An'an looked at Chu Xia with a pair of watery eyes, shook her head, and instinctively felt that something was wrong.
"Then Mom will take you inside to take a look." Chu Xia smiles even more amiably.
Cen Zhengnian finally realized Chu Xia's purpose, turned his head to the side, and made a fist near his lips, blocking the smile that escaped from the corners of his mouth.
He cooperates with Chu Xia and says, "Yes, An'an goes in with Mom to have a look."
Cen Huai'an, unprepared, was led into the small clinic by Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian, each holding one of his hands.
The small clinic was extremely poorly equipped, with patients and doctors all in one room, without even a partition.
The waiting patients sat on a long, weathered bench, covering their mouths, watching the doctor use forceps and a dental drill inside the patients' mouths, making a buzzing sound.
When they heard the sound of the door, the doctor didn't even look up and said, "Dental checkup; sit there and wait in line."
Chu Xia didn't bring Cen Huai'an to sit down but instead pulled him closer to the doctor. Afraid that he wouldn't be able to see clearly, she turned her head to Cen Zhengnian and said, "You hold him up."
Cen Zhengnian did as he was told, with a knowing smile on his face, making sure that Cen Huai'an could clearly see the scene of the doctor working on the teeth as he picked him up.
An'an, did you see it? The doctor will do the same to your teeth later. First, they use that dental drill to drill on your teeth, drill, and drill. Don't worry; they will give you anesthesia, so it won't hurt; just feel a bit tingly. Then they'll open your mouth wide, like this, and put something on your teeth. Teeth that are fixed like this can last a long time if done well, but if not, they'll fall out quickly, and you'll have to get them fixed again."
"This isn't the scariest part. The scariest part is that if you don't take care of your teeth, they will deteriorate even more, and you'll be in excruciating pain, rolling on the ground, and you'll have to get your teeth pulled out. Do you know how that's done?"
Cen Huai'an feels like he has a bit of a toothache because of what Chu Xia said; his heart is jumping seven times, gulping, and a bit uneasy.
"How to pull it?"
Chu Xia smiles, "It's very simple. First, they break the bad tooth into pieces."
Just as Chu Xia said the first sentence, Cen Huai'an covered his mouth. She smiled even more gently, as if she didn't see Cen Huai'an's movements, and continued.
"Then, they clean out the broken bad tooth little by little, make an incision next to the tooth, and use a pair of pliers to grasp the tooth and pull it out. Usually, teeth don't come out all at once; it takes a while to clean them out. By the time they pull the tooth, the blood flows out from the patient's mouth..."
Cen Huai'an covered his mouth more tightly, as if he had seen the passage of his own tooth extraction, especially when the doctor in front of him happened to pull out a tooth, and so much blood flowed out of that patient's mouth.
He instantly couldn't hold it together and shook his head in panic: "Mom, I'll never eat more candy again!"
He doesn't want to continue to have bad teeth; he doesn't want to have his teeth pulled.
The fact that Cen Huai'an didn't cry from Chuxia's frightening description was already quite brave. Although he looked so scared that he was on the verge of tears, he still clenched his teeth tightly to endure it, his body tightly shrinking towards Cen Zhengnian's arms.
Chu Xia looked at his appearance, looked up, and met Cen Zhengnian's heartbroken eyes: Is it okay?
She is also heartbroken, but if she doesn't let Cen Huai'an know the consequences of tooth decay, she's afraid that he still won't take it to heart.
She nodded. "It's okay, let's go out."
Cen Zhengnian holds An'an and walks out; Chu Xia follows the two; the dentist notices their movement and tries to retain the guest. "What are you guys leaving for? No dental checkup?"
Chu Xia waved her hand, "No more; the kid is scared."
Walking out of the door of the small clinic, she instantly felt that her eyes had become brighter. Inside the clinic was dim and cramped, with stains on the floor and walls. Even Chu Xia, as a doctor, found it uncomfortable to be in that environment.
When Cen Huai'an comes into contact with the sunlight outside, he freezes and dully turns his head to look at Chu Xia. "Mom, am I not getting my teeth checked?"
Chu Xia rubs his head. "You are, but not here. The environment here is not good. I also forgot to tell you that when you get your teeth filled here, where the tools aren't sterilized thoroughly and the dentist doesn't pay attention to hygiene, it can infect people with diseases that can't be cured. It's especially scary!"
Cen Huai'an thought of the old man who died on the street with an unusually large stomach bulge. That was an incurable disease, right?
He hurriedly shook his head; he didn't want his stomach to get bigger, and he didn't want to be infected with the disease.
A toothache was hard enough; a stomach-bulging disease was even harder.
Cen Huai'an was scared and wilted. Chu Xia reached out and touched his growing hair. "Don't be afraid; Mom and Dad will take you to a clean hospital to get your teeth checked. Remember to take good care of your teeth and avoid eating too much candy in the future."
"Hmm." Now there is no need for Chu Xia to say more; Cen Huai'an is very well behaved.
That dark little room just now, and those horrible tools, the bleeding mouth and the teeth being pulled out. It wasn't until he was brought to the dental hospital by Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian that Cen Huai'an slowly forgot about it.
Liangzhou City is the capital city of the province and had a specialized dental hospital a long time ago. Although the house of the dental hospital was quite old, the environment was clean, and the doctors were very responsible.
The doctor who treated Cen Huai'an was a woman in her forties or fifties, and her smile was very kind.
After looking at his teeth, she said, "Oops, kids don't take good care of their teeth; they'll have cavities."
Cen Huai'an covered his teeth and was a little embarrassed.
"Should we fill his teeth?" The doctor asks Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian.
"Fill it."
The doctor started to operate, and the whole process is actually not as scary as Cen Huai'an thought; it doesn't hurt; it's just weird to keep propping up his mouth.
The doctor constantly chatted with Cen Huai'an and made him feel at ease, so he didn't notice the passage of time. Before he knew it, his teeth had been filled, primarily because the cavity was small and it was in the early stages of decay. Thus, the procedure was relatively quick.
As they left, Cen Huai'an looked back at the clean room and found it hard to believe.
Although he no longer found the dental filling procedure frightening, he couldn't forget the scene of tooth extraction at the small clinic. From that day on, he resolved to take good care of his teeth.
Cen Zhengnian held Cen Huai'an, and with Chu Xia by his side, the three of them left the dental hospital. Since it was still early, Chu Xia said to Cen Zhengnian, "Let's make another visit to the city hospital."
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Cen Zhengnian instantly tenses up, his brow furrowed. "There are also regular doctors at the dental hospital; let's go back and take a look now."
Chu Xia usually doesn't look fine, and sometimes she feels tired after a few more steps. Cen Zhengnian has already noticed that she's not in good health in the past few days since he's been home.
He saw her and An'an taking Chinese medicine and also asked about it; she told him that she could only nurse slowly. Later, when he saw that she did not have any other problems other than getting tired easily, he was slowly relieved.
However, he had always paid attention to her body, so as soon as he heard that she was going to the hospital, he assumed that she was not feeling well somewhere.
"Nah. It's time for An'an and I to have a follow-up appointment, so it's a good time to let the doctor take a look." Chu Xia smiles and interrupts Cen Zhengnian, signaling that he doesn't need to be so nervous.
Cen Zhengnian sighs in relief and asks Chu Xia while walking, "How's the doctor you're seeing?"
In his head, he thinks about whether Liangzhou has any very powerful doctors that he knows. Both Chu Xia and An'an are not in good health, so they should still get a doctor to take another look.
"It can be. It's an old Chinese doctor with good medical skills. This month or so, An'an and I have toned up pretty well. If you came back a month or so ago, I'm afraid you would have been so scared that you would have taken us to the hospital right away."
While Chu Xia said it jokingly, Cen Zhengnian was thinking about that scene; his brows were slightly furrowed, and his complexion was tinged with heartache.
"I ......"
Chu Xia knows what he is thinking when she sees his complexion, waving her hand and saying, "This matter has nothing to do with you."
It's true that Cen Zhengnian didn't do his duty to An'an and his family, but the reason for the original owner's and An'an's bodies is mainly caused by the original owner and her mother; there's no need for him to blame himself for this.
Li Guanzhong still remembers Chu Xia and Cen Huai'an; just by looking at their faces, he knows if the patient is listening seriously.
However, he still took the pulse of the two and adjusted the prescription: "Continue taking the medicine. The child is recovering well, and perhaps he won't need the medicine soon. But you, your foundation is severely damaged; you need a long time to recuperate."
Cen Zhengnian sniffed, his whole face serious as hell, his brows furrowed tightly. "Doctor, where is the problem with her body? Can she recover?"
His tone is careful when he asks, and his worried gaze falls on Chu Xia. He is truly afraid that Chu Xia's body can't be well nourished.
"Can! As long as you listen to me, take your medication on time, and eat well, a year will be almost enough, and it will take even less time to nourish it well."
Cen Zhengnian hears the doctor's assurance; his frowning brows slowly loosen. He tells Chu Xia to wait, and he goes to get medicine for her and An'an.
On the way back, Cen Zhengnian wants to speak. There are many questions he wants to ask, but he doesn't know how to open his mouth.
After entering the house, Cen Huai'an goes to play Go; Chu Xia sits in a chair, ready to read; and Cen Zhengnian stands by her side. His tall figure was impossible to ignore.
Chu Xia can't read the book anymore, so she puts down the book and asks him directly, "If you have something to say, just say it."
Cen Zhengnian wants to ask her about her and An'an's past days.
But those days, he knew from the neighbors, asking again would expose his wife's wounds, he opened his mouth and closed it.
After a while, Cen Zhengnian opened his mouth, his tone somewhat obscure: "Do you blame me?"
Blaming him for marrying her but not taking care of her and An'an, blaming him for not being able to return home all this time and not being able to give her and An'an company.
"I don't blame you."
Cen Zhengnian immediately looks up, the grayness in his eyes fading a bit.
Since Chu Xia wasn't the original owner of this body, there was no point in blaming him. Moreover, even if she did blame someone, what difference would it make? She's this way now, and Cen Zhengnian still has to go back to his work.
Besides, she is quite happy now. Cen Zhengnian had a good income, had few worries, and was responsible. Besides not being able to be there all the time, she couldn't find any fault in him.
"Don't think too much; I can understand your work."
With just this one sentence, Cen Zhengnian felt his heart beating uncontrollably.
He suddenly stands up straight, and his voice becomes even more difficult: "Chu Xia, thank you."
Chu Xia doesn't know what he's brainstorming again, but it shouldn't be bad for her. She smiles, gives a "hmmm," and lowers her head to continue reading.
With Cen Zhengnian, a free and excellent tutor, she could ask him for help with difficult physics and math problems.
The examination papers sent over by her grandfather in the capital have a lot of difficult questions, and sometimes when Chu Xia is stuck, she will ask Cen Zhengnian, and he will enlighten her with a little bit of guidance, which will speed up her learning process a lot.
In the afternoon, Cen Huai'an went to learn to play Go, and Cen Zhengnian sent him there. When he came back, he and Cen Zhengnian talked more.
Although Cen Zhengnian wasn't an expert in Go, he had learned the basics when he was young because his grandfather excelled at it.
He dropped it later due to the unfavorable circumstances.
Cen Huai'an was also a beginner, so the two of them had a lot more to talk about, and sometimes the two of them would even play against each other at night.
Win or lose, it was about even.
On Monday, Chu Xia took advantage of the afternoon off work to go to the school, sending the papers she had done in the past few days and picking up other papers along the way.
The results of the monthly exams have also come out, and when the homeroom teacher sees Chu Xia, her expression is as serious as ever, without a hint of a smile.
She pushes her glasses and hands over a piece of paper. "The results of your monthly exam; see for yourself."
Thinking that she didn't do well, Chu Xia immediately looks down to see the report card and finds that she scored the third place in the class—498 points.
This score is quite high. Compared to her transfer exam results, there is progress, especially in her Chinese and politics, where the progress is most obvious.
Chu Xia breathes a sigh of relief; this score is within her expectations. The higher her score got, the more challenging it was to improve further, so she focused on raising her grades in political science, Chinese, and physics, with biology and math requiring further effort.
Seeing that Chu Xia didn't show any pride, the class teacher nodded. "Although your grades have improved, I think your potential hasn't been fully realized yet. You still have room for improvement; you can't slack off!"
Chu Xia: "I know, teacher."
Her form teacher didn't provide any further instructions and simply asked her to leave the completed papers and collect the new ones before she left.
***
With Cen Zhengnian around, Chu Xia is a lot more relaxed; sometimes when she comes back, the vegetables have already been bought and cut, the clothes have been washed, and he's done more than half of the housework at home.
Cen Huai'an even complained to Chu Xia, saying that he didn't have any work to do and couldn't earn his little red flowers.
He is very distressed about the lost little red flowers because he finished reading the comic book "Journey to the West". He wants to read the next book, and the little red flowers are not enough to redeem.
Chu Xia doesn't give the word on this matter, and Cen Zhengnian doesn't buy it for him. He counts his money several times a day, but he doesn't have the money to buy it.
Today, he also counted the money. Chu Xia whispered to Cen Zhengnian, "Today An'an will put the money back after counting, believe it?"
She looked like she had taken An'an's wry look. Cen Zhengnian nodded with a smile in his eyes. "Believe it."
Sure enough, Cen Huai'an finished counting the money, touched the money and hesitated for a while, didn't take a cent, and closed the box again.
Chu Xia raises an eyebrow at Cen Zhengnian. The smile on Cen Zhengnian's face deepens, and he can't help but touch her head.
"It's still you who understand him."
Chu Xia only felt a heat on the top of her head; she froze. Apart from her grandfather, no one had ever touched her head in such an intimate way.
Chu Xia suddenly felt her face heat up, as no one, except her grandfather, had ever touched her so affectionately. It was strange to experience that from an adult male, and her heart skipped a beat.
"What's wrong?" Cen Zhengnian notices her daze, and Chu Xia immediately returns to her senses and shakes her head. "Nothing; it's just that I suddenly thought of how to do a physics problem."
Cen Zhengnian's lips curled up. "If you work hard like this, you will definitely get into university."
When sleeping at night, Chu Xia accidentally touched Cen Zhengnian's hand when she was covering Cen Huai'an's blanket, and when Chu Xia wanted to quickly withdraw her hand, Cen Zhengnian held her hand.
Chu Xia was shocked and wanted to pull it out, but then she heard Cen Zhengnian speak, "Chu Xia, have you thought about which university you'd like to attend?"