Chapter 32 First Update

Qin Yao gave Xu Yun a strange look, wondering why this woman disliked her. Was it because she was surprised by her excellent needlework? Or did she disapprove of her being with Gu Cheng?

"Your embroidery is really beautiful; I don’t have that skill. Young girls should learn from you," Xu Yun kept praising.

This Nurse Xu had gentle features, but her voice wasn’t very pleasant. She spoke in a rather old-fashioned manner, often dragging out her words as if she were speaking from the heart, like she was pouring her heart out to you.

Qin Yao was repelled by her closeness. She clearly spoke insincerely, yet she deliberately approached her. What trick was she playing?

Qin Yao packed up her things, sat in front of her desk, and picked up a literary magazine. She didn’t engage Xu Yun in conversation, leaving her feeling rebuffed.

"Xiao Qin, Head Nurse Ge told me about your situation. I was waiting for you to come to me, but you never did. Today, I’ve come to you because I’m eager to eat the wedding candy of you and Captain Gu."

"I want to share some secrets of being a woman with you."

Qin Yao waved her hand. "Nurse Xu, thank you for your kindness, but I am an honest person. I hope to face friends and family with my true self."

Xu Yun laughed. "Aren’t you afraid you won’t pass the probation period?"

"You can pretend for a while, but not forever. If I don’t pass, it’s fine. There are plenty of men on the island."

"I’m tired; I’m going for a noon nap."

After Xu Yun left for the corridor, her face darkened, looking sinister. She had failed to befriend Qin Yao? That foolish woman Qin Yao should have seen her as a trusted elder sister.

Once they became close, Xu Yun could naturally badmouth others in front of Qin Yao, make her feel wronged, and incite her to quarrel with Gu Cheng.

But Qin Yao didn’t want to befriend her at all.

Xu Yun’s eyes flickered with an idea. Not having napped at noon, she praised Qin Yao’s skills to everyone she met. "Nurse Qin has excellent needlework and embroiders handkerchiefs for Captain Gu."

"They are embroidered so beautifully, more delicate than the embroiderers kept by the royal court in ancient times."

"If you want to learn, you must ask her!"

Before Qin Yao had even started her needlework, her reputation for excellent needlework spread throughout the hospital. In the duty room, a group of young girls teased her. "Xiao Qin, I didn’t expect you to have such skills."

"You’ve been hiding it from us."

Qin Yao sneered inwardly. Nurse Xu was really a big mouth.

"Xiao Qin, can you teach me?"

"Nurse Qin, please teach me."

……

Qin Yao was surrounded by a group of young girls. Everyone had a few handkerchiefs for daily use. Handkerchiefs weren’t expensive; the cheap ones cost a few cents, while the expensive ones cost a few dollars. The cheapest were white, and those with patterns or colors were more expensive, with silk being the most expensive.

Plain handkerchiefs were cheap and popular, and if you added some embroidery, they could be worth a bit more.

Qin Yao’s magnolia handkerchief had an irresistible allure for the young girls. It was elegant, with a man’s name on it. They wanted to embroider one for themselves or their boyfriends.

"Xiao Qin, this handkerchief is so beautiful. Captain Gu must like it."

"Captain Gu will praise you for being both beautiful and talented."

Qin Yao smiled and showed the handkerchief around, then rejected everyone. "Don’t come to me. I don’t have the time to teach you now. I can barely manage my own affairs. You should ask Nurse Xu. She’s gentle and kind and will definitely teach you carefully."

"I’m still young and don’t have the patience to teach others. If someone is clumsy, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my temper."

"Nurse Xu is different. Have you ever seen her scold anyone?"

……

Wasn’t it just praising someone? Qin Yao gleefully added to Xu Yun’s reputation. If she were like Zhang Yufei, she would be anxious about refusing others, afraid they would dislike her.

But Qin Yao wasn’t a pushover. She firmly avoided thankless tasks.

"Go ask Nurse Xu. Do you think she’ll refuse you?"

The other women looked at each other. They thought, yes, Xiao Qin was busy with her relationship. It would be better to trouble Nurse Xu with this.

So, a few enthusiastic young girls turned to Xu Yun, pestering her to teach them needlework.

"Nurse Xu, we heard you’re good at needlework. Teach us to embroider a handkerchief."

Xu Yun had shot herself in the foot. She asked, "Why don’t you go to Xiao Qin? Her embroidery is excellent, and she’s young. Her designs are what young people like."

"I’m older than you; my sense of aesthetics is outdated."

A nurse said, "It’s okay, Nurse Xu. Just teach us something simple. We’ll learn from you."

"Xiao Qin is busy with her relationship. We don’t want to bother her."

"Yes, she’s still on probation."

They spoke as if they were very understanding. For these young nurses, Nurse Xu was the ideal teacher.

Qin Yao was young, but she was dating Captain Gu. He always approached her with a cold, aloof demeanor, like a leader inspecting a unit, making people nervous.

Some liked him, but others, when they saw him, felt like a mouse meeting a cat, wishing they could hide in a hole.

Not all girls are eager to throw themselves at men.

"Nurse Xu, you wouldn’t be so petty as to refuse us, would you?"

"Exactly, we came to you because you’re known to be the kindest."

"Nurse Xu, the moment I saw you, I felt a warmth, like you’re my older sister from my hometown."

"Yes, that’s right." Xu Yun’s smile was barely holding as she felt frustrated with Qin Yao for being unmoved. Yet, she hurriedly maintained her reputation for being gentle, kind, and always willing to help. "Alright, alright, I’ll teach you."

"But let me make it clear, I don’t embroider as well as Xiao Qin."

The others chimed in unison, "It doesn’t matter, as long as you, our master, have patience!"

"Nurse Xu’s patience and gentleness are famous."

Xu Yun maintained her gentle expression, but inside, she was seething with anger. Annoyed, she picked up her needle and thread, growing angrier by the second until suddenly, she pricked her finger, and a drop of blood appeared.

The other young girls exclaimed, "You’re bleeding!"

"That’s bad! How deep did you prick?"

"Nurse Xu, be careful."

Xu Yun trembled slightly, forcing a smile. "I’m getting old, my eyesight isn’t good, and my hands aren’t steady. Maybe you should find Xiao Qin instead?"

A younger nurse said, "Nurse Xu, don’t be modest!"

"Xiao Qin is at a crucial time for relationships. If all of us surround her, it might seem like we have ulterior motives, as if we’re hindering her love life. We’re all waiting to celebrate her wedding!"

"Just take it slow, no need to rush."

With so many pairs of eyes on her, Xu Yun’s face burned. If she refused again, it would seem like she had ulterior motives, interfering with Qin Yao’s relationship.

"Nurse Xu, help us out, and Xiao Qin can give you a big wedding candy."

Xu Yun bowed her head, a breath stuck in her chest. She wished she could stomp her feet and beat her chest in frustration. She was so angry she was shaking.

*

Qin Yao wasn’t embroidering handkerchiefs in the duty room but had moved to the dormitory. Zhang Yufei knew about her limited skills and didn’t tell anyone, nor did she ask who had embroidered the magnolia handkerchief.

It couldn’t have been Captain Gu, right?

Qin Yao had originally planned to copy Gu Cheng’s magnolia template, but after embroidering a corner, she found the pattern too complicated and decided a simpler design would be better. She sketched a draft and decided to use cross-stitch to create a creative little yellow duck.

Cross-stitch was simple and less prone to mistakes. Qin Yao embroidered a little yellow duck, adding their surnames, Gu and Qin.

She managed to finish a handkerchief, and it was kind of addictive!

When Gu Cheng came to find her, Qin Yao proudly presented her handkerchief. "Captain Gu, come and see the handkerchief I embroidered."

"You finished it?" Gu Cheng was very pleased, a smile appearing on his stern face as he touched his nose to hide his anticipation and joy.

"Ta-da!" Qin Yao spread out her little yellow duck.

Gu Cheng: "..."

In the bottom right corner of a plain handkerchief, a chubby, crooked duck was embroidered next to the words "Gu-Qin."

He touched the duck, which was smaller than two of his fingers. When he folded the handkerchief slightly, the duck disappeared.

"Why is it a duck?" Gu Cheng furrowed his brow, it was entirely different from what he had imagined. Was he supposed to use this handkerchief in front of others and say it was made by his significant other?

To be honest, the little duck Qin Yao embroidered wasn’t ugly; it was quite cute. But it didn’t suit him, a tall man of 1.8 meters; it was more fitting for a four or five-year-old kindergarten kid.

Qin Yao said, "Next time, I’ll embroider a giant panda for you!"

Gu Cheng rubbed his temples, having given up any expectations. "Don’t just embroider one; do two for a better look."

"Fine." Qin Yao ground her teeth, feeling quite unhappy with his reaction. They weren’t officially a couple, but they were in that "more than friends, but not quite lovers" stage of ambiguity.

Her ambiguous partner had this reaction to a handkerchief she had personally embroidered.

A bucket of cold water was poured over her, and her affection dropped by thirty. Qin Yao felt like kicking him.

In fact, she kicked him. "If you don’t like it, give it back to me."

Qin Yao reached out to snatch the handkerchief, but Gu Cheng held it tightly. "Once it’s mine, I’m not giving it back."

Gu Cheng put the handkerchief in his pocket and tapped her forehead. "Remember, you still owe me eight more."

"Giant pandas, two of them."

*

Even though Gu Cheng obtained this little yellow duck handkerchief, based on his previous personality, there was no way he would carry it around for use. If outsiders saw it, wouldn’t they laugh at him?

But this was Yaoyao’s handmade embroidery!

"I’ve been charmed..." Gu Cheng found it eerie. Qin Yao had given him two handkerchiefs; one was light pink with a magnolia, the first handkerchief Qin Yao had given him; the other was light yellow with a little yellow duck.

Surprisingly, he liked the second one more.

He found himself playing with the chubby duck on it out of habit throughout the day. This handkerchief was suitable for daily use. The little yellow duck was in the bottom corner, held in his palm, invisible to outsiders.

What he didn’t know was that Political Commissar Zhou had sharp eyes. "Is this handkerchief embroidered by your significant other?"

Zhao Mingjin, standing nearby, widened his eyes. "Yes, it’s Xiao Qin."

Political Commissar Zhou, still curious, added, "I heard your significant other is good with needlework."

Zhao Mingjin, envious, said, "Captain Gu, show it."

The victor is king, the defeated are the vanquished. Both he and Doctor He were defeated by Captain Gu. However, Zhao Mingjin was quite philosophical about it. Losing was losing; he was just waiting to eat the celebratory candy.

With a calm and expressionless face, Gu Cheng revealed no emotion as he took out two handkerchiefs and unfolded them, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "Xiao Qin embroidered these for me."

Political Commissar Zhou and Zhao Mingjin looked closely—one handkerchief had a magnolia flower, and the other had a little yellow duck.

The two men were puzzled. Were these embroidered by the same person?

Political Commissar Zhou pointed at the magnolia flower. "I like this one. It's well embroidered."

"This little duck is cute," Zhao Mingjin curiously asked, "Did Xiao Qin embroider both of these? Wait, Captain Gu, could it be that you embroidered this duck?"

Political Commissar Zhou choked on his own saliva. "Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Gu Cheng's face darkened. "My significant other embroidered these."

Zhao Mingjin pressed further, "Why a little duck?"

Gu Cheng gave him a faint glance. A sudden inspiration flashed in his mind. He crossed his arms and said calmly, "She said it was embroidered for our future little tiger girl."

"I'm using it in advance."

"The girl thinks far ahead."

Zhao Mingjin: "???!!!!"