Finding Compensation

“Hmm, beef…” Ye Shuang looked at the beef hanging over the chopping block and thought for a moment.

“It’s very fresh. It was delivered early this morning,” the shop assistant said with a smile.

“Then I’ll take half a kilo of brisket. Please slice it for me. And could you slice this onion too? Oh, and make the slices a little thicker.”

As he spoke, Ye Shuang handed over the onion.

“Sure.”

“I’ll come back for it later.” After saying that, Ye Shuang pushed the cart to look at the ingredients in the other sections with Bai Yuyou.

However, while they were looking at the other ingredients, Ye Shuang noticed that Bai Yuyou seemed distracted. He asked, “What’s wrong, Yuyou?”

“Ye Shuang seems a little strange today,” Bai Yuyou said.

“Strange…?”

“Mm.” Bai Yuyou nodded.

Ye Shuang thought for a moment before asking, “In what way?”

“You rarely take the initiative to kiss me or touch me,” Bai Yuyou said.

Ye Shuang stared silently at Yuyou for several seconds before giving her an apologetic smile. “So that’s what it is… I see…”

“I’m sorry…”

In truth, Ye Shuang did not know what he was supposed to do. After all, when he woke up, he had somehow gained an unfamiliar “wife,” while his wife—whom he had originally been close to—now felt that his behavior was too “intimate.”

It seemed that everything he did was wrong.

He could not tell the difference anymore.

“I really can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t.” Ye Shuang pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself. He truly felt as though he could no longer distinguish reality from a dream.

If this continued, he would probably end up with a split personality.

“I’m not saying I dislike it, Ye Shuang.” Seeing the struggle in his eyes, Bai Yuyou took his hand. “I like it.”

“…”

Ye Shuang said nothing. He merely smiled and gently patted her on the head.

By the time they finished buying the ingredients, it was almost nine o’clock. Ye Shuang returned home carrying bags in both hands.

Yezi and Keke had just gotten up and were sitting in the living room. When they saw Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou carrying so many bags, they asked curiously, “That’s a lot of ingredients. Did you go grocery shopping?”

“Yeah. I’m going to make lunch early today. After I cook for you two, I have to go to the hospital,” Ye Shuang said.

“Big Brother’s cooking?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re going to cook for us and then take food to the hospital? That sounds like such a hassle. Doesn’t Sister Chen Qin’s room have a kitchen? We could go there ahead of time,” Keke suggested. That way, they could get to the hospital earlier, right?

“That works too…”

Ye Shuang had no objections. After all, Chen Qin’s hospital room had both a dining area and a kitchen. It was practically a small apartment, with all the basic amenities.

“Yezi, are you coming?” Ye Shuang remembered to ask his daughter as well.

“Yes! I want to see Mommy.” Yezi immediately raised her hand.

“Okay, then.”

Since Yezi was so eager, Ye Shuang took the girls and drove to the hospital. For breakfast, they decided to have steamed buns. The large barbecued-pork buns from the shop downstairs were delicious, and Ye Shuang and the others often bought them.

Chen Qin seemed to still be sleeping in. She had no idea that Ye Shuang and the others had arrived so early. When she heard the noise and sleepily opened her eyes, she noticed Little Yezi sitting beside the bed and looking at her, while Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were seated farther away.

“Ah… Yezi?” Chen Qin looked surprised. She then pressed the remote control, allowing her electronic hospital bed to slowly sit her upright.

“Mommy, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I’m feeling much better now.” Chen Qin shook her head. Then, noticing Keke and Bai Yuyou, she asked, “Where’s Ye?”

“He’s in the kitchen cooking.”

At that moment, Ye Shuang heard the voices and came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. When he saw Chen Qin, he smiled. “Oh, when we came in, you were still asleep, so we didn’t wake you.”

“It’s okay. I sleep all day anyway. I’ve practically grown mold from lying around so much.” Chen Qin laughed brightly. In particular, the moment she saw Ye Shuang, her mood improved considerably. “What delicious dishes are you making?”

“Just some home-style dishes you like.”

“Oh?”

While preparing lunch, Ye Shuang also cut up some fruit and placed it on the bedside table next to Chen Qin. “Here, have some fruit.”

“Okay~” But Chen Qin suddenly remembered that she needed to brush her teeth. “I’ll brush my teeth first.”

“You probably shouldn’t. It might pull at your wounds,” Ye Shuang said.

“I’ll be fine.” Chen Qin seemed almost insistent on brushing her teeth. Seeing this, Ye Shuang had no choice but to support her by the arm and help her to the bathroom.

However, he only held her arm instead of putting his arm around her waist.

“You’re not going to put your arm around my waist?” Chen Qin asked, as if she had noticed something.

Ye Shuang’s expression froze for a moment before he smiled. “I’m afraid of touching your wound.”

“It’s nowhere near there.”

“All right, then.”

Ye Shuang put his arm around Chen Qin’s waist. He felt strange inside, but he did not show it. He helped Chen Qin into the bathroom to wash up.

Afterward, Chen Qin did not return to bed. Instead, she sat on the sofa and chatted with Bai Yuyou and Keke.

Ye Shuang went back to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients. Watching him busy himself in the kitchen, Chen Qin looked at the other two girls and asked, “Is Ye doing better? Was there anything strange about him when he got home?”

“Nope,” Keke immediately replied. “But Big Brother said that his head is still a little muddled, so he needs some time to recover.”

Chen Qin nodded. “Mm, that’s true…”

Bai Yuyou did not say anything. She felt more or less the same as Keke did, and since Keke had already spoken, she simply shook her head to indicate that nothing was wrong.

“Ye said he’s already recovered a little, but he still felt like a stranger just now.” Chen Qin watched Ye Shuang’s back as he worked in the kitchen and spoke in a somewhat distant tone.

After all, she had been with Ye Shuang for so many years. How could she fail to notice that something was wrong?

However, since Ye Shuang himself had said that his memories had not fully returned, Chen Qin did not ask any further questions.

For her, that was enough. As long as Ye Shuang’s condition did not worsen and he could remain healthy, that was all she wanted.

Sometimes, Chen Qin did not ask for much.

She only wanted her husband to be safe and sound.

When lunchtime approached, Ye Shuang brought the dishes out and placed them on the dining table. Although the room was equipped with a kitchen, it was not particularly convenient for him to cook there. There were very few seasonings, and the stove’s flame was weak.

The medical staff probably had not expected anyone to actually cook in the room.

“Are there enough pairs of chopsticks?” Keke asked as she helped serve the rice. She did not forget to bring out the chopsticks, either.

“Five pairs.”

“Five pairs…”

“Make it six pairs, will you? I’m a person too, you know!” An Shiyu raised her hand from the corner of the dining table. “You need to count me in.”

“When did you show up?!” Keke froze.

“Wow, I’m a nurse here, you know. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to eat during my lunch break?”