Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 28

In mid-June, Zhang Wu and Uncle Liu officially registered their marriage.

They hosted a lunch banquet for relatives from both sides.

Lin Ran and Liu Cen, as the daughters of the two parents, naturally had to help greet the guests.

Lin Ran was beautiful, and the guests from the groom’s side were especially fond of complimenting her.

Lin Ran stayed with Liu Cen the entire time, so after complimenting her, everyone naturally had to compliment Liu Cen as well.

Liu Cen didn’t mind. She knew she was ordinary-looking, and besides, these familiar relatives would certainly praise Zhang Wu and her daughter on such an occasion.

When the banquet was about to begin, Zhang Wu looked around at the guests again and quietly asked: “Why hasn’t Little Fu arrived yet?”

Fu Linling was on duty today but had promised to rush over for lunch.

“Maybe there’s traffic. Let’s start the banquet first,” Lin Ran said. She walked out to the hotel lobby to call Fu Linling, and the sound of a phone ringing immediately went off behind her.

She turned around and saw Fu Linling rushing up the stairs.

“Am I late?” Fu Linling asked.

“No, it’s just starting.” Lin Ran walked over and adjusted her collar. “Take a breath first.”

Fu Linling took two deep breaths: “Okay.”

“Let’s go,” Lin Ran smiled faintly and took her hand, leading her inside.

The relatives on the bride’s side had met Fu Linling before. Seeing the two of them walk in hand-in-hand, they cheered: “Zhang Wu, you are so lucky! Your daughter found such a beautiful girl, and you yourself found such a good man. This is truly double happiness!”

Zhang Wu laughed: “Isn’t it though? Little Fu is not only beautiful, but she’s also smart, sensible, and so filial. The thought of Ran Ran marrying her makes me wake up smiling in my dreams.”

Everyone laughed.

Fu Linling looked down at Lin Ran. Seeing the smile on Lin Ran’s face, a smile slowly built up in her own eyes.

Seeing Fu Linling arrive, Liu Cen patted the two empty seats beside her, wanting to sit next to her.

Lin Ran smiled and had Fu Linling sit between them.

As soon as she sat down, Liu Cen immediately spoke: “Sister-in-law, is your work very busy lately?”

Fu Linling nearly fell off the chair.

Lin Ran turned her head and asked with a laugh: “What did you call her?”

“Sister-in-law. Now that we’re sisters, isn’t Dr. Fu my sister-in-law?” Liu Cen said confidently.

“You’re quite the coiner of words,” Lin Ran chuckled.

“Then what should I call her?” Liu Cen asked sincerely.

Lin Ran couldn’t think of anything and looked at Fu Linling: “What title do you want?”

“Anything is fine. You can decide,” Fu Linling told Liu Cen.

“Then Sister-in-law it is. I see that’s what they call them in novels,” Liu Cen said.

“What kind of novels are you reading all day?” Lin Ran laughed.

“I specifically read novels for you two—married-first, love-later stories.”

“Share them with me too. I want to read them.”

“This one.” Liu Cen opened her reading app and showed it to her. Lin Ran leaned her head in to look.

The phone was right in front of Fu Linling. She casually glanced at the synopsis, which read:

That night, they shared a moment of passion.

That day, they met at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

From that moment on, they could no longer escape.

Fu Linling: “…”

What a brain-burning plot.

Seeing Lin Ran’s eager expression, she didn’t object.

If Lin Ran asked for her opinion, she would say: Not recommended, but encouraged.

Liu Cen had already started explaining the plot summary to Lin Ran. Fu Linling said: “How about we switch seats?”

“No need, Sister-in-law, just sit here. There’s something I want to ask you.” Liu Cen was a graduate of a top university and the most educated among their relatives, so few people could offer her viable advice about her future.

Old Liu loved to talk, but she didn’t want to listen to him. He was always telling her to become a teacher or a civil servant.

She greatly admired Fu Linling. They were close in age, and Fu Linling could be a guiding light for her, so she wanted to ask for advice on graduate school, career choices, and the current market situation.

Seeing them deep in conversation, and with others coming to talk to her, Lin Ran began chatting with the relatives opposite her.

A spare rib suddenly appeared in her bowl.

Lin Ran looked over at Fu Linling. The other woman was still earnestly talking to Liu Cen, seeming to have picked up the rib casually.

She looked down and finished the rib. When she looked up, she saw Zhang Wu watching her. Lin Ran couldn’t hide the smile on her lips and smiled back at Zhang Wu.

Zhang Wu smiled contentedly, then turned and told Fu Linling and Liu Cen to eat more and not just focus on chatting.

Fu Linling had to be on duty at the hospital that afternoon, so she didn’t stay too long and said goodbye to Zhang Wu and Uncle Liu. As she was leaving, she saw Lin Ran following her out.

“I’ll drive you,” Lin Ran said.

“No need, I drove myself here, and I didn’t drink any alcohol. You should stay here and keep Mom company,” Fu Linling said.

“She won’t be busy this afternoon. Talking to so many relatives and friends, she won’t even notice me.” Lin Ran took the car keys from her hand. “I could use some peace and quiet too. You can close your eyes for a bit in the car.”

Fu Linling had a habit of taking a nap. Having eaten her fill, and with the weather being hot, she was indeed starting to feel sleepy.

As they passed the bus stop, Lin Ran suddenly noticed someone squatting in the shelter. It was Wang Ke. Her face was pale, and she was weakly extending her hand to flag down a taxi.

The car stopped in front of her. Lin Ran craned her neck and asked: “Where are you going?”

Fu Linling stirred, opened her eyes, and followed Lin Ran’s gaze. Realizing Wang Ke was unwell, she got out of the car to ask what was wrong.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“My stomach… it hurts so much,” Wang Ke said painfully and with difficulty.

“Get in the car quickly. We’re heading to the hospital anyway.”

Wang Ke struggled to stand up but slumped powerlessly downward. Fortunately, Fu Linling was standing right there and helped her into the car.

Lin Ran sped up, quickly arriving at the hospital, and helped Wang Ke into the emergency room with Fu Linling.

“You go to work first. I’ll stay here with her,” Lin Ran said.

“Okay. Call me if anything happens.”

“Mhm.”

The diagnosis was acute gastroenteritis, requiring an IV drip.

Wang Ke was curled up on the chair in pain, unable to move at all. Lin Ran took her ID card from her bag and ran back and forth to get the medicine and set up the IV.

Just as the nurse finished inserting the needle, Wang Ke suddenly vomited. A chorus of disgusted murmurs spread through the area.

“I’m so sorry…” Wang Ke apologized weakly to everyone.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Do you still feel like vomiting?” Lin Ran patted her back.

Wang Ke shook her head. Lin Ran handed her a bottle of water, then grabbed cleaning supplies to clear up the mess. She even sprayed some perfume on the floor to cover the smell, then turned to pour a cup of warm water: “You should be able to drink warm water, right?”

“Mhm, thank you…” Wang Ke reached for the water weakly.

After vomiting, she felt a little better. Wang Ke closed her eyes, slumped in the chair, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Half-awake, she heard Lin Ran calling the nurse to change her IV bag.

When she woke up, she saw the room was full of people receiving infusions. It was a bit noisy. The person next to her was tapping away on an iPad with a stylus.

She sat up a bit and saw that Lin Ran was drawing.

“How are you feeling? Better?” Lin Ran noticed she was awake and turned to ask.

Wang Ke’s gaze fell on her tablet: “Your drawing is really beautiful.”

Lin Ran smiled: “This is how I earn my living. If it wasn’t beautiful, I wouldn’t have food to eat.”

“So you’re an artist,” Wang Ke nodded. She didn’t say anything more, partly to conserve her energy and partly not to interrupt Lin Ran’s work.

The IV bag was finished, but the nurse was removing needles for other people. Lin Ran called twice, but the nurse hadn’t come yet.

She turned her head and saw Wang Ke removing the needle herself: “That’s impressive.”

Wang Ke laughed: “Did you forget that I’m a nurse too?”

“Oh, right. I only remember that you’re a patient now. Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

“No need, I’ll take a taxi.” Wang Ke didn’t want to trouble her anymore.

“Taking a taxi is a hassle. I don’t have anything to do right now anyway. Let’s go.” Lin Ran tidied up her things, put on her bag, and helped her into the car.

After dropping her off at the entrance of her residential area, Wang Ke said: “Thank you so much today.”

“It’s nothing. Go back and rest well. Bye.”

It was almost time for Fu Linling to finish her shift. Lin Ran returned to the hospital to wait for her.

Fu Linling saw the message and went straight to the parking lot after her shift. Once in the car, she asked: “How is she?”

“She had two bags of IV fluid and is much better. I already took her home.”

“Thank you for your trouble today.”

“It was no trouble at all. I just drove and played chauffeur and ran a few errands. I even managed to do some drawing in between,” Lin Ran said.

Fu Linling looked at her profile and smiled silently.

On Sunday, Zhang Wu called and asked Lin Ran to go with her to get a perm.

Fu Linling didn’t go along because she had to write a paper.

In the afternoon, she took some time to clean the house. Passing the bookshelf, she curiously pulled out a comic book and started reading.

In the evening, a knock came twice at the door. She went to open it, and her eyes were met with a pink-haired Lin Ran.

“Hello!” Lin Ran tilted her head out from the doorway. “Dr. Fu, may I come into the house with this hair color?”

“Please do.” Fu Linling extended her hand.

Lin Ran chuckled and walked into the house with an arrogant swagger.

As soon as the door closed, she turned around and shook her head: “What do you think of this color? Does it look good?”

“It looks good. It brightens your skin tone, makes you look youthful, and it’s trendy,” Fu Linling said, looking at her.

Lin Ran laughed twice, throwing her head back, and skipped over to sit on the carpet: “My mom said you definitely wouldn’t like it, that it ruins the family image, and that you might even kick me out.”

Fu Linling sat down on the sofa opposite her: “Family image? Mom probably doesn’t know that our family values freedom and equality.”

“Exactly!” Lin Ran picked up a small mirror and admired herself again: “Be honest. Does it really look good? I want the genuine answer. No commercial flattery, please.”

“It looks good.”

Fu Linling looked at her light pink hair. She remembered the first day Lin Ran transferred to their school, walking into the classroom with the teacher. She had a high ponytail, but a few strands of hair were golden, capturing everyone’s attention.

In class, she would occasionally sneak glances at herself in a mirror.

Always a little vain, even back then.

When Fu Linling occasionally looked her way, those two golden strands at the back of her head were especially noticeable.

Once, Lin Ran was sleeping with her head on her desk. The sun shone in through the window, and those few golden strands seemed to glow, drawing Fu Linling’s eye.

“Can I touch it?” Fu Linling asked.

“Go ahead.” Lin Ran offered her head forward.

Fu Linling touched her fluffy hair. Her fingers picked up a few strands, as if retrieving the sunlight of that year, and she lowered her head and kissed them.