Chapter 34

Chapter 34

A group of children entered the clinic and stood just inside the doorway, not venturing further in. Doctor Ma looked sour, and he had snapped at Nurse Zhou for being late. The children, sensitive to the atmosphere, sensed they might not be welcome and didn't want to cause trouble for her.

Shen Guoqing stood at the entrance for a while, until he heard what sounded like an argument. Concerned, he walked over.

Just as he approached, Zhou Yaoyao dropped a bombshell on him. Shock, delight, confusion, bewilderment—there was no time to process any of it before he took a spill.

The fall was quite heavy, with a loud thump that immediately drew the attention of all the children.

Zhou Yaoyao was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter. She just walked out of the office holding the tin box, thrust it into Shen Banyue's hands, and asked Shen Guoqing, "Are you alright?"

Shen Guoqing scrambled to his feet, waving his hands dismissively. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just... just took a little tumble, nothing serious."

Zhou Yaoyao pointed at his hand. "Let me see your hand."

Shen Guoqing curled his fingers, hesitated, then obediently extended his hand.

Zhou Yaoyao peered at it. "You skinned it a bit. Come here, I'll clean it with iodine to disinfect it."

Shen Guoqing muttered, "It's just a little scratch, no need for medicine," but his feet followed her anyway.

Shen Banyue's eyes darted around. With perfect bad timing, she took hold of Xiao Dizi with one hand, clutched the tin box with the other, and followed them. The other children, like a bunch of ducklings, trailed along behind.

No one paid any attention to Ma Guangrong, who stood frozen in place. His face shifted through a series of expressions before finally settling into a cold sneer. He muttered to himself, "Hah, getting involved with a dirt-poor farmer. She's asking for trouble."

Treating a minor scrape was second nature to Zhou Yaoyao. She finished in just a few quick moves and said offhandedly, "Make sure to keep it clean once you're home to avoid infection."

Shen Guoqing kept his hand outstretched for a long moment, his mouth working soundlessly. Finally, he managed to stammer out, "You... what you said earlier... did you mean it? I... I..."

Zhou Yaoyao blushed. She had been feeling a bit embarrassed, but his nervousness made her laugh. Thinking he was worried about his circumstances and afraid she might look down on him, she waved her hand dismissively. "I know all about your family situation. I just think you're a really interesting guy, and Auntie Wang is a very good woman too."

She suddenly laughed. "What's wrong with being a farmer? Don't you earn full work points? Your family has a solid brick house with tile roofing and a large courtyard. Isn't your family's condition among the best in the brigade?"

Shen Guoqing was dumbfounded. "How... how do you know all that?"

Zhou Yaoyao laughed. "Last time, those kids were asking Nurse Mao about my family, and they ended up telling her about your situation too." They were just kids, so Nurse Mao didn't think much of it and told her about it, thinking it was funny.

Shen Guoqing: "..."

He hesitated for a moment but decided not to mention the job opportunity just yet. Mainly because it wasn't finalized, and he himself still felt like he was floating on air, worried it might fall through. He thought quickly and asked, "So... when is your day off? I'll come find you then?"

Zhou Yaoyao raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Does that mean you're agreeing to go out with me?"

Shen Guoqing scratched his head sheepishly. "If I didn't agree, wouldn't I be a total idiot?"

Zhou Yaoyao laughed. "I happen to be off this Sunday."

Perfect. By then, the job formalities should be settled.

Shen Guoqing: "Alright, it's a date then."

Before Shen Guoqing could linger, all lovesick and reluctant, Zhou Yaoyao started shooing them away. "It's getting dark. You all should head back. We'll meet at the bus stop Sunday morning."

Shen Guoqing's mind was a complete muddle. He didn't even ask what they would do after meeting at the bus stop, just walked out with a silly grin plastered on his face.

Seeing Shen Banyue holding the tin box without distributing the candies and biscuits, Zhou Yaoyao chuckled and sighed, "You little rascal." She counted them and simply divided all the candies and biscuits in the tin among the children before seeing them to the door.

"Wow, these are milk candies! These aren't cheap," Shen Wenyi exclaimed with an envious sigh. "Why aren't I a kid anymore? Wendong, give your big brother a piece of candy."

Before Shen Wendong could respond, Shen Zhenhua pushed him aside. "Go on, get out of here. You're the older brother, and you never think to buy your nephew any candy or biscuits. Now you have the nerve to ask him for some. Shen Wendong, don't pay any attention to this silly boy."

Shen Wendong, who had been hesitating about whether to give Shen Wenyi a piece of candy, obediently stuffed the candy back into his pocket.

Shen Wenyi: "..."

Failing to get candy, he turned his attack on Shen Guoqing. "Hey, Shen Guoqing, did you find money in there or something? You've been grinning like an idiot ever since you came out, grinning all the way here."

Shen Guoqing ignored him, but Zhao Xuehai dropped a bombshell: "He didn't find money; he found himself a wife. Nurse Zhou said she wants to see him... Uh, Nurse Zhou doesn't seem plump, though?"

"What?!"

Shen Wenyi was shocked and incredulous.

Even Shen Zhenhua was a bit surprised. It was clear Little Nurse Zhou had a good impression of Guoqing, maybe even some fondness. But still, going in to get something and coming out as a couple? That was a bit much.

Shen Zhenhua asked, "Did you tell her about the job and ask if she'd be willing to see you?"

Shen Guoqing shook his head, continuing to chuckle foolishly.

Shen Zhenhua: "..."

Shen Banyue kindly explained for him: "Uncle didn't say anything, and it wasn't Uncle who asked. Nurse Zhou asked him first. They even made a date for Sunday."

Having witnessed the entire scene, Shen Banyue mused that dating in this era was really straightforward and blunt. There was none of the complicated back-and-forth maneuvering of later times. If you liked each other, you discussed it and started seeing each other, then jumped straight to the dating phase. Marriage probably followed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Zhenhua sighed with feeling. "That's why the old saying goes, 'Fools have fortune.'"

Shen Wenyi also sighed. "Shen Guoqing, our Comrade Guoqing, you've really made something of yourself!" He felt something was off, pondered for a long while, and suddenly realized: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, Uncle. What did you just say? What job matter? What job matter does our Comrade Guoqing have that needs to be discussed with Little Nurse Zhou?"

Oh dear, he'd forgotten there was still someone—no, several people—here who knew nothing about it.

Shen Zhenhua was amused. He leaned close to his nephew and whispered a few sentences. Shen Wenyi's eyes grew wider and wider as he listened, finally letting out an angry roar: "Shen Guoqing, you bastard! Something like this and you didn't tell me? Do you still consider me your brother?!"

Recalling all the foolish things he'd done these past few days made Shen Wenyi's teeth ache.

And here he thought his buddy was feeling down because he'd lost face! Here he was secretly plotting to get revenge for his brother! Here he was racking his brains for words to comfort his brother! And what was the result? This little rascal was going to the county town to become a worker, and he'd even found himself a nurse girlfriend!!!

Suffering ten thousand points of damage, Shen Wenyi turned and glared at Shen Banyue. "You knew about this too, didn't you? And you didn't tell me anything!"

Shen Banyue really wanted to remind him again that she was a child, at least in appearance and in others' perception.

But after thinking about it, she said expressionlessly, "You never asked."

Shen Wenyi was speechless for a good while before finally sputtering out, "After we colluded, acted in cahoots, and committed misdeeds together, this is how you treat me?!"

Shen Banyue didn't know whether to praise him for being cultured enough to string together four-character phrases or to praise his Chinese level for being only slightly better than an illiterate person's. In the end, she chose to ask expressionlessly, "So, are we still going to 'commit misdeeds'?"

After all, his brother wasn't suffering; his brother was about to hit the jackpot.

Shen Wenyi wrestled with it for a moment, then gave Shen Banyue a look as firm as if he were vowing to join the Party. "We are. Sunday. We won't stop until we 'commit'."

Alright then.

The ox-cart swayed and creaked forward through the night.

The weather had turned cold, especially at night. A sudden gust of cold wind could chill a person to the bone. But huddled closely together, sharing body warmth, it didn't seem cold at all. Especially for the children, each with several fragrant, soft milk candies and two crisp, delicious biscuits in their pockets—enough to make them forget the darkness of the night road and the chill of the night wind.

Many years later, when many of them recalled this night, they would inexplicably feel that the night wind had also been warm, carrying within its warmth a hint of sweet, milky fragrance.

After returning the ox cart to the brigade, everyone headed home.

Before parting, Shen Wenyi teased Zhao Xuehai, saying that since he had been "out playing" so late, he'd get his hide tanned when he got home. Zhao Xuehai chuckled and replied, "Even if it gets tanned, it's worth it." He had eaten at a state-run restaurant and even gotten milk candies and biscuits. His kid sister would probably be green with envy.

The kids were all thinking the same thing: today was totally worth it.

They got to eat, they got treats, and they even got money!

Each of them had received a share of money, not just one or two cents, but three-fifty! Not to mention kids, even most adults these days didn't have that much money in their pockets—

Like Shen Wenyi—he only had about one yuan to his name.

It was getting late. Back in the courtyard, the kids formed a line without being told to wash up.

Shen Guoqing whispered with Wang Guizhi for a while. As Shen Banyue wrung out a towel to wipe Xiao Dizi's face, she strained to hear. She realized Shen Guoqing hadn't mentioned anything to the old lady about being in a relationship and thought to herself, He is really keeping his cool.

After they had all finished washing up and gone to their rooms, Shen Guoqing came knocking on the two little girls' door. Standing at the doorway, he whispered, "Are you coming to the county town with me tomorrow?"

Shen Banyue hadn't expected him to take them along. After all, he was going to the county town to take care of some business, and most people would find bringing kids inconvenient.

"After finishing up, Comrade Liao will be returning to the army, right? You two little girls could represent us and send him off?" Shen Guoqing thought she might be too tired from today's activities and didn't want to go, so he added.

Hearing this, Shen Banyue nodded. "Okay, then we'll go send Uncle Liao off."

Shen Guoqing gave a goofy grin, reached out, and ruffled Shen Banyue's hair, which was even messier after she'd taken her hair tie out, and whispered, "That day, did you ask about Nurse Zhou's situation and also tell her about mine?"

Shen Banyue blinked and smiled back, asking, "Are you going to give us matchmaker red envelopes, Uncle?"

Shen Guoqing's smile grew even sillier. "You're quite the little grown-up, even knowing about matchmaker red envelopes? Absolutely, I'll give each of you one later!"

Shen Banyue gave him a thumbs-up.

"Then you two should get to sleep soon. We need to start early tomorrow. I'll come wake you up."

He turned to leave but then came back, whispering again, "Thanks, you two."

Then, he gave Shen Banyue's head another quick ruffle before turning and hurrying away.

Shen Banyue patted her hair back into place a couple of times and sighed. "These annoying adults."