Du Juanjuan felt that she had lost face in front of Yang Peimin, and in her haste, she swiftly withdrew her hand but then elbowed a teapot on the table beside her, knocking it over with a clang. The water inside spilled out, and it was boiling water at that. Du Juanjuan screamed and leapt away.
The hospital room was immediately in disarray, and just then a nurse happened to be passing by outside the door. She came in to ask what had happened.
Yang Peimin was speechless.
But there was no need for explanation; one look was enough to reveal the awkward scene of Du Juanjuan trying to dodge the hot water and knocking the table askew. The nurse frowned and said, "What’s going on here? Patients need peace and quiet."
By now, Du Juanjuan had regained her composure, lifted her chin, and looked back at the nurse irritably, "It was just a little accident, what’s with all the fuss?"
The nurse muttered, "This isn’t the first time."
Du Juanjuan glared, "Do you have any manners? Is this how you treat patients and their families? What do you mean ’this isn’t the first time’? It’s so crowded here, you bump into something with every turn. Why don’t you report this to your superiors..."
"Alright, since there’s no harm done, let’s just clean this up, so we don’t make a joke for Yiguang and his sister-in-law," Shao Hui said, his face full of embarrassment.
Shen Yiguang told him, "I’ll come to see you again later."
"Juanjuan, see Yiguang and his sister-in-law out."
Although Du Juanjuan was reluctant, she didn’t dare embarrass her husband and walked over.
Yang Peimin laughed, "No need, we’re leaving."
Wherever Du Juanjuan was, there was never any peace.
With a swift turn of the handle, Yang Peimin quickly pushed Yiguang out.
The nurse also left the room with a disdainful pout.
Yang Peimin had someone help carry Shen Yiguang down the stairs. In the backyard of the inpatient department, there was a small park. Although there weren’t many green plants to see, as everyone said, the autumn flowers were blooming beautifully.
Shen Yiguang, who had been bedridden for nearly ten days, was finally out for a walk, and his face was brimming with relief and joy.
"Were you getting stir-crazy?"
"Absolutely, I’d rather spend three days and nights on the battlefield than lie in bed unable to do anything."
"Let’s see if you’ll dare to get hurt again after this."
Yang Peimin deliberately pushed him next to a cluster of flowers, "Can you smell the fragrance?"
Shen Yiguang smiled and nodded.
The two of them stayed in the small park for an hour before heading back to the room.
A few days later, it was almost time for her to start school.
Shen Yiguang still hadn’t been discharged from the hospital, though he could get out of bed with assistance and go to the restroom. Yet, the doctors hadn’t agreed to discharge him.
Shen Yiguang was feeling a bit impatient.
Yang PeiMin just soothed him, "You’re such a grown man, you need to listen to the doctor’s orders. You really haven’t fully recovered yet, don’t end up with lingering health issues. Do you still want to keep these legs of yours?"
Shen Yiguang smiled as he pinched her nose, "You’re getting more and more authoritative when you lecture me."
Yang PeiMin let out a sigh, "I have no choice, who told me my husband is such a handful."
Because the things needed for the start of school hadn’t been fully prepared yet, and these past days had been spent tending to Shen Yiguang’s matters, some household items were needed and had to be ready, as she was also planning to move into the school dorms.
That day, after agreeing with Shen Yiguang, she went to wander through a department store.
She had lived in a university dormitory in her past life and felt that she had experience when it came to preparing items.
She had to prepare everything needed for use and consumption because she had seen the campus and it was some distance from the city center, so it would not be convenient to go out and buy things later, and that’s why she had to buy them in advance.
She had prepared some clothes before, but they were only for summer and autumn, and winter was approaching quickly here. Winter clothes also had to be prepared, and she thought she could buy some wool and knit a couple of sweaters when she had time.
What she didn’t expect was to see Gao Hong in the store.
This surprised her quite a bit.
Gao Hong was alone, about to ask the salesperson to help her take down a set of pillow covers to look at. The salesperson assessed her attire with a somewhat dismissive expression. Although Gao Hong appeared to be somewhat timid and weak, she was not deterred by the salesperson’s gaze and listened intently as the salesperson said, "These are new stock, the fabric is very soft and even fragrant..."
"That’s fine, I’ll take two."
"Alright, two for one yuan and sixty cents."
"Why’s it so expensive?"
The salesperson rolled her eyes, "Take it or leave it."
"I really don’t understand you people, why bother browsing the department store when you don’t have money? Don’t come out just to embarrass yourself."
Gao Hong’s face turned red.
Yang PeiMin was also looking at some towels and sheets on the nearby counter. Initially, she did not intend to greet Gao Hong, feeling there was no need to go out of her way to avoid her either. But now, as she heard Gao Hong getting mocked by the salesperson, and Gao Hong had just noticed her, even though she did not mean to eavesdrop, she still felt somewhat awkward.
"What a coincidence, I just came here to buy some things too."
"Sister-in-law..." Gao Hong didn’t expect Yang PeiMin to be here either, seeing her picking through the sheets and duvet covers behind her. The colors of those sheets were bright and attractive, the fabric seemed to be like satin, but it looked very soft. It must be comfortable to use, and the prices must not be low, right?
Her smile was somewhat forced, "Sister-in-law, are you out buying quilts?" Normally, a family’s quilts last about ten to twenty years. Like the mother-in-law said, Mrs. Shen really knows how to waste money. She wondered why her husband indulges her spending . Did he think money was blown in by the wind? Or perhaps he just can’t bear to say anything because he married such a pretty wife? How could her family be so rich? Eating meat every meal and constantly giving candy to the children? They must be very open-handed, huh?
"Is this for your own use?" Gao Hong couldn’t help but ask again; surely it wasn’t to give away as a gift?
Yang PeiMin nodded and didn’t ask her why she came; she just said to the salesperson, "I’ll take these two duvet covers and one cotton-filled duvet, as well as a pillow that I just chose. Please help me pack them up."
The salesperson promptly called over another salesperson to package the items she wanted.
This treatment was utterly different from what she had experienced. Gao Hong looked on bewildered, and then she noticed Yang PeiMin’s outfit—a pink long coat over a pristine white shirt tucked into fitted black Dacron trousers. The outfit looked very nice, and it made her appear even more beautiful and imposing. Some city residents might not even compare to her . Gao Hong took another look at her attire, feeling slightly disheartened. She had not made new clothes for herself in two years. The linen shirt she wore was made with the help of someone else, and the trousers were washed white, with an inconspicuous patch on the calf. Today’s trip to the city was in her best clothes, yet she did not expect the pillow cover to be so expensive. She had thought she could buy some wool to ask someone to help knit a sweater after buying the pillow cover, but now she couldn’t afford it. But then again, if she didn’t buy the pillow covers, it would again be a problem. It was said that sleeping on pillow covers with mandarin ducks made it easier to conceive a child...