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Chapter 15: Chapter 15: I’ll Take You to The Restroom
"..."
Yu Shiya choked, unable to continue speaking. She watched, stunned, as Si Chen carried a basin to the door to hang up laundry. She felt a punch to her chest, dull and extremely uncomfortable.
Once he had finished hanging the clothes and returned to the room, Si Chen didn’t say anything about what had happened downstairs. After finishing all the housework, the atmosphere in the room became quite awkward with the two of them just sitting and standing. Tong Yao, out of conversation, attempted to break the ice, "Who were the two who delivered the table? It would be good to greet them the next time I see them."
In her heart, the room was incredulously empty that there wasn’t even anything to tidy up, making her feel so dumb. She decided to go out the next day to buy some daily necessities.
"Dr. Dai Liwen, the ophthalmologist, and his wife Li Nuanchun were the ones who sent the table. When you meet Dr. Dai, call him Dr. Dai, and when you meet Li Nuanchun, just call her sister-in-law," Si Chen added more information, considering that Tong Yao was young and might not understand some social norms.
"Li Nuanchun?" Tong Yao was extremely surprised. She had never thought that the woman she had just seen was the gossiped Li Nuanchun, and she couldn’t help but be shocked.
Si Chen raised his eyebrows and asked strangely, "Do you know her?"
She didn’t exactly know her but happened to know some secrets.
Tong Yao whispered in a low voice, considering Si Chen was most likely not a gossiper, "She has an affair with Liu Gensheng from the pharmacy." It indeed felt insecure to gossip behind someone’s back, as she didn’t dare to speak too loudly.
Si Chen didn’t respond immediately, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as if wondering how she knew about this. However, he didn’t ask further, only reminding her in a light tone, "It’s fine to know it in your heart. Do not talk about it carelessly."
As he had just gotten to know Tong Yao, Si Chen didn’t understand her character yet. Concerned that she might be naïve, he paid extra caution.
Tong Yao obediently nodded her head, "I understand." Seeing him cooler than her, she couldn’t help but ask, "Did you know about it long ago?"
"Yes."
Si Chen simply responded and didn’t elaborate. It seemed that he didn’t want to discuss it further, and Tong Yao didn’t press on. The atmosphere fell into awkwardness once again. Tong Yao started to feel hot and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. This kind of house was airtight, the windows were not big, and the door couldn’t be left open, making it stuffy and hot. In contrast, an adobe house would be better.
Just as she was thinking, Si Chen suddenly said, "Hold on for a couple more days. I will be off the day after tomorrow and will buy a fan."
Tong Yao was delighted, "I’ll buy it tomorrow! I intend to go out to stroll around."
Si Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "You aren’t familiar with Li City. I will let Dr. Dai and his wife know and you can go together."
"Alright."
In fact, Tong Yao wanted to refuse, but thought that Si Chen might be worried about her going alone. Moreover, her arm injuries were inconvenient. Hence, she agreed.
Once her words finished, Si Chen suddenly said, "Let me take you to the restroom." 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Tong Yao was taken aback by his abruptness, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. Since arriving here, she has not gone to the restroom. Now, after being reminded, she indeed felt the urge. Thus, she stood up and followed Si Chen down the stairs.
At this moment, everyone was in their rooms so the corridor was empty. She watched Si Chen’s broad figure from the back and marveled. His body was upright, walking with a straight posture like a soldier. Despite his cleanliness, there was no feminine side to him at all. His masculinity was strong which contrasted beautifully against the colorful corridor, adding an artistic charm to it.
Although the hospital’s restroom was cleaner than the countryside’s, Tong Yao still wasn’t accustomed to it. The squat toilets were just like her primary school’s, lining up several in a row. The flies and mosquitoes were enough to suffocate you. Female sanitary products were thrown in the trash can without being folded, attracting lots of flies. The buzzing of the flies gossiping gave her a headache. Tong Yao finished her business and quickly left the restroom.
Si Chen was waiting outside the door. Seeing her rush out, he stood there, lips pressed into a thin line, apparently lost in thought. The two walked quietly back to the second floor. Si Chen let her go back to the room first and headed to the fourth floor himself.
A few minutes later, he returned and gave Tong Yao a hundred yuan, "Take this money to use first. Buy whatever you want, don’t save."
Tong Yao was surprised by his action. To put it in perspective, a hundred yuan at this time was equivalent to ten thousand yuan or more in the 21st century. A large family would only spend around a hundred yuan in half a year. This was the first time someone had given her money to spend as she liked, and it felt very strange.
Seeing her hesitating, Si Chen contemplated for a moment and added, "My current salary is a hundred yuan a month. From now on, I will give you eighty each month and leave ten for my meals, then another ten for the family. We are a newly established small family. Although I don’t know what would make one an excellent husband, I will do my best to be a good husband."
Tong Yao: "..."
She had imagined that after coming here, Si Chen might be furious because of the rumors, might insist on a divorce, or might give her the silent treatment. However, she never expected him to be so warm-hearted. He wanted to start a life with her and was willing to give her eighty percent of his salary.
Initially, Tong Yao considered the idea of divorcing if things became unbearable. Now, with mixed feelings, she didn’t know what to do anymore.
After thinking it over, she decided to take the money and briefly warned Si Chen, "Let’s get one thing straight before anything else! I’m a big spender. If you give me the money now and later expect me to keep accounts of expenses, I won’t be able to do that."
It wasn’t that she was overthinking things, but there was a significant difference in mindset across the decades. The people of this era were generally frugal due to their hard lives, with a hundred yuan lasting a large family half a year. That would definitely not be the case for her.
That being said, Si Chen’s salary really was quite good. Even if she did nothing from now on, they could live quite comfortably relying only on Si Chen’s salary.
"I won’t keep accounts."
Si Chen said lightly.
She didn’t know if it was an illusion or not, but Tong Yao felt a hint of amusement in his words. However, when she looked at him, his face was cold, like a chilled morning in early autumn, holding a slight chill to it. Could it be that she heard it wrong?
Planning to spend the money tomorrow, Tong Yao didn’t bother to hide it and put it directly into a drawer. Afterward, she heard Si Chen say, "We should get some rest."
Turning around, Tong Yao saw that Si Chen had already taken off his shoes and was sitting neatly on the bed. His slim and bare feet were even whiter than some girls’. He asked, "Do you prefer to sleep on the inside or the outside?"
"Inside."
Tong Yao didn’t dare to meet his eyes and lowered her head to the edge of the bed. When she got on the bed, she accidentally kicked her shoes under the bed. Just when she thought of bending down to pick them up, Si Chen beat her to it, retrieving her shoes and placing them neatly without saying a word.
It was so embarrassing just like being naked while rolling a roller, what a roundabout way to embarrass herself!
Tong Yao lay on the bed as if she were dead. Si Chen turned off the light and lay down next to her silently. Neither one of them said a word, and the silence was so deep that they could hear each other’s breathing. The room was so muggy without a fan, and mosquitoes buzzed near her ear. At first, Tong Yao was a bit restless, but after a while, seeing Si Chen made no further movements, she relaxed. Listening to the gossips of the mosquitoes, she drifted off to sleep before she knew it.
