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Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Shopping Together
Yu Shiya stopped walking and turned around to see that it was Chen Yanmei. She immediately called out with a smile, "Sister-in-law."
Chen Yanmei was delighted to hear mention her as "sister-in-law". She descended the stairs with her child in her arms and saw Yu Shiya wearing a dress. She curiously asked, "Planning to go shopping?"
"I have a day off today; I made plans with a friend to watch a movie". Yu Shiya wasn’t the prettiest in the hospital but she stood out with her unique charm, and as the youngest female doctor who knew how to dress, it all contributed to her popularity within the hospital staff.
Chen Yanmei sparked a guess, "With your boyfriend?"
"No, I don’t have a boyfriend". Yu Shiya shook her head and laughed sweetly. "Sister-in-law, if you know anyone suitable, feel free to introduce them to me."
Chen Yanmei continued, "I was thinking of introducing you to Dr. Si Chen. You two seem perfect for each other. But then suddenly Cheng Yaojin appeared... Forget it, it’s best not to talk about it in case others overhear."
Anyone of sound mind in the hospital would have noticed that Yu Shiya had a certain fondness for Si Chen. Now, Chen Yanmei was probing for a reaction from Yu Shiya by alluding to this.
"It must be fated!" Yu Shiya didn’t shy away but instead joined the conversation. "Dr. Si’s wife is very amiable, the kind you’d want to spend your life with. The two of them must be very sweet as they are newlyweds! I heard that Dr. Si loves his wife dearly and doesn’t let her do household chores."
"What sort of life are they leading?" Chen Yanmei scoffed sarcastically, "She has no basic etiquette. Ever since she arrived, she’s been acting like an old granny, staying cooped up in her room all day. And she’s brought the village lifestyle with her to the city, so lazy and sloppy, she doesn’t even bathe. I bet she’s a country bumpkin who’s never seen money before. She spent over two hundred yuan when she went out this morning. Even if Dr. Si’s family is rich, they can’t support such spending habits. I bet it won’t be long before they divorce."
The idea of a village girl and promising doctor lasting together was absurd.
No doubt in her mind about Chen Yanmei’s words, Yu Shiya met Si Chen’s wife yesterday indeed she was a country woman. She just hadn’t realized that this woman was not only unattractive, but also full of flaws.
"Dr. Si is loyal, he probably won’t divorce her."
Chen Yanmei declared confidently, "There’s no way a man as excellent as Dr. Si can spend his life with her."
Shifting the conversation, she added: "It’s a pity that I didn’t mention matchmaking you two earlier, or he wouldn’t have married such a woman. Sister, don’t hide it from me, I know you have feelings for him and I think Dr. Si also had feelings for you... What a pity!"
The two women chatted as they walked downstairs and further away. As their voices faded, Tong Yao slowly descended the stairs. She would’ve already given a piece of her mind to Chen Yanmei, hadn’t she been eavesdropping for juicy gossip.
Unexpectedly, Si Chen had someone at the hospital who adored him. She had deliberately peered downstairs and saw that this female doctor, named Yu Shiya, was quite attractive.
No wonder Si Chen was indifferent towards her, sleeping as if he were simply a corpse. In the morning, she had thought that he was just a decent guy, or maybe she wasn’t attractive enough. Turned out Si Chen already had someone else in mind.
The little fondness she had for Si Chen evaporated instantly. Who could accept their husband with another woman in his heart? Especially when that woman was his colleague and they saw each other every day?
Tong Yao instantly had the thought of breaking Si Chen’s heart.
In the afternoon, while everyone was at work, Tong Yao went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was afraid of aggravating her wound so she didn’t dare to wash her dirty clothes herself but managed to scrub her underwear.
When Si Chen came back with dinner in the evening, Tong Yao did not not settle for a glance, After eating and cleaning up, she went straight to bed. To her surprise, like being possessed by the sleep god, she fell into a deep sleep. She didn’t even notice when Si Chen washed the clothes and went to bed.
After a good sleep, she woke up feeling refreshed. Anyway, she didn’t like Si Chen. Since they didn’t care for each other, it would be better for them to divorce.
Of course, she couldn’t bring up the topic of divorce right now as she was still getting accustomed to this era. Even if they were to divorce, it would have to be after she has achieved something significant in her career. She planned to go out and look for business opportunities, set a small goal and make some money.
Si Chen had noticed that Tong Yao’s mood was off since last night. He had intended to talk to her last night but when he finished cleaning up and returned to the room, she was already asleep. He got up early in the morning and when he returned after washing up, Tong Yao was wide awake, just like nothing had happened the night before, like a rainstorm that had suddenly passed and left a clear sky.
Neither of them mentioned the situation, they simply got ready and left the room together. Just as they were exiting the staircase, they bumped into Li Nuanchun who greeted them cheerfully, "Aw, you two lovebirds heading out for a stroll?"
"Yes."
Si Chen replied simply.
Tong Yao called out "sister-in-law" as a form of greeting.
The couple then left the hospital and headed east. Si Chen with his long strides would take steps twice the distance of Tong Yao’s, and in no time, Tong Yao lagged two to three meters behind. She had initially tried to keep up with his pace but found it too tiring. She slowed down and in no time, they were walking a considerable distance apart, and to any onlooker it would seem as though they were strangers. 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
Si Chen seemingly realized that his pace was too fast for Tong Yao. He tried to slow down, and finally, they walked in sync.
Shortly after, they reached the streets and, with her stomach growling from hunger, Tong Yao was about to suggest something to eat when Si Chen beat her to it, "Let’s eat something first before walking."
"That’s exactly what I was thinking."
Tong Yao, in a fairly good mood, gave Si Chen a sweet smile.
Fortunately, there was a breakfast stall just ahead. They sat down and ate some steamed buns and fried dough sticks with a large bowl of porridge. The total bill was just 80 cents.
The breakfast stall was small, yet managed to do good business and could easily make a profit of over a hundred yuan a month. However, it meant early mornings which was too hard for her. She decided against this business.
After breakfast, they wandered the streets. Si Chen seemingly didn’t often go out for strolls and even Li Nuanchun knew more about the local attractions than he did. Their first stop was a furniture store. Tong Yao wanted to buy a folding table that could be stored away when not in use to save space. The shopkeeper, on the other hand, was insistently promoting the traditional square table. He lauded it endlessly talking about its durability and value for money. All the while, Si Chen remained expressionless. He simply said, "We’ll buy whatever she likes."
His words silenced the shopkeeper. As a frequent salesman, he was skilled at talking and quickly switched his compliments to Si Chen.
"Young lady, you’ve picked the right man. Your partner is someone who knows how to look after his wife. In the future, whatever goes on at home will be your call."
