Chapter 45: Returning Home for New Year (Part 2)

  When we arrived at the train station again, it was already 9:50, only ten minutes away from 10 o'clock. The notice board at the train station had already shown that the train Dongfang Yu and Zhou Hui were taking would be arriving soon.

  Li Huanhuan and I stood at the exit waiting for her, she whispered to me: "Is Zhou Hui pretty?"

  I was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "She's a nurse, an angel in white. Don't you think she's beautiful?"

  Li Huanhuan suddenly said: "Does the white-robed angel have to be beautiful? I've seen many white-robed angels who aren't pretty at all!"

  I glanced at the angry Li Huanhuan and had no choice but to tell the truth: "Zhou Hui may not be as good-looking as you, but she..." I got this far when I suddenly remembered that what I was about to say next shouldn't be said out loud, so I abruptly stopped.

  Li Huanhuan however caught the implication of my words and coldly said: "But how is she? More gentle than me? Or better to you than I am?"

  I can only sigh, I've always thought that women who are too smart won't be liked by men, it seems my idea was right. Li Huanhuan is just too smart, she immediately hit the nail on the head, making me unable to change my words even if I wanted to.

  Li Huanhuan saw me by default, very angry, the phone in her hand was thrown at me, and she said with a crying tone: "I'm so good to you, but you...you actually praised another woman in front of me, I...I'll kill you..."

  I quickly grabbed her hand and hastily said: "Don't be reckless, there are so many people, it's not good to make a scene!"

  Li Huanhuan pulled her hand hard, I was afraid she would hit me again, so I held her hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

  Just then, I heard a very familiar voice coming over: "Brother..."

  I hastily looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Dongfang Yu and Zhou Hui were already standing at the exit, both looking at me and Li Huanhuan with shocked expressions.

  I quickly let go of Li Huanhuan's hand, and Li Huanhuan also hid behind me like a frightened rabbit.

  Dongfang Yu's face didn't look good, she was probably a bit carsick. Zhou Hui indeed had a surprised expression on her face and came forward to ask me: "What are you doing? So many people!"

  I smiled awkwardly: "Hui Jie, you...you misunderstood me, I..."

  Zhou Hui gave me a sly glance, looked at Dongfang Yu with a slanted gaze, and whispered: "What's there to explain? Hurry up and go help Yu'er carry her luggage!"

  I only reacted now, and hurriedly went forward to help Dongfang Yu with her luggage. Dongfang Yu bit her lip and didn't say a word, carrying the luggage herself and walking away, leaving me with nothing to do but follow behind her with empty hands.

  Zhou Hui went forward to help Dongfang Yu, while Li Huanhuan actively opened the trunk of the car. After Dongfang Yu put the box in the trunk, she suddenly said to Zhou Hui: "Hui sister, let's take a taxi to my house. I...I don't want to go...to his house..."

  Zhou Hui gave me a glance and kept making eye contact, so I had to say: "Yuer, Dongfang Shu and Guo Siniang have all gone to my... our home, you..."

  Dongfang Yu looked at me for a moment, and calmly said: "No wonder you came back alone without calling me. It turns out that someone accompanied you on the way back. Brother, Hui Jie sent me back, I'm very tired, I want to stay with Hui Jie nearby tonight and go back tomorrow. You guys can leave first, don't worry about us."

  I was speechless, not knowing what to do. Li Huanhuan took a step forward and very generously held Eastern Jade's hand: "Yuer ah, I'm Li Huanhuan, nice to meet you. I believe you've heard of me, I'm your brother's friend. You misunderstood earlier, don't be angry anymore, okay?"

  Dongfang Yu was originally very angry, her face was not normal, but when Li Huanhuan spoke to her, she actually smiled, and smiled very happily: "Yu'er has seen Huanhuan sister, thank you for helping my brother many times. I heard my brother mention you, you are my brother's lifesaver, and also Dongfang Yu's lifesaver."

  Li Huan smiled: "Yu'er, you're too polite. My brother and I are friends, helping each other is a matter of course." She suddenly took out a delicate box from her pocket and handed it to Dongfang Yu, saying: "Yu'er, since we just met, I didn't prepare any gift for you. There's some jewelry in here, consider it my gift to you. Please accept it."

  Dongfang Yu was taken aback, and then looked puzzled as she took the box: "Thank you, Huanhuan sister. I'm still young, I don't need jewelry." As she spoke, she handed the box back to Li Huanhuan without even looking at it.

  Li Huanhuan's expression was somewhat embarrassing, but he still smiled and said: "You just take it, when you graduate, you will use it."

  Dongfang Yu was still trying to decline, I hastily stepped forward and said: "Yu'er, this is a token of Wanwan Jie's sincerity, just accept it!"

  Dongfang Yu completely ignored me and turned to look at Zhou Hui. Zhou Hui smiled and said, "Accept it, this is a gift from your sister Huanhuan, you should accept it. I don't even have a gift to receive, I'm really envious of you."

  Dongfang Yu finally stopped declining and accepted the box, turning around to stare at me with a face full of blame. However, she still didn't speak, seemingly waiting for me to confess something myself.

  Li Huanhuan smiled at Zhou Hui and said: "Hui'er little sister, I should be a bit older than you, so I'll just call you 'little sister', don't mind."

  "Really? Don't mind, sister! My little sister didn't prepare any gift for meeting you either!"

  Li Huanhuan smiled and handed a box to Zhou Hui, saying: "Hui'er sister, I'm ashamed, the only things I can offer are some accessories, don't despise them."

  Zhou Hui was taken aback for a moment, then happily accepted the box and smiled: "Huanhuan sister is so thoughtful, even I have a gift, it's really great happiness!"

  Li Huanhuan's originally tense expression had completely relaxed. It turned out that she was worried about Dongfang Yu and Zhou Hui not accepting her, so she was a bit nervous. Now that she had met Dongfang Yu and Zhou Hui, and they had talked, she felt very comfortable with them, and was no longer tense.

  It's fortunate that Li Huanhuan is still from the Wanlong Association, so her handling of interpersonal relationships is like a novice, although she is relatively old.

  I didn't have the energy to pay attention to Li Huanhuan and Zhou Hui's conversation, because Dongfang Yu was still waiting for me to explain. So I said very carefully: "Yu'er, it's like this, this time I was being chased and killed, and escaped with Chen Jing's help, and temporarily stayed in the provincial city. Later, I met Li Huanhuan, and with Li Huanhuan's help, I successfully returned here. The reason I didn't tell you is that I was afraid you'd worry. Besides, didn't I call you before and tell you some things?

  Dongfang Yu said "Oh" and asked: "So what's the relationship between you and Huanhuan sister? Are you just friends? Who are you kidding?"

  I took a glance at Li Huanhuan, who was still chatting and laughing with Zhou Hui, and whispered to Dongfang Yu: "She's my lifesaver and my friend. You already know all this, so don't ask any more questions, okay?"

  Dongfang Yu turned her head and said in a huff: "I did say I wouldn't care how many girlfriends you have, but that was before we got married. Now I regret it, I take back what I said. From now on, I don't allow you to find another girlfriend, I... I'm afraid you'll marry someone else, and I don't know what to do then. Do you understand?"

  I was at a loss for words and hung my head in distress. After a long while, I finally said: "Yu'er, you are my sister..."

  Dongfang Yu quickly responded with a "hmm": "I am indeed your sister, no mistake about that. But I'm also your fiancée, many people know this, you won't deny it, will you?"

  I shook my head wanting to speak, but Dongfang Yu ran off and directly pulled Li Huanhuan into the car, not forgetting to say to Zhou Hui "Let's go home".

  Watching them all get on the bus, I suddenly felt like I was redundant. I really wanted to stay behind and think of a way back myself, but then I thought it's already 10 o'clock at night, there are no buses going to our place, so I had no choice but to follow them onto the bus.

  "By the way, we brought some New Year's goods. Jin Cang, remember to take them out when you go back later. Also, I've brought some supplements for Uncle and Auntie, they're all very practical, can you help me give them to them?"

  I was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but say: "Why did you still bring things over? We're all set... You're too polite..."

  Li Huanhuan said, "This is not being polite, it's understanding etiquette."

  I smiled: "Sister Hui is certainly polite. But there's no need to be so extravagant, Sister Hui bringing Yu'er back is already helping me, now she's still bringing things, how can I bear the shame?"

  Dongfang Yu suddenly interrupted: "You're embarrassed for no reason! Hui Jie is here, you should be happy!"

  I nodded: "Yu'er really said it right, Hui Jie can come, it's really a happy thing for me. It's just that the conditions here are harsh, and I don't know if Hui Jie can get used to it?"

  Zhou Hui smiled and said: "Do you look down on me? Let me tell you, I also followed a medical team to do half a year of voluntary labor in the remote mountainous areas, and I am very familiar with rural life."

  "I feel a bit surprised: 'Did Elder Sister Hui also go down to the countryside? What year was that? Weren't you always working at the school hospital?'"

  "I think it was about two years ago, when I had just graduated. Because I heard that some remote mountainous areas in our province lacked doctors and nurses, I signed up to participate in a medical service team sent to the countryside. I did half a year of voluntary work in a very remote mountain area. Hehe... To be honest, it was really hard at the time, and I thought about returning to the city several times. But every time I saw the happy smiles on the faces of patients we had cured, I would give up such thoughts and decide to persist. As a result, I really did persist until the medical team's mission was completed, and only then did I return."

  "I feel really great, it's wonderful: 'Hui Jie, I used to think you were just an ordinary nurse, but now my perception has changed. You're not only a nurse, but also an excellent nurse, a true angel in white!'"

  Zhou Hui smiled, smiling very happily: "Thank you for your praise, actually this is what I should do. As a nurse, we should go wherever there is a need, good or bad conditions are not our excuses to escape."

  I heard Zhou Hui's words and couldn't help but applaud. Even Dongfang Yu and Li Huanhuan chimed in, saying "Well said!"

  Zhou Hui's face turned slightly red, and she said in a low voice: "You guys shouldn't be like this, it's not like we're having a meeting? I'm telling the truth. By the way, I heard from Yuer that Jin Cang's mother is not feeling well, so after the new year, I plan to take her to our hospital for a check-up. Jin Cang, what do you think?"

  I was taken aback and habitually said: "That must cost a lot of money, I don't have..."

  Li Huanhuan suddenly said: "Money is no problem. If your mother's body is not good, go check it out, if there is a disease to treat the disease, no disease at peace."

  I remembered that Li Huanhuan and I are now very rich, so I said: "Okay, let's do it as Sister Hui said."

  Li Huan added: "I think it's better for both parents to have a physical examination, so they can be more at ease."

  Dongfang Yu immediately furrowed her brow and asked me with deep meaning, "When did our parents adopt another daughter again?"

  I knew what she meant and smiled: "Huan Huan's slip of the tongue, she was referring to my parents, don't think too much about it."

  Dongfang Yu uttered an "oh" and glanced at Li Huanhuan before falling silent.

  Li Huanhuan also gave me a glance, with a profound meaning in her eyes.

  I quickly spoke to Zhou Hui: "Hui Jie, my family's conditions aren't good, but there are still many rooms. I've prepared one for you and Huanhuan Jie each. When we get back, I'll help you clean them up."

  Zhou Hui smiled and said, "Thank you. I can clean the room by myself." She glanced at Dongfang Yu and Li Huanhuan, then lowered her voice to me and said, "You'd better sleep for a while, otherwise..."

  I nodded and quickly closed my eyes, pretending to fall asleep.

  It's probably because Li Huanhuan was more familiar with the roads here, so it took less time to get back than when we came. So when we got home, it was only 2 o'clock in the morning.

  The parents of Dongfang Yu have already rested, but my parents are still waiting for us. Seeing us arrive home, Father comes forward to help carry things, and Mother hastens to add more fire to the stove, so we can warm up. In the countryside in winter, it's very cold, and you must roast a fire to keep warm.

  Every household here has a special room for heating. Generally, the house is not very big, but it's always warm. So when we enter the house, we feel warmth.

  I introduced Zhou Hui to my parents, and also introduced my parents to Zhou Hui. After everyone got acquainted, Zhou Hui went forward and pulled my mother's hand, saying in a very intimate tone: "Auntie, you're not feeling well, so don't stay up late anymore, go rest early. We can clean up the house ourselves later, don't tire yourself."

  Her mother was very moved, saying repeatedly that she wasn't tired, and also said: "The house has been tidied up, this afternoon when Jincang and the others come to pick you up, we'll tidy up with Yuer's parents. After a while, you can warm your feet and then go rest."

  Zhou Hui said gratefully: "Thank you, we can handle it ourselves, don't bother!"

  "I chuckled and said, 'Don't be so polite, it's too much politeness is impolite. It's getting late, I'll go get a towel for Hui Jie, and after soaking our feet for a bit, we can rest. Tomorrow, sleep in a bit more, when breakfast is ready, I'll call you guys. And tomorrow is the Little New Year, let's make dumplings together.'"

  I got up and took a towel, and also pulled my mother to sleep. When my father brought the luggage into the house, I let him go to sleep too.

  The towels and everything were newly bought, each person was given a set, and then I went to turn on the lights in each room. Zhou Hui had just arrived, everything was unfamiliar to her, so turning on the lights made it convenient for her.

  Dongfang Yu took good care of Zhou Hui, doing everything for her, afraid that Zhou Hui would feel uncomfortable due to unfamiliarity.

  Li Huanhuan was quite used to the lifestyle here and didn't find anything uncomfortable. She poured herself a cup of hot water, washed her face, and then started soaking her feet.

  People from my hometown separate bathing and foot soaking. Bathing is just a general wash; Foot soaking is unique to winter because of the cold weather, so it's necessary to soak your feet frequently to keep warm and also good for your body.

  After taking a bus for over ten hours, everyone was very tired. After soaking their feet, they all went back to their rooms to sleep.

  I went back to my room to turn off the lights and lock the door.