Feeding 

Early in the morning, Lin Miaoyin got up, locked the door, put on her bedding, and carried a net bag to the Lin family. 

The Lin family had already gotten up. Mother Lin and Cui Fen were cooking flatbreads, and a pot of millet porridge was simmering. They all had a quick breakfast. 

Mother Lin handed Lin Miaoyin a handful of cash and ration tickets. “The county is more expensive than home. Take this and buy something good for Yuanzheng. The county revolutionary committee’s reward will be coming soon, so you don’t need to be too frugal.” 

She then turned to Lin Miaojun, who was packing flatbreads and millet porridge. “Pack the iron lunch box from home too, and bring a couple of pairs of chopsticks. I’ve already washed them.” 

“Got it, don’t worry,” Lin Miaojun responded. 

Miaoyin felt a lump in her throat. The Lin family treated her so well, even though she was married, they hadn’t become distant. In fact, in this era, most families favored sons over daughters. 

By 7 a.m., the two of them were ready with their bags and set off. 

They walked for about an hour to the commune and took the only bus of the day to the county town. 

The bus was quite old and ran on diesel. Plus, the roads weren’t paved, so it bounced and swayed the whole way. She almost felt nauseous, but luckily, the windows could open, so she managed to bear with it. 

After an hour, they arrived at the county town, got off at the bus station, and walked to the hospital. 

She couldn’t help but marvel at how backward the transportation was. 

This was her first time in the county, and the county in this era was similar to a town in her past life. The buildings were only a few stories high, and there were few modern constructions. However, compared to the commune, it felt like a step up. 

By the time they arrived, it was already past eleven. The state-owned restaurant was too expensive, so they went to a nearby collective restaurant, where they had to wait in line for a long time to get a bowl of noodles each. 

After lunch, they went to the hospital. 

Yesterday, Secretary Li’s son had come to the hospital as well. This morning, he went to the county revolutionary committee to handle the landslide issue. The medical expenses had already been covered by someone from the committee. 

When Lin Miaoyin and Lin Miaojun entered the ward, they saw Meng Yuanzheng lying on the bed with his right foot elevated, wearing a hospital gown. He looked a little weary, but his expression was calm as he talked to Jin Chengren. 

Jin Chengren was sitting in a chair on the side, still wearing the clothes from yesterday but tidied up. He looked a bit dirty, but he was presentable. 

They didn’t know what they were talking about, but it seemed they were getting along well. Jin Chengren even had a smile on his face. 

Lin Miaoyin couldn’t help but feel a little odd. Weren’t these two supposed to be rivals? Now, looking at them, one handsome and the other good-looking, there was an undeniable chemistry between them. 

She knocked on the door, and both of them looked up. Jin Chengren immediately stood up with a smile and said, “Miaojun, Miaoyin, you’ve come! Please, sit down.” 

He dragged the only two chairs in the room and placed them. Then, he moved forward to take the luggage. 

“Thank you, Chengren, for taking care of Yuanzheng last night,” Lin Miaoyin said. 

“Don’t mention it! If it weren’t for Brother Meng saving me, I wouldn’t be able to stand here talking to you now. It’s only right for me to take care of him,” Jin Chengren said, looking embarrassed. 

Meng Yuanzheng silently looked at her with soft eyes. 

She looked at his foot, which was in a cast and suspended. Jin Chengren explained, “The doctor said that as long as he takes good care of it, there won’t be any lasting issues.” 

She let out a sigh of relief. Jin Chengren then said, “Since you’ve arrived, I’ll be going back now. Jian’er is waiting for me at the bus station.” 

Jian’er was Secretary Li’s son. 

Lin Miaojun glanced at the wall clock; it was already one o’clock. The only bus back to the commune left at three in the afternoon. 

“Have you eaten yet?” Lin Miaoyin asked. 

Meals at the hospital also required ration tickets, and they had definitely forgotten to bring them in their rush yesterday. 

“I’ll go eat back home; it’s too expensive out here,” Jin Chengren said, feeling a little embarrassed. 

“We brought food with us, you should eat too,” Lin Miaoyin said, opening the thermos and the hot water bottle on the bedside table. 

Lin Miaojun then took out the flatbreads wrapped in a clean cloth from his bag. 

The thermos was an old-fashioned one, with an interior like the water bottle, but much larger in capacity. The outer casing was red plastic, which looked festive. If it weren’t for the Lin family’s relatively good living conditions, they wouldn’t have been able to afford it. 

Inside the thermos was a big pot of chicken soup, and the water bottle contained soft, sticky millet porridge. There was also a jar of pickled vegetables, showing how thoughtful the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had been in preparing it. 

She poured a bowl of millet porridge from the water bottle’s cap and used the thermos lid as a bowl for the soup. She then took out two pairs of chopsticks and a spoon. 

Meng Yuanzheng’s eyes flickered with a smile. “You two are very well-prepared.” 

Jin Chengren was stunned. He blankly took the bowl of porridge that Lin Miaoyin handed him. “This is for Brother Meng. Would it be inappropriate for me to eat it?” 

“It’s okay, the food will spoil faster if it’s not eaten in this weather. My brother and I ate at a restaurant outside. You should eat quickly and hurry to catch your ride.” 

On the other side, due to his leg being suspended, Meng Yuanzheng could not sit upright and could only lean against something. 

Seeing that it was inconvenient for him to eat by himself, Lin Miaoyin went to wash her hands in the hallway, then sat by the bed and fed him porridge with a spoon. 

“Here, ah~” she teased him deliberately. 

Meng Yuanzheng’s dark eyes fixed on her as he obediently opened his mouth and took the spoon. 

Jin Chengren watched them enviously, thinking to himself, why doesn’t he have this kind of relationship with his fiancée? Speaking of which, his fiancée is also his sister-in-law’s cousin, and every time she sees him, she runs away, as if he’s terrifying. 

Lin Miaojun was also pleased, seeing how well his sister and brother-in-law got along, naturally, he was happy. 

After a few spoonfuls of millet porridge, she picked up some chicken to feed him, then tore off some flatbread and put it in his mouth. 

There wasn’t much else she could do, but she could take care of him well. 

Meng Yuanzheng was very obedient, eating whatever she gave him, and ate quietly, making her feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Jin Chengren only had some porridge and a piece of flatbread before he went to wash the dishes. When he saw Lin Miaoyin and Meng Yuanzheng happily feeding each other, he quietly tugged at Lin Miaojun. Seeing that it was almost two o’clock, they couldn’t stay any longer, so they slipped away quietly. 

Lin Miaoyin, with her back to the door, didn’t see it, but Meng Yuanzheng saw it. He didn’t say anything and acted as though nothing had happened. 

“How does it taste? My mother made it last night and kept it simmering on the stove,” Lin Miaoyin asked. 

“It’s delicious, you should try it too.” His gaze fell on the chicken soup. 

Lin Miaoyin, hearing this, scooped a spoonful for herself. It was rich and fragrant, the taste of a country chicken soup, so delicious that it almost made her cry. 

But something felt a little off. She glanced at Meng Yuanzheng and saw that he had his eyes lowered, seemingly holding back laughter. 

It then occurred to her—she had used the same spoon he had used. 

He was deliberately teasing her. 

“What are you laughing at?” she glared at him, but clearly, it had no effect. 

“Nothing,” he glanced away. 

“It’s just a spoon. During the war, there were many people who ate from the same dish. There’s that story, you know, where someone had an apple on the battlefield and shared it with the soldiers, each taking a bite.” She tried to cover it up, mentioning an article she read in her elementary school textbook. 

Meng Yuanzheng smiled slightly, “You still remember that?” 

Author’s note: 

The male protagonist has no aftereffects, no aftereffects! 

I don’t care, if I say there aren’t any, there aren’t any! (Hands on hips) 😤✋