Jiang Si had gone to bed with a head full of odd little questions, yet she ended up sleeping soundly through the night.
She woke to the sound of the military’s reveille in the morning. By the time she finished freshening up, Huo Tingzhou had arrived.
The military hospital wasn’t far, and the two of them walked there in under ten minutes.
Since military regulations required pilots to undergo a physical examination every three months, Huo Tingzhou was quite familiar with the place.
Upon arrival, he first escorted Jiang Si to the second floor.
"Don’t be nervous once you go in. After your check-up, just wait for me in the lounge next door. I might take a bit longer."
"I packed some snacks for you in the bag, and here’s the water flask."
Jiang Si nodded and took the items.
On the way, Huo Tingzhou had already briefed her on the items covered in their premarital check-up.
Hers was relatively straightforward, unlike Huo Tingzhou’s, which involved several more tests.
"I understand. You can head upstairs now."
With that, Jiang Si knocked and entered the examination room, where she was greeted by a middle-aged physician in her fifties who introduced herself as Doctor Jiang.
"Hello, Doctor Jiang."
"Have a seat, no need to be nervous."
Doctor Jiang smiled and proceeded with the routine questions.
The only inquiry was whether Jiang Si or her family had any hereditary conditions—
such as mental illness, hemophilia, congenital deafness, and the like.
After Jiang Si answered truthfully, Doctor Jiang nodded, then measured her height, weight, blood pressure, and performed a basic cardiopulmonary assessment.
"Everything looks good, though you’re a bit on the thin side. You’re 168 cm tall, but your weight is just 98 pounds."
Doctor Jiang picked up a pen and wrote out a prescription slip. "I’ll issue you a note. Take this to the military commissary later and get two bags of milk powder. Remember to drink a cup each morning and evening."
Jiang Si accepted the slip but hadn’t even had time to thank her before Doctor Jiang moved on to the next step.
She switched to a pair of rubber gloves and sanitized them with alcohol.
Pointing to the foldable examination bed inside, she said, "Come, lie down there..."
Jiang Si: "..."
Though she’d known in advance that the examination would involve gynecology, and Doctor Jiang was a woman, lying there while someone inspected her down below still left Jiang Si feeling somewhat uneasy.
Fortunately, Doctor Jiang kept it brief—after all, young women were often shy about such things.
Next, Jiang Si followed the nurse’s instructions for an X-ray and an ultrasound.
The earlier procedures went smoothly, but the final step—blood draw—proved to be an ordeal.
Though her skin was fair, the veins on her hands were faint and unusually thin.
The young nurse tasked with drawing her blood had to repeatedly tap the back of her hand, but after much effort, the vein remained elusive, leaving Jiang Si’s hand reddened from the tapping.
In the end, the nurse resorted to tying a rubber tube around her arm. After several minutes of this, she finally located a suitable spot for the needle.
Yet, the first attempt missed the mark entirely, sending a sharp pain through Jiang Si’s hand that nearly brought tears to her eyes.
It was worth noting that in those days, blood draws used thick, reusable stainless steel needles—far more painful than even the sting of a skin test Jiang Si had experienced before.
"I’m so sorry, so sorry," the nurse stammered, on the verge of tears herself.
Just as she prepared to try again, an older nurse stepped in and took over.
This time, success—on the first try.
"All done. Hold this in place."
The nurse reminded Jiang Si to press down on the cotton ball and added, "The results should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Come back the morning after to collect the report."
Jiang Si nodded.
Her examination was now complete, but over in Huo Tingzhou’s section, a minor complication had arisen.
The one conducting Huo Tingzhou’s reproductive health check was Elder Liang, the most senior military physician in the hospital.
Noticing that Huo Tingzhou had been in the room for an unusually long time without emerging, Elder Liang frowned and knocked on the door.
"What’s the matter? Still not done?"
After a long pause, Huo Tingzhou’s slightly hoarse voice came from inside: "Not yet—"
"..." Elder Liang was stunned.
Most men finished in ten to twenty minutes, but this one had been in there for nearly an hour!
Could it be… this guy had never even touched a "gun" before?
The more Elder Liang thought about it, the more convinced he became. Left with no choice, he fetched a small booklet from his office and slipped it inside for Huo Tingzhou.
"I’ll give you another half hour. If you still can’t manage, try thinking about your fiancée. And if that doesn’t work..."
Well, if that didn’t work, there was nothing more he could do.
Whether it was Elder Liang’s advice or sheer willpower, Huo Tingzhou finally completed the task—after another grueling thirty minutes.
Just as he was about to head downstairs, Elder Liang called out to stop him.
She stuffed a few more packages into his hands. "Here, take these. They're already the largest size available, and there aren't any more—just these."
When Huo Tingzhou saw what was in his hands, his expression froze.
By the time they went downstairs, it was already past ten o'clock.
Huo Tingzhou hurried to the break room in quick strides. Jiang Si was leaning against the wall, resting with her eyes closed.
At the sound of footsteps, she lifted her eyelids slightly.
"How long have you been waiting? Did you eat anything from your bag?" Huo Tingzhou asked.
"Not too long."
Jiang Si handed him the water bottle and was about to say she had eaten a piece of sponge cake and two pieces of the chocolate he had brought.
But when she looked up, she noticed something was off about Huo Tingzhou.
Usually, his gaze never left her.
But now, from the moment he entered, his eyes remained downcast.
Even the tips of his ears were flushed a deep red.
His green military uniform was damp with sweat.
Even his voice sounded rougher and heavier than usual.
If she didn’t know him so well, Jiang Si might have suspected he had done something to betray her.
Just then, Doctor Jiang, who had just examined Jiang Si, walked in.
Spotting Huo Tingzhou, the doctor teased with a smile, "Regimental Commander Huo, your wife is too thin. Make sure she eats more when you get home."
Huo Tingzhou glanced at Jiang Si—she really did need to eat more.
"Thank you, Doctor Jiang."
"Alright, remember to come back early the day after tomorrow to get the report."
Huo Tingzhou took Doctor Jiang’s words to heart. As soon as they left the military hospital, he headed straight for the supply store.
Following the doctor’s advice, he bought milk powder and a few pounds of pork belly.
He planned to make her Hu City-style braised pork when they got back.
Since he, the one doing the cooking, didn’t mind the effort, Jiang Si naturally wouldn’t dampen his enthusiasm.
She was just a little worried—her storage space was packed with so many supplies, and letting them sit there unused felt like such a waste.
No, she had to come up with a solution soon—
