Grandma had very limited food options, and the buns Mu Jing made weren't among them. The buns she prepared to bring were clearly intended for Qu Hua.
Mu Jing hastily ate a few bites before heading to the hospital to deliver the meal. She worried that if she were late, the buns wouldn't taste as good, and she also feared that by the time she arrived, Qu Hua might have already eaten. So she needed to hurry. Old Qu asked her to wait a moment, suggesting they go together by car.
Qu Hua's parents could see that their daughter-in-law was very good to their son, even to the point of being somewhat ingratiating. She constantly talked about Qu Hua this and Qu Hua that, making excuses for him even when he didn't come home. She worried he wouldn't eat well at the hospital cafeteria and went out of her way to prepare food for him. Meanwhile, their son was being rather excessive. Since getting married, he had never spent a single night at home. Even Qu Hua's mother privately resented her son—he was the one who had insisted on marrying her, and now he was the one refusing to come home. Since he had married her, he ought to treat her well; otherwise, why get married at all?
Old Qu found his son's behavior even more absurd. If it were just because of Grandma's surgery, it might be understandable, but in all these days since the wedding, he hadn't spent more than three hours at home. Logically, it wasn't a father's place to interfere in his son's marital relations, but since Mu Jing's own parents were unreliable, he felt he had to step in and ensure she was treated fairly. His main purpose in going to the hospital was, of course, to visit his mother, but he also intended to lecture his son and insist that he come home that night.
Mu Jing rode to the hospital in the same car as her in-laws. Old Qu wanted to show the family's concern for their daughter-in-law but didn't know what else to ask, so he inquired about her work. Mu Jing replied that things were going smoothly, and the conversation ended there. Old Qu then brought up Fang Muyang. This time, Mu Jing agreed to the suggestion of having her brother come over, but only after Grandma's condition stabilized. Although her in-laws said it wouldn't interfere with caring for Grandma and offered to have someone bring her brother over if needed, Mu Jing insisted on going to pick him up herself later. She also asked what foods Grandma liked, saying she could learn to make them.
Qu Hua's parents naturally had no intention of treating Mu Jing as a cook and told her that her thoughtfulness was enough, and she should focus on her work. They both considered Mu Jing a filial child, even though she had cut ties with her own parents.
After visiting his mother, Old Qu issued a stern order to his son: no matter what, he had to come home that night.
Qu Hua's gaze shifted to Mu Jing, filled with suspicion and inquiry. So you want me home so badly that you brought my parents here to persuade me? He certainly didn't believe Mu Jing would go to such lengths. Mu Jing, feeling embarrassed, smiled at Qu Hua and said, "Mom and Dad are worried you're working too hard and want you to come home to rest." Every time she referred to her in-laws as "Mom and Dad," it required a great deal of mental effort; over the years, the words "Mom and Dad" had become unfamiliar to her.
She then turned to her in-laws and said, "It's not that Qu Hua doesn't want to rest; it's just that his patients can't do without him." Her words were full of defense for Qu Hua. Her father-in-law's insistence that Qu Hua come home was, of course, for her sake—in their eyes, she was the neglected bride, someone who needed parental intervention just to have a married life.
"You're too protective of him!"
Mu Jing was happy to live up to that assessment. She tugged on Qu Hua's sleeve and whispered to him, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I made you some buns. If you don't eat them soon, they won't taste as good."Only the two of them were in the office at the moment. Mu Jing watched Qu Hua eat the buns she had made, her mind wandering elsewhere. When Qu Hua looked up at her, it took her a moment to notice. To cover up her distraction, she smiled at him.
There was a hint of sycophancy in that smile—others might not have noticed, but she detected it herself. She knew this angle made her smile look its best, and she had subconsciously adjusted her posture when smiling at him. Qu Hua’s fingers reached out to caress her earlobe, but Mu Jing immediately turned her face away. "The door is open," she said.
She felt torn between trying to please Qu Hua and despising herself for it. Lowering her head, she asked him, "Are they edible?"
More than just edible—Mu Jing’s skill at making buns had genuinely surprised him. He asked her who had taught her the craft.
In truth, she had learned it from Granny Chen, the old nanny who used to work for her family. She had picked up many recipes from Granny Chen but had rarely put them into practice. When her younger brother grew a little older, Granny Chen returned to her hometown to retire. Though the family still needed her, they couldn’t very well ask her to keep working indefinitely, so they gave her a sum of money and sent her on her way. The nannies they hired afterward never quite matched Granny Chen’s cooking.
But she didn’t tell Qu Hua the whole truth. Mentioning a nanny carried a faint whiff of exploitation, even though the Qu family also had orderlies and drivers.
Mu Jing told him she had read a cookbook long ago and that this was her first time attempting the recipe. When she was alone, she had always found it too much trouble. There was an element of flattery in her words too—she wanted him to know she had gone to the effort of cooking for him.
As she spoke, Mu Jing didn’t look up to gauge his expression. She guessed Qu Hua would appreciate her saying this. He could look down on her; if she showed too much concern, he might even find her nagging or annoying. But she couldn’t afford to treat him lightly—if he noticed, it would offend him. His previous absence from home was likely due to this very reason. No matter how he viewed her, she had to maintain the appearance of holding him in high regard.
"If you like them, I’ll make them for you again next weekend," she offered. Making them on a weekday would be too troublesome, she added, "If you’re home on the weekend, I’ll make them for you then. Bringing them over never tastes as good as eating them fresh at home."
It was almost an invitation—after all, staying overnight was the only way to have breakfast at home.
The door wasn’t locked, and anyone could walk in at any moment. Qu Hua lifted his eyes to study his new wife. Mu Jing averted her gaze, her demeanor resembling shyness. Having resolved to win Qu Hua’s favor, Mu Jing knew how to handle him in public, but when they were alone, she grew uncertain, afraid of going too far and arousing his physical passion. Just then, Doctor Zhao from the same department entered. As soon as he stepped in and saw them, he tactfully turned to leave without closing the door. Before he could shut it, Mu Jing called out to him, asking if he needed something from Qu Hua.
Doctor Zhao, holding a cold bun bought from the cafeteria, replied understandingly, "It’s nothing, nothing. You two carry on."
"You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Come and have some," Mu Jing said. She had made too many buns and guessed Qu Hua wouldn’t be able to finish them all by himself.Doctor Zhao was the odd one out in the neurosurgery department, always grinning cheekily. Because of that smile, everyone from superiors to patients deeply distrusted him. In this regard, he was far inferior to Qu Hua, who had a face that naturally inspired patients' confidence. Doctor Zhao, accustomed to being easygoing, couldn't even fake seriousness convincingly. Though they were about the same age, colleagues called him "Little Xu," but they would never dream of calling Qu Hua "Little Qu." By the time Qu Hua had long been a chief surgeon, Doctor Zhao was still just a second assistant. Aside from performing necessary tasks in the operating room, he spent his time chatting to lighten the mood. One day, when the first assistant was feeling sluggish due to personal matters, Qu Hua directly assigned the first assistant's duties to Doctor Zhao. By the second half of the surgery, he even handed over parts that should have been his own to Doctor Zhao.
Doctor Zhao, always glib and mentally resilient, couldn't help asking at this point, "Am I up to it?" This was a surgery of great concern to the hospital leadership—not because it was particularly complex, but because the patient was a VIP. The patient had specifically requested Qu Hua to perform the surgery. If anything went wrong, both he and Qu Hua would be held accountable. Qu Hua couldn't be bothered to answer his question, not even glancing at him as he seamlessly transitioned into the surgery, directing him step by step.
It was the first time Doctor Zhao had been trusted so much, and by the department's top knife at that. To doubt himself further would seem like questioning Qu Hua's judgment. The suturing was done by Qu Hua. Watching him operate, one could not only sense technical precision but even feel that surgery was an art form.
The surgery was a success. The patient assumed Qu Hua had performed the entire procedure, and Qu Hua didn't deny it. Doctor Zhao naturally didn't rush to the patient to claim half the credit. On one hand, he knew Doctor Qu was fully capable of handling such a surgery alone, and letting him indulge in the thrill of operating was already a rare opportunity. On the other hand, he understood this type of patient all too well—if he mentioned he had done half the surgery, the patient might suddenly start feeling pain in the wound. The patient's satisfaction stemmed partly from the successful outcome and partly from the fact that it was Doctor Qu who had performed it, with no connection to him at all. Only after the patient had fully recovered and been discharged did Qu Hua explain the situation in the operating room that day to the hospital leadership. The leaders were struck with belated fear, inwardly marveling at the young man's audacity—if the surgery had failed, no one in the hospital could have borne the responsibility. As a disciplinary measure, they docked a month's bonus from him. But someone did benefit: from then on, Doctor Zhao no longer had to serve as a second assistant.
Qu Hua naturally didn't go to Doctor Zhao to boast about his role, but it wasn't hard for Doctor Zhao to figure it out on his own. By letting him participate in such a routine surgery for a VIP, Qu Hua had purely been creating an opportunity for him. No one in the entire department, or even the entire hospital, aside from Qu Hua, would have dared take such a risk. And Qu Hua's reason for doing so was simply that, with a surgeon's eye, he had recognized Doctor Zhao's potential as a chief surgeon.
However, most people lacked Qu Hua's level of insight and assumed Doctor Zhao had given Qu Hua some tangible benefit. There were even rumors that he had offered his young and beautiful sister to Qu Hua in exchange for taking such a huge risk—pure gossip, as he had no sister to begin with. He also found it strange: with Qu Hua's qualifications, there were plenty of people eager to marry him, so why had he remained single all these years?
It was only when Doctor Zhao saw Mu Jing's steamed buns that he understood—it was because Doctor Qu's standards were too high. He sought not only beauty, elegance, and education but also exceptional culinary skills.Doctor Zhao smiled at Qu Hua and said, "This was made for Senior Brother Qu, so I won't deprive him of such a treat." Despite his words, his eyes were fixed on the buns Mu Jing had made, praising the nearly translucent wrappers and the clearly visible filling.
Mu Jing insisted that he must try one, so Doctor Zhao had no choice but to accept. After taking a bite, he praised Mu Jing's skill to Qu Hua. While inwardly marveling at Senior Brother Qu's good fortune, he also felt sorry for him—married to such a wonderful person, yet having to spend every day tied up at the hospital. To show his gratitude, he offered to take over Qu Hua's night shifts for the next month.
Before Qu Hua could respond, Mu Jing said it wouldn't be appropriate.
Doctor Zhao replied, "I'm a bachelor with no family burdens—I actually enjoy staying at the hospital."
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