Did That Doctor Successfully Remarry Today?
Chapter 40 - 39 Jiang An, Your Husband Is Here

Chapter 40: Chapter 39 Jiang An, Your Husband Is Here

Outside, the wind and rain are splendid, and the mountains and fields are all today. —— Zhang Ailing

Jiang An arrived early yesterday morning, the girl took the only long-distance bus that could reach the mountain. By the time she found the old Chinese doctor’s courtyard halfway up the mountain, it was already the afternoon.

Jiang An’s mother had been close friends with the old Chinese doctor’s wife. Upon hearing the reason for Jiang An’s visit, they immediately started preparing herbs for her. As the elderly lady took her hand and led her inside, she learned that Jiang An’s mother had passed away two months ago, and she couldn’t help but sigh: "Your mother had a hard life, taking care of you alone ever since your father passed away. I always told her to speak up if she needed anything, but she was so stubbornly strong-willed."

At this emotional moment, the old woman’s eyes were brimming with tears as she gently stroked the back of Jiang An’s hand, "Now that your mother has passed, don’t be a stranger. Let me know if you need anything. Though I’ve been living in these mountains for years, I can still offer you some help and company."

Jiang An responded gratefully to the consoling words of her mother’s friend. The old lady, curious about the purpose of her visit which was to seek a prescription for her grandmother, began to inquire interestedly. Jiang An simply mentioned it was for an elder and did not elaborate further, and the afternoon quickly passed with such exchanges.

As night fell along with the heavy rain, distant mountains sunk into a milky mist, and the torrential rain washed over the moss-covered stone paths, blending the hills and forests into the darkness of the night.

In the woods, the fragrances of flowers and earth swept through.

Seeing that the rain was not letting up, the old Chinese doctor and his wife had Jiang An stay over. The elderly couple, who lived alone, was delighted by the polite and obedient young girl. After dinner, Jiang An began discussing traditional Chinese medicine with the old doctor. Having studied Western medicine, she was fascinated by his unique insights into Chinese medicine.

While they were deep in conversation, the old woman walked in with a basin of foot-soaking water that seemed to contain some Chinese herbs. It smelled mild and pleasant. Jiang An asked curiously, and the old woman explained that the old doctor had chronic cold legs, and she had casually prepared some medicinal herbs to warm his legs. Jiang An was touched by the scene of the couple’s loving care for each other.

How could one not be moved by such a beautiful vision of growing old together?

"It’s getting late. Your room is all ready. You should rest now."

When Jiang An entered her room, she found that the old woman had already prepared the beddings. The girl removed her clothes and wrapped herself in the blanket, with the dim night outside the window filled with constant raindrops, lulling her to sleep.

She had not expected the rain to still be drizzling the next day with no signs of stopping. As the bus service was halted due to the heavy rain, Jiang An was stranded on the mountain and stayed another day at the old Chinese doctor’s home.

During the day, while learning to sew with the old woman, Shen Mei called to invite Jiang An to go shopping. When Shen Mei heard that Jiang An wasn’t around, she inquired, and Jiang An had to reveal the truth. Shen Mei, knowing that she had gone to the mountains specifically for her grandmother’s sake, became teary-eyed and after hanging up, she praised Jiang An to Gao Lin, who was nearby.

"Look at the blessings our family has earned through generations to have such a good daughter-in-law like Jiang An. She’s really a girl with a heart of gold."

Gao Lin, sitting on the sofa and putting down the newspaper, said coldly: "Call Gao Chuan to go pick up Anan."

After receiving Shen Mei’s message, Gao Chuan immediately drove onto the highway and rushed to pick up Jiang An. He took some detours due to the GPS navigation, and it was only when he reached the base of Nanshan that he found the path up was all stone steps, impassable by car. He had no choice but to take an umbrella and walk up the mountain on foot.

By then, the rain had become gentle, threading into continuous fine lines.

A man in a business suit and leather shoes held a black umbrella, stepping on the rain-soaked stone steps, imagining with every step how the petite Jiang An climbed up the mountain.

No one forced her to do anything, but she laid her heart bare for them to see.

The flurry of rain, like a haze of smoke, engulfed the distant mountains and the man’s upright silhouette as he walked up to the mountainside. In the dense fog, Gao Chuan finally saw the courtyard. The man stepped forward to knock on the wooden door, and soon an elderly woman with a kind face opened half of the door, surprised to see the drenched man outside.

"Sir, who are you?"

Gao Chuan stood still and said calmly, "I’m here to look for Jiang An."

At that moment, Jiang An was in another courtyard sorting out dried medicinal herbs with an old traditional Chinese doctor. The young girl squatted next to the old doctor, following his directions and identifying the names of the herbs one by one. She was delighted to have remembered a few of the herbs’ names when she was abruptly called by the elderly woman, "Jiang An, your husband has come."

The girl didn’t immediately grasp the meaning of "husband"; upon hearing this, she looked up and indeed saw a handsome man in a suit following the elderly woman, coming towards her, his stern face finally softening as he also saw Jiang An.

In the rainy environment, without waiting for the man’s imposing figure to draw closer, Jiang An stood up and rushed over. Gao Chuan, seeing the unharmed girl before him, breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang An stopped in front of him and noticed that he was almost completely soaked, a sparkle in her apricot eyes, yet her voice was shy, "Dr. Gao, why did you come?"

Although the one before her was the person she constantly thought of, seeing him still caused her to speak modestly, afraid to say much. Gao Chuan looked down at Jiang An’s deep eyes looking back at him. The confrontational words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, so he simply said, "I came to pick you up."

Seeing the awkwardness between them, the elderly woman smiled, took the old doctor, and walked away straight ahead, then turned back to tell them, "You two talk, you two talk."

When only the two of them were left in the narrow courtyard, Jiang An’s gaze lingered on Gao Chuan’s drenched form, her eyes full of pity, "Dr. Gao, you are all wet."

Gao Chuan lowered his gaze at his shirt clinging to his body, realizing that naturally, after such a long walk through the mountain roads, he had gotten soaked without minding much, "It’s okay. Why didn’t you answer your phone?"

"Ah, I left my phone inside the house." Jiang An replied honestly.

Gao Chuan, thinking about how anxious he had been while driving here, felt his concerns casually dismissed with her saying "I left my phone inside." His face was full of helplessness.

"Why didn’t you call me if you were stuck here?" Gao Chuan’s gaze shifted to the medicinal herbs spread across the courtyard, no wonder the smell of herbs greeted him as soon as he entered.

Jiang An fidgeted with her dress, "I was afraid of disturbing your work, and it was just staying here for a day until the weather cleared."

She always found excuses not to disturb Gao Chuan, making him feel like a husband in name only.

Caught off guard by Jiang An’s words, Gao Chuan was left speechless, but before he could respond, the girl had already run off, "Dr. Gao, I’ll go and see if there are any clothes for you to change into."

Somehow, Gao Chuan turned to catch Jiang An’s hand but failed to do so, only able to watch helplessly as she ran off, feeling a sense of loneliness.

He felt he could never truly grasp her.