Poisoned Sarsi

Poisoned Sarsi

After the tractor had driven away, Jiang Xia saw the female lead still staring in their direction and asked, "Do you know them?"

She had heard the female lead call him Brother Zhou just now, but she remembered the book said that the male and female leads first met when the male lead saved the female lead after she was swept into the sea by the waves.

Zhou Chenglei's right ear had been injured during a mission, leaving him almost completely deaf on that side. The tractor engine was loud too. He vaguely heard Jiang Xia speaking but could not make out her words, so he turned his head and called loudly, "What did you say?"

Jiang Xia shouted back, "Do you know that woman just now?"

Zhou Chenglei replied, "No."

"Oh." Jiang Xia answered and said nothing more.

Zhou Chenglei had never been much of a talker. Since she was not talking, he certainly would not take the initiative to speak. He simply kept his eyes on the road, doing his best to avoid the potholes.

There was still no paved road from the village to town. The dirt track was littered with potholes of all sizes, uneven and bumpy.

The tractor lurched and jolted all the way to the town's Health Clinic.

Jiang Xia had been jostled so badly she felt like she was falling apart. She wanted to throw up.

And they had only been traveling for around ten minutes!

After parking the tractor, Zhou Chenglei had intended to help her down. But seeing her greenish face and pale lips, afraid she might faint, he directly swept her into his arms and strode into the Health Clinic.

The Health Clinic was a very simple two-story building.

It was nearly quitting time, and there were not many people inside.

When the Old Doctor on duty in the emergency room saw Zhou Chenglei rushing in while carrying someone, he thought it was some serious illness. He hurriedly got to his feet and had the Nurse push over a hospital bed.

After a round of examinations.

It turned out the patient merely had a fever and motion sickness! 37.1°C! There was barely any difference between having a fever and not having one!

With a dark face, the Old Doctor prescribed a packet of Fever Reducing Powder, told them to go home and drink more water, then chased them out.

The two walked out, red-faced.

Jiang Xia did not know that her fever had already subsided during the short time she had been awake. She felt much better now as well.

The Old Doctor inserted the thermometer back into the brown bottle beside him to disinfect it, unable to resist grumbling, "He was all mysterious, telling me she'd been feverish to the point of confusion and asking whether we should check if her brain had been burned out. Would someone whose brain had been burned out be in that state? I think his brain is the one that's burned out! He got so nervous over 37.1°C!"

He had truly wanted to smack that man on the head with his stethoscope and see whether water had gotten into his brain! The Nurse on duty was a young woman, currently in the sweet, lovey-dovey stage of discussing marriage with her partner. She understood perfectly and said with a smile, "Doctor Xu, you don't understand. They're obviously newlyweds. That man clearly likes his wife very much. Didn't you see how worried he looked when he looked at her? His whole head must be filled with his wife."

When she got sick, her partner looked at her exactly the same way! The Old Doctor snorted. "A brain is supposed to be filled with brains. If it isn't filled with brains but with a wife, isn't that a love-struck brain? That's a sick brain, and sickness needs treatment!"

The Old Doctor had no idea that he had inadvertently coined a term that would become popular in the future.

Their conversation traveled through the air into Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei's ears.

Zhou Chenglei wished both his ears were deaf.

Supporting Jiang Xia, he unconsciously quickened his pace.

Zhou Chenglei was nearly 1.9 meters tall, while Jiang Xia felt she was at most 1.65 meters. One stride of his long legs equaled two or three of hers, and this body had only just recovered from a fever—it was still weak! Jiang Xia lightly tugged at the corner of his clothes. "Zhou Chenglei, slow down. I can't keep up."

Zhou Chenglei stopped short and lowered his head to look at her. Her face had gone pale again!

Could they have run into a quack? He directly scooped Jiang Xia up in his arms again, glancing back at the emergency room as he considered whether to make that doctor give her a more thorough examination.

Seeing Zhou Chenglei pick her up again, the Old Doctor rolled his eyes and simply raised the newspaper from his desk to cover his face.

Zhou Chenglei: "."

Jiang Xia had only wanted him to walk a little slower. She had not expected him to pick her up again.

But since he was already carrying her, she naturally said nothing more, lest they both become even more awkward.

She would just pretend she was too weak to walk.

Besides, the man's arms were strong and his stride steady. Being carried by him was actually quite comfortable, though holding her neck up the whole way was tiring. Since he was carrying her already, one more small thing would make no difference.

Jiang Xia simply raised her arms around his neck and rested her head against his broad shoulder, making herself more comfortable.

They were legally married now, and he was a soldier. Serving the people was only natural. Jiang Xia consoled herself.

Zhou Chenglei's body stiffened. He became even more convinced that the doctor from before was a quack.

She had always avoided him like he was a venomous snake or savage beast. Yet now she was not only touching him all over, but even taking the initiative to wrap her arms around him. It was as though she had become a completely different person.

If her brain was not burned out, then what was it? "Let's go to the City People's Hospital and get an X-ray, have a checkup." Fortunately, he had driven the tractor out. The tractor had headlights, so they would not fear traveling at night.

Jiang Xia: "."

He might not be afraid of embarrassment, but she was!

"My fever has already gone down, and I feel much better. You were just walking too fast. I've only just recovered from a fever, so I'm still a little weak and couldn't keep up with you. There's no need to see another doctor." After saying that, Jiang Xia simply closed her eyes, found a more comfortable position, and pretended to sleep.

Zhou Chenglei looked down at the woman feigning sleep in his arms. Her breath puffed against his neck in soft bursts. It truly no longer felt scorching; it seemed her fever had gone down.

Earlier, when he had checked her breathing, it had always been hot.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Chenglei decided to listen to her. Carrying her, he walked outside.

The young Nurse's eyes sparkled. "How wonderful! That man is a soldier, right? He's so strong."

Her partner was a soldier too. Usually, they could only stay in touch through letters. She wondered whether he was that strong as well.

Tonight, when she got home from work, she would write and ask him.

The Old Doctor shook his head. "What an eyesore! Young people these days!"

The young Nurse said, "Doctor Xu, the Spring Breeze of Reform and Opening Up is already blowing. They're husband and wife—shouldn't a husband take care of his sick wife? What's so eye-searing about that? Don't be so old-fashioned!"

The Old Doctor's mouth twitched. "Just don't let this Spring Breeze of Reform and Opening Up get blown crooked by people like you!"

*The tractor chugged away from the hospital. When they passed the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Zhou Chenglei saw that it had not closed yet, so he stopped the tractor and went inside.

Jiang Xia also wanted to see what the Supply and Marketing Cooperative of this era sold, but remembering that she had not brought any money, she gave up on the idea.

Zhou Chenglei soon returned holding a glass bottle of Sarsi. Its cap had already been pried off.

Jiang Xia thought he was thirsty, but she was thirsty too.

She had heard that the Sarsi of this era tasted like medicated oil. She did not know whether that was true, but she had never drunk it anyway.

Jiang Xia watched as he set the Sarsi on the tractor bed, then took out the packet of Fever Reducing Powder prescribed by the doctor.

Jiang Xia: "."

Was he planning to use Sarsi in place of boiled water for her medicine?

Could he be any less reliable?

What happened was even more absurd than she had imagined! Zhou Chenglei poured the entire packet of Fever Reducing Powder into the Sarsi.

Jiang Xia was utterly shocked!

The moment the Fever Reducing Powder was poured into the Sarsi, the Sarsi began fizzing with bubbles.

Then Zhou Chenglei handed her the bottle of Sarsi, fizzing away with a sizzle, and said, "Take your medicine."

Jiang Xia stared at the fizzing Sarsi. "."

Was he trying to poison her to death so he could marry the female lead?