"Brother?" He Zhilan had been standing with her back to He Teng for a while without any response from him, so she called out to him.
"Does it hurt?" He Teng asked, finally starting to gently apply medication to her injury. With a soft touch, he spread the ointment across the wound.
"It hurts quite a bit. I’ve been sleeping face down these past few days. The doctor said not to lie on my back for the time being, otherwise the wound might swell if it’s pressed against." Zhilan didn’t hide her discomfort and responded.
"The He Family owes you thanks. If it wasn’t for your reckless protection of He Da, given his current health, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand the beatings. Without you, he could have lost his life on that street. You are a great hero of the He Family, the family’s benefactor." He Teng spoke, finishing applying the ointment. Throughout it all, his mind was filled with images of Zhilan’s injuries, and the picture of her being beaten was constantly surfacing.
He Da told him how strong Zhilan was. Even when she was being beaten and coughing blood, she still managed to comfort him with a smile, encouraging him to hold on until help arrived.
He Teng didn’t know how to thank Zhilan. Her determination and bravery had allowed the He Family to have this opportunity of being reunited, fulfilling a dream their father held dearly.
However, He Teng also didn’t know how to ask Zhilan why she was so foolish to use her body to shield herself from those vicious attacks. Did she ever consider whether her body could endure?
"Really?" With a surprising speed, Zhilan turned around and grabbed He Teng’s hand, smiling brightly, "As the great hero of the He family, can I ask for a reward?"
"What?" He Teng had no idea what kind of reward Zhilan wanted.
"You will give me whatever I ask for?" Zhilan looked at him with a coy smile, "Then let’s remarry! How does that sound? You can treat you as the reward and give yourself to me!"
He Teng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhilan to make such a bold request at this moment.
"Can we?" asked Zhilan, lightly tugging at He Teng’s sleeve and acting coquettishly in his direction. It was a skill she seemed to be getting increasingly good at since disregarding her own dignity.
"We’ll talk about it later." He Teng gently brushed off her request and insisted she get some rest. He then began to pack up the ointment and made a move to leave the room.
Upon noticing this, Zhilan called after He Teng, "Where do you think you’re going at this hour?"
"We’re divorced," was He Teng’s curt reply. After a beat, he added, "Since father will be sharing a room with He Da tonight, I’ll sleep in father’s room."
"Go what? Come back here!" Zhilan quickly pulled him back, "We’re a married couple in Dad’s eyes. To him, we’re newlyweds. If you sleep in dad’s room and leave me alone here now, how do you think Dad would feel? Do you want him to know we’re divorced? Should he worry about He Da and us at the same time?"
As she spoke, Zhilan nudged He Teng towards the bed, countering his words, "We’ve shared the bed so many times. What’s one more? Losing a slice of meat won’t make us less complete. I, a girl, don’t mind, are you going to tell me that you do?"