Chapter 24, First Update

There was always a lingering smell of disinfectant in the hospital. It wasn't unpleasant, and the breeze blowing in through the windows transformed the scent of disinfectant into something that smelled like mangoes and watermelons.

The nurses' duty room was always filled with various magazines, snacks, sunflower seeds, and fruits.

A basket of mangoes sat on the table. Even without getting close, you could sense the sweetness unique to tropical fruits.

Two new nurses, Qin Yao and Zhang Yufei, had started working at the Military Hospital. As newcomers, the more experienced staff held a simple welcome ceremony for them.

"You two are late," someone remarked.

"Qin Yao has gotten thinner. She's even thinner than during training."

"All we eat at sea is fish. How can anyone get fat there? I've never seen an overweight person by the sea."

"Come on, have some fruit!"

...

Qin Yao picked a small mango. The skin was difficult to peel, and she ended up peeling it unevenly, but the first bite was fragrant and sweet, bursting with fruity flavors and a slight tang.

"This was picked not long ago. In a few more days, it would be so sweet that it becomes cloying."

"We have plenty of fruits on the island all year round. Many fruit trees in the village outside are privately owned. If you give them a few cents, you can pick as much longan and mango as you want."

The farmers on the island all had fruit trees in their private plots. The trees bore fruit all year without much care. Fruits like lychee and longan don't keep well, often spoiling within days of being picked. Therefore, people were happy to exchange a few cents for some fruits.

Donning a white nurse's uniform and a nurse's cap, Qin Yao was starting her first day at work. Her tasks included familiarizing herself with the environment, cleaning the dormitories, and making the beds.

"Xiao Qin, you're here?"

Head Nurse Ge called Qin Yao into her office. Dark circles hung under her eyes, layered and revealing that she hadn't slept well the previous night, weighed down by thoughts.

Yesterday, Captain Gu visited the hospital and had a conversation with her.

Seeing Qin Yao today, her tired yet sharp eyes flashed with understanding. No wonder, she thought. Men are all lustful.

Compared to a few months ago, the once round-faced and baby-faced girl had shed her youthful appearance. Her eyes were watery, her cheeks still soft and fair, but she now resembled a blooming red camellia, stunningly beautiful.

Even though she had lost weight, her figure was not gaunt. Her body was healthy, full of vitality, and exuded life.

What was even more remarkable was the girl's posture and the refined demeanor of a scholar.

"Are you dating Captain Gu?" Head Nurse Ge asked.

Qin Yao shook her head slightly. "Sort of, but not really. There's still an observation period."

Her relationship with Gu Cheng was quite ambiguous. They had agreed on a three-month observation period, and only after that would she consider officially dating Gu Cheng. However, Gu Cheng had already eagerly submitted a relationship report.

Qin Yao had been bewitched into agreeing, thinking afterwards that "male beauty is misleading." Fortunately, Gu Cheng didn't know he had this power over her.

The next time they met, she hoped to see the "Captain Gu" on the surface, not the "Little Brother Gu" behind the scenes. The experience of being a "Tyrant" was wonderful but could easily lead to exhaustion and regret.

"Hmph," Head Nurse Ge chuckled coldly. "An observation period? He's really putting on airs. Why doesn't he just fly to the sky? Who is he to observe you?"

Qin Yao: "?!"

The room fell into an eerie silence as the wind rustled the paper documents. Qin Yao remained silent, while Head Nurse Ge wore a face full of coldness and sarcasm.

"Men and women, when they are attracted to each other, they just get together. If it works out, it works out; if it doesn't, it doesn't. I've never heard of anyone talking about an observation period when dating. Is he shameless? These leaders are already corrupt." Head Nurse Ge held Qin Yao's hand, her tone filled with indignation.

To Qin Yao, the nurse's words felt like indirect criticism.

The observation period was her idea.

Qin Yao maintained a straight face and tried to keep her voice calm. "Head Nurse Ge, what did Captain Gu tell you?"

"He came by yesterday," Head Nurse Ge mimicked Gu Cheng's cold demeanor, her eyebrows raised, her expression stern, her chin slightly lifted. It was quite an imposing sight and she did a good impression. "At first, I thought he was going to discuss something serious with me, and my heart skipped a beat. Then he brought up the topic of dating you."

His businesslike attitude didn't seem like he was talking about a romantic relationship at all, unlike the usual awkwardness of other male comrades who came to discuss personal matters.

Head Nurse Ge was taken aback, her mind filled with various speculations, but she didn't dare to ask further.

"It's better to destroy a temple than to ruin a marriage. I asked him, 'Are the two of you dating?' He actually said it wasn't official yet and mentioned something about a three-month observation period. Haha, men."

Qin Yao: "..."

Qin Yao looked up at the ceiling, where the ceiling fan creaked and spun, blowing cool air.

Head Nurse Ge observed Qin Yao's expression and, seeing her reaction, sighed. "Captain Gu is an excellent match, a good partner. Many young girls like him. If you two get together, it will be a good thing."

"But if you choose him, you'll have to endure some grievances."

"Xiao Qin, you can go to Nurse Xu Yun. She's a virtuous woman. Learn from her, and you might be able to handle men and pass the observation period." Head Nurse Ge didn't say anything discouraging. Instead, she encouraged Qin Yao, even though she knew Gu Cheng was a difficult man to deal with, and Xiao Qin was in for some grievances.

Qin Yao: "..."

What could she say? She nodded.

This is what is called lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot.

Gu Cheng, this big scammer!

"If you ever suffer any grievances, come find me. I'll go help you talk to Captain Gu."

On her first day at work, Qin Yao didn't have much to do. She had lunch at the cafeteria and spent the afternoon helping to organize medical instruments. With nothing else to do, the head nurse asked her to clean the dormitory.

The hospital staff dormitories had two people sharing a small 10-square-meter single room, with a bedroom and a bathroom. It wasn't large, located on the third floor. She shared a room with Zhang Yufei. The door was painted green, and as soon as you entered, there were two simple wooden iron beds, yes, "hospital beds."

Old hospital beds, about 1.2 meters long, also painted green, with numbers on them. Zhang Yufei chose the bed further inside, while Qin Yao took the bed closer to the corridor. To the left of the two beds, there was a brown two-layer wooden cabinet, with drawers on top and doors that pulled open at the bottom.

The windows were two wooden painted ones. If you didn’t draw the curtains, someone standing in the corridor could clearly see inside. Under the window was a painted yellow desk and a wooden chair, both chipped.

On the other side, there was only one window that opened outward. Below it was a small washstand, and to the right, a bathroom of about one square meter.

The room was too narrow. If you wanted to cook or boil water, you’d have to do it out in the corridor.

Qin Yao said, "Let's buy a stove together. We can boil water at night."

The climate here wasn't cold, only chilly for two or three months in winter. The rest of the time, you could bathe with cold water, but Qin Yao couldn't stand cold water baths. She wanted to boil hot water.

Zhang Yufei hesitated, "Wouldn't that be too wasteful?" Whether burning coal or wood, it would cost money.

"We can be frugal. Boil a large pot of water, and we can mix it with cold water." Qin Yao was determined to bathe with hot water. "When we have time, let's go out together to collect firewood."

"Okay."

At the hospital, they were allocated a small vegetable plot. Qin Yao planned to plant some vegetables and one or two fruit trees.

The vegetables they grew could be cooked and eaten at home, and the hospital cafeteria would buy them, exchanging them for appropriate food coupons or money, depending on the quality.

Wearing a dust cap, Qin Yao helped Zhang Yuqin clean the room. She was in a good mood. No matter what, she finally had a place that was temporarily her own, a shared room, with decent conditions.

Chen Baozhen's house was spacious. The couple had just married and had no children. Although Qin Yao stayed at her house, it was ultimately inconvenient since she was living as a guest.

Not to mention, she even had a small vegetable plot of her own now.

She didn't have time to check on the plot today, but planned to clear and cultivate it in two days.

She and Zhang Yufei were the last to arrive. In this narrow little room, there were four or five old blue oxygen tanks, probably left over from other rooms. Since people had moved in, the oxygen tanks were piled here. Qin Yao and Zhang Yufei tried to lift them, but they were quite heavy, and the two couldn't move them. They would have to find someone to help carry them away tomorrow.

Qin Yao used an extended broom to sweep the cobwebs off the ceiling. She walked to the balcony, wearing a medical mask, sweeping and dodging at the same time.

After finishing, she breathed a sigh of relief, patting the air a few times, though it was just psychological comfort.

When she turned around, she caught sight of a familiar man in a white military uniform standing not far below.

Their eyes met.

Gu Cheng had been watching Qin Yao from downstairs for a while. He felt both guilty and excited. Gu Cheng had submitted a relationship report, and the leaders and commissars knew he was in a relationship, giving him special allowances. After returning from the sea, he was supposed to rest for a while, handling simple paperwork and various personnel transfers, organizational activities, and giving lectures.

After finishing his afternoon tasks, he came to the Military Hospital to see his beloved.

Gu Cheng was getting older in the records, and the leaders hoped he would settle down soon. Since the girl was local, it was only right for them to see each other more often.

"Captain Gu." Qin Yao walked downstairs to him, still holding the extended broom in her hand. When she stood properly, she felt a bit embarrassed, imagining herself as a witch from a fairy tale riding a broom.

Standing alone downstairs, Gu Cheng maintained his cold and distant demeanor. But upon seeing Qin Yao, his heart fluttered, and he couldn't help swallowing.

He scolded himself internally. She's just a girl. What was there to be afraid of?

Afraid that she would make him stand at attention in the corridor and loudly say, "Yes."

With the good visibility from both sides of the corridor, if there was any commotion now, there would be no shortage of onlookers.

"Yaoyao." Gu Cheng stuffed two Big White Rabbit candies into Qin Yao's mouth, his lips pressed together in embarrassment, blinking.

Qin Yao: "!"

Really deadly.

Give me back my Captain Gu!