Chapter 42: The Nourishment of Love~

Chapter 42: Love's Sweet Nourishment~

Pei Du got hurt.

When Chu Lanting heard the news, he dropped what he was doing and rushed to the warehouse, only to see the workers huddled in a circle.

No one was speaking, and from the side of a few faces, he could see their expressions were tight.

A dull ache suddenly hit his chest, and even his arms and legs seemed to go cold in an instant.

Chu Lanting stood at the warehouse entrance watching the scene before him, until he felt a tightness in his chest and realized he'd been holding his breath.

He took two deep breaths, pushed down the fear in his chest, and stepped forward.

The factory machines ran from the morning shift start and wouldn't stop until quitting time.

The machines roared so loud that you practically had to be face-to-face to hear what anyone was saying.

Chu Lanting had been hesitating at the warehouse door, the roar from outside drowning out whatever was happening inside.

As he got closer, he finally caught a familiar voice.

"What are you all crowding around for? You all done with your work? If you are, then do A Du's share too—he can't lift anything heavy with that hand right now."

Uncle Tian's voice got clearer as Chu Lanting got closer.

Scolded off, the workers finally started moving.

The ones on the outside spotted Chu Lanting and yanked him into the crowd.

"Move it! Out of the way! A Du, Xiao Chu is here!"

Everyone worked at the same factory, and even if they didn't talk much day-to-day, most could tell there was something going on between Chu Lanting and Pei Du.

Plus, everyone knew Chu Lanting was the one who'd taken Pei Du in, so now that Pei Du was hurt, Chu Lanting had every right to know.

It wasn't until the crowd parted that Chu Lanting finally saw the guy at the center of it all.

Unlike the old Pei Du—who, even after a full day of work and sweat, would still keep his clothes clean and neat—

the Pei Du in front of him now had a dirty work uniform and a face smeared with dust.

When he saw him come over, Pei Du's eyes lit up for a second, but just as he started to get up, the light in his eyes went out for no reason.

Seeing Pei Du like this made Chu Lanting frown without thinking.

He pressed his lips together, gave the man a once-over, and after making sure there were no bandages on him, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Uncle Tian, who was cutting cloth strips off to the side.

"Uncle Tian, what happened to A Du?"

Seeing him approach, Uncle Tian paused in his work: "What else? He wasn't paying attention while moving stuff, and his arm popped out of joint."

"No other injuries. The arm's already been popped back in, but to make sure there's no lasting damage, he can't lift anything heavy for a while."

Hearing that Pei Du's arm had been dislocated, Chu Lanting's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at the man's arms.

Maybe because he could feel his gaze, the moment Chu Lanting turned, Pei Du raised both arms easily and gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, he's fine—but when these guys came to get me, they dragged me all the way here! This old body of mine nearly died from running."

Uncle Tian grumbled, but even with his complaining, he went back over to Pei Du after sorting out the cloth strips.

He told the young man to raise his left arm, looped the cloth around his neck, and then slid his arm into the sling.

After making a simple sling, Uncle Tian warned: "Keep it like this for now. A bone injury takes a hundred days to heal—check again after that. And remember, no lifting anything heavy."

"A dislocation is no joke. If it turns into a recurring thing, that arm will be ruined."

"You listening? Hey hey hey, where are you looking? I'm the one treating you, but you keep staring at Xiao Chu like you're saying goodbye forever. I just said you need to take care of your arm—I didn't say you were dying, alright?"

He waved a hand in front of the young man's face, and when Pei Du snapped out of it, Uncle Tian's face turned into a look of pure exasperation.

"I used to worry you wouldn't like Xiao Chu, but turns out I was worrying for nothing."

This wasn't just liking—this was wanting to be stuck to Xiao Chu like glue.

Chu Lanting stood nearby.

Hearing that, he instinctively glanced around, and only after confirming everyone had gone back to their stations and no one else had heard Uncle Tian's rambling did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Uncle Tian, don't say stuff like that."

Hearing the protest, Uncle Tian chuckled: "Oh? Getting shy, huh? Fine, I'll stop. As long as you two are good together, that's what matters—you'll have someone to lean on, and you won't be so alone."

"Back when I first met you, your face always looked so dead. Look at you now that A Du's here—your face looks so much better. Tsk tsk, love really does wonders~"

"Alright, I'm really done talking. The old lady's got dinner waiting for me at home. Forget the medical fee—he actually popped it back in himself. By the time I got here, he'd already fixed it on his own. He's pretty hard on himself, huh."

"I'm old and I talk too much. I'm really going now—I'm out, for real!"

Chu Lanting walked Uncle Tian to the factory gate, said goodbye, and then turned back to the warehouse.

Pei Du was still sitting in the same spot, head down, lips pressed tight, giving off a gloomy vibe.

Seeing that, Chu Lanting walked over, crouched down in front of him, and wiped the dust off his cheek with his thumb.

"What's wrong? Does your arm hurt that bad? Or did Feng Xingyun hit you after I left this morning?"

As he said the last part, Chu Lanting's brows knitted slightly.

Pei Du might always seem cold and stern to outsiders, but Chu Lanting knew Pei Du would always listen to him.

Unless Feng Xingyun had said something too harsh, pushing Pei Du to the point of rage, the two would have fought.

But Pei Du was a great fighter—how could Feng Xingyun have gotten the upper hand?

Then again, maybe Feng Xingyun had pulled something dirty.

With that thought, the worry on Chu Lanting's already furrowed face grew even more obvious.

"Did he actually hit you? Where? Let me see."

"Uncle Tian hasn't gone far—I'll go get him to check you again."

He jumped to his feet and turned to run, planning to drag Uncle Tian back.

But the second he turned, a warm hand grabbed his wrist.

The next second, a body that was noticeably warmer than his own pressed up against his back.

That very arm Uncle Tian had just told him to take care of wrapped around him, pulling him in tight by the waist.

"Wife, I'll always stay by your side. You have to stay with me too—otherwise, I'll... I'll..."