Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 99 - 95 Plain

"Hey, look at this..."

The more nonchalant Wang Jian appeared, the more Li Dayu looked at Zhao Chunyang. Seeing the man’s expression, Li Dayu couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "Lao Zhao, what’s with that look on your face? Xiao Jian is out here working while injured, and your attitude is just plain wrong."

"What nonsense are you talking?" Zhao Chunyang said fiercely. "Is this an attitude problem? This is envy, pure and simple! Your village has stumbled upon some incredible good fortune, and I’m just jealous!"

Zhao Chunyang was truly envious, sighing repeatedly. "Sigh, this kid is just too good. If my son were half the man he is, I’d die a happy man."

"Oh, speaking of which..." Zhao Chunyang reminisced. "Back at the banquet celebrating him getting into university, I had a feeling he was going to be someone special. And look, wasn’t I right? His medical skills are extraordinary, and his character is impeccable... tsk tsk tsk, that’s so rare these days." He finished with a look at Li Dayu that clearly said, ’You lucky dog.’

Li Dayu opened his mouth, a comment on the tip of his tongue, but he ultimately swallowed it. He remembered very clearly that back at the Wang family banquet, Lao Zhao hadn’t paid it much mind at all. Then again, that’s just human nature.

Li Dayu just smiled. "Now, you make sure to follow Xiao Jian’s instructions. When it comes to brewing and drinking the medicine, you have to be careful. Otherwise..."

"Hah! You don’t need to tell me something that’s a matter of life and death," Zhao Chunyang said. He didn’t linger, just waved his hand and sauntered off toward the village entrance, where he hopped on a small electric scooter and rode away.

Watching Zhao Chunyang’s retreating back, Li Dayu frowned. He had a nagging feeling that Xiao Jian had left something unsaid. Going to the Miao Region for a bit of fun and coming back poisoned... what a mess.

Li Dayu shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it, and began walking toward his own home. He had no intention of staying at the village committee office; he was exhausted from the day’s events.

Although the incident with Wang Jian had happened up in the mountains, Li Dayu had been incredibly busy down in the village, running around nonstop. Since Wang Jian had returned, the police had visited the village three times. In the past, they might not see an officer even once a year. The constant comings and goings, just greeting people alone, had been exhausting.

The interesting thing was, when Wang Jian was in trouble, three women had been extremely worried. Li Dayu had expected Xu Qian to be anxious, and he also understood why that girl, Ren Yu, would be worried. But he hadn’t expected Li Liping, the Zhang family’s daughter-in-law, to show up as well. Now that Wang Jian was back, Li Dayu knew they would surely come again. Thinking about the other woman, Cai Qiong, still in the clinic room, Li Dayu couldn’t help but chuckle. Three women are enough to start a drama; four might just bring the heavens down.

Li Dayu wisely chose to make himself scarce, strolling leisurely through the village, feeling quite at ease. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw three figures walking toward him, chatting and laughing. It was none other than Xu Qian, Li Liping, and Ren Yu. They had been frantic with worry when they arrived earlier, but now they seemed relaxed and cheerful. They must have already heard that Wang Jian was alright.

The women greeted him as they approached. "Village chief, heading home?"

"Is Wang Jian still at the clinic?" Xu Qian asked.

Li Dayu nodded. "He is. He just treated Lao Zhao from the Second Division farm. He’s not seriously hurt. You all should hurry on over."

"Okay, we’ll go now."

The three women exchanged a look and quickly moved past Li Dayu.

When they reached the clinic and pushed the door open, they were met with the sight of a shirtless Wang Jian. Cai Qiong was touching his chest—more precisely, the area over his heart.

"???"

The scene was momentarily awkward, but Xu Qian was the quickest to recover. Even though Cai Qiong’s actions seem a bit intimate, she’s also a doctor. It’s perfectly reasonable for her to be helping Wang Jian change his dressing, right? All three women reassured themselves with this thought.

"Xiao Jian, are you okay?" Xu Qian asked, wasting no time. She walked over and naturally took the medicine and bandages from Cai Qiong’s hands. The two women began to work together seamlessly, one in front of the other.

"I’m alright," Wang Jian said, greeting the three of them. "Don’t be fooled by how large the area is. It’s all superficial. A lot of it is just burns from the gunpowder. I was standing too close when it went off, that’s how I got unlucky and got hurt."

Before the fresh bandage covered it completely, Wang Jian showed them the wound. The women’s faces tensed. Even though they had heard his injuries were minor, seeing the wound firsthand was still unnerving. After all, it was from a shotgun, not some common toy. Only when they saw it for themselves did they realize Wang Jian wasn’t lying. While the wound was a large, red patch with broken skin in many places, there were only three deeper gashes, all on his shoulder. According to Wang Jian, they were grazes from the aluminum pellets in the shotgun shell.

"Don’t you worry, there’s nothing left inside, and it should heal quickly," Cai Qiong chimed in, proactively explaining. "We’re both doctors. An injury like this doesn’t even require a hospital visit. We’ve already treated it. Now he just needs daily dressing changes, time to recover, and to keep it dry to prevent infection."

"You see..." Fearing they were still worried, Wang Jian added after Cai Qiong finished, "Even Dr. Cai says so. I’m not just trying to make you feel better. But I probably won’t be able to see patients for the next few days," he murmured with a hint of regret.

"You’re injured and you’re still thinking about work," Xu Qian said, shooting him a look. "You just stay home and recover properly. I made some bone broth at home. Have some later; it’ll help you heal faster."

It seemed that no matter the injury, families always turned to chicken or bone broth to help nurse one back to health. Wang Jian was more than happy to accept, especially since Xu Qian’s cooking was second to none.

"Then I’m in for a real treat."

They all stayed in the clinic for a while longer until the wound was fully dressed, then left together. Before they left, Wang Jian swapped the note on the door for a new one: ’Doctor is injured. No consultations for one week.’

To be on the safe side, Wang Jian went to the village committee office to look for Li Dayu, but he had already gone home. Wang Jian had to call him instead and ask him to help inform the neighboring villages about the clinic’s temporary closure. If anyone got sick, they should go to the county or city hospital. He would resume consultations in a week. Li Dayu also specifically asked about Zhao Chunyang’s situation. Wang Jian, having already considered this, told him to have Secretary Zhao come to his house once there were any results.

With that, the whole affair was finally settled. Of course, Wang Jian knew Zhao Chunyang’s problem wasn’t that simple and that more trouble would likely follow, so he made a mental note to stay vigilant.

Because Cai Qiong was present, Li Liping and Ren Yu left together shortly after dinner at the Wang family home. Knowing Wang Jian was truly okay put their minds at ease, and with another guest there, they knew it wasn’t convenient for them to stay long. The four women had been chatting happily. On any other day, they might have even gotten a game of mahjong going—four players would have been perfect. But with Wang Jian injured, none of them were in the mood.

The sight of the three women arriving together had been quite an eyeful for Cai Qiong. Seeing Ren Yu and the others leave, she took advantage of Xu Qian stepping into the kitchen. She patted Wang Jian’s arm and teased, "I never would have guessed, Doctor Wang. Turns out you’re a real player."

"..." Wang Jian rolled his eyes. "Listen, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want. How am I a player? Who have I played? Have I played you?"

"Pah!" Cai Qiong said with a look of disgust. "You wish you could play me, but could you even manage? I’m not interested in you men."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Get some rest tonight." Wang Jian didn’t want to argue the point and got up. The hiking, the shootout... the day had completely drained him. He had no energy for pointless banter.

Besides, with his injured shoulder, he couldn’t shower. His arm was clumsy, and it would be impossible to wash himself without getting the wound wet. So, despite feeling grimy, Wang Jian decided to skip it. After saying goodnight to Cai Qiong, he went back to his room.

He hadn’t been lying on his bed for long when the door was pushed open. Wang Jian assumed it was Cai Qiong with some other matter, but he was surprised to see Xu Qian enter. She had obviously just showered and was carrying a basin of water. Her damp hair was draped over her shoulders; while not dripping, it wasn’t blow-dried, and the moisture had soaked a large patch of her clothes. A quick glance offered Wang Jian a few pleasant sights.

"What’s this?" Wang Jian asked, puzzled by the basin and towel in her hands.

"I knew you wouldn’t be asleep yet. This is for your bath," Xu Qian said with a radiant smile, walking directly to his bedside. When she saw him trying to push himself up with difficulty, she quickly stopped him. "Don’t move. Your shoulder is hurt, so don’t strain it. Just lie still like a good boy."

"No, I mean..." Hearing she was going to bathe him, Wang Jian froze, a little uncomfortable. "I can just sleep like this. You don’t have to go to all this trouble."

"What do you mean you don’t need to?" Xu Qian chided him with a glance. "I heard from Cai Qiong that you came in without washing up. I knew you were just going to sleep like this. It’s not like there’s no one here to help you. You’re covered in sweat; you’re filthy. What if your wound gets infected? Be good and just lie still. I’m here..." she instructed cheerfully. "Besides, it’s not the first time."

"What?" Hearing her say it wasn’t the first time, Wang Jian was stunned. "Qianqian, what do you mean it’s not the first time?"

Xu Qian giggled. "Did you forget about that time you got drunk?" The memory made her cheeks flush. That time, she hadn’t just helped him change his clothes; she had also stolen a secret kiss. Thinking back on it now, it was both amusing and sweet.

"Fine," Wang Jian relented.

At this point, what was there to be shy about? Considering their current relationship, he felt there was no need to be coy. He let his entire body go limp, sprawling out on the bed and not moving an inch.

"Good. First, let me help you take your clothes off."

With that, Xu Qian set to work. The moment her cool palms touched his waist, a jolt went through him. To say it wasn’t stimulating would be a lie. Her fingers were chilly, a sensation made more pronounced by her recent shower. Wang Jian knew Xu Qian tended to run cold, so he wasn’t surprised.

Summer clothes were simple, and in a few moments, Xu Qian had peeled off his T-shirt and shorts. Only the final barrier remained. Both of them unconsciously paused.

The atmosphere instantly grew charged and ambiguous. Wang Jian thought Xu Qian would hesitate, but the thought had barely formed when he saw her, face blushing, reach forward. To help her, he had to lift his waist and then his legs.

It was by no means an intentional display on Wang Jian’s part, but Xu Qian couldn’t help but let her gaze linger for a few extra seconds.

In a silent, mutual understanding, neither of them spoke a word.