CHAPTER 511: CHAPTER 513 DISCHARGE

In the dead of night, Xia Xiao entered the space and stealthily made her way to Gao Jiaxing’s hospital room.

It was late night; everyone had gone to sleep, but Xia Xiao couldn’t find the chance to change Gao Jiaxing’s IV drip.

She waited and waited, until Gao Jiazhi went to the restroom. Xia Xiao finally found an opportunity, and it was only feasible because Gao Jiaxing was weak and sound asleep; otherwise, Xia Xiao couldn’t have managed to change the drip.

However, this left Xia Xiao very tired, so she went back at three in the morning, and then she slept through the morning.

Zheng Xianghong took Xia Xiao’s pulse, confirming she was just tired. Xianghong heaved a sigh of relief and let Xia Xiao continue her rest undisturbed, as Jiaxing began to worry when he didn’t see Xia Xiao the next morning.

Zheng Xianghong said, "These days while you’ve been unconscious, Xia Xiao has been taking care of you. She’s quite exhausted; let her rest well."

"Mom, did you check Xiaoxiao’s pulse? Is there something wrong with her body? Is she feeling unwell?" asked Gao Jiaxing.

Zheng Xianghong nodded and said, "She’s fine; she’s just tired. A good rest is all she needs."

In the afternoon, Xia Xiao still hadn’t come by. She resolved to stay with Gao Jiaxing at night to change the IV drip.

Now that Gao Jiaxing was able to enjoy his meals, Xia Xiao boiled congee with spring water for him daily. Sometimes when Zheng Xianghong brought meals, she would prepare an extra portion for He Xuebing.

Yu Zhen did not prepare meals for He Xuebing; both husband and wife ate in the Military District Hospital’s cafeteria, reluctant at heart to accept the Gao family’s food.

But Yu Zhen couldn’t refuse Zheng Xianghong, and considering that He Xuebing was Xianghong’s cousin, Xianghong looked after Xuebing who in turn could hardly reject her kindness.

However, half a month after Zheng Xianghong started bringing meals, she began making clothes again, and since Gao Jiaxing was doing much better, she stopped coming by.

Xia Xiao, being a military wife and needing to care for her injured husband, had taken a lengthy leave of absence from the Geological Department, which had approved her leave understandingly.

Gao Jiazhi had returned to City S, and now Xia Xiao was solely responsible for Gao Jiaxing’s care. At times, she cooked him fish slice congee, lean meat congee, or chicken congee. She varied the nutritional meals every two to three days, so Jiaxing was obviously well-nourished by Xia Xiao and recovering quickly.

In contrast, He Xuebing, whose injuries were lighter than Jiaxing’s, was recovering more slowly.

Yu Zhen asked Yang Xuehua to help her cook congee, but Xuehua lived with Xia Xiao, sharing her meals.

Xia Xiao, promptly and with no fuss, began to prepare an extra portion of congee for He Xuebing when she brought Jiaxing his. Yu Zhen was somewhat unhappy, but had no choice since the house that Yu Shijie had bought was far from the hospital.

Since Xia Xiao’s home was closer and Xuehua was staying with her, it was impossible for Yu Zhen to cook at Xia Xiao’s place.

So, watching He Xuebing enjoy the congee made by Xia Xiao left Yu Zhen very unhappy inside, especially since it seemed more appetizing and thicker than what the Military District Hospital offered.

Yu Zhen even tasted Xia Xiao’s cooking herself, which left her with a sour taste in her mouth. Despite her dislike for Xia Xiao, her affection for He Xuebing was genuine.

And indeed, Xia Xiao was being a bit deliberate. During the days when Jiaxing was in a coma, Xia Xiao found Yu Zhen most annoying and even had the urge to give her a beating.

Now Xia Xiao was somewhat intentionally causing trouble for Yu Zhen, admitting to herself that she was a bit petty. Seeing Yu Zhen unhappy made her feel better.

However, Xia Xiao wasn’t going too far, to avoid overstimulating Yu Zhen. Sometimes, when she cooked too much, she would have Yang Xuehua deliver food to Yu Zhen’s place.

But Yu Zhen remained stubborn, refusing to eat what Xia Xiao made—leaving Xuehua speechless.

Gao Jiaxing had been lying in the hospital for three months before he finally returned home to recuperate.

He Xuebing was discharged from the hospital even before Gao Jiaxing. On the day of his discharge, Yu Zhen was overjoyed. Heaven knows how frustrated she felt on the inside, but she couldn’t do anything about Xia Xiao.

Xia Xiao was extremely happy as well, but her joy stemmed from Gao Jiaxing’s discharge, meaning she no longer had to visit the hospital daily. Heaven knows how much she disliked the smell of antiseptics in the hospital.

However, since He Xuebing’s injuries had not fully healed and he still had difficulty moving, he and Yu Zhen ended up staying at Yang Xuehua’s house.

Stimulated by Xia Xiao, Yu Zhen’s heart hardened as well, determined to seriously improve her cooking skills.

It must be said that Xue Baozhu’s cooking was quite good, but Yu Zhen hadn’t learned it. Xue Baozhu had always pampered Yu Zhen, who even after marrying He Xuebing, hardly cooked. Either she ate in the military canteen or at her parents’ house.

When Yang Xuehua returned to Xia Xiao’s side, she talked about Yu Zhen’s situation. Upon hearing that Yu Zhen was determined to practice cooking, Xia Xiao laughed outright, "I admit I did it a bit on purpose, but during those days in the hospital, Yu Zhen really got on my nerves."

"She’s just jealous, not bad at heart, just somewhat lacking..." Yang Xuehua didn’t finish the sentence, but Xia Xiao understood.

Yang Xuehua felt that Yu Zhen was just brought up too well. Not to mention Xia Xiao, Yu Zhen barely took her sister-in-law seriously.

"I’m taking the train tomorrow to pick up the kids at the Yu Family," Yang Xuehua said.

The children had been with the Yu Family for so many years. It would be false for Yang Xuehua to say she wasn’t worried; she was indeed very concerned about them.

After seeing off Yang Xuehua, Xia Xiao returned to her house where Gao Jiaxing was making an effort to walk along the wall, doing his rehabilitation.

As soon as Xia Xiao entered, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, it won’t be long before I’m back with the unit," he replied.

No sooner had Gao Jiaxing spoken than he received a large roll of the eyes from Xia Xiao, but she didn’t say anything else. After all, Gao Jiaxing was a soldier.

"I start work tomorrow," Xia Xiao said. She had taken several months of leave and couldn’t extend it any longer.

"Why did you decide to go work at the Geological Department?" Gao Jiaxing really hadn’t expected Xia Xiao to make such a choice.

Xia Xiao smiled, "I like archaeology, you know I’ve always liked jade and other kinds of strange stones."

Gao Jiaxing glanced at the various peculiar-shaped stones of different sizes around the house and nodded. He had no objections to Xia Xiao’s hobbies and work. As long as Xia Xiao was happy, he was supportive.

Xia Xiao didn’t plan to tell Gao Jiaxing about the space and the stones. Even if she did, Gao Jiaxing wouldn’t be able to help her. Moreover, as a soldier, he couldn’t possibly follow her everywhere.

As for the secrets of the space and the stones, Xia Xiao saw no need to disclose them to Gao Jiaxing, nor did she want him to know she had been reborn.

If it was a secret, let it remain a secret for a lifetime.

The next day, Xia Xiao returned to work at the Geological Department after ending her leave. Having taken several months off, she was incredibly busy upon her return.

However, since Gao Jiaxing’s health was improving, Xia Xiao felt much more at ease, and her spirits were not as tense as before.

As for the children, Xia Xiao no longer needed to worry about them. With Xiao Mei and Zheng Xianghong handling the clothing store, Weilin, the eldest sister, and Feiyang and Feiyue, the elder brothers, were taking care of Feiyi, Feiteng, and Feiling. They were even more responsible than Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing, leaving Xia Xiao with no concerns.