At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 74: A place where I need my wife's help~

Old Hu's words were blunt. Su Wanwan stood on the threshold of the outer room, her face turning red to the roots of her ears. She didn't know whether to go in or back, and she twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

Bai Rongbei lay on the narrow bed in the inner room and glanced at the doorway.

The yellow glow of the kerosene lamp blurred the lines of his profile, but Su Wanwan still noticed him frown.

"Dr. Hu," Bai Rongbei said, coming to Su Wanwan's rescue, "Don't tease her. Just let her wait in the outer room."

Old Hu was taking a needle case out of an old cloth bag hanging on the wall when he heard this. He glanced at Bai Rongbei through his reading glasses, then looked at Su Wanwan, who was practically fuming with embarrassment at the door, and chuckled, his voice still booming: "Alright, alright, you young people are so shy. Girl, come in and sit on that little stool in the outer room. Put down the curtain on the inner room, okay? My room is drafty, so the door can't be left open."

This at least offered a way out.

Su Wanwan quickly hummed in agreement, lowered her head, and strode in, sitting down on the creaking little bamboo stool against the wall.

The inner and outer rooms were separated by an old blue cloth curtain, the lower half of which had been washed until it was white and had some holes.

Old Hu said no more. He held a few thin silver needles in his hand and heated them over the flame of the kerosene lamp, gesturing for Bai Rongbei to pull his pants down.

The curtain blocked the view, but it couldn't block the sound.

Old Hu was indeed a loudmouth; he muttered as he moved, and every word clearly reached Su Wanwan's ears.

"Let me see... Wow, kid, this new injury of yours is no small matter."

Old Hu's voice was somewhat grave. "There's a lot of subcutaneous bruising, it's all blue and purple, and the swelling is terrible. If it had been a little more off-center, or if the force had been a little stronger, you would have been in serious trouble. Who did this? Was it a training injury?"

Su Wanwan's heart leaped into her throat, and her fingers clenched tightly.

She knew her kick was powerful, but she didn't expect it to cause Bai Rongbei such great harm.

There was a two-second silence in the inner room before Bai Rongbei's flat reply came: "No. It was an accident."

"An accident?" Old Hu seemed a little skeptical, but he didn't press the matter. He just muttered, "Your luck... But then again, it was a lucky break."

"What?" Bai Rongbei asked.

"I'm talking about your old injury!" Old Hu's voice rose a little higher, with a tone that was hard to tell whether it was surprise or interest. "I just carefully felt the tendons around your old injury and took your pulse... It's strange, this new injury you just suffered caused a sudden shock to your blood and qi, plus your recent..."

He paused, as if considering his words, "...Well, anyway, it's like your old problem, the blocked meridians seem to have loosened up a little, and there's a bit more life in them!"

Su Wanwan held her breath in the outer room, her ears perked up.

Inside the inner room, Bai Rongbei seemed to immediately realize what was happening.

Su Wanwan's kick actually made her feel a little better.

Could this be considered a blessing in disguise?

Old Hu continued speaking, his hands probably applying acupuncture. Su Wanwan could hear a very faint "plop" sound as the needle entered flesh, and a muffled groan that Bai Rong suppressed but still managed to let out despite his extreme northern power.

"Your injury back then was a severe one to your perineum, damaging your meridians and causing blood and qi stagnation. Plus, the bullet grazed your spinal nerves, which shocked you, so you couldn't stand up. But you've taken good care of your physique these past few years, and your foundation is still intact."

As Old Hu inserted the needles, he spoke as if to himself, yet also as if analyzing the situation for Bai Rongbei, "The most important thing is that knot in your heart! What happened back then wasn't your fault at all! It was an accident, the enemy was too cunning! You've trapped yourself for so many years, overthinking, causing liver qi stagnation and poor blood circulation, so this problem won't get better! As long as you can't let go, your meridians will remain dead!"

What happened back then?

Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.

It's not as simple as being injured during a mission?

Are there other reasons?

She couldn't help but lean forward, wanting to hear more clearly.

"Dr. Hu." Bai Rongbei's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the old man's endless chatter.

The voice wasn't loud, even lower than before, but it carried a clear sense of dissuasion: "Let's not talk about the past."

Su Wanwan, standing outside the curtain, instinctively shrank back, her fingertips feeling a little cold.

The inner room fell silent immediately, with only the slight crackling of the kerosene lamp wick.

Several seconds later, Old Hu snorted somewhat sullenly, "Fine, I won't mention it! I can't be bothered with your troubles! Relax, this injection will only be effective if you get the qi right."

In the time that followed, Old Hu indeed did not mention those old stories again, only occasionally instructing Bai Rongbei on adjusting his breathing, or muttering a few words about acupoints and qi and blood.

But Su Wanwan's heart could no longer find peace.

She sat in the dimly lit outer room, listening to the occasional suppressed breathing sounds that belonged to Bai Rongbei coming from the inner room, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Although Old Hu didn't finish speaking, the information was enough for her to piece together a rough outline.

Bai Rongbei's injuries were not only physical, but perhaps more serious, psychological.

An "old story" that he considered to be his fault and that he was unwilling to mention.

So what exactly happened?

How serious was it that he would rather bear the stigma of "dying out of lineage" than tell anyone, and even his younger brother Bai Si'an might not know the whole story?

Su Wanwan kept trying to recall the plot of the book, but the description of Bai Rongbei's injury in the book was just a simple sentence: he was injured because of a mission, and there was no further description.

Thinking of these things, Su Wanwan felt a surge of intense curiosity mixed with a faint pang of heartache.

She wanted to know, to understand, what Bai Rongbei had gone through.

But... Bai Rongbei's interruption just now was cold and resolute.

He didn't want to talk about it.

This is perhaps the deepest scar in his heart, one that he won't even allow to reveal.

Su Wanwan sighed softly, feeling a tightness in her chest.

Never mind, if he doesn't want to talk about it, then let's not ask.

Everyone has a corner they don't want to touch. Forcibly revealing it might not be out of concern, but rather out of harm.

Perhaps all she can do is stay with him like this, and within the limits he allows, treat him well.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Old Hu's voice, slightly louder, came from inside, carrying a hint of relief at finally completing a task: "Alright! Leave the needles in for fifteen minutes. All this commotion today, although the new wound is very painful, might actually be a turning point for your old ailment!"

He paused, his voice still loud and clear, clearly forgetting or completely ignoring the eavesdroppers, "Now that there are signs of improvement in your condition, we can't delay any longer. From now on, come to me every three days—no, every two days—for acupuncture and herbal medicine. Stick with it for a month or so and see how it goes! As for your wife…"

He suddenly steered the conversation towards Su Wanwan, causing her heart, which had just calmed down, to skip a beat again.

"Isn't your wife right here? Listen up, girl!"

Old Hu shouted towards the curtain, "When you get back, you have to make sure he takes his medicine. As his wife, you need to pay close attention! Every night before bed, use the techniques I taught you to massage his lower back and abdomen, focusing on these acupoints to promote blood circulation! Don't use too much force; keep it warm and gentle. Be consistent! Got it?"

Su Wanwan's face flushed red again. Even through the curtain, she could almost see Old Hu's mischievous yet earnest eyes.

She opened her mouth, then answered softly, "Okay."