After dinner, Li Jianjun went in to check on Lin Liyin, feeling her forehead, and was relieved to find she didn’t have a fever.
The thing about a fever is that it’s most feared to relapse at night.
"You’re back?"
"Keep sleeping, I’ll make some porridge for you to drink when you wake up."
Li Jianjun gently patted her. He felt a bit guilty for not being able to rush to the hospital to be with her today. His previous anger dissipated with the sight of her haggard face.
After urging his two sisters to rest, Li Jianjun also washed clothes for his sons. Amidst the busyness, the pot on the stove was already bubbling away.
In recent years, it’s been his two sisters doing the chores and tidying up the house; suddenly, he was really busy and overwhelmed. He had said he brought his sisters out to develop, but he knew more than anyone how much his sisters contributed at home.
Although their hometown was rural, his father was an accountant, and he himself joined the army early on with a stable salary, and his mother was diligent and capable. Their life was no worse than that of city people. Otherwise, his younger siblings wouldn’t have been able to go to school all along.
On the surface, with his sisters coming over, the burden on the family seemed to increase, but in fact, he had to thank his sisters. If relying solely on his own efforts, the home wouldn’t have felt like a home.
As he put out the fire in the kitchen and walked to the bedroom, he heard his older son scolding his younger brother. He turned around and knocked on the door, "Sleep early, or you’ll struggle to get up tomorrow."
"Dad, we’re in bed."
Hearing his younger son’s shout, he couldn’t help but smile. The brotherly bond between these two was genuinely good! Oh well, he wouldn’t interfere, one willing to hit and one willing to take it.
After giving a few instructions, he returned to the bedroom, observing his wife’s complexion in the lamp light. Li Jianjun carefully moved a chair to sit by the bed, quietly flipping through a military magazine, occasionally glancing at the person on the bed.
As time slowly passed, the neighbors also fell into their dreams. Deep into the night, the weather cooled down from the day’s heat, and occasionally a breeze would blow, causing the curtains to sway.
Lin Liyin woke up with a parched mouth, eager to drink water, and opened her eyes to see her husband holding a magazine, lost in thought as he gazed towards the curtains.
As she struggled to get up, the movement woke Li Jianjun. He quickly handed her a glass of warm water from the desk, "How are you feeling now? You’re a doctor yourself, you have to take care of yourself."


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