After finishing their meal, An Zhiyuan stepped out to find some help. They had guests to entertain today, so of course they needed to borrow tables and chairs; their own dining table could barely fit four or five people, let alone more.
Bai Xiao had already busied herself in the kitchen—entertaining guests couldn’t be too simple, especially since many of the guests were old comrades in arms for both of them.
For teammates who had faced life and death together, it was only right to offer the sincerest hospitality.
Bai Xiao planned to cook several dishes and then make dumplings. That way, even if there weren’t enough dishes, the dumplings could fill in the gaps, mainly because she wasn’t sure how many people would come tonight. An Zhiyuan roughly estimated about ten people, but if guests brought family members, the number could increase significantly.
Therefore, Bai Xiao preferred to anticipate a larger number of people.
An Zhiyuan had already finely chopped the dumpling filling earlier. He hadn’t rested that afternoon, instead preparing in advance for his wife.
He believed that chopping meat filling should be a man’s job, so he took care of all the preparations.
Bai Xiao had just started cooking the beef tripe; stir-fried tripe was a favorite for the men, a great dish to accompany drinks.
The women, of course, would have pork trotters and chicken feet, rich in collagen.
Someone knocked on the door from outside. Bai Xiao glanced at the wall clock; it was only three o’clock, too early for dinner guests.
"Who is it?"
"Doctor Bai, it’s Sister Wei! My husband sent me over to help!"
Bai Xiao opened the door, and several people were outside. Aside from Sister Wei, whom she had just met yesterday, the others were strangers.
Sister Wei carried a child in her arms, a bald three-year-old boy who wasn’t heavy but seemed very lively, squirming in her embrace.
"Doctor Bai, this is He Hua, the wife of Captain Wu from upstairs; this is Shu Yun, the wife of Deputy Captain Jiang from downstairs; and this one is Director Zhang’s daughter, Zhang Han. Their men won���t be back until after six or seven, so we came over first to help out."
Sister Wei had already squeezed past Bai Xiao, still holding the child, and entered the house.
"Hello everyone, please come in."
Bai Xiao welcomed them warmly. After all, they were surely relatives of someone she knew, and from now on, they would be neighbors, the kind you see every day. This gathering was a good chance for everyone to get acquainted.
She ushered them all inside when she heard someone calling from behind.
"Why only greet them and not me?"
With a look of surprise, Bai Xiao turned around. My heavens, Liu Yun!
A big hug, this was a genuinely old friend.
"What are you doing here?" Liu Yun had heard that she was assigned to a different hospital, and at the time, she felt that even a friendship forged through life and death could end up dissipating, each going their own way.
Liu Yun embraced Bai Xiao tightly. "Why are you still so thin? Heard you got married recently? My husband is staying in the dormitory building right next door. Since I’m family, I was directly transferred to this hospital because of my job. Just a few days ago, my husband mentioned that the youngest Chief had returned, and these past days, we’ve been fixing up our place.
The moment I heard that one of the couples is Leader An and Doctor Bai, I instantly thought it must be you and Captain An. You were busy these past few days, and I didn’t want to disturb you by dropping by. When I came over yesterday morning, there wasn’t anyone at home. And today, as soon as I heard they were coming to your place to freeload a meal, I rushed over to help. That’s good of me, right?"
Bai Xiao pulled Liu Yun into the house, and the noise inside suddenly died down. Sister Wei was in the process of taking biscuits from Bai Xiao’s cupboard to give to the child in her arms and looked a bit guilty when she met Bai Xiao’s eyes.
"Doctor Bai, I’m sorry, my child was hungry. He saw the biscuits in the cupboard and wouldn’t stop crying for them, couldn’t be quieted down, so I thought, Doctor Bai, you’re such a generous person, you surely wouldn’t mind, and gave him one," said Sister Wei.