Lin Fan finished his bun, pulled some change from his pocket, and handed it to Xia Xue, grinning. "Sister-in-law, over two hundred yuan. Take it first."
Xia Xue didn't reach for the money. Instead, she shook her head. "Xiao Fan, keep it for yourself. It might come in handy if you have an emergency."
Lin Fan blinked in surprise. "What kind of emergency would I have?"
"You've got food and clothes all sorted out for me."
"I've calculated it. If things continue like this, we can build a house by the end of next year at the latest."
Lin Fan's tone was bold, full of ambition.
"Yes, then you can get married."
Xia Xue tidied her hair. She was smiling, but there was no hint of happiness in her expression.
"Sister-in-law, why do you keep bringing this up?"
Lin Fan put his arms around her, his voice firm. "I want to spend my life with you!"
"Don't talk nonsense." Xia Xue hastily broke free. "Are you finished eating? I'm going back."
With that, Xia Xue took the lunchbox and left the clinic without a moment's delay.
"It seems Sister-in-law has something weighing on her mind!"
Lin Fan watched Xia Xue's retreating, beautiful figure, a sense of melancholy washing over him.
The sun began to set, but the heat remained.
Lin Fan sat in his recliner, his head nodding as he drifted off to sleep.
Suddenly, knock, knock, knock!
A series of knocks startled Lin Fan awake.
Lin Fan looked up and asked, "Who is it?"
"Me!"
Hearing that voice, Lin Fan was instantly wide awake.
Song Yue!
Why was she here?
Lin Fan got up and walked over, opening the clinic door.
He saw a dazzling ray of sunlight illuminate Song Yue, giving her a golden glow that made her look exceptionally beautiful.
She wasn't holding a child, and she was wearing a fitted suit, perfectly accentuating her impressive figure.
If anyone else wore this suit, they might look neat and professional.
But on Song Yue, the exaggerated curves made it hard to look away.
There was a phrase, "bursting out of her clothes," which seemed tailor-made for her.
"Why are you here?"
Lin Fan remembered what she had said last time, and his expression became a little awkward.
"What? Dr. Lin has opened a clinic, and old classmates aren't allowed to visit?"
Song Yue, standing at about 1.7 meters tall and wearing high heels, was almost at eye level with Lin Fan.
Her eyes shone with a sharp light, making Lin Fan even more uncomfortable.
"No."
Lin Fan lowered his head slightly, avoiding her gaze, and said, "Let's go inside first."
Song Yue entered with a graceful stride, her eyes scanning the surroundings as soon as she stepped in.
"This clinic is quite good!"
Song Yue finished speaking, clicking her tongue a few times.
"Just making a living."
Lin Fan sat back in his recliner, feeling uneasy for a moment before asking, "Yueyue Jie, what is it?"
Song Yue sat on a small stool opposite Lin Fan and replied, "I'm here for a consultation."
"Are you sick?" Lin Fan was very confused.
He saw that Song Yue's complexion was rosy and her demeanor was natural; she didn't look sick at all.
"What kind of sickness?"
Lin Fan picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip.
Song Yue turned sideways and replied, "Engorged breasts."
"Pfft!"
Hearing this, Lin Fan spat out the tea he had just taken into his mouth.
"Cough, cough..."
Lin Fan couldn't help but cough a few times, helpless. "Yueyue Jie, this is a clinic, a respectable place!"
"Oh dear!" Song Yue drawled in a high-pitched voice, "This is a respectable clinic, and this is a respectable ailment!"
"What, you're not allowed to have engorged breasts?"
"I, I..." Lin Fan stammered, cornered. "I can't treat it, Yueyue Jie. Please don't fool around, or people will gossip."
"Why can't you treat it?"
Song Yue stood up, looking down at him, and stared fiercely into Lin Fan's eyes. "Tell me, with your hand on your heart, can you really not treat it..."
"Shhh, shhh, shhh~"
Lin Fan was so anxious he was jumping up and down, his face a mask of distress. "My dear aunt, what is it you want? Please, just tell me!"
Song Yue tilted her chin up and sat back on the small stool, her voice triumphant. "Xiao Fan, then I won't beat around the bush. I'm actually here to apply for a job."
"Apply for a job?" Lin Fan was quite surprised. "I'm not hiring anyone!"
"But I think you need someone!"
Song Yue stared at him with her beautiful eyes, her attitude leaving no room for doubt.
Lin Fan spread his hands and gave a helpless smile. "My clinic just opened. It's barely enough to get by, how can I afford to hire anyone?"
"Even the village head suggested I hire two people, and I turned him down."
"You tell me, Yueyue Jie, would I hire you?"
Song Yue snorted. "Don't try to fool me. I've heard all over the village that your business is booming. Some patients travel dozens of miles instead of going to the town hospital, just to see you."
She patted Lin Fan's thigh. "What, do you think I'm trying to latch onto you?"
"No, what does that have to do with anything?"
Lin Fan tapped the table with his middle finger, then said, "I can't afford to keep idle people."
"Who are you calling idle?"
Song Yue's pretty face darkened, and she said indignantly, "After graduating from junior high, I went to a nursing school for three years and interned at the town hospital for half a year."
"I've seen more patients than you have!"
Lin Fan shrugged and chuckled. "This is a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, you know!"
"Traditional Chinese medicine... I can learn if I don't know how!"
"You still need to nurse patients, right?"
"You still need to take care of female patients, right?"
Song Yue's tone was resolute, showing no sign of backing down.
Lin Fan fumbled around and produced two hundred yuan, placing it on the table. He said to Song Yue, "Yueyue Jie, if you're having a hard time, please come to me. You and your child shouldn't have to suffer."
Song Yue's eyebrows shot up, and her face flushed. "Who wants your money!"
She forcefully pushed the money back towards Lin Fan.
Lin Fan smiled and was about to push it back when he heard a voice that was both unexpected and familiar. "Xiao Fan, what's going on?"
It was Xia Xue.
After leaving the clinic, Xia Xue hadn't gone home. She had gone to buy ice cream.
Now, having bought the ice cream, she returned to see Song Yue in a tight suit sitting opposite Lin Fan.
Between them, on the table, was a stack of money.
This scene, no matter how you looked at it, was perplexing.
"Sister-in-law, it's like this..."
Just as Lin Fan was about to explain, Song Yue interrupted him. "Xue'er Jie!"
Song Yue called out, stood up, and threw herself into Xia Xue's arms.
Xia Xue's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Xiao Yue Meizi, what's wrong?"
"Did Xiao Fan bully you?"
Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat too. "Sister-in-law, I..."
Song Yue didn't give Lin Fan a chance to speak, interrupting him again. "We're almost out of rice to last the night at home."
"I heard from the villagers that Xiao Fan opened a clinic, so I thought, since I owe him, I'll work to pay it off. Just enough for my child and me to live on."
As she said this, Song Yue suddenly started to cry. "Xue'er Jie, I used to be a nurse at the town hospital. I know how to treat headaches and colds, and how to give injections and IVs."
Song Yue looked up at Xia Xue with a pitiful expression, continuing to cry, "We really can't go on like this at home, and I can't leave my child. I can't find any work, what else can I do!"