Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The corridor was silent for several seconds.

Only when Liu Mei's footsteps completely disappeared at the top of the stairs did Monkey finally lose his temper, leaning against the wall and laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.

"Oh my, Comrade Dazhuang, you're calling me that so intimately!"

The monkey let out a drawn-out, strange cry, winking and nudging closer to Dazhuang: "You better hurry up and tell everyone the truth, what's going on with this Comrade Liu Mei? You usually seem so honest and unassuming, but you've been causing such a stir behind the scenes, keeping it a complete secret even from your own brothers!"

Da Zhuang's rough, dark face instantly turned as red as a cloth, and even the base of his thick neck felt hot.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

He hurriedly pulled the enamel mug he was holding closer to his chest, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer out a dry explanation: "What's there to say! She's a nurse, and I'm a patient. What she did was simply taking responsibility for the patient!"

"Take responsibility?"

Shanpao grinned, clutching his wound, laughing so hard he almost gasped for breath: "My arm was just bandaged too, why haven't I seen any nurses this responsible towards me? They even made me eavesdrop on their whispers before they left!"

Da Zhuang was rendered speechless by the retort, his dark face turning so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

"I have nothing to say to you!"

He roared gruffly, like a sulking bear, and quickly turned around, frantically lifting the tin lid of the enamel mug in his hand.

As soon as the lid was opened, a rich aroma of lard and scallions wafted out.

On the steaming bowl of clear broth noodles, two poached eggs with slightly charred edges lay neatly arranged, garnished with a few bright green vegetable leaves.

Da Zhuang stared at the two eggs, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard.

He held the jar and carefully drank a large mouthful of hot soup, pressing it close to the rim.

The scalding soup slid down his throat and into his stomach, dispelling most of the chill that had settled in the cold corridor late at night. This warmth spread through his blood, giving a sudden comfort to his perpetually tense heart.

Da Zhuang exhaled a puff of white breath, picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and was about to put it in his mouth when he caught a glimpse of a monkey leaning against the wall, swallowing hard.

He paused, then pushed the jar forward: "Monkey, you haven't eaten all night, have something to eat first."

The monkey waved its hands repeatedly as if it were avoiding a plague, and shrank back.

"No! Brother Dazhuang, this is an egg that Nurse Liu specially prepared for you."

"If I dare to touch it, and that thug finds out, she'll come after me with a scalpel, chasing me all over the hospital tomorrow! You'd better eat it yourself; I wouldn't dare mess with her!"

Dazhuang, holding the jar, turned around and looked at Shanpao and Erlengzi beside him: "Then you guys..."

"Big Zhuang, don't look at me!"

Shanpao quickly clutched his bandaged arm and dodged to the side, gasping for breath in pain while still grumbling, "I was hoping the nurse would be gentler with my dressing change tomorrow! If I eat even a bite of this, I'll be getting iodine poured on me like water tomorrow!"

Er Lengzi chimed in, shaking his head, "Right, right, Director Liang has already gone out to buy food. He'll be back in a bit. We'll just wait for our meal. You go ahead and eat!"

Da Zhuang looked at his bunch of unserious brothers and laughed, cursing, "Get lost!"

He turned around, ignoring the commotion, and gulped down the bowl of noodles, soup and all, in one go.

Zhao Shanhe leaned against the mottled wall, quietly watching Dazhuang swallow the last mouthful of noodle soup before throwing the cigarette butt between his fingers onto the terrazzo floor and stomping it out.

He walked over with steady steps, his gaze sweeping over Dazhuang's clean enamel mug.

"Dazhuang, you're not young anymore."

Zhao Shanhe spoke calmly, as if chatting casually: "It's about time I settled down and started a family."

Da Zhuang suddenly stopped wiping his mouth.

His already flushed face instantly turned red again, and he awkwardly raised his head: "Brother Shanhe, why are you making fun of me too..."

No, I'm serious.

Zhao Shanhe interrupted him, raising his hand to pat Dazhuang's broad shoulder lightly: "You're not young anymore, only four or five years younger than me at most. At this age, other people are already married with children, living a warm and cozy life. How long do you plan to stay single?"

When Zhao Shanhe spoke, the monkeys and hillbillies in the corridor wisely stopped their playful antics.

Looking into Dazhuang's honest, simple eyes, Zhao Shanhe said in a steady voice, "I think that girl is bold and straightforward, a kind and caring girl. She's sincere towards you, and I think you like her quite a bit too."

Da Zhuang's hand holding the lunchbox tightened slightly, and he looked up blankly: "Brother Shanhe, you mean...?"

"What I mean is, I think you two could try developing a relationship and see how it goes."

Zhao Shanhe reached out and tapped Dazhuang's sturdy chest, his tone revealing the sincerity of an older brother: "If things go well after getting to know her, then settle things down and get married as soon as possible. We're men, we can't always expect the girl to be the first to step up; you need to take the initiative too. Once Erzhuzi's matter is over, go to the department store, pick out a new outfit, and get ready. Then, invite the girl to the city to see a movie and have a meal at a restaurant, and have a good chat."

Da Zhuang's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

He glanced down at the empty lunchbox in his hand, gripped it tightly with his two large, fan-like hands, and nodded heavily at Zhao Shanhe.

He opened his mouth, just about to agree.

"Squeak—"

A dull screech suddenly broke the silence of the corridor.

The emergency room door, which had been closed for over an hour, was pushed open from the inside.