Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 8

Lin Ran took the dress and went to the fitting room.

Fu Linling sat on the sofa outside, waiting. A small kitten from the store jumped onto her lap. She lowered her head to look at it, then gently and carefully stroked it. The kitten comfortably settled down.

The curtain was drawn open. Lin Ran stepped out wearing a long, strapless red gown, holding the skirt hem: “How does it look?”

Fu Linling looked up, stunned for a few seconds. It wasn’t until the kitten nudged her leg that she finally snapped out of her daze: “Beautiful.”

“Really?” Lin Ran twirled around once. “What about the back?”

A large area of fair skin was exposed on her back, her butterfly shoulder blades looking poised to take flight.

“It looks great.”

Fu Linling picked up the hot water the owner had prepared for her and took a sip.

“Then I’ll take this one,” Lin Ran said, glancing in the mirror, quite pleased. “Your turn. Go try yours on quickly.”

Lin Ran had also chosen Fu Linling’s outfit. Fu Linling trusted Lin Ran’s eye more than her own.

Her dress was also red—a slip-style long gown. The style wasn’t as complex, and the fabric was very comfortable, like satin. She walked out feeling a little awkward, touching her back one moment and checking her chest the next; she had never worn such a revealing dress.

“You look truly gorgeous,” Lin Ran’s eyes lit up.

The proprietress also praised her: “This dress is being flattered by the person wearing it. Few people can pull off this effect. You have to have a very good figure. You’re tall and slender with no extra weight at all; it suits you perfectly.”

Lin Ran nodded, chuckling softly: “Exactly! Look how great your figure is now.”

Fu Linling looked at the person in the mirror, who possessed a hint of sexiness and a touch of laziness, someone she barely dared to recognize.

Just then, Lin Ran took off the pearl necklace from her own neck and reached out to put it on Fu Linling’s neck, leaning forward in what looked like an embrace.

Fu Linling stretched her neck out, afraid to move. All she could hear was Lin Ran’s steady breathing near her ear, and she only dared to look at her from the corner of her eye.

After fastening the clasp, Lin Ran surveyed her, extremely satisfied: “Perfect!”

After buying the clothes, the two went to eat together to discuss the details of their marriage.

They would definitely have to live together after marriage, but where they would live still needed negotiation.

“The place I live now is an old apartment. My mom transferred it to my name before her divorce. It’s a bit old and pretty far from your work. If we want to buy a new place, we can split the cost,” Lin Ran said.

“I only bought my place a few years ago, so it’s still quite new. If you don’t mind, you can move directly into my place. It’s a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment—it should be enough for the two of us,” Fu Linling said. After peeling a shrimp, she placed it in Lin Ran’s bowl.

“Thank you,” Lin Ran picked up the shrimp and ate it. “In that case, I’ll take care of all the living expenses from now on.”

Fu Linling initially wanted to refuse, but considering that she ate most of her lunches in the hospital cafeteria, she figured it didn’t really matter.

Lin Ran suddenly thought of something and broke into a smile: “I never thought the two of us would actually get married! Wouldn’t our old classmates be totally shocked if they knew?”

“Yes… that we’re actually getting married,” Fu Linling agreed. Ten years ago, this was something she wouldn’t even have dared to dream of. Even now, she still felt like she was in a dream.

“Lin Ran.”

“Hmm.”

“In the future, please guide me.”

Lin Ran smiled and extended her hand, which was sticky from peeling the lobster: “Please guide me, too.”

The two shook hands casually yet politely across the messy gloves.

The next day, Lin Ran and Old Liu took Zhang Wu to the hospital for her surgery.

During the lunch break, Fu Linling went to the ward to visit.

“Little Fu is here,” Old Liu was the first to spot her.

Lin Ran, who was peeling an apple, looked up and waved at her.

“Auntie and Uncle, have you eaten yet?” Fu Linling asked.

“Not yet; we were just about to order takeout,” Zhang Wu replied, speaking weakly. Lin Ran told her to stop talking and focus on resting.

Fu Linling watched Lin Ran peel an apple—the skin was nearly four or five centimeters thick—she was clearly unskilled. She took the knife and apple from Lin Ran’s hand and began peeling naturally and smoothly. She said, “There’s food in the cafeteria; it’s better than takeout. Come with me to get some.”

“Can I?” Lin Ran asked.

“You can.”

“Then go quickly, Ranran,” Old Liu urged.

Fu Linling handed the freshly peeled apple to Zhang Wu and led Lin Ran to the cafeteria.

With many medical staff, the cafeteria couldn’t possibly recognize everyone, so everyone paid by swiping their card.

Fu Linling swiped her card to pay for three meals for Lin Ran, packaged them up, and told her to go back and eat.

“What about you?” Lin Ran asked.

“I’ve already eaten. Hurry up, the food won’t be good if it gets cold.”

“Alright. Thanks, then.”

Lin Ran rushed back to the ward with the food. They set up the small tray table, and the three of them began to eat.

“That Little Fu is quite dependable,” Old Liu commented.

Zhang Wu readily agreed: “I think so too. A nurse just came in and told me that if I have any problems, I should just find her. She also said that Dr. Fu’s friends are her friends.”

“Which nurse?” Lin Ran asked curiously.

“The one with the big eyes, the little beauty who helped me adjust the bed,” Zhang Wu said.

After they finished eating, Lin Ran went to throw away the trash. Passing the nurses’ station, she saw the “little beauty with the big eyes.”

The other person also noticed her and offered a polite smile.

Lin Ran walked over and glanced at the nurse’s badge—Wang Ke.

“Hello, do you know Dr. Fu?” Lin Ran asked.

“I do, of course. You must be the friend Dr. Fu mentioned. Is the patient in Bed 7 your mother?”

“Yes.”

“You are so pretty,” Wang Ke said.

“Thank you. I wanted to ask, can you just swipe for any amount of food in your cafeteria?”

“How could that be? You can only swipe for three meals per visit. That’s the rule,” Wang Ke said.

“Okay, thank you.”

“Hey, wait a second.” Wang Ke stopped her and pulled a few chocolates from her pocket. “Dr. Fu gave these to me, but I’m on a diet recently. You can have them.”

“Thanks,” Lin Ran accepted the chocolates and turned toward the outpatient building. When she reached the fourth floor, she peeked into the examination room doorway for a while.

A buzzing sound was constant, mixed with bits of conversation.

A nurse walked past her and looked up: “Oh? Aren’t you… Dr. Fu’s friend? I saw you last time when we went singing.”

Lin Ran found her somewhat familiar, but couldn’t place her; there were so many people that night.

She nodded in acknowledgement. She watched the nurse walk inside and say a few words to Fu Linling. Fu Linling turned her head, looked at Lin Ran, and then strode toward her, pulling her out of the room. She asked in a low voice, “Is something the matter?”

“Are you busy right now?”

“Not really. The patient just went to the restroom.”

Lin Ran took out the chocolates: “For you.”

“Where did these come from?” Fu Linling was pleasantly surprised as she took them.

“?” Lin Ran looked bewildered. “Didn’t you give them to that little beauty, Wang Ke?”

Fu Linling thought for a moment and then murmured, “Oh, yes.”

“Did you eat lunch?”

“I did.”

“Where did you eat?”

“The cafeteria.”

“I’m giving you one more chance to be honest.”

“…Takeout.”

Lin Ran said, “You didn’t have time today, but tomorrow Liu-shu will cook at home and bring food. His cooking is very good.”

“Mm,” Fu Linling nodded quietly.

“Come and eat with us tomorrow.”

“Ah?”

“Will you come?”

“I will.”

Lin Ran smiled: “If you get hungry later, eat a piece of chocolate. You’re quite good at charming young women, sending them chocolates.”

“They were given to me by another colleague. I… I don’t like eating them, so I just gave them to her,” Fu Linling quickly handed the chocolates back.

Lin Ran never expected that reason and couldn’t help but laugh a little, then she said: “Does that young woman like you?”

“How could that be? No, that’s not true! We just often run into each other in the cafeteria and eat together, that’s all,” Fu Linling immediately protested.

“I was just teasing you. Why are you so nervous?” Lin Ran looked at her outfit. Under the white coat, she wore a shirt with a bow tie, one side of which was loose. Lin Ran reached out, pulled the two straps, and tied the bow again.

Fu Linling stared at the face close to hers, not daring to take a deep breath.

“There,” Lin Ran finished the bow tie, patted her shoulder, and looked up with a smile, “But once we are married, you can’t casually flirt with other young women anymore.”

“I wasn’t…” Fu Linling began.

Lin Ran waved goodbye and turned to leave. A moment later, she heard a commotion from the examination room. Many people were asking Dr. Fu who that beautiful woman was.

Lin Ran’s lips curved upwards. She was in a good mood as she returned to the ward.

The following afternoon, Fu Linling wasn’t able to enjoy Liu-shu’s meal.

One patient had a relatively severe situation; the lower left number six and seven teeth, and the upper right number five, all needed implants. However, the alveolar bone density for the two lower-left teeth was insufficient for direct implantation. Comparing the situation and data on the CT scan, they found that the single upper-right tooth could be done simultaneously.

“We can do the bone graft and the implant for the upper-right tooth today, but for the two lower-left teeth, we can only do the bone graft today. You’ll need to come back in three months to check the recovery, and then we can implant those two,” Fu Linling explained.

“Okay,” the patient nodded.

“Go prepare,” Fu Linling instructed the nurse and intern to get ready and took the patient to the operating room.

Near the end of the day, she left the examination room, called Lin Ran to explain the situation, and then went into the operating room.

“Little Fu isn’t coming?” Zhang Wu asked.

“No, she’s busy with a surgery. Let’s eat first,” Lin Ran said, holding her phone.

After dinner, Old Liu had to rush back to the school to teach. Having nothing else to do, Lin Ran sat by the window with her tablet, drawing. Her Weibo fan count had just crossed a major milestone, and she planned to draw a welfare picture for her fans.

Time passed unknowingly. The conversations of other people occasionally echoed in the ward, so she put on her headphones, absorbed in her own work.

The sun slowly dropped past the window. She looked up, rubbed her neck, and gazed blankly at the sunset. She vaguely heard someone call “Dr. Fu.”

She took off her headphones, turned her head, and saw the nurse named Wang Ke run past the door. Her voice sounded from outside: “Dr. Fu, why did you come over? Are you here to see your friend?”

“Yes.”

Footsteps drew closer. The next moment, Fu Linling appeared in the doorway, wearing casual clothes: a shirt and wide-legged pants.

Since Lin Ran was sitting, she only saw a pair of long legs moving into her view, which stopped right in front of her.

“Are you off work?”

“Yes. I came over to check on you.” Fu Linling glanced at Zhang Wu sleeping in the hospital bed and asked quietly, “Have you eaten?”

Lin Ran looked at the time: “Liu-shu won’t be back for a little while.”

Fu Linling nodded, tapping her finger lightly on her thigh, hesitating: “Well, I’ll go back now…”

“Okay, go home and get some good rest,” Lin Ran said.

Fu Linling left the ward. Wang Ke had finished her shift and took the elevator with her.

As they walked out of the inpatient building, Wang Ke asked, “Where are you eating tonight, Dr. Fu? Do you want to try that new dumpling place outside?”

“No, thanks. I always eat at home in the evening,” Fu Linling said.

“That’s so diligent of you! Can I come over and sponge a meal off you sometime?” Wang Ke asked with a smile.

Just then, something poked Fu Linling’s shoulder.

She turned her head and saw a paper airplane drift past her eyes. Instinctively, she caught the paper airplane and looked up. She saw Lin Ran leaning her hands on the windowsill, half her body extended, waving at her.

The evening glow was spread across Lin Ran’s head, illuminating her smile with remarkable warmth. It was stunningly beautiful.

“Your friend is so playful,” Wang Ke laughed.

Fu Linling held the paper airplane in her hand, her eyes entirely fixed on the silhouette of the one person. Under Wang Ke’s puzzled gaze, a slow smile blossomed on her face:

“No, she is my fiancée.”