CHAPTER 21: Sickness 

Men and women should keep their distance.

She decided to play dead and pretend she hadn’t heard him.

Holding his waist was out of the question. Even if they really were in a relationship, it still wouldn’t happen.

Out of her line of sight, Fu Mobai’s lips curved in amusement. Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, he pedaled toward the next village.

The dirt road ahead was full of potholes, and Su Yuan’s heart trembled with every bump. She wanted to grab onto something to keep from falling, but after glancing around, she realized there was nothing to hold except his clothes—or his waist.

Which would be more embarrassing—falling off or breaking the barrier between them and grabbing his waist?

She frowned, weighing her options, and finally, very quietly, reached out to pinch the edge of his coat. When he didn’t seem to notice, she tightened her grip just a little more.

The chilly autumn wind swept past, and before she realized it, her ears had turned red.

—

Li Shu’s home sat at the foot of a mountain in the neighboring village, with only two other households nearby. The place looked bleak, and at night it was eerily silent. Su Yuan was very glad she had Fu Mobai with her.

The bicycle stopped outside the Li family’s gate. Fu Mobai didn’t follow her in; instead, he stood quietly beside his bike.

“If anything happens, call me.”

“Okay, I will.”

After saying goodbye, Su Yuan pushed open the wooden fence gate. Inside the yard, vegetables grew in neat rows, while tools were piled haphazardly in a corner.

Plain and simple—yet disorderly.

Li Shu, knowing she was coming today, hurried out when he heard movement. As he drew close, he gave her a cheeky wink and whispered, “Teacher, please go easy on me.”

Thinking of how naughty he usually was, Su Yuan deliberately ignored him to make him nervous and walked straight ahead.

Just then, Li’s mother came out of the house, beaming. “You must be Teacher Su? Please come in. Did my Xiao Shu get into trouble at school again?”

Faced with a parent, Su Yuan smiled politely, first introducing herself, then saying, “Li Shu is a very sensible child with a real talent for the arts. I’m just here for a routine home visit—he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Li’s mother didn’t know what “talent for the arts” meant, but hearing her son hadn’t caused trouble filled her with relief.

Once inside, Su Yuan’s eyes instinctively swept the room: yellowed newspapers covered the gray walls; apart from a heated brick bed, there was only a wooden chest piled high with odds and ends, including a few ears of corn.

Li’s mother invited her to sit at the edge of the bed, smiling awkwardly. “The house is a bit messy—please don’t laugh at us.”

Su Yuan said she didn’t mind, then asked, “Is Li Shu’s father at home? Actually, the reason I came today was to meet both parents.”

“This…” Li’s mother looked uncomfortable, stammering, “He went to visit relatives. He’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“Oh, that’s a pity.”

The home visit had been arranged days ago, so the parents should have known well in advance. Su Yuan’s eyes held a trace of thoughtfulness, but she didn’t press the matter.

Half an hour later, Su Yuan stepped out of the Li household.
Fu Mobai was still waiting in the same spot, flashlight in hand.

That quiet sense of safety wrapped around her like a warm blanket, and she quickened her steps toward him.

At the same time, he spotted her. Seeing that her mood seemed low, he asked softly,
“What’s wrong? The home visit didn’t go well?”

Whenever she faced him, Su Yuan always felt a little more at ease, her words tinged with an unnoticeable trace of girlish willfulness.

“It went… fairly well, I guess. I just didn’t get to meet the person I wanted to.”

“Who?”

“My student’s father. Come on, let’s head back—it’s getting colder by the minute.”

On the way back, he pedaled the bicycle while she held the flashlight to light the path ahead.

The dim yellow glow spilled into the night, peaceful and still. Then Su Yuan suddenly remembered something serious and asked quickly,
“It’s so late already—how are you getting back to Qingshan City?”

Fu Mobai kept his pedaling steady, answering with his usual calm,
“I borrowed a room in town for the night. It’s no problem.”

But she still felt guilty.
“It’s my fault. I’ve held you up so long.”

He chuckled at that.
“If you’d like to hold me up for a lifetime, I’d be more than happy.”

“…”

The flashlight in her hand trembled slightly.

She thought to herself: What on earth did this man go through in the Southern Military District? Sweet words just spill out of him like they cost nothing.

….

The next day.

Fu Mobai had become a local celebrity in Baiyun Village.

From the oldest elders in their seventies and eighties to toddlers barely three years old, everyone knew that Comrade Su had brought her soldier sweetheart home to meet the parents!

And that man—not only was he good-looking, he was generous too. Compared to Fang Erya’s man, he was far better!

This gossip reached the Fang household, making Fang Erya’s mother furious. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, so she dragged Fang Desheng with her to the city’s art troupe.

When Fang Erya heard they’d come, a flash of impatience crossed her face. But since they were already here, she had no choice but to meet them.

She led them to a nearby park and asked, “What’s wrong at home now? Didn’t I just give you money?”

Seeing her so snappish only made her mother angrier.

“When are you and Little Zhang going to get engaged? Just yesterday, Comrade Su’s man came to the village—he didn’t just give the Jiang family wool sweaters, he also brought good cigarettes, good liquor, and a pile of other fine things. Not like you! Not a single decent thing in sight. You barely had a jeep to show off, and even that was taken back by your leaders.”

At the mention of this, Fang Erya coughed awkwardly and hurried to defend herself.
“Little Zhang is highly valued by his leaders. He’ll have a bright future for sure. Don’t just look at immediate gains—don’t do anything to hold him back.”

But Fang Mother’s mind was still stuck on the lavish gifts from Fu Mobai and couldn’t hear any of that lofty talk.

“I don’t care what you say—our family must outdo the Jiang family. You need to get our face back.”

Fang Erya bit her lip hard, secretly seething at Su Yuan.
“Wasn’t her man stationed in the Southern Military District? How come it’s someone else now?”

“It’s not someone else—he was transferred from the south. If you ask me, Comrade Su’s got real means.”

Then Fang Mother recounted everything she’d seen yesterday, her voice brimming with envy.
“I don’t know what rank her man holds—maybe he’s even higher than Little Zhang.”

Fang Erya instantly shot back,
“No way. Little Zhang is already a deputy battalion commander. Su Yuan’s man isn’t that old—how could he have risen so fast? Don’t be fooled by all those gifts; that’s just putting on a show.”

Fang Mother thought it over and decided it sounded reasonable. She let the matter drop—for now—but before leaving, she reminded,
“Next time you come back, don’t forget to bring things home. And it had better be more than what the Jiangs get, you hear?”

“I know, I’ll make sure you get your face back.”

Just to make them leave sooner, Fang Erya had to agree, all while cursing Su Yuan up and down in her heart.

….

Meanwhile, at the township middle school office.

Su Yuan sneezed twice in a row. Sitting across from her, Teacher Zhao pulled out two tablets of aminopyrine from the drawer and handed them over.

“The temperature difference between morning and night has been big lately—you’d better wear more layers.”

“Thank you, I’ll be careful.” Su Yuan took the medicine, rubbing her nose. She figured she might have caught a chill last night.

Thinking of Fu Mobai in his thin clothes, she couldn’t help but worry about him too.

“Oh, by the way,” Teacher Zhao added, “three teachers are moving into our office tomorrow. The director asked me to tell you to come in early for a meeting.”

Su Yuan nodded and, pretending to be curious, asked, “Do you know who they are?”

Teacher Zhao counted on her fingers. “Teacher Qian, Teacher Yang, and Teacher Tan. They’re all good folks, nothing to worry about.”

There was only one Teacher Tan in the whole school. Su Yuan was pleasantly surprised—no scheming required, her problem had solved itself. What a stroke of luck.

….

At noon break.

For the first time, Fu Mobai was late.

A full ten minutes later, he appeared before Su Yuan. Today, he hadn’t driven—he came on a bicycle.

Handing her the lunchbox he carried, his voice was hoarse.
“I’ve got something to deal with today—take this back to your office to eat.”

Su Yuan noticed the unhealthy look on his face. “Are you… coming down with a cold?”

“I’m fine. Go on inside.”

But before the words had fully left his mouth, a cough racked him.

Her heart tightened. “Still saying you’re fine? Lower your head.”

He was tall—at least 1.9 meters. Only by bending down could she reach his forehead. Fu Mobai was momentarily startled but obediently lowered himself, the corners of his brows already hinting at a smile.

His forehead was burning hot. Su Yuan withdrew her hand, guilt washing over her. Last night, he’d braved the cold wind and slept on a chilly brick bed. If she hadn’t gone for that home visit, he wouldn’t have fallen ill.

“If you keep running a fever like this, you’ll burn your brain out. Have you taken medicine?”

“I have. It just hasn’t kicked in yet—it’ll be fine soon.”

He was trying to reassure her, but before the words had cooled, another cough hit, sounding even worse.

Recalling the foolish things he’d done as a boy, Su Yuan suspected he wasn’t telling the full truth. After a moment’s thought, she decided to take half a day off to look after him.

“I don’t need special care—don’t let me interfere with your work.”

“I don’t have class this afternoon, so it won’t affect me. Besides, you’ve always taken care of me—this time it’s only right I take care of you. Or… are you just afraid of taking medicine?”

Su Yuan looked straight at him, her gaze tinged with mischief.

When Fu Mobai was a child, he feared neither heaven nor earth—except for medicine and injections. Every time he got sick, he’d secretly bury his pills in the dirt, making his illness worse until someone had to pin him down for several days of painful shots before he recovered.

At her mention of the past, the man’s already flushed face grew even redder. Determined to prove himself, he finally agreed to let Su Yuan look after him.

After arranging leave, the two went to the small flat where he was temporarily staying.

It was close to the school, with a kitchen stocked with pots, bowls, and pans. Beyond that, the main room was empty. The sleeping area was the same—just a heated brick bed with a military-green quilt and a low kang table, nothing else.

“You lie down first, I’ll go boil some water.”

“No need. There’s hot water in the thermos.”

Fu Mobai didn’t let her busy herself further. Instead, he placed a lunchbox on the kang table, opened the lid, and motioned for her to eat.

Soon, the aroma of stewed fish filled the room, matching the faint fish scent lingering in the kitchen.

Su Yuan sniffed lightly. Combined with what she’d already noticed before, she could more or less guess the truth.

Flustered, warm, and a little nervous—her heart was a jumble of emotions.

It took her a long while to calm down.

Instead of eating right away, she softly asked, “The ‘task’ you mentioned before… was that a lie? And… this lunch—did you make it especially for me?”

Her eyes were clear as water, yet her true thoughts were unreadable. Fu Mobai’s heart gave a jolt. Stifling a cough, he explained, “I just wanted you to eat well. Nothing else.”

“Mm, I understand.”

Su Yuan wasn’t angry; she only wanted to confirm her guess. She knew how to appreciate kindness—and cherish it.

Seeing his complexion grow worse, her worry deepened. “I’ll get you some water. Take your medicine first.”

Just as she turned to go, Fu Mobai suddenly caught her wrist, his voice low. “Don’t go. Stay with me.”

He was afraid she’d leave and never come back.