Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 17

It took Lin Ran three or four days to finally unpack all her belongings.

The house became cluttered and full, with traces of her presence everywhere.

The sink was covered with her many bottles and jars, while Fu Linling’s own meager skincare products were relegated to a corner of the cabinet.

In the study, a motley crew of colorful comics sat opposite a stack of medical texts and classics.

Some paintings, both ones she had bought and ones she had painted, hung on the walls.

The guest bedroom closet was crammed with clothes, and since that wasn’t enough, Fu Linling cleared out half the space in the main bedroom closet for her winter clothes.

Dolls lined the top of the TV and sat in a row on the sofa. Fu Linling had even braided the hair of one of the dolls the night before.

The side cabinet now held a few bottles of red wine. On the counter was a fish tank, which Lin Ran had noticed the first day she arrived. The few fish inside were all bought at the night market the last time they were there.

Looking around, it seemed only the kitchen had not been taken over by her.

After finishing the moving and unpacking, she had to get back to work.

After resting for over half a month, she needed to paint. Besides, staying idle at home all day would make her restless.

She still had many commission requests. She selected a few large projects to start, communicated the requirements on WeChat, sketched drafts, and revised them several times according to the client’s requests before finalizing the work.

She liked listening to music while painting, so she didn’t hear the knock on the door until her phone rang.

Seeing it was Fu Linling’s number, she asked, “What’s up, Dr. Fu?”

“The delivery guy is at the door. Could you sign for a package for me?”

“Sure.” Lin Ran opened the door and, indeed, saw the delivery man holding a box.

“Are you Mrs. Fu?” the young man asked.

“Mm, you can give it to me.”

After Lin Ran signed for it, she realized Fu Linling hadn’t hung up. She reported, “The package has been received.”

“Good.”

A hint of a smile was audible in her voice.

“Could you check if it’s what my mom sent?”

Lin Ran looked at the box: “Yep, from Ms. Xu Yanyan.”

“It’s medicine inside. You can open it first.”

“Okay.” Lin Ran picked up the scissors to open the box, placing her phone nearby. She asked, “Do you always require an in-person signature for your deliveries? Can’t they just leave them at the door?”

“Is it troubling you?” Fu Linling asked.

“Not really, I’m home anyway. I was just curious what you usually do when you’re not home,” Lin Ran said.

“I rarely shop online.”

“Well, that’s bad news then.”

“Why?”

“I love shopping online.”

A moment later, Lin Ran heard a short, suppressed laugh over the phone. For some reason, the image of Fu Linling looking down, pushing up her glasses, and the corner of her mouth slightly lifted, inexplicably appeared in her mind.

“There always has to be one person in the house who keeps up with modern trends, right?” Fu Linling said.

Lin Ran laughed: “Alright, I’ll be in charge of surfing the internet, and you’ll be in charge of earning the money.”

“Deal. I have to go now. I’ll be back to cook tonight.”

“Okay.”

Lin Ran took out a large box of herbs. Inside were two large bags: one for her, and one for Zhang Wu.

Each dose was already portioned and only needed to be boiled. The medicinal effects and brewing instructions were clearly labeled.

Since Zhang Wu was still at work, Lin Ran called a local flash delivery service and also notified Zhang Wu on WeChat.

That evening, Fu Linling returned from work, carrying a bag of groceries and a clay pot.

During dinner, Lin Ran looked at the pot on the table: “What is this for?”

“Brewing medicine.”

Fu Linling placed the herbs into the pot, added the right amount of water, adjusted the heat, set a timer, and then picked up a book to read in the living room.

Lin Ran painted in the room for a while. When she went out to the restroom, she smelled the medicinal aroma. She walked over to the kitchen and saw the clay pot gurgling, steam pushing the lid up.

“How much longer does it need to boil?” Lin Ran asked.

Fu Linling glanced at the timer: “Nine minutes.”

Lin Ran decided to wait outside. She sat down on the sofa and saw Fu Linling’s focused expression. She couldn’t resist leaning in for a look: “What are you reading?”

Lin Ran liked to listen to music while working, and also liked to spray a little perfume in the room to create a romantic, relaxing environment.

She approached, enveloped in this light fragrance. Fu Linling looked sideways, noticing Lin Ran’s slightly lowered eyelashes and thick hair. Her fingers twitched, wanting to touch her—the texture must be incredibly soft.

Lin Ran didn’t get an answer, but she had already seen that the book was full of specialized terms. She started getting dizzy from the text. She looked up and asked, “You read this even after work? Don’t you ever relax?”

To her surprise, Fu Linling replied: “I need to prepare to write a thesis, so I’m reading up on materials.”

“You’ve already graduated, and you still have to write a thesis?” Lin Ran didn’t understand.

“It’s for the title evaluation,” Fu Linling explained, taking off her glasses wearily, rubbing her brow, and putting them back on.

Lin Ran noticed her exhaustion and reached up to massage the back of her neck.

Fu Linling’s back stiffened, and she looked at Lin Ran questioningly.

“You really need to protect your cervical spine. You’re always hunched over. Let me massage you.” Lin Ran’s job also required her to sit hunched over a desk all day. She frequently went to massage parlors, loved chatting with the technicians, and gradually picked up a few techniques.

After massaging for a bit, she asked, “How’s that? I’m not bad, am I?”

“Mm,” Fu Linling touched the spot Lin Ran had pressed. “If you went down a little further, you would hit the acupuncture point.”

“…” Definitely showing off in front of an expert!

“Where is the acupuncture point?” Lin Ran asked.

Fu Linling reached up and pressed the back of Lin Ran’s neck, her fingers moving down one joint at a time: “Here, here, and here…”

Lin Ran clearly felt every spot her fingers touched, which were all bony areas. The force wasn’t strong, but it felt good. She couldn’t help but let out a soft sound.

Fu Linling’s fingers paused.

Lin Ran awkwardly looked up and gave a sheepish smile: “Amazing, amazing. You truly are a doctor; you find the spot immediately. You should take up massage as a side job.”

“Then would you be my first customer?”

“Of course! The first one deserves a discounted price.”

Just as she spoke, the alarm rang. Fu Linling put down her book, walked to the kitchen, lifted the lid for a look, then turned off the heat and poured out a bowl of medicine.

“Is it bitter?” Lin Ran had never drunk traditional Chinese medicine, only heard others say it was bitter, but the smell didn’t seem too bad.

“Everyone’s tolerance is different. Try it.”

After it cooled a little, Lin Ran held the bowl and took a large gulp, immediately putting the bowl down, her face scrunched up. It took her a long moment to swallow it, her expression utterly miserable: “It’s so bitter! I don’t want to drink it anymore!”

“Good medicine tastes bitter,” Fu Linling said, looking at the remaining medicine. She pulled a piece of chocolate from her pocket. “Have this to suppress the taste.”

“I thought you didn’t like chocolate. Where did this come from?” Lin Ran quickly ate the chocolate.

“A colleague said he doesn’t eat chocolate and returned the one from the wedding candy to me.”

“Who was it?”

“Wang Ke.”

Lin Ran sensed something was up, then heard Fu Linling say: “There’s still a little left. You need to finish it.”

Lin Ran immediately pleaded, but Dr. Fu was insistent.

After a moment of confrontation, Fu Linling seemed to concede. She silently poured the remaining medicine in the pot into a sealed bowl and cleaned up the residue.

Lin Ran looked at her figure as she cleaned up. She thought about how the medicine was sent all the way by Fu-mama. Although it was bitter, she couldn’t refuse their kindness.

She silently picked up the bowl, closed her eyes, and finished it in one go.

“Ah!” Lin Ran put the bowl down and immediately reached into Fu Linling’s pocket, frantically searching: “Candy, candy! Is there any more?”

Fu Linling watched her scrambling and jumping, like a shrimp leaping onto the shore. Her lips curved up. She pulled two pieces of chocolate from her other pocket.

Lin Ran grabbed them and quickly ate them as if they were a lifeline.

“Remember to drink this one tomorrow at noon,” Fu Linling said, tapping the sealed bowl of medicine.

Lin Ran nodded, her face still displaying a bitter expression.

“I’ll video call you to supervise you drinking it.”

“Dr. Fu, you’re so strict.”

“I can be stricter. I can confiscate your candy.”

“No, please don’t!” Lin Ran immediately turned and ran to the living room. She grabbed the remaining wedding candy from the coffee table and hurried to hide it in her room.

Fu Linling smiled silently, picked up her book, and tried to continue reading, but she couldn’t concentrate. She walked into the study. Lin Ran was still painting.

She put the book down, turned to look at Lin Ran’s fair neck and smooth back. After watching for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tapped on her thigh. Suddenly, she spoke: “The side job is open for business. Does this customer need a massage?”