After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

The old Gu family house was filled with a more lively atmosphere than usual on the weekend.

The sound of chopping filling echoed from the kitchen, while eight cold dishes were already laid out on the large round table in the living room. Grandpa Gu sat in his armchair, listening to the Peking Opera "Borrowing the East Wind" playing softly on the radio, while Grandma Gu held Gu Linlin's hand, her face crinkling with smiles.

Gu Linlin had gotten her hair permed today, with her bangs styled high. She was wearing a floral print polyester shirt and kept glancing towards the door.

"Here it comes!"

With the crisp sound of a bicycle bell, the gate was pushed open. A well-mannered young man wearing black-rimmed glasses pushed in a bicycle with two net bags of fruit and malted milk powder hanging on the handlebars.

"Grandpa, Grandma!" Gu Linlin rushed over like a butterfly, taking the young man's arm, her cheeks flushed. "This is Chen Zhuo, he works in the district cultural center's office, and he's quite the writer!"

Chen Zhuo adjusted his glasses and bowed politely: "Hello, Grandpa and Grandma. I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but I was always afraid of disturbing you."

"Good, good, he's a spirited young man." Grandpa Gu took off his reading glasses and nodded slightly.

Gu Zheng led Ye Zhen downstairs.

He wasn't wearing his military uniform today, which was unusual; instead, he wore a dark gray wool sweater with the cuffs rolled up, revealing a section of his muscular forearm. He looked less menacing and more relaxed and at home. Ye Zhen followed behind him, wearing a simple white sweater and a plain white outfit, but because of the aloofness that emanated from her very bones, she made the carefully dressed Gu Linlin look like a common, ordinary woman.

"Brother," Gu Linlin called out, her smile fading slightly as her gaze fell on Ye Zhen, "Sister-in-law is here too."

"Hmm." Ye Zhen nodded, her expression indifferent.

Everyone took their seats.

The Gu family has strict rules; the old saying "one should not speak while eating or sleeping" is outdated. However, juniors cannot reach for their chopsticks until the elders have started eating. Gu Zheng, however, disregarded all those rules and directly picked up a piece of the tenderest slice of fish with vinegar, carefully removed the bones, and placed it in Ye Zhen's bowl.

"Try it, Grandma's cooking is amazing," Gu Zheng whispered.

Ye Zhen glanced at him, said nothing, and lowered her head to eat in small bites.

Gu Linlin gritted her teeth. She turned to Chen Zhuo beside her and deliberately raised her voice: "Chen Zhuo, what was the name of that poem you published in the newspaper this time? Read it to everyone."

Chen Zhuo waved his hand modestly: "Oh, that was just nonsense. How could I dare to show off my limited skills in front of my brother and sister-in-law?"

He said he wouldn't dare, but his eyes glanced at Ye Zhen. He'd heard that his cousin-in-law was a doctor; even if her medical skills were good, her cultural refinement was probably just so-so.

"Just read it when I tell you to!" Gu Linlin said coquettishly.

For most of the meal, Gu Linlin and Chen Zhuo put on a personal show. One was responsible for being the straight man, and the other for showcasing his talent. They talked about everything from obscure poetry to existentialism. Although most of it was half-understood and forced, the older generation still thought the young man was cultured.

Ye Zhen ate her meal quietly.

She is a surgeon, and her fast and silent eating is a habit she developed from years of performing surgeries.

Until Gu Zheng picked up the wine bottle to pour wine for Chen Zhuo.

"Xiao Chen, want a drink?" Gu Zheng waved the Moutai in his hand. "It's a special supply; you can't buy it outside."

Chen Zhuo's expression changed, and he subconsciously covered the rim of his cup, forcing a smile as he said, "Cousin, I'm so sorry, but I'm allergic to alcohol and can't handle even a drop. I'll offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."

Gu Zheng didn't insist and poured himself a glass.

Ye Zhen put down her chopsticks.

Her gaze fell on Chen Zhuo's face. She hadn't looked closely before, but now that she was closer, and with the dim yellow light from the overhead lamp shining at an awkward angle, certain features that had been hidden were now clearly revealed.

Chen Zhuo's skin was fair, the kind of pale that comes from being deprived of sunlight for years. But beneath that paleness, in the sclera of his eyes, there was a faint, almost imperceptible, pale yellow tinge.

Ye Zhen narrowed her eyes and lowered her gaze.

Chen Zhuo was wearing a shirt, with the top button fastened. But when he was drinking hot tea earlier, he reached out and tugged at the collar to let some air in.

In that instant, Ye Zhen saw two or three small red dots, like a spider web, near his collarbone.

Spider angioma.

Palmar erythema.

Scleral yellowing.

Professional instincts instantly triggered an alarm in Ye Zhen's mind. These three things, taken together, in the medical context of the 1980s, usually pointed to a dreaded diagnosis.

"Sister-in-law, what are you looking at?"

Gu Linlin keenly noticed Ye Zhen's gaze, and her tone immediately became somewhat sharp. She felt that Ye Zhen was staring at her boyfriend with a strange look in her eyes, as if she were examining a defective product.

"Are you stunned by how outstanding my boyfriend is?" Gu Linlin said, half-jokingly and half-sarcastically. "Sister-in-law, I know you're lucky to have married my brother, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. But I believe in fate, and I still think it's more reassuring to find someone with whom you share common interests."

The air at the dinner table froze for half a second after those words were spoken.

Grandma Gu frowned, about to scold him.

Ye Zhen seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words. She looked at Chen Zhuo, her tone as calm as if she were prescribing medicine: "Have you been feeling weak and lacking appetite lately?"

Chen Zhuo's smile froze for a moment, and his eyes darted away. "No...no, it's just that I've been busy with work and I'm a little tired."

"That's from being overworked!" Gu Linlin retorted. "Chen Zhuo is a writer; staying up all night to write is common for him. Unlike some people, who can live a good life just by relying on men."

Ye Zhen ignored Gu Linlin's provocation and continued to stare at Chen Zhuo. Her voice was soft but clear: "Linlin, your boyfriend doesn't look well. Tell him not to overwork himself and to get a checkup when he has time. It's good for his health."

"Snapped!"

Gu Linlin slammed her chopsticks heavily on the table.

"Ye Zhen! What do you mean?"

Gu Linlin stood up, her eyes red-rimmed, and pointed at Ye Zhen's nose: "Are you deliberately trying to upset me? Chen Zhuo is a perfectly fine person, why are you cursing him to be sick? Do you think you're some kind of miracle doctor? You think everyone's sick?"

Chen Zhuo pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with grievance: "Sister-in-law, I've always been very healthy."

Grandpa Gu said in a stern voice, "Linlin! Sit down! How dare you speak to your sister-in-law like that?"

"Grandpa! You're so biased towards her!" Gu Linlin cried, tears streaming down her face. "I finally brought a boyfriend home, and not only did she not say a kind word, she even said he was sick in front of the whole family! Isn't that insulting? How are we supposed to face everyone now?"

Ye Zhen sat there, her back straight. She looked at the excited Gu Linlin, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

That's why she doesn't like socializing.

In medicine, things are clear-cut; symptoms are symptoms, and they won't disappear just because you're angry or crying. She was clearly trying to save someone, so why was it interpreted as malice?

"I didn't swear," Ye Zhen explained calmly.

"Enough!" Gu Linlin shrieked, "You still dare to say that, huh? You're just jealous! Jealous that Chen Zhuo is more educated than you, jealous that our relationship is better!"

Suddenly, a large hand reached out and grasped Ye Zhen's hand, which was placed under the table.

Those palms were large, warm, and dry, carrying a calming power.

Gu Zheng slowly put down his wine glass, the bottom of which struck the mahogany table with a dull, crisp sound.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a muffled thunderclap, abruptly stopping Gu Linlin's crying.

Gu Zheng lifted his eyelids, his usually roguish peach blossom eyes now as cold as if they had been soaked in ice water. He didn't even glance at Gu Linlin, but casually twirled the thumb ring on his thumb.

"Are you done talking?"

Gu Zheng's voice was low and unreadable.

Gu Linlin shuddered and instinctively shrank back behind Chen Zhuo. In this family, she wasn't afraid of her grandfather's scolding, but she was afraid of her brother, who was like a smiling tiger.

"Zhenzhen is a doctor. In this family, she's the authority when it comes to health." Gu Zheng spoke slowly, each word like a hammer blow. "If she tells you to get checked, you'd better actually get checked. If the results are fine, you're lucky; if they're serious, she saved your life."

He turned his head and gave Chen Zhuo a cold glance.

"Furthermore, if anyone dares to yell at or point fingers at my wife at this table again... don't blame me, Gu Zheng, for being ruthless and throwing them out the door."

Chen Zhuo felt a cold sweat break out on his back from that look, and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, brother is right, sister-in-law meant well, she meant well..."

"Eat." Gu Zheng looked away, picked up his chopsticks again, put a piece of pork rib into Ye Zhen's bowl, and his tone instantly softened by 180 degrees. "These pork ribs are stewed until very tender. Eat more to nourish yourself."

The turmoil seemed to have subsided under Gu Zheng's forceful suppression.

But the second half of the meal was like chewing wax. Gu Linlin's eyes were red, and she only ate a couple of bites before pulling Chen Zhuo away.