To make up for the debt owed to Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Lu Meizhi came alone this time.

A very lively girl; her voice rang out before she even entered, greeting the nurse.

Lin Qingping casually shoved the books aside, grabbed the lunchbox containing two ounces of rice, and jumped up, exclaiming, "Oh dear! Time to eat!"

After saying that, he grabbed his lunchbox and rushed out.

Gu Juncheng leaned against the hospital bed, watching her back as she walked away: ...

On her way to the cafeteria, Lin Qingping ran into Mei Li, who was carrying a cloth bag full of books—study books for Lin Qingping.

"Wow, so many! Thank you for your hard work!" Lin Qingping happily hugged the books to her chest.

Mei looked at her and couldn't help but frown. "You can still laugh!"

"Huh? Why aren't you smiling?" Lin Qingping pretended to be stupid.

Mei hesitated, ultimately unable to voice her concerns, and said resentfully, "I carried this huge stack of books for you, my shoulders are about to give way, how are you going to thank me?"

What else?

Lin Qingping thought for a moment, "Let me treat you to dinner."

Let's eat at a restaurant outside.

Mei Li didn't think about saving money for her, knowing full well that she was a rich woman.

The two ate at a small restaurant outside the hospital, and Mei Li ordered two dishes.

Lin Qingping was truly grateful to Mei Li, not only because Mei Li brought her the book, but also because Mei Li genuinely considered her a friend.

So, feeling that two dishes weren't generous enough, we added two more.

The two of them ate four dishes, chatting as they went. Mei kept encouraging her to go to university in the capital, saying, "Then we can chat together every day."

"Really? What about our factory?" Lin Qingping asked her, amused.

Wu Tianjiao was right when he said that Mei Li has a childlike mentality, and starting a business is really unpredictable.

Mei Li was taken aback by her question and smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "I forgot about that... But that's okay, the best university is in the capital, you must come!"

Mei Li was thinking to herself: "Hmph, come to the capital! I'll introduce you to even better boys. What's Gu Juncheng compared to Lu Meizhi? You'll all be looking up to me in awe!"

The two chatted about this and that, barely eating any food, but talking a lot, and in the end, they left more than half of each dish uneaten.

"I can't eat anymore, my waist has gotten bigger lately." The concept of dieting didn't exist in this era, but Meili was ahead of her time. "If I keep eating, I won't be able to fit into my new summer dress."

"Okay, then I'll pack it up and take it home." Lin Qingping blurted out the word "pack it up," only to realize afterward that there weren't even any takeout boxes available these days. She had to borrow a large bowl from the shop owner and put all the dishes into one bowl.

Mei Li has been very unhappy with Gu Juncheng lately and doesn't want to see him. She helped Lin Qingping carry the books to the outside of the department and left without going into the ward.

Lin Qingping's meal did take quite a while, and by the time she returned to her ward, Lu Meizhi had already left.

She carried books and dishes on her back, struggling to enter.

I first put the bowl of food on the bedside table, then put away the book, and then covered the bowl of food, intending to save it for the next morning.

Then, as a matter of routine, she smiled and asked Gu Juncheng if he needed to use the restroom, or if he needed a bath, etc.

He said no to everything.

Lin Qingping then sat down and continued reading.

Then, she felt that Gu Juncheng was staring at her.

She looked up and confirmed it.

Gu Juncheng was staring at her, and with an incredulous look, as if she were a monster.

Lin Qingping felt inexplicably uneasy.

She closed the book, leaned closer, and examined him closely.

What the hell is wrong with him?

My chin suddenly tightened.

This person actually grabbed the entire lower half of her face, pinching the flesh on both sides of her cheeks and squeezing her mouth until it pouted.

"What are you doing?" Lin Qingping was forced to pout and made a strange sound.

"Have you eaten?" he asked her.

With her face pinched, Lin Qingping could only nod.

"What, what is that?" He gestured with his chin, indicating the large bowl of dishes.

“It’s…” Lin Qingping made a series of strange, indistinct sounds.

Gu Juncheng frowned and released his grip.

"Cough cough..." Lin Qingping rubbed her cheeks, which were sore from being pinched, "That's what I'm going to eat tomorrow morning."

Gu Juncheng stared at her, his eyes wide, with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Lin Qingping didn't understand and asked him, "What's wrong?"

He laughed, a laugh that was hard to believe. "Lin Qingping, I really... I'm impressed by you. You've got a temper like that, and you're the only one in the world who can do that."

He felt he was starting to believe the rumors circulating in the village that his wife had a bad temper and was always causing trouble...

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lin Qingping's mind, as if she had grasped something, and she asked in a daze, "You...you're not going to eat, are you?"

"What do you think?" he asked, looking at her.

"But didn't you eat?" She swore that what she meant was exactly what it said: he had already eaten. There was absolutely no hidden second or third meaning. She wasn't good at giving reading comprehension questions; she was just straightforward!

But to someone who takes things to a minute, it just sounds like she's being stubborn, because she's sulking because of the Lu family, and her way of sulking is by not feeding him.

He nodded, seemingly speechless. "Lin Qingping, when I first joined the army, Uncle Lu was a commander, and I was his bodyguard. I received a lot of care and support from him during my time in the army. My aunt was also very good to me, treating me like family..."

"Mmm!" Lin Qingping didn't like hearing about the Lu family and nodded perfunctorily. Of course she knew the Lu family was good to her, did she need to say it? But they didn't need to tell her! She really didn't want to hear it.

To stop him from talking, she brought him the large bowl of food and the two ounces of rice she had taken out, and handed them to him along with the chopsticks, saying, "Eat up, eat up!"

His remaining words were cut off: "Didn't you save it for breakfast?"

"Hey!" she waved her hand generously. "Eat up! Me and Mary can't finish all the food we eat out."

Gu Juncheng was speechless again, stunned for a long while, and then he laughed in anger, "Lin Qingping, you're good, very good, very good."

"What's so good?" Lin Qingping was confused again.

Gu Juncheng shook his head, still looking amused and annoyed. "You said you came to take care of me, but you abandoned me and went out to eat and drink with your friends? And then you brought back the leftovers for me to eat? Oh, no, they weren't for me, they were for you."

Lin Qingping, really, she did it all for him! How embarrassing it would have been if she and Lu Meizhi had bumped into each other! She was only thinking of him!

"I'm not...you're not...hey, you have food to eat, right? Home-cooked food is more nutritious than takeout, it's better for your health." Lin Qingping felt utterly wronged; who would understand! However, she immediately thought of a possibility, "Is it because their cooking isn't good?"