"I just got to know him recently. Thanks for his help." Sun Chan didn't want to elaborate.
Upon hearing this, Bai Fanglan thought that village women are usually very stubborn. When they see a man being nice to them, they can't wait to offer themselves and cling to him. Do they think he will marry a village woman so she can have a chance too? She must cut off this idea.
Bai Fanglan said to Sun Chan, "Captain Gu is a responsible person who talks nicely with everyone. The last time he went back to the village for matchmaking was only because he couldn't refuse the matchmaker. But he is not likely to marry a village woman. His family... he is very prestigious."
Sun Chan nodded, "Is that so." At this moment, her mind was occupied with thoughts of how to earn money to repay Captain Gu, and she barely noticed Bai Fanglan's implications.
Bai Fanglan frowned slightly, wondering if this woman was truly naive or pretending.
Gu Junming paid the fees and returned, helping Sun Chan arrange a ward and even leaving some money for Sun Chan.
Sun Chan hurriedly declined, "You've been good enough to me; I can't take more of your money." The favor owed was already too much, and she was certainly anxious.
Seeing her strong reaction, Gu Junming didn't insist further, "Then take good care of your injuries, and later find your friend."
"Thank you, Captain Gu. Can you give me the receipt for the fees you paid? I'll definitely repay you when I earn some money."
Gu Junming gave her a higher regard because of this gesture. Although he hadn't expected her to repay him, he was impressed that she was a small but decisive girl and still handed the receipt to Sun Chan, asking Bai Fanglan to escort her to the ward.
Bai Fanglan felt this village girl was trying to flatter Gu Junming. Is it really that easy to make money in the city? This woman didn't seem cultured, and was thin as a rake. It's impossible for her to repay that money. She must be exploiting Gu Junmin's sympathy. How shameless, even retreating tactically.
"Go to the ward yourself; I have no time." Bai Fanglan said, then left.
Sun Chan wasn't expecting her to escort her. Seeing her nasty attitude, Sun Chan merely nodded and turned away, as nobody owed her anything.
Bai Fanglan caught up with Gu Junming, taking his arm with a smile, "Brother Ming, you haven't visited for a while. Isn't it time to check on my house? My grandpa is always asking about you. I'm definitely bringing you home for dinner; otherwise, he'll blame you!"
Gu Junming avoided her hand, seriously saying, "I'm on duty this time and have already spent considerable time helping this countrywoman, so it's impossible to eat with your grandfather. He was in the military too, he'll understand. I'll visit him during my holiday. Also, you're in the military; you can't keep disregarding discipline by grabbing people publicly."
Bai Fanglan's face alternated between pale and flushed, feeling a wave of sadness but quickly regaining her smile.
"Sure, comrade Gu Junming, it's just that I'm too happy to see you, so I lost my composure a bit. I'll correct myself. Please supervise and guide me, Captain Gu."
Gu Junming said to her, "I'm leaving now. Please take care of this girl for me; she's having a tough time alone in the city."
"Got it, don't worry, she's quite nice."
He nodded and strode off, showing no sign of attachment.
Bai Fanglan bit her lip, revealing a look of disappointment. She'd liked him since her teen years, but he'd always maintained an inscrutable distance from her.
After Gu Junming left, Bai Fanglan returned to the ward and saw Sun Chan, who was staring blankly while sitting on a hospital bed. "Do you need anything from me?"
"No, thank you, doctor." Sun Chan smiled at her.
Bai Fanglan curled her lips and turned away, leaving the ward. If you don't need anything, that's your issue; I asked you, after all.
Sun Chan's foot was wrapped like a zongzi, making it very inconvenient to walk. But compared to others in the ward, she was much luckier. The ward housed four people, including someone with a broken leg, another with a fractured arm wrapped in gauze, and the last was a pitiful uncle with multiple broken bones; his whole body wrapped in bandages, making movement extremely difficult.
It's said he was working at a quarry and got buried under rocks, barely surviving.
Not long after, the families came to visit, including several grandkids visiting the one in the middle, making the ward very noisy. But the uncle opposite had no visitors.
Sun Chan leaned on her bed, gazing at the blue sky outside. It's rare for her in both lives to be this leisurely, yet her heart felt restless as she didn't have much money; how could she live idly ?
While she was dazing off, she suddenly heard someone say, "Young girl, can you help me?"
Looking up, she saw a sincere-looking woman in her thirties, dressed ordinarily.
Sun Chan hurriedly got up, "What is it you need?"
The woman replied, "I need to wipe Old Ma's body, but I strained my tendons yesterday, so it's a bit strenuous. Could you help me?" She glanced at the man with multiple fractures.
Sun Chan nodded and tiptoed over. Together they turned over the uncle, and Sun Chan accidentally bumped his arm during the process, frightening her into apologizing.
The uncle simply shook his head, saying nothing.
"Thank you, young girl."
"No problem," Sun Chan smiled.
The woman wiped his body with a damp cloth and asked how he was doing.
The man's voice was weary, "I'm hungry."
The woman chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll wipe you down first, then get you some food. How about baozi for breakfast?"
The man nodded, "I want to eat blood sausage at noon."
"That's not possible; your daily meal allowance is only four yuan. The cafeteria food is so expensive; if you eat blood sausage, you'll have to skip dinner. Let's have meat stir-fried with celery for lunch."
The man sighed and said no more. The woman quickly wiped his chest with soap, rinsing it off and finished the work.
Lacking strength in her hands, she occasionally needed Sun Chan's help to move the man's body.
When the woman went out to dump the water, the man needed to use a bedpan, so she found a pot under the bed, pulled up the screen beside the bed, handed it to him, and left.
Sun Chan also went outside to escape the awkwardness.
The woman smiled at her, "Thanks for your help earlier."
"Is he your husband?" Sun Chan couldn't help but ask.
"No, I'm a hospital caregiver. He's a widower with no family, so I'm hired by the quarry owner to take care of Old Ma for five yuan a day." The woman's response was straightforward.
Sun Chan then understood why there wasn't much intimate communication between them. It turns out she was a caregiver assisting with personal care.