Chapter 63.2

In the afternoon, Jiang Rou drove home. Li Xiao had specifically bought a car for her, concerned that she might get infected by taking public transportation.

During the day, she was almost always interning at the hospital, which was a bit far from home. Riding a bicycle was inconvenient, and while taking the bus was faster, it was very risky under the current circumstances.

On the way, Jiang Rou saw many posters on walls and lampposts along the street, promoting messages like “Wash your hands frequently” and “Flu prevention guidelines.”

When Jiang Rou returned home, she didn’t enter the house immediately. Instead, she took off her outerwear and then sprayed herself with alcohol disinfectant from her bag.

Li Xiao and An An, who must have heard the noise, came to open the door.

Seeing her safely home, Li Xiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

An An peered out from behind her father and showed her little chubby hands, saying, “I washed my hands well today.”

Jiang Rou smiled and praised her, “An An is really great.”

An An smiled happily.

Li Xiao had also come home early today, and the meal was already prepared. The father and daughter had been waiting on the living room sofa for Jiang Rou to return.

During dinner, Li Xiao suddenly said, “I bought a villa over in Yingshan. We’re planning to move there this Saturday. Do you have any time?”

Jiang Rou looked at him directly. “When did this happen?”

Li Xiao served her a piece of rib and said, “Just today. Didn’t I buy a piece of land over in Yingshan? It’s a piece of land from Chang Yong’s brother-in-law’s company. I was planning to build the company there in the future. When I went to check it out today, I ran into some old friends and heard that there were villas for sale in Yingshan. I went to take a look, and the price was quite reasonable, so I ended up taking out a loan to buy it.”

“It’s quite large, three stories, with a garden in the front, a lawn, and a swimming pool in the back. It’s already furnished and decorated, so we don’t need to do anything. It was previously bought by a wealthy businessman from Hongcheng who didn’t live in it much. Many wealthy people from Hongcheng are selling their assets these days.”

Li Xiao suspected that it was related to the recent flu outbreak.

He hadn’t intended to buy a villa; it was just that while driving, he saw many people who still didn’t realize the danger. Considering Jiang Rou’s recent anxiety and panic, Li Xiao also felt unsettled.

While he could handle business issues, he felt powerless against natural and man-made disasters. Especially since he followed the news closely with Jiang Rou and heard about various issues every day, he felt compelled to take it seriously.

“When I went out today, I noticed there were quite a few people in the neighborhood, and it felt a bit unsafe, so I decided to move to the villa temporarily.”

He didn’t mention that someone in the neighborhood had been sent to the hospital overnight with a fever; otherwise, Jiang Rou’s nature would have kept her awake with worry.

Jiang Rou nodded, agreeing that moving to the villa would be much safer. “In that case, buy more groceries to stock up. With more people out shopping for the New Year, try to go out as little as possible.”

She seemed to remember something and asked, “What about Zhou Jian and the others?”

Li Xiao replied, “Zhou Jian also bought a place, a few buildings away from ours. I plan to move to the villa and then bring Dayou’s mother over. I’ll also call Dayou; he’s been preparing for interviews. The villa has eight rooms, which should be enough for our whole family.”

Jiang Rou agreed, “Let’s have Li Xin come back this week too.”

Li Xiao sighed in relief. He looked at Jiang Rou as if wanting to say something, but seeing her focused on her meal, he decided against it.

However, plans changed unexpectedly. On Saturday, the counselor announced a meeting, so Li Xiao had to move the family by himself. There weren’t many things to move—just some pots, pans, and bedding.

For rice, oil, salt, and vegetables, Li Xiao asked the factory cafeteria to stock up a bit more. He would bring them along since the villa had two large refrigerators that could store a lot.

After Li Xiao dropped Jiang Rou off at school, he drove An An to their new home.

Jiang Rou hadn’t yet seen the new house. She had planned to visit it after the meeting, but the class meeting ended up lasting two full hours.

The meeting was held jointly for two classes. The counselor, in the multimedia classroom, gave a serious introduction to the true situation of the flu outbreak. She explained that it wasn’t just the flu, but a type of viral pneumonia with high infectivity and fatality. Hundreds of people had already been infected at the affiliated hospital, and these were only the cases that had been discovered—there were likely many more undetected.

“Just now, we received a notice that dozens of healthcare workers at major hospitals in the city have been infected. The hospitals are short-staffed and are preparing to recruit volunteers from the school. I’m not forcing anyone to volunteer, but I hope you will carefully consider it and give me your answer.”

With that, the counselor’s gaze swept over each student’s face, and then she solemnly walked to the door, giving them time to think.

The classroom fell into silence.

Everyone knew what becoming a volunteer meant. Unlike casual internships, they were medical students, and volunteering likely involved close contact with patients.

They were all too aware of the severity of the illness, hearing daily reports of more people dying.

They hadn’t even graduated yet, and now they were facing life-and-death decisions.

In fact, many of them had chosen this profession without much thought in the first place.

Jiang Rou sat in her seat with a wooden expression. She recalled Li Xiao’s instructions when they had parted at the school gate: to wear a mask, avoid talking much with classmates, and call him directly after the meeting. He would come to pick her up right away. She also remembered An An, happily waving at her from the back of the car.

She couldn’t help but worry about what would happen to Li Xiao and An An if something happened to her.

After a long period of silence, the students in the class began to move. Some took out pens and paper to write petitions.

Those who didn’t have paper and pens borrowed from others.

Jiang Rou borrowed a pen and paper and slowly wrote the words “petition for volunteers.”

Finally, one by one, they went up to the podium and pressed their handprints on the petitions with the ink pad provided.

Among the seventy or so students from the two classes, none were left out.

With red-rimmed eyes, the counselor collected the petitions. “As your counselor, I am very proud of you. This is an invisible war, and I hope each of you can return safely.”

After the counselor left, the class monitor went up to give some encouraging words and reminders. Finally, he informed everyone that they would gather on the playground at nine o’clock the next morning to be assigned tasks.

After the meeting, Jiang Rou walked at the back, with Ning Xin beside her. Ning Xin’s eyes were red and swollen. Jiang Rou was about to offer her comfort when she heard Ning Xin say, “Jiang Rou, something happened to my boyfriend. I just received a text from his classmate saying he has symptoms of a fever.”

Jiang Rou opened her mouth, unable to say a word.

Ning Xin raised a hand to wipe her eyes. “I’m fine. I can’t focus on him right now. I’ll be volunteering tomorrow too. I hope everyone stays safe. You should also pay attention to your safety.”

Jiang Rou nodded in silence.

After leaving the school gate, Jiang Rou saw Li Xiao’s car parked at the entrance.

Once in the car, An An happily handed her a flower, saying, “Mommy, this is for you. I got it from the new house. Is it pretty?”

Jiang Rou took it and smiled gently. “Thank you, An An. It’s very beautiful.”

Seeing that she seemed down, Li Xiao turned his head to glance at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Rou didn’t know how to begin. After a pause, she said, “The counselor just mentioned that many medical staff at the hospital have been infected, and Ning Xin also said her boyfriend is in trouble. I feel a bit uneasy.”

Li Xiao frowned upon hearing this. “Is it that dangerous? You should ask the doctor who’s supervising you for leave; it’s better not to go for the internship recently.”

Jiang Rou looked at the brightly colored artificial flower and nodded softly.

Seeing her response, Li Xiao sighed in relief and added, “I bought and prepared a lot of food at the new house. It should last us for a long time.”

“Don’t worry about the factory. I have people disinfecting it every day and making sure the employees don’t go out, so it shouldn’t infect us. You should focus on studying at home for now.”

He then remarked, “Fortunately, you’re studying traditional Chinese medicine.”

He thought this disease had little to do with traditional Chinese medicine and was relieved that Jiang Rou was safe.

However, this relief did not last long. After dinner that evening, Jiang Rou told him about her petition letter.

Li Xiao’s expression changed immediately.

This was also Jiang Rou’s first time truly facing an angry Li Xiao. The man looked at her in disbelief, then threw the remote control in his hand, saying, “Jiang Rou, have you thought about An An and me?”

An An sat fearfully on the bed.

Jiang Rou was afraid of scaring her, so she hurriedly held her in her arms.

Li Xiao roughly pulled her away, his face extremely grim, and gritted his teeth, asking, “Do you know what you’re doing? You need to get that petition letter back. How can you go? Have you considered the consequences? If something happens to you, what will An An and I do? How old is she?”

Jiang Rou’s eyes reddened slightly.

Unsure how to refute him, she had thought about it, but since she had chosen this profession, she felt she should bear this responsibility.

“I don’t care what kind of petition you filled out. Don’t think about going. If you go, we’ll get a divorce. I won’t have to deal with your corpse later…”

Jiang Rou bit her lip and said, “Don’t say that. I am a doctor. If we don’t go, who will?”

Li Xiao’s eyes were red. “What kind of doctor are you? You haven’t even mastered the textbook or completed your studies. What are you going for? To make trouble? There are so many doctors; do they really need you? Have you thought about me? We’ve worked so hard to make a good life. If something happens to you, how will An An and I live? Do you want An An to be a child without a mother?”

Jiang Rou lowered her head and remained silent.

An An didn’t understand what they were arguing about. It was the first time she had seen her father so angry. Hearing that there might be no mother, she instinctively reddened her eyes, stretched out her small hand to hug Jiang Rou, and whispered, “Mommy.”

Jiang Rou gently patted her back.

Li Xiao left and did not return until bedtime.

After soothing An An to sleep, Jiang Rou opened the wardrobe. Today, Li Xiao had brought all the clothes from home—his, An An’s, and hers.

She looked around and finally found a bag in the corner. She packed a few of her own clothes into it.

After packing, Jiang Rou went outside to look around but didn’t see anyone. Hesitating, she climbed into bed and hugged An An, unable to bring herself to sleep.

Looking at An An’s profile, she eventually got up and wrote letters to both Li Xiao and An An.

Jiang Rou was like that; she didn’t make decisions lightly, but once she made a decision, she would stick to it. The letter to An An was meant to encourage her to study hard, eat well, be happy every day, and take good care of herself. She wrote that Mommy loved her very much.

For Li Xiao, Jiang Rou wasn’t sure what to write. In her mind, all her memories of him were particularly good. He had treated her really well; although he was a careless person, he always paid attention to everything about her. She had never known what love was before, but she felt that Li Xiao truly loved her.

Jiang Rou also knew that her decision was somewhat cruel, but some things had to be done.

In the letter, she reflected on their past and wrote that meeting him in this world had been the luckiest thing for her. She urged him not to be afraid in his future life and reassured him that he still had An An to accompany him. She advised him that nothing was insurmountable and that he should love An An well and take good care of himself.

She also mentioned that maybe he would meet someone who would love him even more, and she wished them well.

After finishing the letter, Jiang Rou placed it in the drawer and then climbed back into bed to hold An An.

The next morning, Jiang Rou woke up very early. She went downstairs and had a hearty breakfast. After hastily finishing her meal, she grabbed her bag and left. Before leaving, she called Li Xiao. The call was answered, but there was no response on the other end.

Jiang Rou said softly, “An An is still asleep. I’m leaving now.”

Not hearing a response, she made up her mind and hung up.

Just as she opened the door to leave, she saw the man standing in the yard.

She didn’t know how long he had been there but the ground around him was covered with cigarette butts.

Jiang Rou had been feeling fine until she saw him—her nose suddenly felt sore.

Li Xiao looked at her coldly and asked, “Are you sure you want to leave?”

Jiang Rou hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’ll probably be staying at our apartment nearby for a while.”

She glanced at him, but he didn’t give any response, and after a moment of hesitation, walked away with her bag.

Li Xiao watched her back, his hand holding the cigarette trembling, and his eyes reddened once again.

—o—o—o—

Jiang Rou drove away in her car, first taking the clothes back to the apartment complex, and then driving to the school.

At the school playground, many students were gathered, including both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine students. Jiang Rou found her class. The class monitor and several class officers were distributing protective clothing. Everyone’s expressions were serious, no one spoke, but no one backed down either.

After putting on the protective clothing, Jiang Rou and her group began to be assigned tasks. There were twelve hospitals in the city, and Jiang Rou and Ning Xin’s group, being relatively close, were assigned to the Third People’s Hospital.

When Jiang Rou got on the bus, Ning Xin asked her, “Are you scared?”

Jiang Rou thought for a moment and replied, “I was scared yesterday, but not anymore.”

Ning Xin nodded. “Me too. I didn’t dare to tell my parents, only my sister.”

After that, the two fell into silence, neither having the mood to talk.

The Third People’s Hospital was also a top-tier hospital with well-equipped facilities, and there were many doctors and nurses inside. When they saw new arrivals, they seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon arriving at the hospital, there was no time to rest. Although Jiang Rou and Ning Xin were not yet treating patients, they helped the doctors and nurses by assisting with tasks and summarizing case records.

At first, Jiang Rou was able to return home occasionally, but as the number of patients increased and there weren’t enough protective suits, she didn’t go home for several days. Exhausted, she even lay down on the floor to rest.

Jiang Rou made an effort to call Li Xiao whenever she could. At first, Li Xiao only let An An speak, but later he started asking her about her situation with a cold face. When he learned that she hadn’t had direct contact with patients, he seemed to relax a bit. He reminded her to rest and not to rush forward recklessly.

To ease his worries, Jiang Rou tried to focus on positive updates and assured him not to worry too much.

Li Xiao wanted to bring An An to see her, but Jiang Rou asked them not to come.

After hanging up, Li Xiao looked at the letter in his hand with red eyes and finally called Zhou Jian to ask how much stock they had left.

Zhou Jian was surprised by the sudden inquiry. “There’s still a lot. We’ve been working overtime recently. Besides the deliveries, there are over ten truckloads of stock. I was planning to send them to other provinces.”

Li Xiao didn’t agree and instead said, “Organize several trucks to deliver the remaining goods to various hospitals.”

Zhou Jian was stunned. “Brother?”

“Just do as I say.”

Zhou Jian hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.

That afternoon, the hospital received two large truckloads of snacks from Li Xiao’s factory.

Jiang Rou looked at the snacks that had been distributed to her. Before she had a chance to eat any, she heard a few young nurses nearby happily laughing. “These snacks are so expensive. I usually can’t afford to buy them.”

“They’re really tasty. This little bread even has a filling.”

Jiang Rou smiled, her lips pressed together.

—o—o—o—

Lucia: I really don’t know what to feel about this chapter, All I know is that I don’t really like this chapter lmao. It reminds me of the covid.