When An Xin heard Xiao Zhong’s words, she raised an eyebrow, found a chair, and sat down. She questioned him teasingly:

“Oh, that sounds like it has a lot of meaning. You’re a young man—why are you so restless?”

Here she was, a married woman with a husband, and even though her marriage wasn’t ideal from the start, she wasn’t half as bothered as he seemed to be.

Kai Zi took a drag of his cigarette, glanced at Xiao Zhong, then at An Xin. Slowly, he said:

“This kid isn’t upset because of today’s trucking job. He’s upset over personal matters. Don’t worry about him.”

After all, the transportation work was arranged by An Xin, and they were just here to carry it out. If the rain made it impossible to meet the timeline, An Xin, as the one who signed the contract, would bear the brunt. They didn’t need to stress over it.

Nearby, San Mao seized the moment when An Yang was returning with washed vegetables to snatch a cucumber from her hands. Stuffing it into his mouth, he explained:

“Exactly! You don’t know yet, An Xin. While Xiao Zhong was out driving today, his girlfriend came to visit him. But since he had to leave for the job, he left her at home. When he went back during his break, guess what? She was gone!”

Hearing this, An Xin finally understood Xiao Zhong’s troubles. It wasn’t something an outsider could fix, so she offered a bit of comfort:

“It’s okay. An Yang is almost done cooking. After you all eat quickly, go home and do what you need to do. Those who need to coax their girlfriends, go coax them. Those who need to reassure their families, go reassure them.”

Kai Zi, the single dog: “…”

Wasn’t this a direct stab at his lonely heart? Of the three of them, only Xiao Zhong had a girlfriend. The rest were still single.

San Mao, the other single dog: “…”

Forget girlfriends—he didn’t even have family nearby. Living in the provincial city with Kai Zi, he was used to a carefree, bachelor’s life. Girlfriends? Who knew where they were?

The room fell silent.

Just then, Bai Yichen, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, walked in and found everyone collectively sulking. He strode over to An Xin, touched her clothes, and found them still slightly damp. Pointing toward the washroom, he said:

“Before dinner starts, go take a shower and change into something dry. Don’t catch a cold.”

Everyone else: “…”

The concern came in so strongly that the single men, already stung by An Xin’s earlier words, felt utterly defeated.

An Xin, however, didn’t notice their gloom. She waved her hand dismissively and said:

“I’ll shower after dinner. My clothes are almost dry anyway. You chat with Kai Zi and the others; I’ll go help in the kitchen.”

It was already late, and everyone was likely hungry. It made more sense to help get the food ready so they could eat and then go about their evening tasks.

Besides, her clothes had been soaked earlier that day when she gave Cui Yusong a ride in the rain. By now, they were mostly dry. There was no rush.

Luckily, An Yang was efficient. When An Xin entered the kitchen, she was just finishing up.

“Sister, perfect timing. Help take these dishes out.”

An Yang glanced up from the stove, spotting her sister entering the kitchen. She quickly handed her a tray of dishes.

An Xin walked over and saw the countertop filled with a variety of dishes that smelled and looked delicious: stir-fried pork intestines, braised pig trotters, minced meat with green peas, vegetable soup, garlic eggplant, stir-fried green beans, and a cold cucumber salad. Everything looked incredibly appetizing.

An Xin couldn’t help but praise out loud.
“Wow, my little Sister’s cooking is getting better and better. I’ll be eating well from now on!”

As for the stir-fried pork intestines and braised pig’s trotters, Anxin only mentioned them briefly, but Anyang already made them, showed how thoughtful she was.

“That’s only because of you, Sister. Otherwise, I’d have been clueless about what to cook.”

An Xin continued to shamelessly flatter her:
“It’s because you’re smart. You learned it as soon as I gave you some pointers

An Yang: “…”

Oh, I’m just a little girl, is it really okay to praise me like this? I will become arrogant.

Pig intestines and trotters weren’t anything fancy in the 1980s. They were considered scraps—not as fatty as pork lard, nor as desirable as pork belly—and were relatively cheap. But when prepared well, they could be even tastier than regular pork.

An Xin’s space had plenty of higher-quality meat, but given the family’s modest circumstances, bringing out the good stuff all the time would only raise suspicion. Scraps like intestines and trotters, however, could be cooked regularly without anyone questioning it.

With the food quickly brought out, everyone gathered around the table and ate heartily before heading their separate ways.

After dinner, An Xin grabbed some clean clothes and took a shower. By the time she emerged, smelling fresh and clean, the moon was already high in the sky.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t destined to be a peaceful night. Perhaps due to getting caught in the rain earlier, An Xin developed a high fever in the middle of the night. When Bai Yichen noticed her body was unusually hot, she was already flushed red and semi-conscious.

Bai Yichen quickly got out of bed, dressed, and gently patted her burning cheeks. His usually calm voice betrayed a hint of urgency.

“An Xin, I think you have a fever.”

Half-dazed, An Xin felt the soft pats on her face and grumbled, swatting at him weakly.

“Ugh, stop buzzing around like a fly. I’m tired. Let me sleep.”

Worried, Bai Yichen placed his hand on her forehead, feeling the heat radiate from her skin. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he pressed his forehead against hers to better gauge her temperature.

She was burning up. He berated himself for not being more insistent earlier. He should have made her change into dry clothes the moment they got home.

Who would’ve thought that this usually strong, fearless woman could catch such a bad fever after getting wet in the rain?

He quickly dressed her, murmuring:
“Don’t sleep yet. We’re going to the hospital.”

Luckily, the provincial hospital was close by. Within minutes, he could have her in professional care.

Once he had her bundled up, Bai Yichen bent down, carried her on his back, and rushed toward the hospital.