Chapter 497: 497: Spin-off 1: Pregnancy Affection, Jiang Zhi’s Illness
September 27th was the wedding date for Jiang Zhi and Zhou Xufang.
On the evening of September 26th, Jiang Zhi asked Zhou Xufang if he wanted to elope with her. She grabbed the marriage certificate, her wedding gown, and a box filled with cotton candy, then followed him out.
Jiang Zhi asked her, “Aren’t you going to ask?”
“Ask what?”
“Why are we running away? Why have I beco like this?”
“Because I know,” Zhou Xufang said, “Jiang Zhi, even if everyone else thinks you’re sick, I won’t. I know you just like too much.”
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes reddening as he looked at her.
She reached out and touched the tear at the corner of his eye, “It’s okay, I can accept you no matter what you look like. I can go anywhere with you.”
And so, they eloped.
When they set off, they had agreed to go to Moon Bay and take the water route. But upon reaching the ferry port, Jiang Zhi hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Xufang asked.
He withdrew the foot he had already placed on the boat, “We can’t go to Moon Bay.”
“Why not?”
“It’s very cold there. What if you get sick and I can’t find a doctor?”
Perhaps it was the sea breeze that blew so sense into him because he beca a bit more rational and calm.
Zhou Xufang smiled, “Then where shall we go?”
Jiang Zhi said, “To a place that’s not cold, a place where there’s a doctor.”
Two days later, they went to Xufang Town, but they didn’t return to the old Zhou Family house nor did they check into a hotel. Instead, Jiang Zhi chose… to be hospitalized.
“You’re here to be hospitalized?” the nurse asked.
Jiang Zhi, wearing a mask, nodded, “Mhm.”
“What’s the na?”
He paused for a few seconds, “Liu Hua.”
“Which ‘hua’?” the nurse asked with a local accent.
Jiang Zhi didn’t respond.
Zhou Xufang said, “The ‘hua’ as in flower.”
Jiang Zhi: “…”
That bastard Qiao Nanchu, he even made fake IDs, why couldn’t he choose a decent na?
The nurse entered the na into the computer and searched, “There’s no record of an outpatient doctor’s admission order in the computer. Which patient is it?”
The nurse looked up.
Jiang Zhi quickly hid Zhou Xufang behind him.
This instinctive action was really annoying, wasn’t it? The nurse spoke irritably, “Go see a doctor first, get examined, and if you need to be hospitalized, co back here with the paperwork to pay.”
Jiang Zhi placed a card on the counter imdiately.
“Not here for consultation, straight to hospitalization.”
The nurse rolled her eyes, “Comrade, do you think this is a hotel?” She was very impatient. “Move aside, don’t block the people in line behind you.”
Jiang Zhi kept a cold face, “Call your hospital director—”
Just then, Zhou Xufang suddenly collapsed backward.
“Xufang!”
Zhou Xufang’s head tilted, and he fainted, his hand naturally falling with his pinky finger scratching Jiang Zhi’s hand on the way down.
He was stunned for a few seconds before frantically yelling, “My wife has fainted, quickly arrange for a doctor and a hospital room!”
Right after he shouted, Patient Zhou began “convulsing” again.
Jiang Zhi: “…”
And just like that, they got a hospital room.
Of course, during the examination, Jiang Zhi slipped the attending doctor a card.
Jiang Zhi closed the door of the hospital room, “You scared to death just now.”
Patient Zhou sat up and pulled out the fake needle, “Isn’t my acting incredibly good?”
Jiang Zhi told the truth, “It was too much.”
Zhou Xufang, who had planned to play another act that night as his condition worsened: “…”
They stayed in the hospital for about half a month, going out five tis in total, with Jiang Zhi taking Zhou Xufang with him every ti.
“Xu Fang, we’re being discharged from the hospital today.”
Zhou Xufang lay in bed reading a novel. “Have you found a place to stay?”
“We have, it’s an old house, no renovation needed, we can move in right away.”
Zhou Xufang put the book down and got up. “Then I’ll go pack our things.”
“I’ll pack them in a bit,” Jiang Zhi said, pulling her back. “Xu Fang, I’m sorry.” He had been apologizing a lot lately.
He apologized when her baby formula ran out; he apologized when she woke up in the middle of the night; he even apologized when the novel she was following ended.
“Jiang Zhi, let’s set three rules,” she proposed.
Jiang Zhi took her shoes off and laid back down with her. “What three rules?”
“From now on, if you want to apologize to , don’t say it—just peel an apple for . If I eat it, that ans I’ve forgiven you.”
After so thought, Jiang Zhi agreed. “Okay.”
He went to peel apples.
That day, he peeled five apples for Zhou Xufang. Fortunately, he was terrible at peeling apples, leaving hardly any flesh by the end, or else he might have overfed Zhou Xufang.
In the afternoon, Zhou Xufang was discharged from the hospital.
It took almost two hours to drive from the hospital to Tiangang Village, which was nestled in the mountains and by the waters, slightly secluded, but picturesque with clear water, blue skies, and flowing streams.
Xufang Town, an ancient town and tourist attraction, had a small population, with about half being from ethnic minorities. Just as they arrived at the entrance of an alley, Zhou Xufang heard a little girl chanting while kicking a shuttlecock:
“One pot bottom, two pot lids, three wine cups, four chopsticks, five hamrs, six siu mai, seven orchids, eight grabs, nine to the face, ten blossoms—”
Whoosh! The shuttlecock flew far off into a puddle.
It had been raining in Xufang Town in recent days, leaving the uneven roads occasionally flooded in places.
The girl’s shrill voice called out, “Pang Pang, help sister pick up the shuttlecock.”
“Okay~”
The chubby little boy, about four or five years old, ran off to pick up the shuttlecock, stumbling as he went. He was heading straight towards Zhou Xufang when Jiang Zhi imdiately shielded her behind him.
The boy’s head banged into Jiang Zhi’s stomach, and his round and chubby body bounced back and he flopped down on his bottom.
Rubbing his forehead, he looked up, blinked, and said, “Uncle, you stepped on my shuttlecock.”
The shuttlecock was indeed under Jiang Zhi’s foot.
Jiang Zhi glanced down, picked up the shuttlecock, and as the boy reached out to take it, he threw it forcefully over the red tiles and green roofs into soone else’s yard.
Pang Pang: “…”
This uncle was so an!
Pang Pang was about to cry.
Jiang Zhi completely ignored him and walked away with Zhou Xufang.
The buildings in the area all had red brick walls and green tile roofs, each with its own small courtyard where orange and grape trees were planted, their vines stretching high and intertwining, greening the entire walkway.
As they neared the end of the street, there was an open area where a dozen children played with shuttlecocks and jump ropes. Across from them, a house hung two red lanterns at the door, and underneath them, three middle-aged won chatted idly, sitting on small stools in a circle: so eggplants, a few hot peppers, and a basket of bean sprouts on the ground.
The woman in a yellow knitted vest was picking eggplant stems. “Gui Zhen, having bean sprouts again today?”
Gui Zhen, the one with braided hair, replied, “My husband likes them.”
The woman in the knitted vest finished with the eggplant stems, grabbed so bean sprouts, and began plucking off the beans. “I’ve never seen anyone pickier than your husband. He likes bean sprouts but not the beans on them—is it still bean sprouts without the beans? You’re the only one who indulges him so much. If my husband were like that, I’d make him hunt for beans all over the ground.”
The woman renowned for being a fierce wife in Tiangang Village, known to everyone as Aunt He, who was notorious for disciplining her husband, was the one speaking about making her husband hunt for beans.
“I saw Jianguo’s father with a bruised face yesterday, was that your doing again?”
The one teasing her was Gui Zhen’s sister-in-law, Ah Pin.
Aunt He grew angry at the ntion. “He was asking for it. The tea garden paid out yesterday, and he went straight to Baiwei Restaurant to gamble with mahjong. He lost half of it in a flash. Beating him was letting him off easy.” She sighed, her frustration palpable. “Oh dear, it raises my blood pressure just thinking about it.”
Gui Zhen laughed. “A few strong words should do, no need to get physical with a grown man—”
Her speech was cut off.
“Excuse .”
The three vegetable-picking won looked up.
Jiang Zhi, wearing a mask, pointed behind them. “This is my house.”
How tall he was!
They then looked at the girl behind this “tall man.”
Jiang Zhi stepped in front, took off his mask, put it on Zhou Xufang’s face, and repeated. “This is my house.”
Oh!
The three won quickly gathered their stools and baskets and moved aside, making way.
Jiang Zhi led Zhou Xufang into the house.
As soon as the door closed, Gui Zhen said, “Such a good-looking young couple.”
Aunt He glanced back at the doorway and remarked, “Old Ma said the house was sold when he moved out. This couple must be the new neighbors.”
In small towns, news travels fast. Before long, everyone within a kiloter radius knew that a handso young couple had moved into Old Ma’s place, and from their dress and deanor, it was clear they were from out of town.
In the evening, Jiang Zhi was cooking, but after half an hour had passed, there was still no steam rising from the pot.
Because the gas hadn’t been delivered yet, they had to cook rice in a big pot. Jiang Zhi was making a fire behind the stove and had been at it for quite so ti without success.
He didn’t want Zhou Xufang to stray too far, so he had her bring a chair to sit at the kitchen door. Zhou Xufang asked him, “Is the fire ready yet?”
“It will be ready in no ti.”
How long is “in no ti”?
After a while longer, Zhou Xufang asked, “Is it ready now?”
“Almost ready.”
She waited a long ti again, and still, there was no smoke from the pot. She went over to look. “Can’t you light it?”
Jiang Zhi looked up, his nose smudged with soot. “It’s not that I can’t light it; there’s a problem with this firewood.” He tossed aside a piece of firewood as long as his arm. “The wood is wet.”
Bla the firewood then.
Zhou Xufang said, “Oh.”
She wiped the soot off his nose. “So what do we do now?” The gas won’t be delivered until tomorrow.
Jiang Zhi stopped trying to light the fire. “Let’s order takeout.”
He took out his phone and searched for a few famous restaurants, but none showed up. Then, he returned to the hopage…
“Xu Fang.”
“Mm?”
“We can’t order takeout.” He looked at her with a mix of irritation and dejection, like a dog that had lost a fight. “I can’t find a single restaurant.”
Every household in Tiangang Village cooked their own als; no takeout was delivered to this area.
“Are you hungry?”
“I’m okay.”
Jiang Zhi felt frustrated and remorseful. “I’ll peel an apple for you to tide you over, okay?”
Zhou Xufang replied, “Okay.”
Jiang Zhi went to get the luggage and then excitedly discovered, “Xu Fang, we still have so milk powder. I’ll make you so to drink.” But then he rembered, “Right, we don’t have any hot water.”
Zhou Xufang really wanted to laugh, but she was worried about discouraging Jiang Zhi, so she held it in.
Jiang Zhi felt like a dog that had lost a fight, only to go for another round and lose again. “I’ll peel another apple for you.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Xufang obediently sat and waited.
After Zhou Xufang had finished the apple, Jiang Zhi called her number, asking her to keep her phone in hand. “Don’t hang up, I’m going to step out for a mont.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just outside.” Jiang Zhi handed her the jacket that was lying on the table. “Wait for at ho.”
There was a gun in the jacket.
He left the house and didn’t go far before he knocked on the neighbor’s door.
“Who is it?”
The woman opening the door had a round face with freckles and looked plump and cute.
“I live next door,” Jiang Zhi said.
“I know, saw you earlier today, didn’t we?” Aunt He inquired. “What do you need?”
He had been wearing a mask during the day and hadn’t really gotten a good look at her, but now she could clearly see his features under the lantern light at the doorway.
My goodness, he’s as beautiful as a fairy.
“Could I borrow a bit of hot water?” he asked. “Just enough to make a cup of milk.”
Aunt He opened the door fully and warmly invited him, “I’ll fetch it for you. Co in and wait.”
Jiang Zhi stayed at the door, looking frequently towards his ho.
Aunt He directly brought over a kettle of boiling water and handed it to him. “If that’s not enough, co back for more.”
Jiang Zhi awkwardly received the kettle, a Bluetooth earpiece in his ear. Zhou Xufang would occasionally speak to him, and he felt all at once awkward, embarrassed, and hesitant.
“Could I… could I possibly have a bowl of porridge as well?”
Aunt He cheerfully complied, fetching a small pot and once again saying, “Co back for more if it’s not enough.”
“Thank you.”
He walked ho with a pot in hand and a thermos of boiling water.
From behind, another woman’s voice ca from the house, “Who is it?”
Aunt He said, “The new neighbor next door.”
“That good-looking young couple, huh.” Ah Pin laid down a tile, “Forty thousand.”
“I’ve won.”
It was Gui Zhen who won.
Aunt He pushed over the mahjong tiles, rubbing her hands together, “They must have just moved in and haven’t started cooking yet; they ca to ask for so porridge.”
Ah Pin, while handing out the paynt for losing the round, said, “Two adults, one bowl of porridge, that’s not nearly enough to fill them up.”
Next door.
Jiang Zhi tasted the porridge and then tried the prepared maternity milk powder, “You wait a bit before drinking it.”
Zhou Xufang reached out for the bowl, “I don’t think we need to test for poison.” If there really was poison, Jiang Zhi could have died from poisoning, and if Jiang Zhi died from poisoning, she wouldn’t want to live either.
Jiang Zhi grabbed her hand, “We need to test.”
Alright, let him do the testing then.
While waiting for a “poisoning” to occur, soone knocked on the door.
Jiang Zhi was very cautious and instructed Zhou Xufang, “Don’t co out, I’ll check.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Xufang pricked up her ears to listen carefully, ready to rush out at a mont’s notice if anything was amiss.
Jiang Zhi opened the door, “What is it?”
It was the three ladies they had seen picking vegetables at the door during the day.
“Don’t you have a fire going at ho?” Aunt He, carrying a pot, asked.
“How did you know that?” Jiang Zhi looked around at all the potential spots for surveillance devices before asking, “Who sent you?”
“…”
Why can’t they understand? Never mind.
Aunt He walked in with the pot straightaway, “I made so flatbreads tonight and just ward them up a bit, you eat while it’s hot.” She placed the pot on a stone stool in the yard.
Ah Pin followed, holding a bamboo basket, asking Aunt He, “Did you bring enough hot water? My corn and eggs are cold, they need to be soaked in hot water.”
“Then I’ll go get so more hot water.”
Off she went, clattering away.
Gui Zhen brought up the rear, holding a plate of fish, “Our cured fish is a bit salty, so I went and got you so sweet potatoes to eat with it.”
Ah Pin rembered, “I’ve still got a bit of porridge in my pot.”
Clattering again, another person ran out.
In a flurry of activity, they ca in and left again, all within less than half a minute.
Zhou Xufang ca out, “Who was it?”
“People living next door.”
Jiang Zhi stared at the flatbreads, corn, eggs, and cured fish on the stone stool.
These people, so strange.
And the strange people ca back again, their voices heard before they even entered the room.
“If I had not made that three thousand points move, I would have won already.”
“What do you an, ‘won’? If you hadn’t played the three thousand, how could Gui Zhen make her play? Without her making that play, where would you get the five thousand?”
In a hurried pace, one with a thermos, one with sweet potatoes, and one with a pot, they ca back again.
“If you need more food, just co to my house. I’m playing mahjong next door, my place is next to the next one over,” Ah Pin said as she dropped off her items and left.
“If you don’t play the three thousand, isn’t it just my turn to draw the five thousand?” Aunt He said and also left after setting down her items, “I could have declared ‘win’ then. If Gui Zhen didn’t go for three thousand, she couldn’t have won with five thousand.”
Gui Zhen agreed, exactly!
“Oh, right.” Aunt He turned around, “Girl, what’s your na?”
Zhou Xufang stood at the door, “I’m Cuicui, Wang Cuicui.”
“And you?” Aunt He asked Jiang Zhi.
He didn’t answer.
Zhou Xufang answered for him, “Liu Hua, he’s called Liu Hua.”
Aunt He made an acknowledging sound and left to play mahjong.
Zhou Xufang looked at the food seated upon the stone stool, and smiled; this place, with its warm weather, had equally warm hearts.
Reviews
All reviews (0)