1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 166 You're my boyfriend, if I don't care about you, who will I care about?
You can dream.

Wu Meng retorted confidently, "Why can't I say it?"

What did I dream about?

"It was just a wet dream, otherwise why would she be laughing like that?"

"Wu Meng, can we talk about something?"

Wang Fan was so provoked by her that he almost vomited blood.

"What is it?"

Wu Meng, feeling confident and fearless, raised her eyebrows smugly.

Originally, that was the case.

Wang Fan offered a bait: "I saw you taking care of me in the hospital, and it must have been hard for you, so I thought I'd give you something in return."

"What's the benefit?"

Wu Meng's eyes lit up; she was indeed intrigued.

"but."

Wang Fan changed the subject, saying, "You keep bothering me, which makes me very unhappy. I was originally going to halve the gift I was going to give you as a thank you."

"Hey, why halve it?"

Wu Meng panicked and quickly interrupted him, "Fine, I won't ask anymore. You can dream whatever you want, I'll just pretend I didn't see anything."

"I wasn't dreaming."

Wang Fan looked at her coolly.

“good good”

Wu Meng went to great lengths to offer a thank-you gift: "You're not dreaming, I must be seeing things, is that alright?"

"Don't laugh at me anymore."

Wang Fan was still not satisfied.

"No, never again."

Wu Meng's lips twitched a few times; she was struggling to suppress her laughter.

"Are you still laughing?"

Wang Fan, with his sharp eyes, noticed the fleeting smile in her eyes.

"No."

Wu Meng quickly denied it: "Absolutely not, whoever laughs at me is a dog."

"You look just like a puppy to me."

Wang Fan was amused and teased her in return.

"I'm not"

Wu Meng was used to arguing with him and almost blurted out the second half of her sentence, "You are the one who said that," but luckily she stopped herself in time.

"Are you insulting me?"

Wang Fan glanced at her sideways.

"No."

Wu Meng reacted quickly: "I didn't say that. You can't slander me just because you don't want to give me a thank-you gift."

"Did I slander you?"

Wang Fan laughed in exasperation. Just as he was about to knock on her door, a figure suddenly flashed past the door of the ward. His pupils contracted, and his expression changed instantly.

"what happened?"

Wu Meng realized something was wrong, and without bothering to argue anymore, she turned around abruptly and looked at the door.

"Go and call Gu Bin."

Wang Fan's eyes flickered slightly, as he deliberately tried to get rid of her: "Just tell him that I'm almost fully recovered and can be discharged by the weekend at the latest, and ask him to book his flight back to Jinan in advance."

"Airline tickets?!"

Wu Meng looked shocked: "You're going to fly back? That's too extravagant!"

"If I don't take a plane, do you expect me to take a train for more than ten hours to get back?"

Wang Fan was speechless: "Do you think a patient who has just been discharged from the hospital can withstand that kind of bumpy ride?"

"Please sit if you wish."

Wu Meng muttered under her breath, "Anyway, it's not my money."

Tell him to order four tickets.

"Four plane tickets?"

"Let's all four of us take the plane back together."

Are we going to take a plane too?

"This is the gift of gratitude."

Wang Fan laughed jokingly: "Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, it'll save me money."

"Yes, we absolutely must."

Fearing he might change his mind, Wu Meng turned and ran: "I'll call Gu Bin right now and have him book a plane ticket."

Wang Fan called out from behind her, "Don't forget to tell him your ID number."

"understood."

Wu Meng ran very fast and disappeared from the ward in the blink of an eye.

Wang Fan's expression changed the moment she rushed out the door; her smile vanished, and a hint of coldness appeared in her eyes.

-

Lin Xiyu felt sorry for Gu Bin, who was on duty at the hospital at night and had to take care of his business during the day. She borrowed a rice cooker from the dormitory aunt and secretly hid in the hotel to make soup for him to nourish his body.

She had heard her grandmother say that pork rib and yam soup is very nourishing, and that it can help with digestion, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and moisturize dryness.

There was a vegetable market near the hospital, and she took advantage of her lunch break to go to the market and buy some pork ribs and yams.

The ribs are spare ribs, chopped into small pieces about the size of a thumb, and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes to remove the blood.

Blanch it again in boiling water to remove the scum, wash it clean, put it back in the pot, add ginger slices, cooking wine, and water, and simmer.

After peeling the yam, soak it in water with white vinegar, then cut it into chunks.

Once the ribs are cooked, add yam, corn, and carrots, simmer over low heat, and add salt 5 minutes before serving.

-

"smell good"

"What's that smell? It smells so good!"

Wu Meng rushed back from the hospital, followed the scent into the hotel, and the moment she opened the door, a fragrant aroma wafted out, causing her to involuntarily reveal a look of intoxication.

"Shh, keep your voice down"

Lin Xiyu hurriedly pulled the person inside and closed the door: "You probably don't allow cooking in hotels, right? Let's not let anyone hear us."

"I guess some people already know."

Wu Meng chuckled and said, "What did you stew? It smells so good, it's already wafting out the hallway."

Lin Xiyu smiled and said, "Pork rib and yam soup."

"I go."

Wu Meng was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred: "Wang Fan is so lucky to be able to drink the soup you personally stewed."

"That was for him to drink."

Lin Xiyu said coquettishly, "I made this for Gu Bin. He's been running around these past few days and has obviously lost weight. I have to nourish him so he doesn't get sick from exhaustion. Otherwise, if it's just the two of us, each taking care of one, we'll be exhausted."

"Hahaha."

Wu Meng was satisfied and burst into unrestrained laughter: "Wang Fan should cry now. He invited us to take a plane, but we didn't get anything good out of it. We couldn't even get a sip of soup."

"airplane?"

Lin Xiyu paused, seemingly hallucinating: "What do you mean? He invited us to take some kind of plane?"

He said he would be flying back to Jinan this time.

Wu Meng smiled happily: "It's a way of thanking us for taking care of him in the hospital all this time. He paid for the three of us to fly back with him."

"really?"

Lin Xiyu asked incredulously, "How much would it cost for four people to travel by plane together?"

"I've already called Gu Bin, and he said it's around seven or eight hundred yuan a piece."

Wu Meng said with a smile, "It's very difficult to buy. You need a letter of introduction from your work unit, and even if you have one, you might not be able to buy it."

"That's it"

Lin Xiyu's mood was like a rollercoaster, going up and down: "Then it's still uncertain, we might not be able to take a plane."

"With Gu Bin involved, there's an 80% chance it will work."

Wu Meng has great confidence in Gu Bin.

"you."

Lin Xiyu chuckled and teased, "You're blindly worshipping him, thinking he's some kind of omnipotent deity."

"hey-hey."

Wu Meng laughed awkwardly: "In my mind, that's pretty much it."

"He went to buy plane tickets?"

Lin Xiyu smiled helplessly and ignored her antics.

"No."

As Wu Meng spoke, she walked toward her luggage: "He said that just having an ID number isn't enough, and he'll come back in a bit to get his ID card. He told us to get ready in advance."

Where is my ID card?

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiyu also began rummaging through her luggage for her ID card.

"Bang bang."

As the two were searching, a soft knock sounded at the door. "Who is it?"

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat, and her first reaction was to pick up the pot and hide it in the closet.

"it's me."

Seeing that no one answered the door, Gu Bin knocked a few more times.

"coming."

Lin Xiyu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the familiar voice.

"What's that smell? It smells so good! The whole hallway is filled with it!"

The door opened, and Gu Bin came in and said the exact same thing to Wu Meng.

"Haha, I knew it!"

Wu Meng laughed heartlessly: "She was so scared that she quickly hid. Why hide? There must have been a lot of people who could smell it."

Lin Xiyu's ears turned red: "I thought the boss was unwilling and came to check the rooms."

"You think this is a dormitory?"

Wu Meng almost burst out laughing: "And the dormitory supervisor comes to check the rooms."

"Hotels probably aren't that strict."

Gu Bin patted her head to soothe her frightened little heart: "How much electricity can a soup consuming? Just be careful not to cause a fire."

"Did you come to pick up your ID card? You're back so soon?"

Lin Xiyu relaxed and returned his smile.

Gu Bin, unusually humorous, said, "I guessed there would be soup, so I came back following the smell."

Lin Xiyu pouted and said coquettishly, "How did you know it was made for you?"

"If it wasn't made for me, who was it made for?"

Gu Bin narrowed his eyes slightly, teasing her on purpose: "Could it be that you have a little lover hiding in the hotel?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Lin Xiyu laughed and said, "I made this for Wu Meng."

Gu Bin gave Wu Meng a cool look.

"Ouch!"

Wu Meng jumped up from the chair as if she had risen from the dead, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Don't drag me into your bickering, I don't deserve that."

"Pfft."

Lin Xiyu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

-

“It’s delicious. It’s really delicious.”

The pork rib soup is fresh, fragrant, and delicious; one sip leaves you wanting more.

Wu Meng also benefited from the meal, drinking a bowl of pork rib and yam soup. She smacked her lips a few times with satisfaction, revealing an expression of utter delight.

"tasty?"

Lin Xiyu ignored her silly best friend, smiling as she rested her chin on her hand and watched Gu Bin drink his soup.

"Delicious."

Gu Bin sipped it slowly, offering his enthusiastic praise: "This level of quality is enough to open a shop; it tastes even better than what a professional chef makes."

"I like to drink more."

Lin Xiyu enjoyed his praise, and with a touch of pride, her eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she smiled.

"What made you decide to make soup?"

Gu Bin found it amusing and affectionately pinched her cheek.

"You've worked so hard."

Lin Xiyu tilted her head and affectionately rubbed her hand against his: "I can't just sit idly by, I have to give you a good boost."

"You care about me that much?"

Gu Bin's eyes were deep, and a strange light flashed across them.

"You're my boyfriend, if I don't care about you, who else should I care about?"

Lin Xiyu pouted and tilted her head, rubbing her hand against his a few times.

"Does this soup have to be drunk now?"

Gu Bin's gaze deepened, lingering for a moment on her soft, sweet lips.

"You have to drink it while it's hot."

Lin Xiyu nodded without thinking, her smooth, rosy cheeks making one's heart itch even more.

"Stop rubbing against me."

Gu Bin, holding the bowl, was both amused and exasperated: "If I keep leeching, I won't be able to drink anymore."

"You're not allowed to refuse to drink."

Lin Xiyu didn't understand his implied meaning. She pouted and said coquettishly, "I finally managed to make this soup for you. When I was peeling the yam, both my arms were so itchy. It was so uncomfortable."

"Are you still itchy now?"

Gu Bin held her hand, a pang of heartache rising within him.

"It's much better now, it doesn't itch anymore."

Lin Xiyu didn't want him to worry, so she brushed it off lightly.

"Don't stew it anymore."

Gu Bin held the soup bowl, feeling uneasy: "It's not worth it for a bowl of soup."

"Pork rib and yam soup is nutritious and good for your health."

Lin Xiyu's heart, eyes, thoughts, and longing were only for him.

"Yams irritate the skin, and I don't want you to suffer from them."

Gu Bin knew this all too well, but the thought of her hands being red, swollen, and unbearably itchy from the yam made him unable to bear it, and no matter how delicious the soup was, he couldn't bring himself to swallow it.

"It's alright."

Lin Xiyu wanted to persuade her again: "As long as it's good for your health, I don't care."

"Be good, listen to me."

Gu Bin feigned displeasure and interrupted her, saying, "I'm not Wang Fan, who needs to recover after surgery."

"Oh my, we almost forgot about Wang Fan if you hadn't mentioned him."

Wu Meng couldn't stand it anymore and tried to slip away under the pretext of saying, "I'd better hurry back. This kid holds a grudge, or he'll scold me again."

"Get him a bowl of soup."

Lin Xiyu quickly stopped him and filled a lunchbox with some pork rib and yam soup.

Wu Meng looked completely bewildered: "Didn't you say you wouldn't give him any?"

"Let's let him benefit from the fact that he treated us to a flight."

Lin Xiyu closed the lunchbox tightly, put it in a plastic bag, and handed it to her.

"This kid is really lucky."

Wu Meng chuckled as she carried the plastic bag, then changed the subject, saying, "I just don't know if I'll be in the mood to drink."

Why am I not in the mood?

Lin Xiyu misunderstood her meaning and was a little unhappy: "He's acting all high and mighty when we give him a drink. What kind of trouble is he causing now?"

"It wasn't that he wanted to cause trouble."

For the sake of the airfare, Wu Meng unusually spoke up for Wang Fan, saying, "Someone doesn't want him to recover properly and is causing trouble again."

"Who?"

Lin Xiyu was startled.

"Is it Li Qing?"

Gu Bin reacted quickly and immediately guessed the truth.

"Yes, it's her."

Wu Meng's seemingly innocent demeanor doesn't mean she's stupid. Wang Fan's facial expression changed so obviously that she couldn't possibly miss it.

Using the phone call as an excuse to run out of the ward was merely a deliberate act to please him.

After she left the ward, she deliberately looked back and saw a figure sneaking in.

Li Qing and Lin Xiyu had a fight in the dormitory, which left a deep impression on her, and she recognized her at a glance.

Wang Fan had just recovered from a serious illness and couldn't withstand any more exertion. Worried, she secretly went back and peeked inside through the crack in the door for a while.

Seeing that Li Qing was crying and posed no threat to Wang Fan, he felt relieved and quietly slipped away.

-

"Li Qing, what's she doing here again?"

Lin Xiyu was speechless: "Doesn't she think she's caused enough trouble already?"

"I think her feelings for Wang Fan are not as simple as just a bet."

Wu Meng sighed, "Looking at her like that, she was deeply in love with him. She kept begging him to forgive her, to give her another chance, not to send her away, and to let her go to Germany. She was so humble that I couldn't bear to see her like that."

What does Wang Fan mean?

Lin Xiyu frowned slightly: "Did he agree?"

"There probably isn't."

Wu Meng secretly guessed, "His face looked really bad, like he wanted to strangle her. I guess he won't forgive her."

What's so good about Wang Fan?

Lin Xiyu couldn't understand: "I really don't understand, what exactly does Li Qing see in him?"

"Different strokes for different folks."

Wu Meng felt a surge of joy at the thought of flying: "Actually, he's not entirely without merit. Sometimes he's quite generous. Even when he's injured, he still thinks of us. So it wasn't a waste of our time serving him."