The aloof military doctor arrives at the unit, and the tough guy can't sit still.

After a while, Lu Zhenghan finally spoke slowly.

Are you short of money lately?

"What?"

Xia Qiuran hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lu Zhenghan with a puzzled expression.

"Your internship exam is just around the corner, are you short of money to still be working part-time as a visiting doctor?" Lu Zhenghan finally put down the documents in his hand and looked up at Xia Qiuran.

At this point, Xia Qiuran understood. Yan Jun must have told him everything that happened that day. Lu Zhenghan was so smart that he probably wouldn't believe it if he said he wasn't short of money, so he simply admitted it directly.

"Yes, I'm short of money."

"Why? What happened?" Lu Zhenghan's eyes flickered as he continued to press for an answer.

Xia Qiuran: "Because I want to stay in the city, my rank isn't high, and it would be difficult to get assigned to a military family compound, so I can only save money to buy a house."

"It's understandable that you want to bring your family to the city, but now is a crucial time, so it's best to prioritize your studies."

Lu Zhenghan nodded after listening. Xia Qiuran had previously had the idea of ​​bringing her family to live in the city. If one had the means, who wouldn't want to bring their family to live together? Her idea was not wrong.

"I'm not bringing my family to the city; they're doing quite well in the countryside." Xia Qiuran said this again, her expression still showing some displeasure.

Lu Zhenghan paused, wondering why he would buy a house instead of bringing his family to the city. This answer surprised him greatly.

"Then why do you want to buy a house? Even if you don't get a family housing unit in the military, you'll never be kicked out of the soldiers' quarters."

Xia Qiuran glanced at Lu Zhenghan and said slowly.

"I'm turning 20 soon, and I can't keep living in the dorm forever. I'm saving money to buy a house for my wedding."

After he finished speaking, Lu Zhenghan's fingers, which were resting on the table, froze again.

He clenched his teeth, his lips pressed into a cold, hard line, his eyes fixed on the desk, as if a lot was churning inside.

Are you planning to get married so soon?

He didn't reply immediately, but instead his Adam's apple bobbed heavily, as if he had swallowed something bitter and astringent. He slowly took his hand off the table and clenched it into a fist.

His breathing was very light, but his chest rose and fell visibly. After a long while, he turned his face slightly away and spoke in a very low voice.

"What did you say?"

Looking at Lu Zhenghan like this, Xia Qiuran suddenly felt a little guilty and scared. She didn't know why she had just made up those words, but she didn't expect Lu Zhenghan to take them so seriously.

Lu Zhenghan really can't take a joke. But why is he so angry? Is it because he's afraid that if she really buys a house outside, she'll ask to be discharged from the army, and then the army will have wasted so much time and resources cultivating her?

Just as Xia Qiuran was about to reply that she would not leave the army and that Lu Zhenghan could rest assured, Yan Jun pushed open the door and walked in.

She could only swallow back the words she was about to say.

Yan Jun looked at the two of them again, and felt that the atmosphere was even more tense than before.

But he's been standing outside for so long, he's afraid he might be arrested as an enemy agent if he stands there any longer.

"Oh, alright, look at you two, you're acting like little kids fighting."

"Zhenghan, didn't you just apply for two hours of leave? Dr. Xia, you don't need a leave slip since you're interning at the hospital. I'll treat you to a meal at a state-run restaurant," Yan Jun said with a smile as he walked over.

Lu Zhenghan turned his head away without answering, while Xia Qiuran gave a polite reply.

"Comrade Yan, I won't go, you guys go ahead."

"Dr. Xia, please don't not go. I still want to thank you properly for what happened to my mother last time," Yan Jun said again.

"Comrade Yan, as I said, this is all within my duties, there's no need to be so polite."

After Xia Qiuran finished speaking, she was about to leave. Since she had already informed the others about her leave request, there was no need for her to stay any longer.

"Dr. Xia, you're not accepting payment or eating, it makes me feel embarrassed to ask you for money."

Yan Jun chased after him again, looking embarrassed.

Xia Qiuran stopped in her tracks: "Comrade Yan, please tell me what's wrong. I'll do my best to help if I can."

Yan Jun then revealed the true purpose of his trip.

"Our whole family now only trusts your medical skills. Yesterday, my mother said that her lower abdomen was very uncomfortable. We originally planned to see you this morning after you went to work, but your colleague said that you were working the night shift... Now the doctors at the hospital are giving my mother anti-inflammatory drugs. I really don't know what to do next, so I thought I would ask you. I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Yan Jun's mother's condition was indeed quite serious, Xia Qiuran replied without much hesitation this time.

"It's possible there's fluid buildup in the pelvic cavity, which is causing the infection to worsen. Let's go, we'll go to the hospital now."

...

On the way to the hospital, Yan Jun kept trying to find topics to talk about to ease the atmosphere, but he was the only one talking the whole way, making it sound like a stand-up comedy routine. The worst part was that it was a stand-up comedy routine with no one to listen to it, which was extremely awkward.

The journey wasn't very long, but it felt longer to him than a whole day on a train.

The car finally arrived at the hospital, and he immediately opened the door and got out.

After a careful examination, Xia Qiuran found that Yan Jun's mother's condition was indeed caused by fluid accumulation. She first prescribed two doses of herbal medicine for conservative treatment. If conservative treatment was ineffective, surgery would be the only option.

After leaving the ward, Yan Jun brought up the matter of eating again.

"Comrade Yan, I really won't go to eat. My internship exam is coming up soon, and I want to make the most of my time to study. It's my duty to treat patients, so don't feel bad about calling me."

Xia Qiuran thought about it and decided that she still couldn't go. It wasn't that she was deliberately trying to embarrass Yan Jun. First, she had only done what was within the scope of her work and shouldn't have eaten at a patient's family's restaurant. Second, since she had already made things clear to Lu Zhenghan, she should naturally avoid suspicion in their daily interactions. Otherwise, if people misunderstood her again, Lu Zhenghan would probably dislike her even more.

Xia Qiuran's clear refusal left Yan Jun with no other reason to give. After Xia Qiuran left, he patted Lu Zhenghan on the shoulder and gave him a look that said, "Brother, you've done your best."

"Qiu Ran".

But just as Xia Qiuran had taken a few steps, Lu Zhenghan suddenly heard a familiar voice.

Looking up, I saw it was Zhao Feng again.

Lu Zhenghan glanced at it briefly, then quickly turned back to Yan Jun.

"let's go."

"Aren't you going to stay and take a look?" Yan Jun gestured with his eyes, looking even more nervous than Lu Zhenghan.

"What's so interesting about it? If you want to stay and watch, then go ahead."

After saying that, he didn't leave a single glance behind and walked directly in another direction.

Yan Jun did observe from the spot for a while, only chasing after Lu Zhenghan when he was about to walk away.

"Hey, wait for me."