren’t drawn, anyone standing in the corridor could clearly see into the room. Beneath the window was a yellow desk with peeling paint and a wooden chair.

At the other end of the room, there was a single window that opened outward. Below it was a narrow washbasin, with a small restroom to the right, about one square meter in size.

The room was too cramped. If they wanted to cook or boil water, they’d have to go out into the corridor.

Qin Yao suggested, “Let’s buy a stove together, so we can boil water with the furnace at night.”

The climate here wasn’t cold except for a couple of months in winter. Most of the time, they could bathe with cold water, but Qin Yao couldn’t stand cold showers. She wanted to have hot water.

Zhang Yufei hesitated. “Wouldn’t that be a waste?” Boiling water with coal or firewood would cost money.

“Just be frugal. We’ll boil a big pot of hot water at once, and mix it with cold water when using it,” Qin Yao insisted on hot showers. “When we have time, we can go collect firewood outside together.”

“Okay.”

At the hospital, they were given a small piece of land to grow vegetables. Qin Yao planned to plant some vegetables and a couple of fruit trees.

The vegetables they grew could be cooked and eaten, and the hospital cafeteria would also accept them, giving credits or money in return, depending on the quality. It was very flexible.

Qin Yao, wearing a dust mask, cleaned the room with Zhang Yuqin. She was in a good mood. No matter what, this was a place that temporarily belonged to her. The conditions were acceptable for the two of them.

Chen Baozhen’s house was spacious, but since she and her husband had just married and didn’t have children, Qin Yao was just staying there as a guest, which wasn’t entirely convenient.

Moreover, she now had a small vegetable plot of her own.

She didn’t have time to check the plot today, but planned to tidy it up in a couple of days.

Since she and Zhang Yufei arrived last, the narrow room was cluttered with four or five old, blue oxygen tanks. They probably came from other rooms where people had moved in, and the tanks were stored here. Qin Yao and Zhang Yufei tried to lift them but found them too heavy. They couldn’t move them and decided to find someone to remove them tomorrow.

Qin Yao used a long broom to sweep the cobwebs on the ceiling. Walking to the balcony, she continued sweeping while avoiding the dust. After finishing, she let out a sigh of relief and lightly patted the air as if to comfort herself.

As she turned her head, she noticed a familiar figure in a white military uniform standing not far from the building.

Their eyes met.

Gu Cheng had been watching her for a while. At that moment, he felt both guilty and excited. He had submitted a report on his relationship, and his superiors were aware of it, giving him more leeway. After returning from the sea, he was supposed to rest, but his day was filled with administrative tasks like paperwork, personnel adjustments, organizing events, and giving lectures.

In the afternoon, after finishing his duties, he came to the military hospital to see his beloved.

Gu Cheng was getting older, and his leaders hoped he would settle down. Since the girl was in the area, they thought he should meet her more often.

“Commander Gu.” Qin Yao quickly walked downstairs and stood in front of him. She was in such a rush that she hadn’t put down the broom. She was holding the long broom when she stood still and felt a little embarrassed, thinking she probably looked like a witch from a fairytale riding a broomstick.

Gu Cheng stood at the bottom of the stairs, still trying to maintain a cold and aloof appearance, but when he saw Qin Yao, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. He swallowed, cursing himself inwardly. “It’s just a girl. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Afraid that she would ask him to stand downstairs as punishment, he said “yes” loudly.

The corridors had a good view, and with the noise, many people would likely be watching.

“Yaoyao.” Gu Cheng quickly placed two large white rabbit candies into Qin Yao’s mouth. When he felt guilty, he bit his lip and blinked nervously.

Qin Yao: “!”

This was so embarrassing.

“Commander Gu, seriously!”