He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

He's looking at the bracelet?! Is this man feeling energetic after a good meal, wanting to bring up the past again, take the bracelet back, and kick her out?

No way! We absolutely can't lose this unique space! Relying on just one meal as rent isn't enough; we have to let him know she still has irreplaceable value!

"Don't you usually do muscle relaxation exercises for your legs?"

To distract him, Shen Tang suddenly spoke, and before Mu Qinghan could answer, she unceremoniously reached out and pulled back the thin blanket covering Mu Qinghan's legs.

"What are you doing?" Mu Qinghan frowned, instinctively trying to dodge, but her legs, damaged by nerve damage, simply wouldn't obey her commands.

"Don't move. With the way that nurse pressed on your leg just now, it'll be ruined sooner or later." Shen Tang's tone changed, losing its previous nonchalance and becoming professional and assertive.

Her fair and slender hands landed steadily on his calves. Her thumbs precisely located the Zusanli and Yanglingquan acupoints, and with a unique rhythm and skillful force, she slowly pressed and rubbed them.

Mu Qinghan froze.

He instinctively resisted being touched, but Shen Tang's technique was too special. There was no sticky, unpleasant probing, only pure, well-controlled force. A sensation of soreness mixed with slight warmth spread along his meridians, and his long-stiff and cold legs felt a long-lost sense of comfort.

He stared at Shen Tang's lowered eyes, a thoughtful look flashing in his gaze.

"Click".

The ward door opened again, and Dr. Chen, wearing a white coat, walked in with the patient's medical record: "Commander Mu, how was today's physiotherapy...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Dr. Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He stared wide-eyed at Shen Tang, who was massaging Mu Qinghan's legs by the bedside. At first, he thought it was some inconsiderate family member massaging randomly and was about to speak up to stop her, but after seeing the acupoints and finger techniques Shen Tang used, he swallowed back the reprimand that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Wait—" Doctor Chen strode to the bedside, adjusted his glasses, and bent down to carefully observe Shen Tang's technique. "Zusanli combined with Yanglingquan, one tight, one loose, this is... rolling technique combined with one-finger pushing technique?"

Shen Tang nodded without stopping her work.

Dr. Chen gasped, "This lady, your massage and tendon-relaxation techniques are incredibly professional! The pressure, frequency, and acupoint selection are all extremely precise. Which medical school did you graduate from?"

"I never went to medical school," Shen Tang said calmly, delivering her prepared explanation. "I grew up in the countryside. There was an eccentric old Chinese medicine doctor in the village. It's said his ancestors were imperial physicians, but somehow they ended up in our poor mountain village. I helped him gather herbs every day, assisted him, and watched him treat patients. I learned a few things by sheer luck."

In this era, there were many highly skilled people who were sent down to the countryside or lived in seclusion. Given the lack of information, this reason was reasonable and impossible to verify.

Doctor Chen nodded in sudden realization: "No wonder! There are indeed hidden talents among the common people. Your technique is not just a smattering; even those with formal training might not reach your level."

He turned to look at Mu Qinghan, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement, "Commander Mu, the Western medical treatments at our hospital mainly rely on instruments and medications, which have limited effectiveness for muscle atrophy caused by nerve damage like yours. However, traditional Chinese medicine massage combined with acupoint stimulation can have an auxiliary effect on promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and promoting nerve repair. It's a good thing that your... relative can help you with your daily relaxation exercises."

Mu Qinghan didn't speak, his deep black eyes sweeping back and forth between Shen Tang and Doctor Chen, and finally gave a faint "hmm" in acquiescence.

Shen Tang withdrew her hand, casually picking up a towel from the bedside table to wipe herself, a barely perceptible glint of cunning flashing in her eyes. She deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone, "Since Dr. Chen has said so, then I'll massage you every day when I deliver your meals. Consider it... rent."

Mu Qinghan lowered his eyes and didn't reply. But since he didn't refuse, Shen Tang took it as tacit consent.

She felt incredibly relieved. Now she not only had legitimate control over his diet, but also the right to treat his legs. The more favors he owed, the more secure the jade bracelet would feel on her wrist.

Meanwhile, Bai Wei, who had been ruthlessly kicked out of the ward by Mu Qinghan, was covering her face and crying all the way back to the nurses' station.

"What are you crying for? Instead of keeping an eye on things in the ward, you're here wailing?" The head nurse had just come out of the pharmacy. She was already annoyed by this slacker who avoided hard work, and now seeing Bai Wei's disheveled appearance and smudged eyeshadow, she was furious.

Bai Wei stamped her feet in frustration and tentatively asked, "Head Nurse, who exactly is that woman in Commander Mu's ward? She said she's a distant relative of Commander Mu, is that true?"

The head nurse frowned and gave her a cold look: "It's none of your business how Commander Mu handles his personal affairs. I'm warning you, Bai Wei, Commander Mu is a commander in the army, but here he's a patient. Focus on your job, and stop asking questions and worrying about the rest! Go and change the glucose in ward number three!"

Bai Wei was publicly reprimanded, and several passing nurses cast curious glances at her. She gritted her teeth in anger but dared not argue back, and could only stomp her feet in frustration as she walked away.

But inside, she was seething with hatred—the head nurse must have been bribed by that country bumpkin! Everyone was on her side!

It was afternoon.

Liu Fang, dressed in a pale yellow dress that perfectly complemented her gentle temperament, carrying a net bag of apples, arrived at the military hospital accompanied by her fiancé Chen Zhiyuan.

She was Zhiyuan's fiancée, so it was only natural for her to visit the regimental commander with him. But her real purpose was to check on Mu Qinghan's recovery at the hospital—if he really didn't recover, then Chen Zhiyuan taking over would be a certainty. But if he did recover… then all her plans would be in vain.

Just then, the two bumped into Bai Wei, who was carrying a dressing tray and had a gloomy expression, in the corridor.

"Weiwei, what's wrong? Who made you so angry?" Liu Fang, who knew her well, immediately asked in a gentle voice.

When Bai Wei saw it was her, it was as if she had found an outlet for her grievances. She recounted the morning's events with exaggerated detail, her face full of resentment: "Sister Fang! It's that country bumpkin woman in Commander Mu's hospital room! The one who went against me on the bus! Dressed so plainly, she started yelling at me as soon as she arrived, and even tried to curry favor with me with that tattered lunchbox. Did she think she was some respectable relative? She's just a country bumpkin trying to climb the social ladder!"

Chen Zhiyuan frowned as he listened from the side. He was about to correct Bai Wei's attitude toward her "sister-in-law" when Liu Fang quietly tugged at his sleeve.

Liu Fang sighed, her expression filled with a condescending sympathy: "Weiwei, don't take her to heart. She's a pitiful person too."

"She's pitiful? How is she pitiful! I think she's very arrogant!" Bai Wei retorted.