Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 12 Tossing and turning, I couldn’t sleep all night.
"..."
Two adults stood at the doorway, neither daring to utter the words that hung between them.
Water droplets began to fall from Xu Qian’s damp hair onto her nightgown. The cold sensation cut through the sensual haze in her heart, snapping her back to reality. Wang Jian was still staring at her, and though her heart was in turmoil, she spoke up, "Xiao Jian..."
"I’m your sister-in-law."
Xu Qian’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Wang Jian’s head, instantly sobering him. Through the crack in the door, Wang Jian could easily see the wedding photo hanging on the wall above the bed. It struck him like a sledgehammer.
Yes, she’s my sister-in-law.
Wang Jian slapped himself across the face. The sound was crisp in the quiet night, and his arousal subsided.
"Sister-in-law, please give me a quilt," Wang Jian said, ashamed. "I’ll sleep on the living room sofa. You don’t need to worry."
Taking the quilt Xu Qian handed him, Wang Jian watched as she closed the door. An exceptional quiet fell on both sides of the door. Wang Jian could only hear his own breathing and the slowing beat of his heart.
Turning back to the living room, he stared at the sofa, rendered speechless.
Wrapped in the quilt on that damnable sofa, Wang Jian tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The sofa was made of hardwood. The villagers liked such ostentatious but impractical furniture, but one only realizes how unfriendly a hard, ill-fitting, and twisted pseudo-rosewood sofa is when they actually try to sleep on it. Perhaps the family had never considered that young people these days just want to lie flat.
Wang Jian’s whole body ached. He desperately wished for somewhere soft to rest. The scent on the quilt made it feel as if someone were there with him.
An image of the figure standing by the door persisted in his mind, impossible to dispel. The spot where the water dripped made it clear she wasn’t wearing anything underneath; what could a thin nightgown possibly conceal? As soon as he managed to shake off this image, another one surfaced—the person who had rescued him in the mountains, the vibrant green of the grass mingled with a flash of snow-white... And in the kitchen...
Wang Jian felt like a bad person and began to berate himself for his thoughts. But suddenly, the images in his mind seemed to transport him back to a wedding.
While Wang Jian tormented himself, Xu Qian wasn’t faring any better in her room. After closing the door, she leaned against it, lost in a daze for over ten minutes. Her gaze was vacant, her thoughts drifting far away.
For some reason, the memory of Wang Jian slapping himself and the look in his eyes as he left made her heart clench painfully. She even had the urge to open the door and call him back.
What on earth are you thinking? He’s your brother-in-law.
Xu Qian turned her head and pressed her ear against the door, listening for a moment. It was silent outside; not a sound could be heard. She didn’t even know what she was expecting to hear.
She waited a little longer, returning to bed only after her hair was half-dry. The quilt she had given Wang Jian had come directly from her own bed. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision—she didn’t have the time or energy to go find another one.
The night passed quickly. A racing mind bred sleeplessness, and sleeplessness, in turn, bred a racing mind.
Alone in her room, Xu Qian’s gaze fixed on the photograph by the bed, her mind filling with memories of how she and her husband had met. The clearer the memories became, the unhappier her expression grew, twisting into a look of revulsion.
She thought of her phone, which contained short videos her husband had sent—videos of his infidelity. She didn’t know when it had started. After her husband had been working away from home for a few years, he began to suspect her of having an affair. She also didn’t know when he had developed his peculiar tastes. It seemed he no longer suspected her of infidelity. Instead, he started sending self-recorded videos of himself with other women, trying to humiliate her with both the images and his words, all to satisfy some psychological need.
Xu Qian never replied. What her husband considered stimulating was merely heartbreaking to her. Their relationship had hit rock bottom. Xu Qian had considered reconciliation, but unfortunately, he had changed completely. No matter how hard she tried, it was useless. The dresses she wore had no effect on him. It seemed he could only derive satisfaction by using other people to humiliate her.
Xu Qian gave up. She had been a faithful wife, only to be met with this situation. This had become their secret, and there was no going back.
But Wang Jian was completely different from his older brother. Xu Qian didn’t understand what was happening to her, but in her memories, it felt as if the male lead had been replaced. All the beauty of the past seemed to have returned, and over the last two days, so had the happiness. The temptation, the thrill from just outside the door—it all felt so real.
Xu Qian’s emotions surged, and her hands began to move.
Faint whimpers seemed to escape from under the door, drifting into the living room.
Wang Jian faintly heard the soft, intermittent sounds. It all felt like an illusion, pulling him into a deep slumber. In his dream, someone kept whispering in his ear. A familiar scent pervaded his senses as the hard wooden sofa transformed into a soft paradise, and the sleepless night quietly passed.
「The next morning.」
At the crack of dawn, sunlight began to peek over the mountaintop, though the village below was still dark. The crowing of roosters and the barking of dogs rose in unison from the village entrance, restoring its vitality.
Cai Xing hadn’t experienced a morning like this in a long time. Still exhausted from his medical episode the day before, he had gone to bed early. Awakened by the noise, he went to the living room to find only a quilt on the sofa—Wang Jian was gone.
Nearby, the door to a room that looked like a bridal chamber was slightly ajar.
How did those two sleep last night?
Cai Xing shook his head, not dwelling on it. As he walked into the courtyard, he saw smoke already rising from the kitchen chimney. The rare moment of relaxation gave the busy man a sense of satisfaction he had never felt before, even making him consider not going back to work at all. But once you’re in this game, you’re already deep in the mire.
As Cai Xing stepped out of the house, the damp air blew away his lingering drowsiness. The mountain mist was tinged with an alluring scent. For someone just waking up, the aroma of soybean milk wafting from the kitchen was a fatal attraction.
As he approached, he didn’t hear anyone talking, only the sound of something bubbling over the heat. When Cai Xing reached the kitchen door, he saw Wang Jian, dressed simply.
"Mr. Cai, you’re awake?"
"Just in time. Breakfast will be ready soon."
Wang Jian was tending the fire while Xu Qian cooked. It was the same arrangement as the day before, only their clothing was even more simple and casual.
"You’re both up so early!" Cai Xing was genuinely amazed; the roosters had only just started crowing. He also noticed that Wang Jian looked unwell. "Wang Jian, you must have slept on the sofa," he said with a laugh. "Judging by your expression, you didn’t sleep well, did you?"
Cai Xing was clearly in good spirits, but Wang Jian was sleep-deprived and emotionally conflicted. Seeing Cai Xing so cheerful, he retorted, "What’s so funny? It’s because you took my room. I should have made you sleep on the sofa."
"Hahaha," Cai Xing laughed again. "Who’s the patient and who’s the doctor here?"
"..."
So this is what it means to be a big boss, Wang Jian marveled. I’ve never met someone so shameless. Do his employees know he’s like this?
Cai Xing didn’t press the issue. He walked over to Wang Jian and said, "The people coming to pick me up should be here around noon. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Is now a good time?"
"Hmm?"
Wang Jian dusted the wood shavings off his clothes and followed Cai Xing into the yard. "Wang Jian," Cai Xing began slowly, "you’re only twenty-eight. Young, capable, and a fine figure of a man—these words describe you perfectly."
The sudden praise caught Wang Jian’s attention. A man like Mr. Cai surely had a reason for such flattery.
"The fact that you were able to pull me back from death’s door proves your Medical Skills are at least on par with the attending physicians at major hospitals. Anyone else in that situation would have either panicked or been powerless."
"To be just a village doctor seems like a waste of your talent. I have a proposal, and I wonder if you might be interested."
Wang Jian realized Mr. Cai was likely trying to recruit him. The Cai Corporation owned private hospitals, after all. However, he disliked being managed and was about to refuse when Cai Xing stopped him.
Cai Xing raised a hand with a smile. "Don’t be in such a hurry to refuse. After our chat yesterday, I know you don’t want to be under someone else’s thumb anymore."
Cai Xing had read his mind. Wang Jian now waited quietly to hear what he would say next.
"As a village doctor, you don’t have many opportunities to use your Medical Skills to their full potential," Cai Xing continued. "I’m sure you don’t disagree."
Wang Jian nodded in agreement. This was the drawback of being a village doctor: few patients and a limited variety of illnesses. His abilities were hardly tested, leaving little room for substantial improvement. Although Wang Jian had considered this when he decided to return home, Cai Xing’s words had now piqued his interest.
