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Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Zhao Lao
When Si Chen returned home, Tong Yao was sitting on the bed reading medical books. Being alone at home bored her, so she picked up a few medical books that were laying around. They contained a lot of information about emergency care, and Tong Yao was fascinated by it. She only realized she had been reading for over half an hour when Si Chen walked in.
What surprised Tong Yao even more was that Si Chen had read all these medical books, and had even taken notes on some of them.
"Do you like to read?" Si Chen closed the door casually as he walked into the room, asking softly, "There are a few more books in the office. If you like reading, I can bring them home for you tomorrow."
"Sure!" Tong Yao agreed readily. She had nothing much to do without any TV, and reading could help increase her knowledge.
Si Chen’s gaze fell on her still damp hair, "Have you showered?"
Tong Yao, sensing the underlying meaning in his question, glanced at the dirty clothes in the basin and admitted somewhat awkwardly: "My arm is still hurting a bit, so you’ll have to help me wash my clothes for a couple more days. Once my arm feels better, I’ll do it myself."
Even with a thick skin, Tong Yao felt somewhat embarrassed to keep on asking him to wash her clothes. After all, he worked all day and got tired, and while they might be married in name, they weren’t really a couple, and he had no obligation to do such things for her.
Seeing her misunderstanding, Si Chen didn’t explain further, but said lightly, "Your hair is long, and if you keep it wet for too long while using a fan, you could get a headache. We should buy a hairdryer tomorrow."
Tong Yao thought: Here he goes again, asking her to spend more money?
Was he really so generous, or was he trying to make her look like a spendthrift, ruining her reputation and forcing her to leave out of shame?
It wasn’t that Tong Yao thought too much, but that she felt Si Chen was too kind to her, to the point it seemed unreal.
They had never met before and had no emotional ties. Having only lived together for a few days, it wasn’t as if they had developed feelings over time. Moreover, this guy still had an old flame in his heart. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Well, whatever his motives, she was going to buy the hairdryer; after all, he was the one who had suggested it.
"I’m quite straightforward," she said. "If you ask me to buy it, I’ll definitely go out and buy it tomorrow."
Observing her eyes darting around, aware that she was scheming something, Si Chen smirked and didn’t call her out on it. He bent down to pick up the vegetables by the wall and headed to the kitchen. Soon, the scent of food filled the hallway. This made Tong Yao’s hunger pangs intensify. Recalling that there was still something critical to handle, she walked to the kitchen door and asked, "Is there any paper here?"
The contract was yet to be written, and she would need it for tomorrow morning. Now would be a good time to write it.
The kitchen smoke was slightly suffocating. Squinting slightly, Si Chen replied, "Yes, in the drawer."
Tong Yao was mesmerized by the scene, the smoke giving Si Chen a subtle air of mystery that made it hard for her to look away. Sensing her gaze on him, Si Chen turned and asked quizzically, "What’s up?"
Regaining her composure, Tong Yao stuttered, "No, um... I’ll go check the drawer."
Damn it, she thought, embarrassed, caught off guard by his good looks.
Indeed, there was a pen and a new notebook in the drawer. Tong Yao tore off a piece of paper and wrote down some of the major lease agreements. Upon checking and finding no errors, she smiled with satisfaction. Just then, Si Chen walked in, and she quickly hid the paper and pen in the drawer.
"Let’s eat."
Si Chen unfolded the table, rotated the fan towards it, and then brought the dishes from the kitchen. The two of them ate around the small table, creating an unusually warm atmosphere. After a few bites, Tong Yao thought about her argument with Li Meiyu and asked Si Chen with her big innocent eyes.
"Doctor Si, everyone in the hospital now knows that you’ve found a wife who is lazy and loves shirking work, a hot-tempered slob. They all laugh at you behind your back, what do you say to that?"
Rather than waiting for the rumors to reach Si Chen’s ears, she thought it better to tell him herself.
Si Chen paused for a moment before asking, "Doctor Si?"
She was used to calling him as such in their interactions as colleagues, and patients would as well. Although Si Chen was used to the name, hearing his wife call him that felt somewhat unusual.
Tong Yao blinked, "Is there something wrong with this address?"
"It’s too formal." Si Chen pointed his dissatisfaction directly.
Too formal?
Wasn’t it just fine?
However, since Si Chen had mentioned it, she supposed she should change her form of address. It would be odd to call him Brother Chen, so what should she call him instead?
After some thought, Tong Yao tentatively asked, "Can I call you Ahchen from now on?"
Si Chen pressed his lips in response, giving a sound of approval to the nickname. His father had called him that when he was alive, and hearing it again stirred a strange feeling within Si Chen, as if he were drinking from a mountain spring, cool and refreshing.
"You haven’t answered my question yet," Tong Yao brought the conversation back to the topic, "Here’s what people are saying behind your back, what do you think?"
Si Chen remained silent, seemingly considering the question. After a while, he actually responded, "The terms lazy, work-shirking, and slob aren’t accurate. As for being hot-tempered, I wouldn’t say so. Spicy, yes, a little."
Tong Yao felt gratified by the first part of his response, but was taken aback by his last comment, "How am I spicy? I’m a very gentle and kind person... never mind, people can say what they want! After all, I can’t cover all those mouths with my two hands."
She had wanted to assert that she was a gentle person, but she felt guilty halfway through. Neither her nor her predecessor was gentle, it’s better not to boast about it.
"Right," Si Chen nodded, his black eyes filled with a hint of amusement, "This is just fine."
Once they finished eating, Si Chen cleaned up the dishes and went downstairs with his change of clothes to take a bath. A group of women were standing next to the sinks, washing clothes. Seeing Si Chen, they began to tease him.
"Doctor Si, are you washing clothes again today?"
"Doctor Si, your wife has been here for two or three days, why doesn’t she go out? We haven’t seen her."
"You women just love to gossip. Who washes the clothes and who goes out or doesn’t, it has nothing to do with you," a voice interrupted the women’s chatter.
The person talking was Zhao Dongqing, a renowned senior physician in the hospital. Now over sixty years old, he had worked in the hospital for more than thirty years. Despite reaching retirement age, his medical skills were so good that the hospital had retained him to continue treating patients. Many came to the hospital just to see him. Everyone in the hospital respected him as "Old Zhao".
As soon as he spoke, the women wisely shut up. They could joke around Si Chen, but they couldn’t utter a word around Zhao Dongqing.
You might not know the dean in the hospital, but you couldn’t not know about Zhao Dongqing.
Everyone in the hospital knew that Zhao Dongqing was a skilled doctor who, despite his age, was still working, not for the money, but for finding a successor. He desired to pass on his decades of medical knowledge and clinical experience to his disciples. He hadn’t found anyone suitable over the years, but he treated Si Chen well. He often discussed patient conditions with Si Chen and cherished him as a beloved grandson.
