Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 7

The test results did confirm an ovarian tumor, but fortunately, it was benign, which allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

“The tumor marker diameter is greater than three centimeters, so we recommend surgery. Please schedule a time as soon as possible,” the doctor said.

Lin Ran, of course, wanted it done as quickly as possible, but Zhang Wu and Uncle Liu’s wedding was fast approaching, so she left the decision to them.

“Let’s do it today,” Uncle Liu said.

“We don’t have any beds available today. Tomorrow at the earliest,” the doctor replied.

“Tomorrow works too.”

After confirming the time, the family returned home.

Although they had narrowly avoided a disaster, Zhang Wu still couldn’t cheer up, constantly reliving the feeling of mortality she had just experienced.

Uncle Liu cooked for her, but she wasn’t happy.

Lin Ran made funny faces for her, but she still wasn’t happy.

Lin Ran had checked that after this surgery, Zhang Wu would need to be very careful to prevent any possibility of the tumor turning malignant. Besides her daily diet, it was best that her mood wasn’t negatively affected.

Seeing her mother so dispirited, she hardly looked like a bride-to-be.

“Mom, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Zhang Wu asked weakly while eating.

“I’m getting married.”

Uncle Liu froze, and Zhang Wu’s chopsticks clattered to the floor.

“You’re not kidding me, are you?”

“No, it’s true,” Lin Ran said.

Zhang Wu joyfully picked up her chopsticks, but then looked suspicious: “You were clearly single not long ago. Getting married? Are you saying this just to trick me into being happy?”

“You know I went on that blind date with my old classmate? Well, I actually had a secret crush on her before, so I decided to marry her,” Lin Ran quickly fabricated a story.

Zhang Wu was still half-skeptical: “Is that true?”

“Mhm.”

“I don’t believe it. Call her over. Let me see her,” Zhang Wu insisted.

Lin Ran called Fu Linling.

That evening, Fu Linling paid a visit, bringing a basket of health supplements.

“Why did you bring things?” Lin Ran laughed, leading her into the house.

Zhang Wu and Uncle Liu looked up—wasn’t this the doctor they had seen that day?!

“Hello, Uncle and Auntie. I’m Fu Linling.” Fu Linling bowed slightly.

“Sit, sit, sit down quickly! How can it be you?” Zhang Wu was delighted.

“Yes, it’s a coincidence,” Fu Linling said, sitting down under the scrutiny of the two elders.

“Lin Ran said you two are getting married. Is this true?” Zhang Wu asked.

“It is true.”

“Are you two conspiring to trick me? If you are, then forget about it. I want to see her married with my own eyes, but I don’t want to see her treat marriage as a joke,” Zhang Wu said earnestly.

Fu Linling glanced at Lin Ran: “Auntie, we’re not tricking you. I sincerely want to get married as well.”

“You two just reunited, didn’t you?”

Lin Ran leaned in: “We were classmates before, we know each other inside and out, and I’ve long been devoted to her. Seeing her this time, it was like a spark—we attracted each other immediately… Ah, pfft, we were mutually attracted.”

Zhang Wu looked at her speechless, then turned to Fu Linling and asked, “Is what she said true? She liked you before?”

Fu Linling steeled herself and nodded.

“And what about you?”

Fu Linling’s expression softened: “Me too.”

Lin Ran silently admired her acting skills. Seeing how well they coordinated, she couldn’t help but smile.

In Zhang Wu’s eyes, that was the triumphant smile of someone who had just heard a confession. The matter was settled.

Zhang Wu insisted Fu Linling stay for dinner. Her energy returned, and she took Uncle Liu into the kitchen to show off her cooking skills.

“Thank you,” Lin Ran closed the balcony door and whispered to Fu Linling.

“For what?”

“For being willing to marry me at this time.”

Fu Linling chuckled: “I was planning on getting married anyway. Rather than spending time slowly getting to know and adjusting to a stranger, it’s better to find an old classmate like you. As you said, we know each other inside and out.”

Lin Ran thought that made perfect sense, and she was thoroughly convinced.

“Lin Ran, I’m not marrying you out of sympathy or to help you,” Fu Linling said seriously.

“I know,” Lin Ran understood her implication. Although this marriage came about by chance, Fu Linling didn’t want it to be a sham.

“You still have time to think about it. Once your mother has the surgery, she probably won’t be worrying about your marriage anymore,” Fu Linling said.

“I’ve made up my mind.”

Fu Linling watched her quietly.

“Let’s get married,” Lin Ran said with a smile.

Based on their interactions so far, she and Fu Linling got along quite well, and she didn’t resist getting closer. As Fu Linling said, knowing each other saved a lot of time, and she didn’t have the time or energy to get to know anyone else—it sounded exhausting.

During dinner, Zhang Wu asked about the wedding date and meeting the parents. The two exchanged glances, feeling the reality of marriage sink in.

“I’ll have my parents come over for May Day,” Fu Linling said.

“I might still be hospitalized during May Day,” Zhang Wu worried.

“Then what about our wedding date? The invitations have already been sent out,” Uncle Liu asked.

“I can’t very well ask everyone to drink my wedding wine in a hospital room,” Zhang Wu said. She suddenly looked at the two young people across the table. “How about we just turn it into your wedding?”

The two were stunned. Lin Ran gave a forced smile: “Haven’t you already written both your names?”

“Oh, everything else is ready, but we haven’t written the names yet!” Uncle Liu laughed. “We can just add your names! The booked hotel and all the arrangements won’t go to waste.”

Lin Ran wiped away a cold sweat and turned to ask Fu Linling: “What do you say?”

“I have no problem with that,” Fu Linling said.

Lin Ran: “Alright then, I have no objections either.”

Since they were going to get married anyway, and the arrangements were already made, they might as well use them.

The matter was settled hastily. A large-scale wedding was out of the question, but Fu Linling felt it was just right. Just having a dinner with relatives from both sides was enough; there was no need for all the fuss and bother for a crowd of people.

That night, back home, she called her parents.

“Have you bought the tickets? When are you coming back?” Mother Fu asked.

Fu Linling had originally bought a plane ticket to return home for May Day.

“I cancelled my ticket. I bought tickets for both of you to come here.”

“Why? I can’t leave here. Besides, there’s nothing fun in Jincheng. I’m not going,” Mother Fu said.

“Please come. I’m getting married.”

There was a full minute of silence on the other end before Mother Fu’s booming voice rang out: “What did you say?! Say it again!!!”

“Mom, I’m getting married.”

“You’ve got some nerve! You wait till I get there, I’m going to beat you!!”

Before going to sleep, she suddenly received a call from Lin Ran. For a moment, she thought it was a rejection call, that Lin Ran had regretted the decision after calming down.

She slowly answered the phone: “Hello…”

“When are you free? Shouldn’t we go buy some formal clothes?” Lin Ran asked from the other end of the line.

Fu Linling’s brow relaxed. She looked at the calendar. The wedding was only a week away.

“Mhm. I’m free in the evenings, if there’s no sudden overtime.”

“Then let’s go look tomorrow. I’ll pick you up after work.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Fu Linling snuggled into her duvet. She saw her reflection in the window, a deep smile blooming on her face.

She chuckled softly, turned off the light, and urgently wished for the dawn to arrive quickly.

“How many more patients are there?” Fu Linling asked the nurse while performing a root canal treatment.

“Only one left. What’s up? Do you have a date tonight?” the nurse asked.

Fu Linling didn’t say anything, just the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. She finished the temporary crown for the patient and instructed him to return for the next stage of treatment in a week.

The last patient arrived, a little boy with three cavities. He was clutching his cheek and seemed to be in great pain. But seeing the medical instruments, he started crying before even lying down. No matter how much his mother coaxed him, he refused to sit in the chair.

Fu Linling pulled out a drawer containing a few small dolls and an Ultraman figure. She took out the Ultraman: “Do you want to be friends with Ultraman?”

“Yes,” the little boy said tearfully.

“Ultraman is only friends with brave children. Are you brave?”

“I’m brave.”

“Then lie down in the chair now, and Ultraman will play with you for a while, okay?”

“Okay.” The little boy finally agreed to lie down. He clutched the Ultraman, and tears welled up again, but his mouth was open, so he couldn’t cry out. Soon, however, he realized that although the doctor was putting those scary things in his mouth, it really didn’t hurt at all, and he stopped crying.

The time spent coaxing the child delayed them by twenty minutes past the scheduled closing time. When the little boy left, he didn’t want to let go of the Ultraman.

Nurse Qin told him that the figure could only stay with him for a little while and needed to accompany the next child, but the boy still wanted it. His mother promised to buy him a new one immediately, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Take it if you like it,” Fu Linling quickly took off her coat. Without even pausing to hear the mother and son’s thanks, she strode out rapidly.

“Dr. Fu.”

Fu Linling stopped in her tracks and turned back, seeing Lin Ran standing outside the door, smiling at her.

“Why are you here? When did you arrive?” Fu Linling walked back toward her.

“I arrived when you took out the Ultraman,” Lin Ran smiled, walking with her toward the elevator. “Dr. Fu certainly has a knack for coaxing children.”

“I’m used to it. That wasn’t even the most difficult case,” Fu Linling reached out to press the elevator button, only to realize she was still wearing a glove, which she quickly peeled off and tossed into the trash bin.

The elevator took a long time to arrive, and the area outside was crowded with people waiting. Lin Ran suggested, “Let’s take the stairs.”

“Okay.”

The dental department was on the fourth floor, but the stairwell was also quite busy.

“It seems the hospital is the busiest place of all,” Lin Ran lamented.

“Watch your step.” Fu Linling led the way, extending one hand behind her to guide Lin Ran and keep them from getting separated.

Lin Ran looked down at the steps. The hand remained in her line of sight, and she couldn’t resist reaching out and taking it.

Fu Linling turned back in surprise, stopping at the landing. Two steps later, Lin Ran was in front of her.

“We’re getting married. Holding hands isn’t too much to ask, is it?” Lin Ran looked up, asking with a playful grin.

Fu Linling looked down at their clasped hands, feeling her palm grow extremely hot. It suddenly became difficult to walk normally.

For the rest of the descent, Lin Ran walked in front, pulling her along.

As they walked out of the hospital gate, Lin Ran suddenly noticed something amiss. She turned to look at Fu Linling: “Dr. Fu, you seem to be… walking with the same arm and leg (an awkward, uncoordinated walk).”