"Your legs can heal enough for you to stand, but it will take a year or so because there are still toxins in your body.
"They're eroding your nerves and meridians. Some of your meridians are severely damaged, so the most important thing right now is to clear out the toxins."
Gu Jiaojiao drew his blood for another test, then set up an IV with a detoxification agent, an anti-inflammatory… four bags hanging at once.
Su Shuochi was dumbfounded. His previous IV drips had been literal "dangling bottles."
But the Immortal's IV setup was much more refined. Even the stand was so advanced.
"I'm sleepy, so I'm going to take a nap. Keep an eye on the medicine, and when it runs out, wake me up to remove the needle."
"Teach me how to remove it myself," Su Shuochi said, his eyes fixed intently on Gu Jiaojiao.
"Okay."
Gu Jiaojiao took out cotton swabs and antiseptic from her space, teaching Su Shuochi how to remove the needle and handle the aftercare.
She then placed a bottle of a certain popular energy drink and a package of bread on the table beside the bed.
The table was also from her space. Gu Jiaojiao had put it in there specifically, thinking she would use it as a temporary desk for her volunteer medical work in Africa.
After setting everything up, she naturally climbed into bed and lay down on the inner side. She thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but she was out the moment her head hit the pillow.
Su Shuochi listened to the steady breathing of his new little wife beside him, knowing she was asleep.
With the hand that didn't have the IV, he traced the delicate lines of her eyebrows and eyes. 'Please don't just ascend to the heavens whenever you feel like it.'
'You're the one who came for me first. Even if you flee to the highest heavens or the deepest hell, I'll chase after you and never let go.'
「The next day, with the sun high in the sky, Gu Jiaojiao finally stirred awake.」
The moment she opened her eyes, she was met with a face, up close and personal. Though his stubble had grown wild, it didn't detract from his looks; instead, it gave him a ruggedly handsome appeal.
But her happiness didn't last a second before she was so angry she could have coughed up blood.
"Jiaojiao~ I was worried you had ascended to the heavens~" The tough guy's concerned voice had a whining quality to it that gave her goosebumps.
"Su Shuochi, you—you're the one who ascended to the heavens!" Gu Jiaojiao let out a piercing shriek.
Damn it!
Who would be in a good mood after hearing the words "ascended to the heavens" first thing in the morning?
"I'd love to ascend. Would you take me with you?"
Gu Jiaojiao kicked out. "Get lost! I'm asking you one more time: how would you feel if someone asked if you'd ascended to the heavens?"
"I'd punch him. For us mortals, ascending to the heavens means dying," Su Shuochi said honestly.
"So you do know you're supposed to punch them! I'm going to beat you to death!" Gu Jiaojiao landed several more kicks.
She tried to use the opportunity to kick him out of bed, but alas, she didn't succeed.
"Jiaojiao, don't be angry. It was my fault. I won't say it again."
'My little wife is so angry… Could she really be human?'
But Su Shuochi didn't dare ask. After all, the two of them weren't that familiar with each other yet. There would be plenty of time to get to know her better later.
'I can't say that word 'ascend' anymore.' He was actually afraid, afraid that she might suddenly leave one day.
'I must just be this desperate because I want to heal my legs so badly. Yes, that's it. It must be.'
"Good that you know. I'm not a petty person, so I'll let it slide this time. But if there's a next time, I'll beat you senseless."
Gu Jiaojiao kicked him a few more times for good measure.
"Jiaojiao, does your foot hurt? Let me rub it for you." Su Shuochi shamelessly grabbed her foot and started to massage it.
Gu Jiaojiao: ...
'Yesterday he looked like he wanted to kill me, but now that he knows I can heal his legs, he's acting like a total sycophant.'
Although Gu Jiaojiao was extremely contemptuous of the man, she didn't mind someone so mercenary.
She had understood a principle since she was a child: you had to make others feel there was something to be gained from you.
Only then could a person be considered successful and loved by all.
Otherwise, if no benefit could be derived from you, why would anyone bother trying to curry your favor?
Even parents and relatives cared about benefits to some extent. It was best not to have any illusions about anyone.
'Don't think that you and the person in front of you are destined soulmates for life.'
'There's still a long road ahead. Even if things are sweet and tender now, you have to remember the daily grind that comes later.'
"Uh, did your parents not knock on the door this morning?" 'That doesn't make any sense.'
"My parents went to work, and Qin Chun went to school. You took marriage leave, so you don't have to go to school for the next week."
"So you're usually home alone?"
"Yeah, my parents come back at noon to make me lunch."
"In that case, can I conjure up some rice, flour, and other food and put it directly in the kitchen?"
"Conjure something up now. We'll eat and then go out for a bit. We need to make it look legitimate before we bring things back."
"What do you want to eat?"
"I don't know. I'll eat whatever you conjure up."
Having reached a mutual, unspoken understanding, the two happily ate breakfast together. There was soy milk, but no fried dough sticks.
Gu Jiaojiao took two bottles of soy milk and some whole wheat bread from her space. She knew men liked to eat meat.
So she took out a pig's trotter, two chicken legs, spicy dried fish, and pickled chicken feet.
Although the space didn't have the legendary spiritual spring water, it could still preserve things perfectly.
Time was frozen inside the space, and the supplies she had stored were more than enough for the Su family to eat for a lifetime.
Therefore, Gu Jiaojiao was very generous. As long as the man could eat it, she wouldn't hesitate to take it out for him.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gu Jiaojiao changed her clothes, and Su Shuochi shaved off his stubble.
Gu Jiaojiao pushed Su Shuochi out of the house. The couple was so good-looking that they turned heads everywhere they went.
But today, their head-turning rate felt like one hundred and fifty percent, and everyone was looking at her with pity.
Gu Jiaojiao didn't know why. She assumed it was because Su Shuochi hadn't been out in a long time, so she paid it no mind.
In every city, there was a large compound. The people who lived in the compound were the city's upper class.
It was said that the children from the compound and the children from the other alleys were two completely different groups.
Even among the compound children, there were different tiers. From her memories, Gu Jiaojiao knew about this particular compound in Qing City.
The eastern section was filled with three-story, pointed-roof villas made of blue brick. Adjacent, to the south, were two-story blue brick houses.
Although Su Shuochi was young, his position was quite high, so he lived in one of the two-story houses in the southern section.
Inside the compound, all facilities for daily life were readily available. The residents formed their own community and rarely interacted with the ordinary citizens in the alleys outside the walls.
The western and northern sections were single-story houses. Each compound was a fully functional, self-sufficient little society.
An auditorium, a sports field, communal bathrooms, a swimming pool, a club, shops, and even a hospital, post office, and savings bank.
A kindergarten, an elementary school, an attached middle school… they had everything.
They could obtain all the resources they needed for life and work without ever leaving the compound.
The original owner of this body's relationship with the neighbors was… a long story. It was no wonder the women in the compound gossiped so loudly about her.
But today, as she pushed Su Shuochi, not a single person came up to greet them, and there wasn't a whisper of gossip.
Knowing the way like the back of his hand, Su Shuochi led Gu Jiaojiao out of the compound and straight toward the black market in Qing City.
Gu Jiaojiao's space was only stocked with items from a large supermarket: oil, salt, various seasonings, rice, and cooked foods with a long shelf life.
She didn't have any raw meat of any kind. Su Shuochi also had a general idea of what kind of things his wife could conjure up.
The two of them discussed it and decided to sell rice first. After all, rice was scarce these days. Gu Jiaojiao took out two hundred and twenty pounds of rice from her space.