Chapter 24.1

The scorching heat suddenly invaded his icy embrace, causing Lu Yu to furrow his brow uncomfortably. Jiang Nian shivered from the cold, her eyes slowly opening unconsciously, taking in the warm, yellow room. Sensing the external force on her shoulders, she weakly turned her head and saw a slender hand gripping her shoulder.

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, slowly turning her head in the opposite direction. She lifted her gaze to find Lu Yu sitting beside the bed, half embracing her. His clothes were soaked, his neat short hair adorned with water droplets that slid down his sharp brow.

Seeing Jiang Nian awake, a flicker of unnatural expression briefly passed over Lu Yu’s face. He picked up the fever-reducing medicine and handed it to her. “You have a fever. Take this medicine first. I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow.”

Feeling the blazing heat in his arms, Lu Yu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and glanced at the half-open door.

Jiang Nian struggled to lift her hand, but halfway through, she lacked strength and it flopped weakly onto the blanket. She glanced at the hand stretched out in front of her,then moved her head forward slightly, curling her tongue around the medicine held by the man’s fingers.

The icy temperature cooled her tongue for a moment before the intense bitterness flooded her mouth. Jiang Nian frowned in discomfort. “So bitter… water…”

Lu Yu froze.

The blazing heat swiftly passed through his fingertips, which still carried Jiang Nian’s warmth. He pursed his thin lips tightly, a trace of red creeping up to his ears.

Hearing Jiang Nian’s plea for water, Lu Yu snapped back to reality, picking up the enamel cup and offering it to her. Jiang Nian weakly said, “I don’t have the strength.”

As the medicine dissolved in her mouth, its bitter taste surged down her throat.

When Lu Yu handed the enamel cup to her mouth, Jiang Nian lowered her head and took several sips, but there was still a faint bitter taste in her mouth, which was not very comfortable.

Lu Yu, wary of transferring his coldness to Jiang Nian, and feeling awkward and uncomfortable in their current proximity, helped her lie back down after she finished drinking. Then, he stood up and left the room.

“Lu Yu.”

Jiang Nian watched his figure reach the doorway and spoke softly. “I want to eat a piece of milk candy.”

She coughed twice and continued, “The candy is in the cabinet.”

“Okay,” Lu Yu replied.

Turning to the cabinet, Lu Yu found three pieces of milk candy tucked in the corner. He took one and walked to the window of the room, lowering his eyes to gaze at the frail Jiang Nian, her cheeks flushed from fever and her wet eyelashes. Finally, he peeled open the candy wrapper and handed it to her.

Jiang Nian placed the milk candy in her mouth, instantly masking the bitterness with its sweetness.

She coughed a few more times and asked, “Why are you back? Has the village bridge been repaired?”

Lu Yu crumpled the candy wrapper in his palm and responded, “Yes.”

Then, he quickly turned and walked out of the room, saying as he closed the door behind him, “I’ll make some rice porridge.”

Once the door closed, Jiang Nian closed her eyes and her mind was in turmoil.

According to the plot, shouldn’t the rescue take two days?

How was it resolved in just one day?

She couldn’t figure it out, and decided not to dwell on it. After all, the plot had already gone awry, and she couldn’t go back. Thinking more about it would only lead to unnecessary worry.

Lu Yu made some rice porridge, stir-fried some vegetables, and steamed a bowl of egg custard. After preparing the food, he brought it to Jiang Nian’s room. She was feeling a bit better after taking the fever medicine earlier. Weakly propping herself up against the bedhead, she leaned against a pillow, her head against the mud wall lined with newspaper.

The aroma of the food spread throughout the room, and Jiang Nian was indeed feeling a bit hungry.

She took the bowl of egg custard that Lu Yu brought over, scooping up a bit with a spoon and eating it. She looked up at Lu Yu standing by the bedside. He was still wearing the same wet clothes, which clung to his body, outlining his well-defined muscles. His arm, hanging by his side, looked strong and powerful.

Jiang Nian quickly looked down, staring attentively at the egg custard in her bowl. She murmured softly, “You should go back to your room and change into dry clothes soon, to avoid catching a cold.”

“I’m fine,” Lu Yu replied.

He had a tough physique, honed through military training. He could withstand training shirtless in the snow during the depths of winter.

Turning around, Lu Yu placed the stir-fried vegetables and rice porridge on the small table beside the bed. “You eat first. I’ll come back to clean up later.”

Jiang Nian nodded softly. 

As Lu Yu turned and left the room, she let out a sigh of relief.

In her mind, she kept repeating: ‘Don’t look where you shouldn’t.’

Otherwise, if Lu Yu discovered her thoughts, it would be incredibly awkward when they were alone together in the future.

Jiang Nian didn’t eat much, after finishing a bowl of egg custard and a few bites of vegetables, she lay back down on the bed. Listening to the rain outside, she soon heard footsteps entering the room from outside. She turned her head and saw Lu Yu walking in.

Glancing at the half-eaten bowl of porridge and mostly untouched vegetables on the table, Lu Yu furrowed his brows slightly. “Sister-in-law, have you eaten enough?”

Jiang Nian nodded softly. “I’m done.”

Lu Yu…

Sister-in-law usually has a small appetite and doesn’t eat much. I didn’t expect that she ate even less after she fell ill.

“What’s the difference between this and feeding chickens?”

Lu Yu noticed her face wasn’t as flushed as before, realizing her fever had subsided.

“Sister-in-law, rest a bit more. When it’s light out, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Mm.”

She watched Lu Yu carry out plates and bowls, considerately closing the door behind her.

Jiang Nian dozed off again and woke up around noon.

During this time, Lu Yu came in twice to check her temperature, finding it consistently cool, so he didn’t wake her.

Jiang Nian got up, dressed, washed up, and had some rice porridge before following Lu Yu to the hospital.

The heavy rain had stopped, replaced by a light drizzle. She wore a patched coat and held an umbrella, following behind Lu Yu. She stepped into his footprints—his feet were large, and the path was clear, not muddy.

Just as they left the army, Jiang Nian heard footsteps and murmurs behind her.

“Damn it, because of you, my son broke his leg. I’ll break your son’s leg!”

“Damn it, what’s there to steal in a broken school bag!”

The voice was all too familiar to Jiang Nian—it was Zheng Hong.

She turned to see Zheng Hong, with a gloomy face and mud-splattered pants, muttering as she walked.

Zheng Hong spotted Jiang Nian ahead. At first, she was about to scold her but then noticed 

Deputy Commander Lu, walking ahead of her. She swallowed her words.

Jiang Nian saw through her, her eyes openly mocking.

Just a spineless troublemaker who fears the tough.

Ignoring them, Zheng Hong ran quickly with her cloth bag, splattering mud on her pants.

Lu Yu just glanced at Zheng Hong’s back and looked away.

He had learned about yesterday afternoon’s incident last night from the soldiers in the battalion. In a previous life, Song Xiangdong had developed a chronic illness after catching a fever, making his body weak. To prevent this from happening again, Lu Yu had arranged for Zhu Jun to send some children home early.

However, he hadn’t expected Lu Zhijun to clash with Song Xiangdong over a school bag.

Thinking of the embroidered pattern on Song Xiangdong’s school bag yesterday morning, he asked about it. Song Xiangdong said aunt Jiang had embroidered it.

He had never known his sister-in-law had such skills.

The two walked along a tree-lined path. Ahead was a large puddle, with mud and water on both sides, filled with many footprints. Jiang Nian glanced at her cloth shoes, if she walked through here, her feet would likely be covered in mud.

She stopped, hesitating which foot to lift first, when suddenly someone crouched down in front of her. Lu Yu’s voice was deep and firm, “Sister-in-law, I’ll carry you across.”

Jiang Nian gripped the umbrella handle tightly and whispered, “Mm.”

She suppressed the urge to smile. Not only would she keep her feet clean, but Lu Yu was also really considerate. When he gets married in the future, she’ll make sure to organize a grand wedding for him.

A big, beautiful one.

Lu Yu’s clothes were slightly damp, but fortunately Jiang Nian had on an extra layer, protecting her from the dampness.

She leaned on Lu Yu’s back, her hand around his neck. As he stood up, she realized for the first time that her usual eye level, looking at the ground, was quite different from Lu Yu’s eye level.

He’s quite tall.

They walked through the muddy path for quite a distance before Lu Yu set her down and took her to the hospital.

It was the same Dr. Wang who examined her last time. Dr. Wang was surprised to see Jiang Nian again and smiled, “Why are you here again?”

Jiang Nian: …

Of course, she came for a check-up.

Who would go to the hospital for fun?

Lu Yu said, “She had a fever last night and took a fever reducer.”

Dr. Wang nodded, examined Jiang Nian, and asked where she felt uncomfortable. For each question Dr. Wang asked, Jiang Nian responded. After the examination, Dr. Wang wrote a prescription and handed it to Lu Yu, “She caught a cold from getting caught in the rain, with inflammation and swelling in her throat. She should stay in the hospital for a couple of days on IV fluids, and she’ll be fine.”

Lu Yu nodded, “Mm.”

Dr. Wang added, “Her long-term malnutrition has weakened her body, making her susceptible to illness in the cold. Make sure she gets plenty of nutrition and rest well for a few years, and she’ll recover.”

After finishing, Dr. Wang noticed a small scar on Jiang Nian’s forehead, barely noticeable without close inspection.

“Thank you, Dr. Wang,” Lu Yu said.

Dr. Wang called out, “Cai Jing, take this patient to the ward and arrange a bed for her.”

“Got it.”

A nurse in an old-fashioned white coat, with two small braids and a small red mole under her right eye, entered. Dr. Wang paused, “Where’s Cai Jing?”

Sun Ying smiled, “She’s having lunch, so I’m covering for her.”

Dr. Wang nodded and gestured towards Jiang Nian, “Take this patient to the ward.”

Then he handed her a form.

Sun Ying took the form, glanced at Jiang Nian, briefly looked away, then her gaze returned to her.

She hadn’t expected to meet her here.

She glanced at the man behind Jiang Nian. He was dressed in the same military green uniform as last time, looking down at the ground, his features cold and handsome, holding a form. His fingers were long and elegant, and his aura seemed a bit colder than last time.

Sun Ying’s calm heart suddenly skipped a few beats. Despite meeting this unfamiliar man again, she felt strangely familiar, as if they had met before, yet she was certain she had never seen him.

Their interactions seemed limited to her dreams.

Since last seeing him, she had dreamed of sitting face-to-face with him on a train, and later, she dreamed of reporting to the hospital while he returned to the army. In her dreams, it was like another world where she knew this person, and he introduced himself as Lu Yu.

“Why are you still standing there?” Dr. Wang noticed Sun Ying’s hesitation and glanced up at her.

Sun Ying snapped back to her senses, her face blushing slightly. She quickly lowered her head and said, “Comrade, please follow me.”

Jiang Nian nodded gently. Before leaving, she glanced back at Lu Yu, and their eyes met.

Thus, her curiosity and confusion were unexpectedly noticed by Lu Yu. His eyebrows furrowed imperceptibly, thinking she was still trying to set him up with Sun Ying. His voice unconsciously turned colder, “Sister-in-law, you go to the ward first, I’ll go pay.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Nian lowered her head and followed Sun Ying to the ward.

Her bed was in the middle, with people on the two beds by the window and the door. One was a woman around thirty years old, with a girl of about ten years old sitting beside her, likely her daughter. The other bed was occupied by an elderly lady, accompanied by a middle-aged man who bore a resemblance to her, probably her son.

Sun Ying said, “This is your bed.”

Jiang Nian thanked her and sat on the bed. Instead of leaving, Sun Ying stood there. Curious, Jiang Nian raised her head and heard Sun Ying ask her quietly, “Are you his sister-in-law?”

Jiang Nian: ???

She pursed her lips and nodded, “Um.”

Sun Ying chuckled awkwardly and asked again, “Is he called Lu Yu? The deputy regiment commander of the military district?”

Jiang Nian: ???

Goodness, how did the female lead know?

Could it be that she went to the military specifically to inquire about Lu Yu’s information?!

Jiang Nian was not in the mood to play matchmaker between the female lead and the male lead anymore. The plot was falling apart, and she couldn’t go back. Besides, Lu Yu wasn’t interested either. She didn’t want to do something thankless and annoying.

Jiang Nian just nodded, “Um.”

Out of normal curiosity, she pretended to be talkative and asked, “How did you know?”

Sun Ying hesitated, and just then a voice came from outside, “Nurse Sun——”

Sun Ying said, “I’ll bring you the medicine to inject later.”

After saying that, she left.

Jiang Nian collected her thoughts and sat on the bed, looking out the window. The hospital at this time was better than the countryside, built of bricks with green wooden windows and six pieces of glass installed. The reflections on the glass showed people walking back and forth outside the window.

After a while, Lu Yu returned with two buns and a new bedsheet in his hands, made of the old rough fabric. He placed the buns on the table and said to Jiang Nian, “Let me make the bed.”

Jiang Nian understood what he meant. She didn’t know how many people had used this bed before. When she was hospitalized last time, Lu Yu also bought a sheet to make her bed. When he left, he took the sheet with him, and now it was still in her closet.

Lu Yu made the bed, and Jiang Nian took off her shoes and lay down.

The elderly lady in the adjacent bed noticed and looked at Lu Yu, saying with a smile, “You’re really good to your wife.”

Lu Yu: …

Jiang Nian: …

Lu Yu glanced at Jiang Nian leaning against the head of the bed and nodded to the elderly lady, “It’s natural.”

Jiang Nian raised her head in an instant and saw Lu Yu looking at the old lady, and he was indifferent to her gaze.

Jiang Nian: ???

Lu Yu bought a military green thermos, went to fetch water for her, and left without looking at her again.

In the ward, there was the sound of the elderly lady and the woman on the neighboring bed chatting. Jiang Nian sat quietly on the bed, holding the buns Lu Yu had bought for her. She took a bite and tasted the rich meat flavor.

The elderly lady sniffed the air with her nose, and the woman near the bed’s door also smelled it. Almost everyone in the ward looked at her at the same time, their eyes showing a longing for the meat bun.

Jiang Nian: …

The meat bun in her mouth was hard to swallow. She put it in her pocket and didn’t say anything more.

The elderly lady said, “Your husband is really good to you. I can tell from his clothes, is he a soldier?”

Lu Yu had already admitted their relationship as husband and wife earlier, and she didn’t want to expose his identity, so she had to grit her teeth and say, “Um.”

The woman next to her also said, “How many years have you been married? Both of you still look young. Have you had children? A boy or a girl?”

Jiang Nian: …

She felt a headache coming on and casually answered, “We’ve been married for four years and haven’t had children.”

The elderly lady immediately became gossipy, “Four years of marriage and no children?”

She glanced at Jiang Nian’s belly and, quicker than her brain, asked curiously, “Is it your problem or your husband’s?”

The middle-aged man next to her glared at the old lady and said, “Mom, can you please stop meddling in other people’s business? You are like this at home and you are still like this outside. If you are not ashamed of it, then I am.”

The elderly lady ignored her son’s words entirely and asked Jiang Nian again as if she wouldn’t give up without an answer.

The woman near the door of the ward also looked at Jiang Nian with a hint of schadenfreude on her face. She couldn’t give birth to a son either. She had given birth to three daughters in a row, and now she was finally pregnant again, almost suffering a miscarriage. Her mother-in-law and husband were both sure it was a boy, so they had her hospitalized.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t dare to come to this hospital in her lifetime.

Jiang Nian felt that Lu Yu had caused trouble. If he explained their relationship, would it end with people prying into their private matters?

She leaned against the bed, feeling a little weak, and told a lie, “It’s my husband’s problem.”

Just as Lu Yu walked outside the ward, he suddenly heard Jiang Nian’s words. His eyebrows furrowed, and he pursed his lips, carrying the thermos and walking into the ward.

Instantly, the eyes of the elderly lady and the middle-aged woman all fell on Lu Yu. The expressions on their faces were somewhat pitiful, and even the middle-aged man looked at him sympathetically.

Lu Yu frowned slightly, thinking of the words Jiang Nian had just said outside the ward.

— “It’s my husband’s problem.”

Jiang Nian saw Lu Yu and her heart skipped a beat. When he looked over, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to breathe loudly.

Lu Yu glanced at Jiang Nian, whose head was drooping like a quail’s, and placed the kettle on the table. Seeing her holding a cloth bag, he said, “Steamed buns are not tasty when cold. It’s better to eat them while they’re hot.”

Jiang Nian pursed her lips, looking at her fingers that had almost turned into bamboo sticks, and reluctantly murmured, “Mm.”

She swore never to speak ill of Lu Yu behind his back again!

Sitting like this was awkward, but fortunately, there was an elderly lady and another woman chatting nearby.

Jiang Nian took out a steamed bun and nibbled at it. She dared not lift her head to look at Lu Yu standing beside the bed, only sneaking occasional glances at his long, straight legs, cursing herself inwardly.

If only she had admitted it was her fault from the beginning.

*Cough cough—*

Her throat burned, and swallowing the food was uncomfortable, making her cough involuntarily. A hand reached out in front of her, holding a military-green thermos cap containing hot water, steam rising gently.

Lu Yu’s voice came from above, “Have some water.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Nian lifted her head slightly, took the cup from him, and took a sip. She caught a glimpse of Lu Yu’s gaze directed towards the window before she could finally relax. After finishing, she handed the cup back.

Sun Ying came over to give Jiang Nian an injection. She glanced at Lu Yu standing by the bed and felt somewhat distracted.

She didn’t understand why she dreamt of a man she had only met briefly?

*Hiss—*

Jiang Nian winced as she raised her head, blood oozing from the needle mark on her hand.

Sun Ying snapped back to reality and realized she had accidentally pricked off-center. Startled, she said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Jiang Nian intended to reassure her, but Lu Yu’s low, stern voice suddenly cut in from above, and he took the needle from Sun Ying’s hand.

“I’ll call another nurse.”

The man walked out of the ward coldly, denying Sun Ying any chance to explain.

Jiang Nian was also stunned, staring blankly as she watched Sun Ying’s pale and aggrieved face. She pursed her lips and said nothing, simply bowing her head to press on the needle mark on her hand.

Two minutes later, Lu Yu returned with another nurse to administer the injection for Jiang Nian. Sun Ying glanced at the handsome yet aloof man and recalled his smiling face in her dream, feeling conflicted and somewhat unable to accept it.

She murmured with discomfort, “I didn’t mean to earlier. There’s no need for you to be so angry.”

Lu Yu watched as the other nurse successfully administered the injection to Jiang Nian, his tone icy, “As a medical professional, your mistakes could cause irreversible harm to patients. If something were to happen, apologies wouldn’t suffice.”

Sun Ying’s eyes reddened with distress.

Coming from a privileged background, she had been pampered by her parents since childhood and surrounded by friends who doted on her. She had never before been publicly criticized. She couldn’t help but tighten her lips in grievance, tears welling in her eyes, making her small beauty mark under her eye even more captivating.

Jiang Nian couldn’t help but marvel at her appearance.

No wonder she was the female lead. Her vulnerable appearance was genuinely alluring, enough to soften even a woman like her.

The elderly lady’s son turned to glance at Sun Ying, his eyes flashing with admiration. He looked at Lu Yu and said, “Even the nurse said it wasn’t intentional. Why are you, a grown man, so petty?”

Lu Yu gave the middle-aged man a cold look. “It’s not your mother who’s in pain.”

The middle-aged man wanted to retort but was slapped on the back of his head by the elderly lady. “He’s right. Nurses do important work saving lives. If something goes wrong, who takes responsibility? Are you the only one who can be magnanimous?”

After being slapped, the middle-aged man immediately stopped talking.

Sun Ying watched Lu Yu’s cold expression, covered her mouth, cried, and ran out.

The other nurse carefully gave Jiang Nian the injection and quickly left.

In the corridor, Wu Youshan came out of the treatment room and saw Sun Ying crying in the corner of the corridor. Worried, he followed her, listened to her sobbing grievances, and asked, “Who bullied you?”

Sun Ying cried, “I accidentally pricked the needle in the wrong direction and was scolded by the patient’s family.” 

Wu Youshan said angrily, “It is true that poor places produce unruly people. The people in this broken county are just troublesome. Who hasn’t made a mistake?”

The drip was working slowly. Jiang Nian looked at Lu Yu sitting at the foot of the bed, dividing her medicine.

It was assigned by Dr. Wang.

The drip continued until dark. Jiang Nian slept for a while, and Lu Yu occasionally checked the drip and reached out to touch Jiang Nian’s forehead. The elderly lady and middle-aged woman nearby felt both envy and pity for this husband.

If he couldn’t perform in bed, it meant he would never have offspring in his lifetime.

Ah, what a waste of such a handsome young man.

Jiang Nian woke up just as Lu Yu came back from the state-owned restaurant. He bought a bowl of millet porridge and noodles for dinner. Jiang Nian went to the bathroom. When she came out, she saw a pair of men and women walking together in the corridor.

The woman was Sun Ying, and she called the man next to her Wu Youshan. 

When Sun Ying saw Jiang Nian, she hesitated for a moment, nodded at her politely, and left.

Jiang Nian’s gaze fell on Wu Yuoshan’s back. The book mentioned Wu Youshan in detail. He and Sun Ying lived in the same compound and were childhood friends. Wu Youshan had always liked Sun Ying. After Sun Ying got together with the male lead, Wu Youshan refused to give up and occasionally pestered Sun Ying.

She returned to the ward and saw Lu Yu sitting at the foot of the bed. When she came back, he got up, lifted the blanket, and let her lie down. Jiang Nian was quite surprised by his attentive care.

**