1novels Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Zheng Lanhui's gaze swept over Song Nianchu before turning to Mu Shi'an.
"Shi'an, who is she?" There was even a hint of accusation in her tone.
After all, she had just heard this woman address Mu Shi'an by his given name, something only those very close to him would do.
"And who are you?" Song Nianchu naturally detected the irritation in the other woman's voice, and her own smile faded.
"This is Comrade Zheng Lanhui, the daughter of my teacher," Mu Shi'an introduced to Song Nianchu.
"Your teacher's daughter? Your teacher should be in the capital, shouldn't he? How is it that his daughter is here working as a doctor?" Song Nianchu gave Zheng Lanhui a once-over.
"She was just assigned here recently," Mu Shi'an explained.
"Is that so?" Song Nianchu drew out her last syllable slightly.
"And who are you?" Zheng Lanhui, annoyed that Mu Shi'an had revealed all her identity details to this woman in just a few words, asked again with some irritation.
"She is my wife," Mu Shi'an said seriously.
"What did you say?" Zheng Lanhui's voice shot up at these words.
It even drew the attention of those nearby, but she seemed completely unaware, stepping forward another pace to stare straight at Mu Shi'an.
"What did you say she is to you?"
"She is my wife," Mu Shi'an repeated, frowning.
"Wife? When did you get married? Why don't I know about it? How can you be married?" Zheng Lanhui's eyes reddened instantly.
Song Nianchu could now be one hundred percent certain that this young woman had designs on her man.
"Comrade Zheng, there is no close relationship or bond between us, and whether I marry or not does not require your approval." Mu Shi'an disliked the accusatory tone in Zheng Lanhui's voice, replied with icy detachment, then raised his head to look at Song Nianchu.
"Chu, let's head back."
"Alright." Song Nianchu was very satisfied with Mu Shi'an's attitude, nodded, and helped him up to leave.
The entire time, she did not spare Zheng Lanhui another glance.
As for Zheng Lanhui, left standing alone on the spot, her eyes were bloodshot, and tears streamed down uncontrollably like a burst dam.
Only when more onlookers gathered did Zheng Lanhui turn and scurry away.
"..."
On the way back, Song Nianchu remained silent, lost in thought about the woman, Zheng Lanhui.
"Chu?" It was Mu Shi'an's voice that finally pulled her back to reality.
"What's wrong?" Song Nianchu asked, a little puzzled.
"What were you thinking about? I called you several times, and you didn't respond," Mu Shi'an said gently.
"Nothing much. I was just watching the road and didn't hear you. Did you need something?" Song Nianchu brushed aside the jumbled thoughts for the moment.
"I asked if you were tired and whether you wanted to rest for a while," Mu Shi'an repeated.
"No need. We'll be home soon," Song Nianchu shook her head.
"..."
When they got home, Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian were not there; they had probably gone to the village office to print labels again.
Song Nianchu carried Mu Shi'an on her back into the bedroom and laid him on the bed.
"Rest for a bit. I'll go make you something to eat," Song Nianchu said.
"No need. You should rest first."
Mu Shi'an felt ashamed that she had carried him all the way home, and he didn't want her to rush off to cook immediately.
"Aren't you hungry? I am," Song Nianchu said, rubbing her stomach.
"Then just make something simple. Anything is fine with me." Upon hearing she was hungry, Mu Shi'an relented.
"Alright." Song Nianchu nodded and turned to head to the kitchen.
Mu Shi'an braced himself against the edge of the bed and stood up.
"What are you doing?" Song Nianchu frowned.
"I'll help you with the fire."
"In your condition? Stay here and rest."
"Tending the fire just means sitting. It won't bother my leg." Having her carry him around up and down had already made him quite mortified, and he only wanted to help her with something.
"No need. I'll just quickly cook some noodles—it'll be done soon." Song Nianchu refused bluntly, pushing him back onto the bed before leaving.
In less than twenty minutes, Song Nianchu returned with two bowls of steaming noodles topped with eggs.
"I didn't have much time today, so just make do with this. Tonight, I'll prepare something nice to help you recover," Song Nianchu said, eyeing his injured leg.
"This is already plenty good." Mu Shi'an picked up his bowl and took a taste.
It was the same noodles, the same eggs, but somehow, when Song Nianchu cooked them, they tasted far better.
Watching Mu Shi'an eat earnestly, Song Nianchu's gaze shifted subtly as she asked with feigned casualness,
"Are you... very close with your teacher's daughter?"
"Not really close. Our fields are different—she studied medicine with her mother, and I studied physics with her father," Mu Shi'an explained.
"I see." Song Nianchu nodded, taking a few absentminded bites of her noodles before continuing, "So what exactly did she say to you just now?"
"Nothing much. Just that she had been assigned to the hospital here," Mu Shi'an shook his head.
"Have your teacher and his wife also been affected?" Song Nianchu asked.
"No. It was my family that was sent down because we were labeled as capitalists."
"Then why would your teacher's daughter be assigned to a place like ours?" Song Nianchu found it hard to believe such a coincidence existed in the world.
"I was wondering about that too. The teacher only has her as his daughter. Logically, after graduating from university, she should have gone to her mother's hospital," Mu Shi'an furrowed his brow slightly.
That was precisely why, upon seeing Zheng Lanhui earlier, he had even doubted whether he had mistaken her identity.
"Probably out of some ulterior motive," Song Nianchu muttered under her breath.
"What?" Mu Shi'an didn't catch it clearly.
"Nothing." Song Nianchu smiled at Mu Shi'an and began eating her noodles in big mouthfuls.
After finishing the noodles, Song Nianchu went to wash the dishes.
Once the kitchen was tidy, with time still to spare, she said to Mu Shi'an,
"I'm going to check on the canning workshop. You rest well at home," she instructed.
"Alright." Mu Shi'an nodded.
He knew she wouldn't agree to let him come along.
Seeing him so compliant, Song Nianchu finally turned and left.
But once at the workshop, Song Nianchu found herself distracted repeatedly, to the point that Meng Yingying noticed something was off.
"What's wrong, Chu? Is Comrade Mu badly injured?" Meng Yingying asked.
When Mu Shi'an got hurt, it had caused quite a stir, and since they were nearby, everyone had learned about it.
"Not too bad. The wound has been dressed—it's nothing serious," Song Nianchu said gently.
"Then why are you spacing out so much?" Meng Yingying was puzzled.
Hearing this, Song Nianchu set down her work and looked at her with a serious expression.
"If a girl from a wealthy family passes up a perfectly good job in the capital to come to a remote place like ours, what would you say the reason is?"