Chapter 39: Second Update

Although it was technically winter according to the calendar, the island was still bathed in bright sunshine, entering the best time of the year—a warm winter. Daytime temperatures exceeded twenty degrees Celsius, a pleasant coolness that required only light clothing. However, by evening, a chill would set in, necessitating a jacket to ward off the wind.

Qin Yao had worked the night shift, and between the early morning hours of one or two and dawn, it became the coldest part of the day. The howling wind outside made people shiver uncontrollably. Yet, as soon as daylight broke, the sun would once again wear its summer smile.

The green leaves were lush and verdant, with huge banana leaves hanging down. The hospital walls were covered with creeping ivy.

Qin Yao disliked night shifts. When she first came to the hospital, it wasn't to be a nurse but to join the hospital's publicity office. Now, it all depended on whether the articles she had written for Head Nurse Ge would give her an opportunity.

With the year-end approaching, it was a time of frequent personnel changes. Qin Yao had been waiting for her chance.

After working the night shift yesterday, Qin Yao took advantage of the early morning quiet to make a phone call home from the office. She dialed the number, and after a few rings, she hung up. Soon after, the phone rang, and Qin Yao picked up the receiver to hear her mother, Shen Guixiang's, voice.

"Yaoyao, is something wrong? Why did you call?" Shen Guixiang's voice was filled with urgency and care.

Qin Yao felt warmth in her heart and smiled. "Mom, I've sent a batch of island specialties home to you."

"Ah, I see." Shen Guixiang pressed her lips together and carefully confirmed, "Yaoyao, you're coming home for the New Year, right?"

Qin Yao replied, "I'll be home before the New Year."

"Will Little Gu come with you?"

Qin Yao paused. "Probably."

Before they knew it, the three-month probation period was about to end. Gu Cheng had made all preparations and was about to submit a report to get married before the New Year, intending to visit both families and hold the wedding banquet.

"Hehehe... That's wonderful! What does Little Gu like to eat? Let Dad prepare in advance." Shen Guixiang beamed with joy. She and her husband knew that their daughter was dating an officer surnamed Gu and planned to return home by the end of the year to get married. Both families would be in the capital for the New Year, making it the perfect time to meet and arrange the wedding.

Shen Guixiang didn't dare ask too much about her future son-in-law, fearing she might annoy her daughter. As long as he was a proper officer from the capital, there was nothing to be picky about.

Could a family that could raise such a fair and plump daughter like hers be considered poor? They were just a bit cramped for space.

Qin Yao said, "He likes meat."

"Of course, men all like meat." Shen Guixiang covered her mouth with a giggle, imagining her daughter's fiancé in her mind. Her daughter, Qin Yao, was fair and a bit plump, though she probably had tanned a little on the island. But that didn't matter.

Her future son-in-law, Little Gu, must be a typical tall northern man, as her daughter had described—over 1.8 meters tall, a robust man weighing about 200 jin (100 kg), strong and dark, like a bear, capable of giving a woman a sense of security.

With the surname "Gu," which sounded like "drum," he must be well-built. Even if he didn't weigh 200 jin, he should at least be 180 jin (90 kg). Together, they would weigh at least 300 jin (150 kg).

If her son-in-law didn't weigh 200 jin, she would make sure to feed him up during the New Year, letting the young man experience what motherly care meant.

"Yaoyao, how much does Little Gu weigh? Has he gained weight recently?"

Qin Yao was speechless. "Probably gained some weight."

Shen Guixiang was only concerned about whether her future son-in-law had gained weight, much like a farmer concerned about the pigs she raised, wishing she could weigh them every day until she saw the numbers rise and her heart could settle.

If she ever brought Gu Cheng to meet Shen Guixiang, she thought her mother might not be satisfied with him as a son-in-law, likely complaining that he was too thin.

In reality, Gu Cheng wasn't light, but together, they didn't quite reach 300 jin.

"Yaoyao, what about you? Have you lost weight? You must be hungry and losing weight. Come home, and we'll make up for it with lots of your favorite food." Shen Guixiang said with concern.

Qin Yao: "..."

To this, she pretended not to hear. "Well, I'll be home before the New Year."

"Good." Shen Guixiang said with a smile, clapping her hands before remembering something. "Oh, by the way, Zeng Manli is there."

At this point, Shen Guixiang's voice was filled with schadenfreude. Her family had a feud with both Zeng Manli's and Zhou Fangyu's families. Although Qin Yao used to like Zhou Fangyu, Shen Guixiang couldn't openly badmouth the Zhou family in front of her daughter. However, Zeng Manli's family had gone too far, often sneering at them whenever they met.

Now, her Yaoyao had moved on from that short and small "Zhou" and found a tall and strong "Gu" son-in-law weighing 200 jin.

"Zeng Manli is there? I see. Zhou Fangyu already has a new girlfriend." Qin Yao thought with amusement. The original plot had already progressed to Zeng Manli's arrival on the island.

In the original story, Qin Yao was entangled in an ambiguous relationship with Zhou Fangyu and was publicly confronted and torn down by Zeng Manli. Zeng Manli even became good friends with the original female lead, Bai Qiuling.

Now, Zhou Fangyu was seriously dating Dr. Xue, and everyone at the hospital knew. But who would know that Zhou Fangyu still had a fiancée back in his hometown? Of course, their engagement had already ended verbally.

Zeng Manli, however, didn't care about that. She would come to make a scene, still claiming to be Zhou Fangyu's "fiancée."

"Comrade Qin, your skills are excellent." In the traditional Chinese medicine therapy room, a young female militia captain, Miao Cuiye, praised Qin Yao.

Militia members practiced shooting regularly, and Miao Cuiye spoke as rapidly as a machine gun.

Shooting was a technical task with significant recoil. Those who didn't know how to handle the gun might injure their shoulders before even hurting the enemy. Many people suffered shoulder injuries from training, especially new recruits. Bruising was the least of it; some even fractured their bones from improper handling.

*

In the military hospital, there were relatively fewer internal medicine patients, but all kinds of training injuries were common. A traditional Chinese medicine recovery therapy room was essential.

"Comrade Miao Cuiye's mouth is fearless; she can really talk." The doctor, Wu Mengxia, teased.

Miao Cuiye said, "There's only one person I'm afraid of, Captain Gu. Seeing him makes my heart race."

Doctor Wu smiled mysteriously. "Then you better try to curry favor with Comrade Qin."

Qin Yao: "..."

"What?"

Dr. Wu: "Xiao Qin is in a relationship with Captain Gu and they're getting married soon. Next year, you'll be able to enjoy some wedding candies."

Miao Cuiye exclaimed, "Oh my God!"

Miao Cuiye circled around Qin Yao, looking as if she had seen a ghost, which left Qin Yao in a state of being unsure whether to laugh or cry. What exactly had Gu Cheng done? Why was everyone so afraid of him?

"Xiao Qin," Miao Cuiye piously took Qin Yao's hand and pleaded, "I need to deliver a file to Captain Gu later. Could you do me a favor and come with me?"

"Alright," Qin Yao rarely actively visited Gu Cheng during work hours, except for that one time when she went to get his signature. Most of the time, she waited until he was free in the evening, and they met at the family courtyard.

It was said to be a three-month observation period, but because of their special work, they didn't get to see each other much. It was only because of the year-end, with recent reduced training and more administrative work like personnel transfers and summary reports, that Gu Cheng had a lot of paperwork to handle, though he wasn't exactly free.

Getting married like this? Qin Yao always found it too incredible, but life in the army was monotonous and uneventful. The rare opportunities to meet also meant they hadn't really quarreled.

Maybe the real test would come when they returned to the capital together before the New Year.

As Qin Yao and Miao Cuiye walked downstairs together, they hadn't even reached the first floor when they saw many people rushing out to watch the commotion.

Being someone who loved to watch the spectacle, Miao Cuiye quickly asked, "What's going on?"

"A fight! In Dr. Xue's office!"

"The fiancée from Dr. Zhou's hometown came looking for him."

Still not understanding what had happened, Miao Cuiye cursed, "Ptooey, he has a fiancée back home but still flirts with the female doctors on the island. Chen Shimei, how shameless."

"Exactly, shameless," Qin Yao chimed in. In her opinion, neither Zhou Fangyu nor Zeng Manli were good people; they were a perfect match for each other.

A crowd of onlookers gathered at the office door.

Zhou Fangyu's voice was full of anxiety, "Manli, our engagement was already called off, and you were the one who said it. You didn't want to come to the island with me, so you said if I came, you'd break off the engagement."

"Now that I've been on the island for months, what engagement do we have left?"

Zeng Manli shouted, "I traveled a thousand miles to the island for you, are you even a man? You unilaterally broke off the engagement, you shameless jerk. We've had twenty years of feelings, and you're telling me it's all over in just six months?"

Zhou Fangyu hurriedly said, "Manli, you need to be reasonable. We've been apart for so long, isn't it normal for me to develop feelings for someone else?"

Zeng Manli: "Are you telling me that our twenty years of feelings mean nothing compared to these six months? You can really forget about me and be with another woman?"

Qin Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She pulled Miao Cuiye, "This kind of spectacle isn't worth watching, let's go."

Miao Cuiye nodded, "A clichéd story, it's disgusting."

Miao Cuiye could guess what had happened. The man probably had to transfer to the island for work, and the woman didn't want to come, so they broke up. Now, after half a year apart, the man had found another female doctor, and the original fiancée came to scold him for changing his heart.

Sigh, both had their own reasons, but neither of them were good people.

Qin Yao and Miao Cuiye left, heading to find Gu Cheng. Unfortunately, they picked a bad time; Gu Cheng was in the middle of scolding someone downstairs, with a row of people standing in front of him.

Seeing this scene, Miao Cuiye immediately felt dizzy, as if she was about to faint from the heat.

But Gu Cheng's voice, like "Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui" in the summer, jolted her awake from head to toe, stimulating and fiery.

It was the first time Qin Yao had seen Gu Cheng so angry, and she felt a little nervous. She exchanged a glance with Miao Cuiye beside her, regretting not staying in the hospital to watch the spectacle.

After finishing his scolding, Gu Cheng turned around and saw Qin Yao. His expression softened a little as he walked over.

Qin Yao looked at him and subconsciously thought of what Shen Guixiang had said over the phone, about a 200-jin burly son-in-law... ignoring the 200 jin, Gu Cheng's aura was indeed quite burly. It was like a human-shaped "Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui" walking over.

"Captain Gu, Comrade Miao here needs to give you this file."

Miao Cuiye: "?!"

Gu Cheng: "What?"