Chapter 23: Eat Your Fill

It was not until Yi Changhuan pushed the door open that Yi Qingzhuo was jolted out of her thoughts. She quickly clenched her hand and shoved it into her pocket.

As soon as Yi Changhuan pushed the door open, she saw a dark figure standing behind it. She had already been worried about Yi Qingzhuo staying alone in the hospital, and now, seeing this suddenly, she was startled. The next second, she realized it was Yi Qingzhuo. “Hey, you child, why are you standing at the door for no reason? You scared me.”

Yi Qingzhuo lowered her head as if nothing had happened. “I just got back.”

“How did things go at the police station?” Yi Changhuan paused for two seconds, then reached out to support Yi Qingzhuo. “Smoothly. It’s all done, and the legal process has started.”

“Good.” Yi Qingzhuo nodded.

“Now that weight off our shoulders is finally gone.” Yi Changhuan sighed helplessly.

Yi Qingzhuo pursed her lips but didn’t respond.

Knowing Yi Qingzhuo didn’t want to talk about it anymore, Yi Changhuan dropped the subject. She helped her sit on the edge of the bed, then finally noticed the clothes Yi Qingzhuo was wearing. Frowning, she asked, “Where did you get this outfit?”

Yi Qingzhuo had been wearing hospital gowns the whole time, so there was only one set of her own clothes in the wardrobe—the ones she planned to wear upon discharge. But Yi Changhuan had brought those from home, and she was certain they weren’t the clothes Yi Qingzhuo had on now. Besides, it didn’t look new. So where did it come from? They didn’t know anyone here.

Yi Qingzhuo paused, her hand halfway to taking off the jacket. A trace of unease flickered across her face. She lowered her eyelids and answered casually, “It’s someone else’s.”

“Whose?” Yi Changhuan examined the jacket. Even though it was black, it didn’t look like a men’s style.

Realizing she couldn’t brush it off, Yi Qingzhuo took off the jacket, draped it over the back of a chair, and glossed over the question. “Dr. Shen’s.”

“Dr. Shen?” Yi Changhuan opened her mouth in shock. She had considered several possibilities, but never Shen Chaoyi. She looked at the jacket again. “Dr. Shen lent you her jacket? Why? What happened?”

Yi Qingzhuo glanced at the jacket, a subtle softness gathering in her eyes. “She saw me sitting outside alone and figured it would be inconvenient for me to go back to the ward to get my own clothes, so she let me wear hers.” She paused, then added, “Mom, can you wash it for me tomorrow and give it back to her?”

Yi Changhuan picked up the jacket and folded it carefully. “I can wash it, but you have to return it yourself. Tomorrow, I’ll go home and make some chicken soup. You can bring it to Dr. Shen when you give the jacket back. Look at Dr. Shen—she’s so busy, sometimes she can’t even eat a proper meal all day. She’s so thin. And she still cares about you like that. She’s a good doctor. Didn’t I teach you from a young age to be grateful?”

“No. If you want to give her chicken soup, you deliver it yourself.” Yi Qingzhuo refused without a second thought. She turned even colder at the memory of Han Yecheng’s words.

Seeing her daughter’s stubborn attitude and the drooping expression on her face, Yi Changhuan knew she was in a bad mood. “What’s wrong? Didn’t Dr. Shen lend you her jacket? It’s just a simple matter of returning it while you’re at it. It’s not something expensive. Dr. Shen is very understanding and considerate—she won’t refuse.”

Yi Qingzhuo’s expression turned subtle. She pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, making up an excuse. “I still can’t walk around much. The doctor said I need to rest.”

“The doctors said you can move around appropriately. If you lie still for too long, your muscles will atrophy.” That excuse didn’t even count as a reason in front of Yi Changhuan. She pulled up a chair and sat down, tugging it closer to persuade her. “Listen to me. Would your mom ever steer you wrong? I can tell Dr. Shen is a good doctor. She treats everyone without prejudice. Even knowing about your past… she never once slacked off. She’s thoughtful, thorough in everything she does. Someone like that is worth getting to know.”

“She’s a doctor. Saving lives and treating patients is her job. Once I’m discharged, we won’t cross paths again. And it’s obvious we can never be friends. We’re from two different worlds. Her circle is completely different from mine. Don’t bother anymore. I don’t want to cause her trouble.” Yi Qingzhuo looked at Yi Changhuan with an unusually serious expression.

I don’t want to bring her any more trouble. She and I are not from the same world. I can’t let any inappropriate feelings grow. Yi Qingzhuo steeled herself. Though her heart ached bitterly, she showed nothing on her face, even calmly trying to convince Yi Changhuan. Her anger at Han Yecheng had been a momentary outburst. If she could, she just wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible. Every day here was a torment.

Hearing this, Yi Changhuan was stunned for a long moment. Finally, she could only sigh and pat the back of Yi Qingzhuo’s hand. All her words boiled down to just one: “Are you hungry? I ordered dinner for you earlier. Did you eat?”

A mother only cares whether her child is hungry. Everything else comes second.

Yi Qingzhuo’s expression softened a little. “Not yet. I didn’t have much appetite.”

“That won’t do. You have to eat your fill.”

No matter what happens, eat your fill and get a good night’s sleep. That’s enough. Everything else—the things you can only reach by standing on tiptoes—can wait until after these two things are done. Sleep well, have sweet dreams. Goodnight.

—

The next afternoon, Yi Qingzhuo stood in front of Dr. Shen’s office door, looking down at the two things in her hands. One bag held Dr. Shen’s freshly dried jacket; the other contained the chicken soup that Yi Changhuan had insisted she bring. She had said it wasn’t necessary, but Yi Changhuan had gone home, spent the whole morning simmering the soup, and returned with two insulated cups—enough for four people. Yi Qingzhuo couldn’t finish it no matter how much she drank, so she just put down the bowl and stared at her mother. In the end, not wanting to waste anything, she was forced to bring the other half of the chicken soup.

Hesitating, she couldn’t make herself step forward. Every time she tried to walk in, she ended up pulling her foot back. Either someone was coming in and out, or a patient was looking for the doctor. People came and went. By the time Dr. Shen was almost off duty, Yi Qingzhuo was still waiting at the door.

Finally, when there was no one else in the office except Dr. Shen, Yi Qingzhuo endured the pain in her chest and walked to Dr. Shen’s desk at a speed she hadn’t managed since being hospitalized. She held out the items. “Dr. Shen, I’m returning your jacket. It’s been washed. Thank you.”

Dr. Shen had been focused on her computer, but her peripheral vision caught a figure. She looked up to see Yi Qingzhuo holding out two things. Yi Qingzhuo used both hands, her sleeves slipping back to reveal a slender, pale wrist. The red string on her left wrist stood out distinctly—exactly the same as the one in Yi Qingzhuo’s personal belongings when she was in the ICU.

Dr. Shen quickly stood up and took the bag with both hands. “You’re welcome.”

Yi Qingzhuo placed the insulated cup on the desk. “My mom said you’ve been working too hard. She made some chicken soup today and brought extra for you. She said it’ll help you regain your strength.” She bit her lip, quickly organizing her mother’s words in her mind. “She said you’ve been very kind to us. Have some soup. It’s good for you.”

“Ah?” Dr. Shen looked at the cup. “That’s just my duty. Auntie doesn’t need to be so polite.”

As expected, Yi Qingzhuo raised an eyebrow slightly. Without answering immediately, she habitually shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and coughed twice. “My mom said you’re very understanding and considerate. It’s just a bowl of chicken soup—not expensive and not a gift—so you wouldn’t refuse it.”

Yi Qingzhuo used “my mom” as the subject for everything she said, hiding her own little intentions behind Yi Changhuan. It was like kindergarten, when you wanted a snack yourself but pretended it was your playmate who wanted it, so your mom wouldn’t say no.

“You…” Dr. Shen was momentarily speechless. It was such a poorly hidden trick that she saw right through it. Along with the gentle moral pressure from Yi Qingzhuo, Dr. Shen also spotted what she considered an adorable little scheme.

“Then please thank Auntie for me.” Dr. Shen sat back down with a faint smile.

Yi Qingzhuo breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Then she pointed to the bag with the jacket. “Oh, there’s a small box inside. It has the ring that was in your jacket pocket. I usually put my hands in my pockets without thinking, so I accidentally found it.”

Dr. Shen thought for a moment but couldn’t remember which ring Yi Qingzhuo meant. She guessed it was some accessory she’d been wearing last time she put on that jacket, taken off and left in the pocket when she changed. With so many things happening every day, she easily forgot. She nodded, not too concerned. “Okay.”

Yi Qingzhuo bit her lip, hesitating. Finally, she offered a rare unsolicited remark. “Rings should be put away properly. They’re easy to lose.”

“Mm.” Dr. Shen was puzzled. What did Yi Qingzhuo mean by that look? Although curious, she didn’t dwell on it. She simply took it as a kind reminder and smiled. “I’ll keep it safe. Thanks for the heads-up.”