After dinner, He Chunli fetched a basin of water for Lin Laoshi to wipe his body.
Most of the wounds on Lin Laoshi's body had healed and scabbed, but his legs were still unable to stand for long. The most serious wound, on his left leg, had undergone surgery and could not come into contact with water. As a result, he could not take a shower and could only wipe himself with a wet towel.
At first, the hospital nurses helped, and later, it was He Chunli. Now, as his body had recovered, most of the work was done by Lin Laoshi himself, except for his left leg, which still required He Chunli's assistance.
He Chunli wrung out a towel and carefully started wiping from his calf, avoiding the wound. When she reached his thigh, Lin Laoshi suddenly cried out, "Ah..."
"Did I hurt you?" He Chunli was startled and immediately pulled back the towel, looking at him worriedly.
Lin Laoshi took a deep breath and said, "Yes, a little. Go and call Xiao Jiang over. She is more careful and experienced than you."
She is more careful and experienced than you. She is more careful than you...
At this moment, this was the only sentence in He Chunli's mind. The thing she had most feared deep in her heart had finally happened. Lin Laoshi really had a good impression of Jiang Yuan. Even while praising her, he did not forget to put down his wife. What if Jiang Yuan broke up with her boyfriend? Would Lin Laoshi abandon her and choose Jiang Yuan?
Once this long-hidden anxiety surfaced, it became uncontrollable. Various complex and intense emotions intertwined on He Chunli's face—jealousy, anger, fear—it was hard to ignore.
Lin Laoshi noticed and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Even if He Chunli didn't say it outright, he had already roughly guessed Jiang Yuan's identity. Jiang Yuan must be the second wife the original owner had married after He Chunli eloped with another man.
Only such an identity could make He Chunli lose her composure like this, unable to control her emotions in front of him.
No wonder He Chunli couldn't wait for him to be discharged from the hospital. It turned out she was afraid that he and Jiang Yuan would reunite! But she was really overthinking it. She had been reborn with her memories, but he and Jiang Yuan had no memories of their past lives, so naturally, they had no lingering feelings either. Now, the envoy had a wife, and Luofu had a husband. Neither of them was the kind of person to act dishonorably. What could possibly happen?
If He Chunli had done nothing and remained calm after making this discovery, she wouldn't have exposed herself. It was her guilt and fear that revealed the truth!
Ultimately, He Chunli felt guilty. What she had done in her previous life was unkind, and that made her lack confidence in facing her husband now. She was even less at ease when confronted with the girl who, in the original owner's past life, had been his wife and had accompanied him until old age.
Lin Laoshi had deliberately pretended to be in pain and called Jiang Yuan over just to confirm his suspicion. Now that He Chunli's extreme reaction had proven it, Lin Laoshi did not feel happy—only burdened with a headache.
This was a matter between him and He Chunli, and no innocent third party should be involved. He had no intention of dragging Jiang Yuan into this mess. After all, it was all an accident.
During his time in the hospital, he had been inconsiderate, chauvinistic, and lacked family values... Lin Laoshi had done all these things deliberately, just to anger He Chunli—pushing her to the point where she would become so disappointed that she could no longer bear it and would ask for a divorce.
Because getting a divorce while away from home obviously met with less resistance than doing so back in their hometown. Now that he had retired from the army, divorce here was a personal matter—the army would not interfere. But if they returned home, his mother, uncles, neighbors, and He Chunli's family would all persuade them against it.
But now, it was clear that this plan wasn't working. If he truly went through with it, He Chunli would undoubtedly blame everything on Jiang Yuan, thinking that he and Jiang Yuan had secretly harbored feelings for each other and that this was why he wanted to get rid of her.
Lin Laoshi didn't care what others thought. Once he was discharged from the hospital, he would leave, and public opinion would have little impact on him. But Jiang Yuan still had to work and live here. Given He Chunli's extreme personality and her willingness to act recklessly, she would definitely take her anger out on Jiang Yuan.
If things escalated, Jiang Yuan's reputation in the hospital would be ruined. Even if everything was later investigated and Jiang Yuan was cleared of any wrongdoing, the damage would have already been done.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Laoshi came up with an idea.
He said nonchalantly, "What's wrong with you? You look so unhappy. It's just that Xiao Jiang is more experienced than you—that's a fact. Every profession has its own expertise. She trained for this job, while we ordinary people can't compare. But forget it, if it bothers you, don't call her. Just continue wiping me down. I'll endure it. I won't scream this time."
Lin Laoshi's response was both defensive and offensive. He subtly belittled Jiang Yuan's profession while at the same time showing his tolerance toward He Chunli, clearly drawing a line between outsiders and family.
His words were precisely what was needed. He Chunli really fell for it. She had been fuming like a pufferfish, but suddenly, she covered her mouth and laughed.
She glanced at Lin Laoshi's expression, which seemed to say, I can't do anything to you, and her panicked heart gradually calmed. It seemed she had been overthinking things. Lin Laoshi had always been an upright man, and he had been so badly injured that he could barely move. He was too preoccupied with his own condition to have thoughts about another woman.
She had made a fuss over nothing. He Chunli's expression softened slightly, and she picked up the towel, pressing it against Lin Laoshi's uninjured ankle. "Who told you to dislike me, huh?"
"Ouch, ouch..." Lin Laoshi immediately cooperated, pretending to wail.
This episode quickly passed, and after that, neither Lin Laoshi nor He Chunli mentioned Jiang Yuan again, as if today's dispute had never happened.
But subtle changes remained. From then on, whenever the young nurses in the hospital came to check on him or change his dressings, Lin Laoshi became distant and cold, barely speaking to them. Even communication about his condition was left to He Chunli while he merely listened in silence.
Jiang Yuan, busy with work, gradually focused more on newly admitted patients. She barely had time to notice He Chunli's intense vigilance, making He Chunli's nervousness seem laughable in hindsight.
After watching for a while, she realized that Lin Laoshi and Jiang Yuan truly had no personal relationship. Reflecting on the lack of modern communication—no mobile phones, no internet, and only slow letters—He Chunli finally felt reassured. Once they left the hospital and returned to their hometown, they would probably never see each other again.
Now, He Chunli's focus was entirely on Lin Laoshi's discharge.
After waiting for over a month, Dr. Miao finally approved it. He Chunli was even happier than Lin Laoshi himself.
When the news spread, Lin Laoshi's comrades-in-arms visited one after another.
Although he was approved for discharge, his left leg had not fully healed. A broken bone required at least a hundred days to mend, far longer than just a month. So his comrades arranged for two sleeper tickets, got him a pair of crutches, and sent them off with food for the journey.
The train started moving, trees outside rapidly receding. Lin Laoshi waved to his comrades at the platform, leaving the city behind as he headed toward the original owner's hometown—Changfeng Township, under Yang City.
Riding the train was monotonous and tedious. After sleeping for half a day, Lin Laoshi couldn't rest anymore. He sat up, grabbed his crutches, and tried using them.
At that moment, He Chunli returned with hot water and immediately noticed him struggling. She put the water down and said, "Ashi, you're awake. You must be hungry. Eat something!"
Lin Laoshi took a pancake from the morning, bit into it absently, and seemed lost in thought.
He Chunli watched for a while and was no longer in the mood to eat. She placed the cake on the oil paper and asked Lin Laoshi, "Ashi, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Laoshi put the cake down and said to He Chunli, "I have no appetite after sleeping for half a day. Put it away and eat it in the evening. I'm going to the bathroom."
He Chunli nodded, packed up her things, put the water on the table, and waited. However, Lin Laoshi did not come out. She looked at the time. Ten minutes had already passed. Did it really take that long? There were fewer people in the sleeper berths, and the toilets were not crowded, so you usually didn't have to queue.
Another ten minutes passed, and Lin Laoshi still didn't return. He Chunli couldn't sit still anymore, so she got up and ran to the toilet. She pushed, but it wouldn't open. She knocked twice and asked through the door, "Ashi, Ashi, are you okay?"
Suddenly, the door opened, and He Chunli almost fell. She grabbed the door frame and looked up at Lin Laoshi.
She saw Lin Laoshi leaning on a crutch with one hand, his tall body hunched over, and it seemed that most of his body weight was on the crutch. Of course, what frightened He Chunli even more was Lin Laoshi's ugly expression.
His face was gloomy, as dark as a storm cloud. The moment he saw He Chunli, he suddenly reached out, grabbed her shoulders, and squeezed out a word between his teeth: "Am I a disabled person?"
He Chunli hurriedly shook her head. "Of course not, Ashi, don't say that, I'm scared. You still have me and your mother. The doctor said your leg will heal soon."
"Healed? I'm a disabled person who has difficulty going to the toilet by myself. How can I get better? No, I will never get better..." Lin Laoshi shook his head, his face darkened. He muttered to himself a few words. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Chunli, let's get a divorce. You're still so young. There's no need to suffer with a disabled person like me!"
He Chunli was dumbfounded. At the door of the toilet on the train, Lin Laoshi was the one asking for a divorce! If this had been her previous life, she would have been so happy she would have gone crazy. Who would want to be with a cripple? Back then, she had even dreamed that one day Lin Laoshi would ask for a divorce, but he never mentioned it until she eloped with Juan.
And now, in this life, she had planned to live well with him, but he was the one asking for a divorce. It was so ridiculous and laughable.
Of course, He Chunli did not agree. After being stunned for several seconds, she came to her senses, supported Lin Laoshi's other arm without disgust, and took him back to his seat. "Ashi, what are you talking about? We're fine, why do we need to get a divorce? As for your leg, the doctor said it will heal soon. Don't worry."
Lin Laoshi followed her back to his seat without saying a word, took off his shoes, and lay down on the lower bunk. He turned over, faced away from He Chunli, and said in a muffled voice, "Think about it again. I don't want to delay you. This sentence is always valid!"
There are many obstacles to divorce. If he, as a man, didn't mention it, He Chunli certainly wouldn't dare to do so. Because he had married her at a high price, her family would never agree to the divorce, and she also felt that he would never let her go. After all, he was just a disabled farmer now. How could he bear to give up such a beautiful wife? If they really divorced, considering his poor situation, he might end up a bachelor for the rest of his life.
So, he gave He Chunli a "reassurance pill." If the two of them couldn't live together in the future, He Chunli would definitely remember this sentence and would surely be grateful to him.
But He Chunli was not moved at all. She stared at Lin Laoshi's back. Did he really want a divorce just because he was frustrated about going to the toilet? Then why didn't he mention it when he was lying on the hospital bed, unable to move? The train had only been gone for half a day when he asked for a divorce. Could he be up to something?
He Chunli was already suspicious and uneasy, and Lin Laoshi's words made her even more uneasy.
However, He Chunli glanced at Lin Laoshi's back, slightly curled her lips, and muttered to herself. If he had any thoughts about Jiang Yuan, he should just stop. Jiang Yuan would definitely hate him to death in the future, so how could she ever be with him again?