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Chapter 14: Chapter 14 Idle Talk
As soon as Dai Liwen turned around, Li Nuanchun had quickly caught up with him and muttered softly, "I told you that Dr. Si’s wife has to be pretty, but Yanmei didn’t believe me. Look at her, with her well-defined waist and legs, just like a fairy. No wonder Dr. Si isn’t taken by Yu Shiya."
Dai Liwen adjusted his glasses and reminded him in a low voice, "Don’t spread this kind of talk around." Or gossip. The hospital is rife with idle chatter, and Dai Liwen had always been careful not to indulge in it.
Once they had left, Si Chen moved the table inside, and then noticed the scar on Tong Yao’s forehead, his brows furrowing slightly. "What happened to your forehead?"
The scar on Tong Yao’s forehead had been hidden under her bangs until she had washed her face. Although the wound wasn’t deep, it had torn a strip of skin. The black scab that had formed didn’t hurt anymore, but it looked rather ugly.
She had intended to forget about it, but was surprised when Si Chen brought it up. She certainly couldn’t admit to having injured herself while running away, right?
After a moment’s thought, she decided to settle for an excuse. "I bumped into a tree accidentally. It’s not a big deal; it will heal in a few days."
Si Chen’s lips pursed slightly, his eyebrows contracting a little. "Tomorrow, after you return from shopping, go to the clinic."
"Okay," Tong Yao replied, and was about to dump the water in the basin to distract Si Chen. However, he stopped her. "I’ll dump it."
He bent down to place the dirty clothes that Tong Yao had taken off into the basin. Seeing him do this, Tong Yao was taken aback and asked, "What are you doing with my dirty clothes?"
Si Chen responded in a cool voice, "Washing them."
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao flushed and instinctively went to grab the dirty clothes from him. "I’ll wash them myself." Her undergarments were in there, and she felt embarrassed to let a man wash them, even if this man was her husband in name.
Furthermore, it was still uncertain whether they could manage to stay together in the future. After all, she wasn’t the original wife. If they proved to be incompatible, there was no need to torment each other. After today’s interaction, she had figured out that Si Chen didn’t have any particular feelings for her. All his actions were out of duty.
To put it bluntly, it was all for the sake of Tong Yaohui.
Si Chen studied Tong Yao for a while, scrutinizing her until she felt somewhat uncomfortable, before saying, "We are legally married. There are some things that you’ll have to gradually get used to."
Tong Yao: What does that mean? 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
What should I get used to?
Is he hinting at something?
Tong Yao was stunned by his words. He added, "And I have no plans for divorce."
Tong Yao was still in a daze when Si Chen left the room with the dirty clothes. It wasn’t until he had closed the door behind him that she came back to her senses. Could he possibly have the ability to read minds and know what she was thinking?
This was too stressful; they had only one bed. How was she supposed to sleep at night?
She had yet to fall in love in her past life and this one, and it was already disconcerting enough to be married all of a sudden, not to mention the prospect of getting pregnant immediately.
Anyway, she would claim to have a sore arm and therefore could not share the bed with him. Surrounded by his colleagues, Si Chen would probably be mindful of his reputation and not act like a beast.
Yu Shiya had just taken a bath downstairs and was talking and laughing with a nurse while washing clothes when she saw Si Chen bringing a basin over to do laundry. In this dormitory, there wasn’t a single man who did his own laundry, let alone helping his wife with it.
Guo Nan was the first to express surprise, "Dr. Si, hasn’t your wife arrived? Why are you still doing the laundry?"
Yu Shiya also looked at the clothes in Si Chen’s basin. Even though she felt that Si Chen wasn’t into that country wife of his, seeing him take such good care of her, washing her lunch box and clothes, made her feel as though she was pouring vinegar all over herself. Her face could no longer maintain a smile.
"She injured her arm and it’s inconvenient for her," Si Chen replied in a cool tone, before carrying the basin over to an empty faucet to wash the clothes.
The hospital laundry basin was similar to the water faucets found in some modern schools, with several faucets lined up for communal use over a large sink. At first glance, everyone lined up there was a woman, with Si Chen being the only man.
The nurses exchanged glances when they heard what Si Chen had said, and they all felt a twinge of jealousy. They hadn’t expected Dr. Si to be so considerate. If they had known earlier, they would have used some tactics to make sure they married him.
Chen Yanmei also came downstairs with her dirty laundry. When she saw Si Chen washing clothes, she put the basin down and said sarcastically, "Oh, Dr. Si, you’re quite hardworking. You cleaned this afternoon and now you’re washing clothes. Isn’t it the wife’s job to wash clothes and cook and clean after getting married? Are you treating your wife as a deity?"
The women in this dormitory all had to serve their families every day without rest, whereas Si Chen’s wife didn’t do anything. No one could look at her without feeling jealous. They were all women, so why was her life so good?
Although they thought that what Chen Yanmei said sounded bad, they felt vindicated. They didn’t dare to say such things directly, but others did! They all looked at Si Chen, thinking that any man in his place wouldn’t help his wife with the laundry again. He would probably go home and scold his wife. If he had a bad temper, he might even beat her.
However, Si Chen’s response left everyone flabbergasted. He continued washing his clothes without expression and replied, "I am willing to."
Chen Yanmei never expected Si Chen’s response to be like this. Feeling that Si Chen had snubbed her, her face immediately turned ugly. She grunted, "Alright, I was being nosy. If a grown man like you doesn’t feel ashamed to wash women’s underwear, why should I care?"
Nobody else dared to intervene. They were all wondering what Si Chen was thinking and whether he would argue with his wife when he got back.
Si Chen didn’t respond but quickly finished washing the clothes and went upstairs with the basin. Seeing this, Yu Shiya quickly chased after him with her basin and called his name in the corridor on the second floor.
"Dr. Si, I know I shouldn’t say this, but I really can’t help it."
Apparently guessing what Yu Shiya was about to say, Si Chen’s dark eyes revealed a trace of annoyance. He glanced at her and said, "If you believe you shouldn’t say it, then don’t say it."
Yu Shiya’s fingertips whitened as she held up the water basin. This was the first time Si Chen had spoken to her so bluntly and mercilessly. Yu Shiya, who was constantly showered with compliments at the hospital, flushed with embarrassment. Even so, she couldn’t help but speak her mind. "Dr. Si, your hands are meant for holding a scalpel, not for doing such trivial things. Even my father said that you have a promising future. Even if you want to indulge your wife, you shouldn’t neglect these hands of yours."
Si Chen waited for her to finish talking, and then answered in a cold voice, "I have been doing these boring tasks every day before she came."
