"Oh dear, what's wrong with you, girl?"

Wang Meixia looked at the old man who had stood up opposite her, then at her daughter. After thinking for a moment, she decided to continue pretending to thank He Lin: "Mom, this is He Lin's teacher. She's the one who brought my sister to school last time."

Wang Meixia quickly let go: "Uncle, thank you so much. That child doesn't understand anything. Please don't spoil her next time. It's really too much trouble for you."

"Don't say that, we're all family. It's normal for kids to like joining in the fun."

Sensing something was amiss, Wang Meixia glanced at her daughter behind her, deciding to ask her later.

The nurse had already placed Yu Lian on the hospital bed, with a curtain separating them. Yu Lian couldn't see who Teacher Xian was taking care of.

What happened to your foot?

"I accidentally twisted my ankle, it's nothing serious. Teacher Xian, you're taking such good care of me..."

"Oh, my wife caught a bad cold a while ago, but we'll be discharged from the hospital soon."

"That's wonderful. You're busy, my family is here, don't worry about me."

Teacher Xian nodded and sat down against the wall on the other side. After exchanging a few words with her husband, she took her things and left.

Wang Meixia went outside to make a phone call, and the couple didn't return for a while. Hearing the coughing beside her getting worse, Yu Lian asked, "Do you need me to call a nurse?"

Yu Lian could vaguely hear two sounds. So without hesitation, she called out to the nurse who was passing by outside.

"Excuse me, nurse, could you please come and take a look? The elderly person in bed number one has been coughing constantly and is at risk of suffocating."

Yu Lian succinctly explained the key points, and the nurse put down the empty trolley she was carrying and rushed in. Several nurses followed and performed first aid, and finally the doctor arrived.

When Wang Meixia returned and asked, she learned that the elderly man in the next bed was thirsty and got up to drink water, but choked on it.

"Thank you so much, young lady. If this person had choked on the water, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Yu Lian waved her hand: "It's nothing, it's what I should do."

After seeing the doctor off, Yu Lian asked her mother to go and look after the elderly person next door.

"Auntie, if you want some water, just call me. Just call me Xiaoxia. Your husband isn't here, but I can help you. Don't feel embarrassed; we're all in the same ward."

Cheng Mei had coughed so badly that she hurt her throat and couldn't speak. She could only nod and look at Wang Meixia with gratitude.

"Then you can rest, I won't disturb you any longer."

Wang Meixia sat down next to the bedside. Not long after, Yu Xin arrived.

"Mom! How could you fall asleep so quickly? Is this how you take care of a patient?"

The first thing Wang Meixia did upon waking up was to remind her daughter to keep her voice down so as not to disturb the "neighbors" next door.

"Keep your voice down, this isn't a family-owned hospital room."

It was only then that Yu Xin belatedly realized that this was a regular ward.

"Why is my sister in a regular ward? I'll have someone move her to a private room right now."

The next second, she received a scolding from her mother and sister.

"Mom, take her home. She's just causing me trouble. I can manage on my own. If I really can't, I'll ask the nurse for help."

"No. Yu Xin, go back home after you've delivered the things. Do your homework when you get home, I'm going to check it. If you don't finish it on time and in the required amount, your confinement will be extended by ten days."

Yu Xin dared not say anything now. She had finally looked forward to the day she could go out, and stormed off in a huff.

As the sun began to set and darkness fell, Yu Lian noticed the indoor light dimming, making it difficult for her to read. "Mom," she said, "ask Grandma if she wants the lights on. If not, turn on this one for me."

"Okay."

Wang Meixia carefully walked over. The old man had sat up sometime earlier and was also reading a book.

"Oh, you're reading too. My daughter is reading too. May I turn on the light for you?"

"Thank you very much, and thank you for everything during the day as well."

"Never mind that, I'm going to turn on the light."

After the lights were turned on, everything became clear. However, Yu Lian didn't get to see for long before someone brought her food at mealtime.

Yu Jinbu had other things to do earlier, so after making the call, she went straight to the military base. She had already asked the canteen chef to prepare a special meal for her daughter, making a pot of chicken soup and some refreshing side dishes.

The moment the lunchbox was opened, a delicious aroma filled the room. "Eat up."

Yu Lian hesitated for a moment and looked at her mother.

Wang Meixia had just picked up her chopsticks to eat her portion.

"Oh, I'll go ask."

"Auntie, why aren't your family members here yet? Would you like to share something with us?"

Cheng Mei picked up the women's watch from the bedside table and glanced at it—she had been so engrossed in her book that she hadn't noticed the mealtime had long passed, but the old man still hadn't arrived. Her first worry wasn't that she would go hungry, but rather whether something had happened to the old man on his way.

"No……"

"Honey, I'm sorry I'm late."

Before she could finish her refusal, Teacher Xian strode in with a lunchbox. He Lin followed her in.

Yu Lian stared blankly at him. He Lin ignored her completely, as if she didn't even look at him. She wanted to say something, but Yu Lian respected his choice.

These were just the thoughts of two young people, not necessarily those of their elders. After placing the lunchbox on the small table, Teacher Xian noticed a person standing blankly behind him, then glanced at the hospital bed beside him. Seeing that the two were pretending not to know each other, he assumed that Yu Lian's parents were unaware of He Lin's situation. He pulled He Lin aside to speak with him.

"You keep eating, I'll go outside and talk to him for a bit."

Finally, Teacher Xian pulled He Lin to the side passageway. It was quiet there, and few people came and went.

"What's going on with you two?"

"Teacher, I have nothing to do with her. I didn't say a word at the time; you just believed that girl's side of the story."

When Teacher Xian heard what the student said, she recalled that He Lin had indeed not denied it at the time, but he had never expressed his opinion.

"Oh, wait a minute. You little rascal, when have I ever seen you invite a woman out for dinner? You like her, don't you?"

He Lin instinctively denied it, while simultaneously recalling many of his inexplicable actions from that time. Finally, he uttered three words: "I don't know."

Although the answer was unclear, Teacher Xian was very happy. Many young men his age had already married and started families, with children old enough to run around. But He Lin, due to his personality and family background, had never taken the initiative to approach women.

"Okay, don't worry about this. If it's because of family reasons, the teacher will help you resolve it."

"Teacher Xian, could you come here for a moment?"

From the office across the hall, the attending physician called out. Teacher Xian waved in response, patted the student on the shoulder, and walked over.

He Lin returned to the ward and stared intently at Yu Lian, who was eating. Yu Lian was curious about what was going on in his mind, so she introduced, "Mom and Dad, it was He Lin and her sister who helped me today. If it weren't for them, I'd still be sitting by the construction site in the west of the city."

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