Chapter 318: Didn’t Drop the Ball
That thrilling and nerve-wracking night finally came to an end only after Ning Xiyue had cleaned herself up, changed into clean pajamas, and lay down on the heated brick bed, closing her eyes.
There were still many things to face tomorrow. For now, she decided to set them aside and not think about them.
Clearing her mind of all thoughts, Ning Xiyue drifted into a deep sleep.
Chen Yechu, after replaying everything that had happened tonight in her mind and deciding what she would say to Xiyue tomorrow, also closed her eyes and rested.
After hearing his sister’s words, Ning Qingyuan wasn’t too worried about what would happen next. With Chen Yechu comforting Yu Zhiyu, she too wasn’t anxious. The two tidied up, lay down on their beds, and soon fell asleep.
All four members of the educated youth compound had entered dreamland— except for Bai Yu and her husband Zhou Cheng, who lay awake for a long time after returning home.
Bai Yu sighed repeatedly.
“Sigh… This time, I’m afraid my cousin won’t forgive us. I was really stupid. I should’ve just been straightforward with Xiyue—say everything face to face, make it clear. If it worked, fine; if not, I’d find another way. But now look at the mess I’ve made. My cousin asked me to take care of her, but instead, I hurt her.”
Zhou Cheng, eyes closed, patted her shoulder soothingly with the arm wrapped around her.
“Go to sleep. Don’t overthink it. You can make it up to her slowly. Be sincere. As long as you get along well with Xiyue, your cousin won’t be a problem.”
“You’re right. Let’s sleep.” Bai Yu murmured softly and closed her eyes.
She only feared not being able to get along with Xiyue.
Her future cousin-in-law was an independent-minded woman of the new era, with her own unique views and understanding of the world. Bai Yu felt she couldn’t compare and was deeply ashamed of herself.
Ah… what a worry!
She could only take one step at a time.
The next morning, the four of them got up with bleary eyes, yawning nonstop as they washed up.
Wu Guifang, washing her face, asked curiously,
“That cat crying last night was terrifying! Good thing you got up to chase it away. But what happened afterward? I vaguely remember hearing knocking outside, and someone crying—it sounded so noisy. Did something happen?”
Chen Yechu wiped the foam off her mouth and answered helplessly,
“Ugh, it was someone from our coal mining team. One of them got sick and came looking for Xiyue for treatment. They rushed over in a panic. The cat crying, the thunder and lightning, and the knocking—it scared me half to death! My legs were shaking when I opened the door.”
Wang Mengmeng nodded in deep agreement, patting her chest, still a bit pale from the fright.
“Tell me about it! It was scary last night. All those sounds mixed together, voices unclear, and faint crying—it felt so eerie, so miserable. If I hadn’t remembered you were all in the same yard, I’d have died of fright. I’ve been scared of those things since I was little. Too creepy.”
Ning Xiyue wrung out her washcloth and gave it a flick.
“Pfft, stop scaring yourself. It was just family members too worried and crying out of panic. Hurry up and wash up, then let’s go eat at the canteen. Wonder what they’re serving this morning.”
“Peh peh peh, my bad, I was talking nonsense.”
Wang Mengmeng spat over her shoulder for good luck, then clasped her fingers together, muttering a small prayer.
Wu Guifang chuckled and teased, “Girl, if you’re scared of those things, you should hang around Xiyue more. She’s a doctor—saves lives all the time. Nothing dares to mess with her.”
Wang Mengmeng took it seriously, set down her washbasin, and started rubbing her hands, face, and body against Ning Xiyue.
“Xiyue, let me rub some of your good energy! The more I soak it up, the less scared I’ll be.”
“Hey, stop rubbing me!”
Ning Xiyue laughed and playfully pushed her away, her heart quietly relaxing.
Chen Yechu also felt relieved.
After breakfast in the canteen, when they were about to head to the clinic, Chen Yechu ran out of the canteen, pulled Ning Xiyue aside, and whispered in her ear,
“Zhou Cheng took sick leave today—didn’t show up. The aunties in the canteen said he’s seriously ill, burning up and can’t get out of bed.”
After delivering the message, she walked away as if nothing had happened—like a secret agent passing along intel.
Ning Xiyue chuckled softly when she heard the news. Carrying her kettle, she turned toward the clinic.
Those two finally got a bit smarter, she thought. Didn’t drop the ball this time. Even knew to fake being really sick. At least last night’s talk wasn’t for nothing.
When she arrived at the clinic, Bai Yu was already there waiting, along with two aunties from the team who were picking up medicine.
As soon as Bai Yu saw Ning Xiyue, she hurried over, grabbing her hand with one hand and waving a prescription with the other, jumping anxiously.
“Doctor Ning, you’re finally here! It’s just like you said last night—after my husband’s fever went down, it got worse again before dawn! He’s burning up and talking nonsense now, can’t get out of bed. Please hurry and prepare the medicine so I can decoct it for him. I’m so worried!”
“Don’t worry, let me open the door first.” Ning Xiyue took out her key and unlocked the door.
One of the aunties beside her came over to comfort Bai Yu.
“Girl, you’re from the coal mine team, right? Don’t worry, our Doctor Ning’s medical skills are top-notch. A fever’s nothing to her. She’ll fix him up faster than those doctors at the town hospital—right, Shufen?”
“Exactly! Her skills are one of a kind.” The woman named Shufen raised her hand in agreement.
“No need to panic, girl. It’s probably just the temperature drop last night that caused the fever. I woke up with a sore throat myself and came here to get medicine from Doctor Ning. Whatever she prescribes always works. Since she treated your husband last night, he’ll definitely get better after taking the medicine.”
As Bai Yu listened, she nodded repeatedly, her anxious expression easing a little with each word.
Ning Xiyue quietly observed, thinking to herself that Bai Yu was really paying attention to details today— and had even gotten lucky enough to run into two helpful aunties at just the right time.
