Chapter 049: One dares to ask, the other dares to answer.

Qin Hongfei was in a good mood—Tang Jinnan could tell, otherwise she wouldn’t have smiled at him. He mused silently and offered her a faint smile in return. “This is what I promised you,” he said.

A promise must be kept. Besides, after years spent busy with research, doing such ordinary household chores was a novel experience for him.

Qin Hongfei liked men who understood the way things worked. She went to the bathroom to wash her hands, but as she passed Tang Jinnan, she suddenly found herself unable to move forward—her wrist was gently caught. Tang Jinnan had noticed, as she approached, that her right hand hung limply at her side. His professional instinct immediately told him, “Did you overexert your right hand?” It was not a question, but an assertion.

Qin Hongfei looked down at his hand holding hers, raised it slightly in indication—talk if you must, but don’t touch me, brother. She didn’t like strangers invading her personal space.

Tang Jinnan realized his mistake and stepped back, apologizing. Then he repeated, with certainty, “You’ve strained your right hand.”

Qin Hongfei glanced at the dining table, then replied, “No strain, just overused it a bit. It hurts, but it’s fine.” Even if Tang Jinnan hadn’t noticed, she had intended to ask him to take a look after dinner—his own concocted medicines worked well, proof of his considerable medical skill.

He had encountered many uncooperative patients, but among them, she was the first to be so brazenly defiant. “Let me take a look,” he said.

Qin Hongfei replied, “Alright, after we eat.”

She didn’t want Qin Mother or Qin Fei to know; they would surely make a fuss and worry.

Tang Jinnan saw her glance at her family and understood. He said, “Try not to use your right hand anymore.”

Qin Hongfei told him honestly, “That’s difficult.”

She wasn’t left-handed; whatever she did, she needed her right hand. Of course, she was mindful enough not to really let it become useless—living as a disabled person for the rest of her life wasn’t worth it. “But I’ll be careful,” she added.

Listen to that willful answer.

Tang Jinnan’s dark eyes lifted, meeting Qin Hongfei’s gaze. She always looked people directly in the eye when she spoke, never shying away, not even when their eyes met. She was somewhat like Qin Yan in that regard. He felt a hint of helplessness in his eyes, knowing he was dealing with a patient who was both opinionated and stubborn. Just then, Qin Fei clamored for dinner, and their conversation ended.

The meal was joyful—two relatives and two who were living under Qin Hongfei’s roof, all gathered happily.

Qin Mother’s cousin was named Xia Shangxu, a proper graduate student, twenty-five years old. His reputation among relatives wasn’t great, because he was bold—daring to do anything, go anywhere. Rumor had it he was trying his hand at business lately, which the family opposed, but he and Qin Mother, his elder cousin, got along surprisingly well and were close.

Qin Mother was straightforward about borrowing money. She spoke up, “Shangxu, do you have any money to lend me? I urgently need it.”

Xia Shangxu was easygoing with his elder cousin, eating as he replied, “Sis, what’s our relationship? Just say how much you need. I really do have some money on hand. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” He believed Qin Mother must be struggling and needed money for daily life—it was only right for a younger brother to help his sister.

Qin Mother immediately responded, delighted, “I need quite a bit—one hundred and fifty thousand.”

Xia Shangxu: “……”

A piece of braised pork suddenly stuck in his throat, neither up nor down.

He wanted to cough, but that would be embarrassing; if he didn’t, he would soon choke.

Qin Hongfei noticed and quietly handed him a glass of water.

Those two—one dared to ask, and the other dared to agree.