Zhan Bei Jue lay on the hospital bed with a pale face, waiting. He had already prepared a speech for when Jiang Nan Fang came in, thinking about how to best elicit her pity.
However, an hour passed and she didn't show up.
An hour and a half passed, and there was still no sign of her.
As the saying goes, no expectation means no disappointment. He had held such high hopes, and her prolonged absence made him restless.
"Is she coming or not? What did she tell you?"
Zhou Jin Bei was truly amazed by him.
It had only been a little over an hour, brother. From her place to the hospital, even without cooking, it would take at least an hour just for the journey, not to mention stewing soup.
But she dared not argue with him.
He was unreasonable to begin with, and even more so when he was sick. Arguing with him yielded no good results.
"She should be here soon. Shall I ask for you?"
Zhou Jin Bei put her phone on speaker and called Jiang Nan Fang.
Jiang Nan Fang had taken leave from work and hurried to the supermarket. After buying the ingredients, she had just returned home in a rush.
She didn't know why she was taking it so seriously. The November weather seemed to urge her to hurry, making her sweat on her forehead out of anxiety.
"I just got home. What's up?"
Zhou Jin Bei chirped, "Nothing much, just asking if you're back yet."
"My second brother didn't eat breakfast this morning and is a bit hungry now. His mood is really bad, and I'm afraid he'll pick a fight with me. You said you'd come, you'll come, right?"
Jiang Nan Fang put the groceries in the kitchen, her phone held between her cheek and shoulder, and retorted to Zhou Jin Bei unhappily.
"You're usually so eloquent, why are you so timid at critical moments? If he scolds you, just listen, can't you dodge? Can't you run?"
"When you had scandals with other women, you kept it from me as if it were nothing. Now that you're sick in the hospital, you expect me to wait on you and cater to your whims. Why?"
"What about that woman? When things were good, she was all romantic and mysterious, appearing and disappearing. Why can't she be seen when it matters?"
Damn it, she hated mentioning that woman; it made her angry.
Jiang Nan Fang slammed the ingredients down with a clatter.
"It's better if he starves to death. Forget about him. If he has the guts, let that woman bring him food!"
Zhan Bei Jue, lying on the bed: ...
Zhou Jin Bei listened to her grumbling, the strong scent of jealousy making her laugh so hard she could barely stand.
She covered her mouth tightly, took a few deep breaths after Jiang Nan Fang finished speaking, and calmed herself down.
"You make a lot of sense, and I should listen to you. But the problem is, now is not the time to argue with him."
"I don't know what's going on between him and that woman. Anyway, I'm his sister. I'm the only one here right now, and I can't just watch him starve to death, right?"
"After all, my salary is paid by him. Just pity me and let me continue to make a living under him. Can you hurry a little?"
Jiang Nan Fang was so angry she wanted to poke her with her finger, "You always resort to emotional blackmail."
"Alright, alright. If you want me to hurry, hang up the phone quickly. If you keep chattering, how can I possibly speed things up?"
Zhou Jin Bei was about to hang up, but Zhan Bei Jue couldn't bear it.
He signaled her with his eyes not to hang up and to keep talking.
Even hearing her voice was a beautiful thing in this world. Zhou Jin Bei was speechless with him.
"I'm just bored. Lu Ming Zhe keeps waking up and sleeping, sleeping and waking, he's drowsy and can't speak. As for him, I don't dare talk to him."
"I haven't slept since yesterday morning. I'm so tired, just keep me company."
Jiang Nan Fang said, "But I'm in the kitchen and about to wash the vegetables. Why don't you ask Chen Jiao Jiao to keep you company?"
"Chen Jiao Jiao is busy making money... I don't mean you're not busy making money, I mean, I just like chatting with you. Please, do me a favor and keep me company for a while~"
Jiang Nan Fang was worn down by her persistence.
She turned on the speakerphone and placed the phone on the chopping board.
"Alright, tell me what you want to say."
Zhou Jin Bei tried to find a topic, "What are you going to cook?"
"Stewing soup. I won't make it in time for breakfast, so let him wait for lunch."
"Stewing soup, huh? Could you stew a little extra? The takeout near the hospital isn't good. Actually, I'm quite hungry too."
Jiang Nan Fang said, "This is a special soup I'm making for someone with pneumonia. It doesn't taste very good. Are you sure you want to drink it?"
Upon hearing that it didn't taste very good, Zhou Jin Bei's spirits perked up.
"You can make soup that targets a patient's condition? You're not using some kind of medicine to stew it, are you?"
"Something like that. When the children were young and often got sick, every time they had a fever or mycoplasma infection, I would do this for them."
"This is called Honeysuckle and Reed Root Stew. The main ingredients include honeysuckle, mint, forsythia, apricot kernel, reed root, etc. It's a relatively common traditional Chinese medicinal soup that can clear heat, detoxify, and moisten the lungs."
"I also specifically added some balloon flower root and dried tangerine peel, which can thin phlegm."
Zhou Jin Bei couldn't help but admire her sincerely, "You're amazing. I've discovered there's nothing in this world you can't do."
Jiang Nan Fang said, "Stop flattering me. There are plenty of things I can't do. I'm just a 'patient turned doctor.' I hope you never gain this skill."
Patient turned doctor?
This implied that she had suffered a lot while raising the children abroad. Zhan Bei Jue felt uncomfortable again.
Seeing that he had been smiling with his lips curled moments ago, but now his face was cold, Zhou Jin Bei knew this topic was sensitive. She quickly changed the subject.
"Um, I'm the only one in the ward, and there's no one to replace me. It's inconvenient to go out and buy fruit. When you come later, could you also buy some fruit for me?"
Jiang Nan Fang understood. People like Zhan Bei Jue usually didn't publicize their illnesses.
This was partly to avoid subordinates flocking to visit and disturbing his rest, and partly to prevent rumors and the spread of misinformation about his condition.
He also didn't dare let his family know, so Zhou Jin Bei had to work hard, with no one to relieve her.
"But I remember he doesn't like fruit? Did the doctor strictly order him to eat it?"
Zhou Jin Bei made up a story, "He has to eat it. The doctor said he needs to supplement vitamins."
"Aren't tangerines popular recently? Buy me some Gannan Ugly Tangerines. They are very sweet."
"Are you the one who wants to eat them, or is he? Tangerines are very 'heaty' and not suitable for patients with pneumonia!"
"Oh... then don't buy them. Buy what you think is suitable."
Zhou Jin Bei winked at Zhan Bei Jue, telling him with her mouth.
See, she still cares about you.
Jiang Nan Fang, on the other end, skillfully put the ingredients into the clay pot.
"To supplement vitamins, I'll stew some rock sugar pear for him. It clears heat and moistens the lungs. Can you ask him if a moderate sweetness is okay?"
Zhou Jin Bei quickly and pretend-seriously asked Zhan Bei Jue.
"I'll stew a portion of rock sugar pear for you. Is moderate sweetness okay?"
Being cared for by Jiang Nan Fang, Zhan Bei Jue was so happy he felt like he was floating. He nodded with a smile.
"He says it's okay. Can you also stew a portion for me? I've never had rock sugar pear before. Please add more sugar for me, thank you."