Chapter 108: Caring

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He lowered his eyes and murmured, "Then I'll go back to sleep now."

"Mm!"

Lu Yan returned to his room and lay down on the bed, his chest feeling heavy and tight. So this was what it felt like to be rejected.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingyi couldn't fall asleep on the sofa either. Her mind was full of the look of dejection that had flashed across his face—that gaze that seemed as if it might shatter at any moment.

The sound of heavy coughing came from the room, one bout after another.

Shen Qingyi could no longer sit still. She turned the light back on, poured a glass of warm water, got up, and walked to the room. She saw Lu Yan lying on the bed, one hand resting on his forehead.

"Lu Yan, sit up!"

Hearing Shen Qingyi's voice, Lu Yan instantly lowered the arm that was resting on his forehead and sat up.

Shen Qingyi approached and held the glass of water out to him. Lu Yan took it and took a small sip.

His face was flushed red from the violent coughing, and the hand gripping the glass was thin and pale. This time, it didn't seem like an act. Shen Qingyi suddenly felt a pang of reluctance to press him further. "I heard from the doctor yesterday that you seem to have been coughing for quite a while now."

Lu Yan nodded. "Mm."

"How about going to the city hospital for a check-up tomorrow?" Shen Qingyi asked him.

Feeling the concern in his wife's tone, Lu Yan's mood lifted considerably. "The doctor said there's nothing wrong. It's just that the air here is dry, and with the change of season, it's caused a bit of coughing."

Lu Yan deliberately spoke in a small, muffled voice.

Shen Qingyi didn't catch what he said at first, thinking he was too weak to speak properly, so she walked over to the bed and sat down across from him.

Just as she leaned in to ask patiently, she was caught off guard and pulled into his arms. Shen Qingyi's eyes widened in surprise. When she came to her senses and tried to struggle free, she heard him say, "Don't wake An'an."

Shen Qingyi stopped moving, her ear pressed against his chest against her will.

His heartbeat, erratic and unsteady, pounded against her eardrum.

Only then did Shen Qingyi realize just how nervous he was at that moment.

She wanted to speak, but he was holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe.

It was a long while before Lu Yan calmed down. Feeling the person in his arms struggling, he slowly loosened his grip.

He expected his wife to scold him, but instead, she simply wiped the sweat from his forehead and said gently, "Go to sleep. Don't overthink things."

Then she got up and returned to the living room.

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Lu Yan watched his wife's retreating figure. The heaviness in his chest from earlier vanished in an instant, replaced by an indescribable joy. His wife didn't dislike him.

Lu Yan fell asleep without ever understanding why he had resorted to so many little tricks just to prove that his wife cared about him.

The next day, as usual, the doctor came to take his pulse and give him an injection.

"You're looking much better today. Seems someone is taking good care of you." Doctor Zhao said with a beaming smile. "At this rate, you should be fully recovered in another three to five days."

Lu Yan didn't want to get better that quickly. "I had a pretty bad coughing fit last night."

Doctor Zhao chuckled. "It's nothing serious. Once you're back in the capital and have some time to recuperate, you'll be fine."

Hearing his wife's voice in the living room talking with An'an, Lu Yan lowered his voice and said to Doctor Zhao, "If my wife comes in later to ask about my condition, no need to go into too much detail. Everyone's body is different—you can't apply other patients' experiences to me. Don't say things like 'recovered in three to five days' next time."

Doctor Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then finally understood. He hadn't expected that a man who appeared so detached from the mundane world could have such intricate thoughts. He smiled and said, "Alright!"

"But you still need to take care of your health. The organization places great importance on you, you know."

"I know!"

When Shen Qingyi came in, she saw Doctor Zhao wearing a grave expression.

"Doctor, how is my husband today?" She hadn't been particularly worried before, but seeing Doctor Zhao's face, her heart suddenly tightened with anxiety.

Doctor Zhao let out a sigh and shook his head slightly, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Shen Qingyi grew anxious. "Please, just tell me directly. If there's anything wrong, we'll go to a major hospital early for a proper diagnosis."

"His condition seemed almost fully recovered when I came yesterday, but upon today's examination, there's been a bit of a relapse. Did he take his medication on time yesterday?"

"No!" Shen Qingyi admitted truthfully.

Doctor Zhao said, "Keep a closer eye on him. Make sure he stays in good spirits."

After Doctor Zhao left, Shen Qingyi went to the kitchen. She had gone to the supply and marketing cooperative after breakfast this morning, hoping to buy some rock sugar and pears.

It was her first time at the local cooperative, and to her surprise, they didn't have either of those two items at all.

Later, when someone heard that she was the wife of Engineer Lu, they rode their bicycle to the town to bring her some, delivering it directly to their home.

She had to admit, the people here were quite honest and warm-hearted.

Shen Qingyi was now in the kitchen cooking rock sugar and pear soup.

Back when her father used to cough, her mother would make this same remedy. They had been so close back then, and now they had come to this...

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By the time the pear soup was done, Shen Qingyi returned to the room and saw that Lu Yan's IV drip was almost empty. He was bent over the desk, completely absorbed in his work, while their child sat on the bed playing with a Rubik's cube brought from home.

Shen Qingyi didn't disturb the father and son. She turned back to the kitchen, ladled the pear soup into a bowl, and went to the infirmary to call Doctor Zhao.

After the needle was removed, Shen Qingyi brought the pear soup to Lu Yan's desk. "Drink this. It's good for the cough."

Lu Yan was both surprised and deeply moved. He had assumed his wife had asked someone to bring those things for herself—never imagining they were prepared for him.

He took the pear soup from Shen Qingyi's hands and took a sip. It was sweet. Soon, he had finished the whole bowl.

"Remember to take your medicine later," Shen Qingyi reminded him again.

"Mm!"

"An'an made a new friend here yesterday. She said after lunch she wants me to take her out to play, and we'll be back by dinnertime." Shen Qingyi informed him in advance, worried he might be concerned.

"Whose child is it? After I finish work this afternoon, I'll come pick you both up." Lu Yan stopped writing and looked up at her.

An'an quickly raised her hand. "I know! Her name is Chunni, and her daddy operates a machine at the construction site. Her family lives in the row of houses right behind the construction site."

Lu Yan nodded. "Alright!"

After lunch, Shen Qingyi took An'an by the hand and set out. Sure enough, Chunni was waiting for them at the same spot as before.

Shen Qingyi pulled a packet of biscuits out of her bag. "A little gift for An'an today."

When they had left the capital, Shen Qingyi had packed some small snacks for An'an as well.

Chunni didn't take them. Instead, she said, "Auntie, I don't have anything to give you today."

A faint smile curved at the corners of Shen Qingyi's lips. "That's all right. Consider it payment for showing An'an around."

Chunni shook her head. "Could I bring An'an to meet my mom?"

Shen Qingyi thought that Chunni's parents were probably a little uneasy too, wanting to know who their daughter was spending time with.

She had no objection—it was good to get to know each other. "Of course. Let's go to your house first, meet your mother, and then we'll go see the machines. How does that sound?"

Chunni said happily, "Great!"

Shen Qingyi placed the biscuits in the little girl's hands once more. "Since this is our first visit to your home and we haven't prepared any proper gift, if you don't want it as payment, then just take these biscuits."

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