The day was not late, and after seeing off Ning Ge and Ying Xiaoya, only Cheng Su and her husband remained in the hospital room.
Qi Taiguo personally took a thermos to fetch hot water, scalded the basin he brought with boiling water several times, and then poured the hot water in, even adding some ginger to it, as he attended to washing Cheng Su’s feet.
Cheng Su’s nose felt a bit sour; it was rare to see such a thoughtful side of him, yet it was under these circumstances, which was truly heart-wrenching.
"What’s wrong? Is the water too hot?" Qi Taiguo heard her sniffle and quickly asked, reaching into the water to test its temperature. It was a bit hot, but he said, "The hotter the better, to drive away the cold."
Cheng Su wiped the corner of her eye and asked, "How did you know to use ginger?"
"Chunhua told me. She also asked me to bring it, saying that miscarriage is just as damaging to a woman’s body as giving birth. Washing your feet and bathing with ginger can expel coldness," Qi Taiguo replied. "The hospital conditions aren’t great, and you like to be clean. After a couple of days when you get discharged and we’re back home, I’ll buy a bag of ginger and make ginger water for you to bathe in, okay?"
His tone was tender, and Cheng Su hummed in agreement.
Only then did Qi Taiguo smile, stir the water, and meticulously massage her feet, tears falling into the basin, perhaps steamed from the water.
Cheng Su saw it clearly but pretended not to notice, turning her eyes away and wiping the tears from her face.
After washing her feet and lying back down in bed, Cheng Su shuffled to the side and said, "Come up and sleep with me."
Qi Taiguo hesitated for a moment, took off his coat, and got into the small single bed, stretching out an arm for her to rest her head on as they both lay on their sides.
"How many days has it been since you shaved? Weren’t you just home? Why didn’t you shave before coming back?" Cheng Su teased his stubble.
Qi Taiguo said, "I thought of shaving when I got home, but I didn’t while I was on the road, and I forgot again when I got back. It’s fine; it’s not too long, and it’s not as if it will grow lice."
Cheng Su was amused and chuckled, lightly punching his chest.
Seeing her laugh, Qi Taiguo’s heart eased. He went on to talk about his training, deliberately showcasing his pectorals: "Poke it, has it gotten firmer?"
Cheng Su reached out and poked it; it was indeed quite firm, and she said, "I reckon those kids must hate you now!"
"They’re bound to hate me. They’ve even given me a nickname: ’The Devil Company Commander’. Humph! I’ll have to keep disciplining them!" Qi Taiguo said with mock seriousness.
Cheng Su laughed again and after a while said, "These past days, I’ve been too careless, didn’t even realize I was pregnant, and couldn’t control my temper, which led to this."
After regaining consciousness, she realized that there had been signs of pregnancy; it was just that she had never been a mother before and hadn’t paid attention while busy. If she had been aware, she wouldn’t have provoked Chiang Qing and the others, leading to her breakdown.
"Don’t blame yourself; self-reproach won’t make up for the maliciousness of a villain. Just now, I taught them a lesson, and it’s possible that I might have to take off this uniform," Qi Taiguo assured her.
Cheng Su was startled and looked at him.
Qi Taiguo casually recounted the conversation he had with Ning Ge and then jokingly said, "From now on, I might have to depend on you to provide for us!"
"If it’s really such a system that can’t distinguish right from wrong, then whether or not to be a military commander is of no concern; we can still live well!" Cheng Su said coldly.
Qi Taiguo hummed in agreement and said, "Sleep, don’t think too much. The ship will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge. We have nothing to fear!"
"Mhm!"
Cheng Su buried her face in his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, and quickly fell asleep.
Qi Taiguo, however, lay awake, brushing the stray hairs away from her face, watching her until dawn. No matter what, he couldn’t let her suffer any grievances.