Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 25

Lin Ran, who had intended to tease Fu Linling, ended up being the one who blushed.

She acted casually and smiled at the others: “See, I told you Dr. Fu isn’t slow-witted.”

Qin Shanshan burst into laughter: “Not slow-witted, not slow-witted at all. All you single folk should learn from Dr. Fu what it means to figure things out. This is it!”

Lin Ran smiled. She was uncharacteristically quiet during the meal, constantly stealing glances at Fu Linling. Seeing her eat her meal in a composed and elegant manner, as if nothing had happened, Lin Ran finally calmed down.

After eating, people slowly dispersed.

Lin Ran checked the time. There was still more than an hour before she needed to be back at work. She asked: “Do you have a staff room for a nap?”

“No, we just find any spot to rest,” Fu Linling said.

“Huh?” Lin Ran had assumed they would have a comfortable lounge for resting.

“Then why didn’t you go home for lunch and a nap before? Did you always rest at the hospital?”

“I don’t want to go back home to cook lunch, and my end-of-shift time is subject to change at any moment,” Fu Linling said.

“Okay, but there’s still more than an hour now. Are you going back to your clinic to nap at your desk?”

“Mhm, or I can lie down on a chair for a bit.”

“That’s so uncomfortable. Home is so close. Let’s go back and sleep. I drove here, so I can take you back later,” Lin Ran said.

Fu Linling looked at her and agreed.

Before, she was too lazy to go back, thinking that going home just to sleep after eating was too much of a hassle, so she didn’t care about the quality of her lunch break.

“Then don’t drag your feet. Let’s go home quickly.” Lin Ran hurriedly finished her last bite. There was still some fruit left on the table.

She wasn’t familiar enough with these colleagues to brazenly take more.

“You get in the car first. I need to take a call.” Fu Linling’s phone suddenly rang.

“Sure.” Lin Ran carried the remaining fruit toward the cafeteria exit, where she happened to run into Wang Ke coming from the other side.

“Nurse Wang, what a coincidence. Do you remember me?” Lin Ran greeted her warmly.

“Mhm.” Wang Ke glanced at her. She had seen how lively they were from her corner seat. Now the entire hospital knew that Dr. Fu called her ‘darling.’

“Thank you for taking care of my mom last time. She still talks about you. I didn’t see you earlier. Please take this fruit.” Lin Ran tried to hand her the fruit.

“No need. It’s my job to take care of patients. Don’t do this; it looks like I’m taking bribes,” Wang Ke returned the fruit to her, then turned and walked toward the inpatient building.

Lin Ran watched her retreating figure for a few moments until Fu Linling walked over.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Ran turned to look at her, handed the fruit to her, and smiled meaningfully: “Dr. Fu has quite the charm.”

“What?” Fu Linling, confused, followed her into the car. “Why are you suddenly saying that?”

“Did you see Wang Ke just now?”

“I saw her. Did you two talk?”

“She seems to have a crush on someone. Do you know who it is?”

“Who?” Fu Linling asked casually.

“She didn’t tell you? Aren’t you two very close?”

“I wouldn’t say we’re very close. We just run into each other for meals sometimes. We’re just regular colleagues. Why would she tell me something like that?” Fu Linling fastened her seatbelt and turned to ask: “Did she tell you?”

“No,” Lin Ran laughed. “Why would she tell me? I’m even less familiar with her.”

“You never know. You have a kind of magic that makes everyone like you,” Fu Linling said.

“How could that be? Dr. Fu, please stop your false flattery.”

“I mean it.”

Lin Ran chuckled twice and didn’t respond further.

Who could make everyone like them?

Just now, Wang Ke seemed to be harboring some hostility toward her.

After arriving home, Fu Linling brought up a serious topic: “Feng Ming called me just now. She’s staying in Jin City for a few days to look for a job. I’d like to invite her over for dinner tomorrow. Are you okay with that?”

“She’s your friend. Would I forbid her from coming if I disagreed?” Lin Ran smiled, taking off her sun-protection jacket, revealing a tank top underneath. The tattoo on her arm was already starting to fade.

In an inadvertent glance, a trace of a tattoo was visible near Lin Ran’s waistline. Fu Linling was curious when she had drawn that, but now was not the time to discuss it.

“If you disagree, I’ll entertain her outside. This house isn’t mine to decide alone,” Fu Linling said.

Hearing this, Lin Ran’s smile deepened: “Dr. Fu, marrying you is truly a pleasant experience.”

“I hope you won’t regret marrying me.”

“So far, there are absolutely no regrets. The level of pleasure is gradually increasing,” Lin Ran said truthfully.

“That’s good.”

The two smiled at each other. After getting Lin Ran’s permission, Fu Linling hurried off to sleep.

When she woke up, Lin Ran took her back to the hospital.

“What dishes do you want for dinner? I’ll buy the ingredients on my way back, so you can cook right away when you return,” Lin Ran said.

“Will that cut into your working time?”

“No, how much time does grocery shopping take?”

She was wrong.

She thought grocery shopping was easy, but it wasn’t.

She didn’t know what many vegetables looked like, where to buy the best ones, not to mention Dr. Fu’s strict requirements for produce. She specifically reminded her not to buy anything rotten, yellow, or stale…

She walked around the vegetable market. The smell was strong, and she couldn’t pick good produce. She simply went to the nearby supermarket and decided to buy the most expensive, cleanest options.

When Fu Linling returned that evening, she glanced at the prices on the vegetable box and hesitated to speak.

Seeing her expression, Lin Ran said: “It’s fine. Your sister has money. Don’t worry about the cost.”

“There’s a hydroponic vegetable market nearby. You can buy better quality produce for the same price there.”

“Send me the address. I’ll go there next time.”

“Okay. Thank you for the trouble.”

“It’s not as much trouble as you cooking.”

The next day, they were hosting a guest, so there were quite a few groceries to buy. Fu Linling originally planned to go herself, but Lin Ran took on the task. She specifically went to the hydroponic market Fu Linling mentioned to buy fresh vegetables, and then went to the supermarket to buy meatballs. They planned to have hot pot that evening.

In the early evening, she heard a knock. She opened the door and saw Feng Ming standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine: “Hello.”

“Hello, please come in quickly.” Lin Ran took the flowers and wine. “They smell so lovely. What kind of flowers are these?”

“Forget-Me-Nots. I saw them at the florist downstairs and thought they were beautiful, so I bought them,” Feng Ming said.

“They are beautiful.” Lin Ran smiled, placed the flowers down, and walked toward the kitchen. “What would you like to drink?”

“Do you have tea?”

“Yes.”

Fu Linling also loved drinking tea. There were several tins at home. Lin Ran searched the cabinet for a long time, muttering: “That’s strange. Where did it go?”

“Did you check the study?” Feng Ming reminded her.

Lin Ran ran to the study and found it was indeed on the bookshelf: “That’s incredible. How did you know that?”

“She often kept things on the bookshelf in her dorm room back then,” Feng Ming smiled.

Just then, there was a slight sound at the front door.

Lin Ran turned around, only to see Feng Ming, who was closer to the door, open it.

Fu Linling paused when she saw the person opening the door, then withdrew her hand and smiled: “You’re here so early?”

“I just arrived a little while ago too,” Feng Ming said.

Fu Linling changed her shoes and walked in with her. She saw Lin Ran making tea and watched her with curiosity.

Lin Ran didn’t like tea, so she didn’t know the proper method. She simply poured the tea leaves into the cups, added hot water, and handed the cups to them: “Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thank you.” Fu Linling took the cup and smiled at her.

Feng Ming glanced at them: “Senior Sister, you two are… so formal with each other?”

Fu Linling led her to the sofa: “She’s a very polite person.”

Lin Ran pursed her lips to suppress a laugh.

“I’ll go cook. Hot pot is quick. Make yourself at home,” Fu Linling said, walking toward the kitchen.

Lin Ran was afraid Feng Ming would feel awkward sitting alone, but found that she wasn’t awkward at all. She was very natural, as if she were back in her own home. She walked around with her teacup, looking at the greenery on the balcony, and said: “Senior Sister loved to keep plants in her dorm too.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm. But it’s the first time I’ve seen her keep fish.” Feng Ming turned to look at the fish tank in the living room.

“We bought those at a market last time,” Lin Ran said.

Feng Ming nodded and asked: “Can I take a look at her study?”

“You can.” Lin Ran led her to the study. “Those are all her books, and these are mine.”

Feng Ming looked curiously at the pile of comics and asked: “Are you a comic artist?”

“No, I’m just an illustrator.”

Feng Ming nodded, turned to look at Fu Linling’s books, and didn’t move for a long time.

“Ran Ran, come help me peel some garlic,” Fu Linling called from the kitchen.

“You keep looking. I’m going to help her,” Lin Ran ran out.

Feng Ming looked for a while, then left the study. Directly opposite was a guest bedroom. There were several stuffed toys on the bed, a cosmetics organizer on the side table, and a few pieces of clothing casually piled on the bay window.

Not Fu Linling’s style.

She walked further down the hallway and saw the main bedroom layout, which was clean and tidy.

They actually… sleep in separate rooms?

The sound of talking came from the kitchen. She walked to the living room and saw Lin Ran sitting at the dining table peeling garlic, while Fu Linling was washing vegetables in the kitchen. The two were discussing which bottle of wine to drink tonight.

“Let’s drink the bottle I brought,” Feng Ming said, walking into the kitchen with her teacup.

“That works too,” Lin Ran said. “Right, Dr. Fu, Feng Ming brought a nice bottle of wine. Let’s drink that tonight.”

“Okay.” Fu Linling had no objection. She turned to look at the person standing next to her and saw Feng Ming pouring water into the sink from her teacup.

Fu Linling frowned slightly.

“You taught me not to drink the first rinse of tea,” Feng Ming said in a voice only the two of them could hear. “How about yours? Should I pour it out for you and rebrew it?”

“No need. I already drank mine.” Fu Linling lowered her head and washed the lettuce.

Feng Ming turned back in surprise, glancing at the cup on the dining table, which was already empty.

“Doesn’t she usually like tea?”

“She loves it.”

“What kind of tea does she drink?”

“Milk tea.”

“…”

Feng Ming put down her cup and picked up the vegetables that needed washing to help out: “I saw the books on your shelf. There are a few good research papers. Can I borrow them?”

“Of course.”

“I also have some overseas research papers that my advisor gave me. They’re hard to buy domestically. Would you like to read them?”

“That would be great.”

“I’ll bring them to you another day.”

“Mhm.”

During dinner, Feng Ming recounted interesting stories from her time studying abroad. Lin Ran listened enthusiastically and asked questions. The two got along quite well, and Lin Ran had a very good impression of her.

Feng Ming mentioned preparing to participate in the job interview for the Third Hospital. Lin Ran was very supportive: “The Third Hospital is great, and the food is good too. If you settle down here, we can hang out often. What do you think, Dr. Fu?”

“Mhm.” Fu Linling nodded.

“I hope I get accepted,” Feng Ming smiled.

“Definitely no problem. Anyone Dr. Fu thinks highly of can’t be bad,” Lin Ran encouraged her.

“Is that so?” Feng Ming looked at Fu Linling. “Senior Sister, do you think highly of me?”

Fu Linling affirmed with a nod.

Feng Ming raised her wine glass: “Let’s cheers.”

The two raised their glasses. Feng Ming glanced at their bare fingers and drank the wine in one go.

After dinner, Lin Ran volunteered to wash the dishes, allowing her two like-minded friends to talk. There were indeed some topics she couldn’t contribute to.

After a while, Feng Ming had to leave, and Fu Linling walked her downstairs.

While waiting for a car on the street, Feng Ming suddenly asked: “Senior Sister, can you tell me the real reason you got married?”

Fu Linling was taken aback: “The real reason?”

“Mhm. You two couldn’t have gotten married impulsively out of love, could you?”

Fu Linling remained silent.

To say it was love would be inaccurate because Lin Ran hadn’t fallen in love with her yet.

She knew Lin Ran’s reason for marriage was to help Zhang Wu.

But she didn’t want to mention these things to anyone.

Seeing her silence, Feng Ming smiled sadly, the smile also carrying a sense of being deflated: “You have no rings, no wedding photos, you don’t share a room, and you don’t even have love. What is the meaning of a marriage like this to you?”

A car arrived. Feng Ming pulled the car door open, and suddenly heard a low murmur behind her: “It has meaning.”

Feng Ming turned back and saw Fu Linling say, with a calm expression and determined eyes: “We will have all those things you mentioned.”

Pushing the apartment door open, she heard footsteps in the living room. Fu Linling saw Lin Ran refilling her teacup with water.

“Did she leave?” Lin Ran looked up and asked.

“Mhm.” Fu Linling’s gaze fell on Lin Ran’s hand.

Lin Ran looked down at her hand, then placed the cup on the table, feeling a little dejected: “I was bored and looked it up. I found out that there are rules to brewing tea. You shouldn’t drink the first rinse. Did you drink it earlier?”

“I did.”

“You did? You didn’t know either?”

Fu Linling didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted Lin Ran’s hand and looked down at it for a long time.

Lin Ran also looked down, and after a moment, couldn’t help but ask: “What are you looking at?”

“Feng Ming reminded me of something just now.” Fu Linling squeezed her fingers. “Ran Ran, let’s go buy rings tomorrow.”