Extra Chapter 1.2 - Sweet Osmanthus 桂花
While having dinner with the family, the conversation somehow turned to children. Originally, He Suye was just focusing on eating, but suddenly the elders asked, “Suye, when are you and Xifan planning to have a child? You’re not getting any younger.”
He choked on a bite of food, barely swallowing it, and awkwardly smiled. “We’re both busy. We haven’t thought about it yet.”
Grandpa He laughed. “You say that, but having a child makes a family complete. Just look at your cousin’s family, they’re so happy, and He Shouzheng is so smart and charming.”
He Shouzheng smiled brightly. “If Uncle has a child, I’ll finally get to be the older one. It’ll be great!”
It wasn’t that He Suye hadn’t thought about children; it was that Shen Xifan had always been against having a child too early. While he did value family, his work was incredibly busy. Before transferring to the military hospital, he was either in surgery or working overtime. Even when he was trying to sleep, he would be woken up by emergency calls. For this reason, he hadn’t been too eager to have a child.
Now that they had settled down, it was time to consider it. He planned to talk to her about it soon. If she didn’t want to, then so be it—these things were best left to happen naturally.
On the way home, it started to rain lightly. Due to traffic, it took him much longer than usual to get home.
Looking up from downstairs, the lights in the house were already on. The warm yellow light spilling from the windows made him feel at ease. Just like always, he knew she was waiting for him.
When he opened the door, the faint scent of alcohol greeted him. He frowned slightly; it seemed Shen Xifan had drunk quite a bit.
However, the living room light was on, but no one was around. He called out a few times with no response. When he opened the bedroom door, he found Shen Xifan sitting dazedly on the bed, her head resting against the closet, smiling faintly.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, her face had a seductive flush, and a flirtatious gleam appeared in her eyes. Seeing him enter, she pouted and sweetly said, “Hubby, put this outfit on for me and show me.”
He took a look and was surprised. “Military uniform? What do you want to wear it for?”
“Because I want you to!” Shen Xifan squinted her eyes. “I’ve never seen you in it. Why don’t you have to wear it at the hospital anymore?”
He took the uniform from her and explained, “Only the directors wear it, or sometimes the interns. Now, the military hospital has many external hires, and some aren’t even in the field.”
After changing into the uniform, he picked up the tie, but Shen Xifan stopped him. “This tie doesn’t match the military uniform. I’ll buy you a deep blue one next time. I saw a nice VERSACE one when I was out shopping. At the time, I thought it wouldn’t match, but now I think it would be perfect with this.”
He Suye smiled. “Are you done? Can I change out of it now? But, can I ask why you suddenly wanted me to wear a military uniform?”
“Today, I heard that men look the best in uniforms, and it reminded me of Dad. He looked so handsome in a military uniform—he was so charming back then.” She stood on the bed, leaned closer to He Suye’s face, and breathed out a seductive, faint scent of wine. “I didn’t expect you to look even more handsome. You were already so alluring, and now—heh.”
He Suye smiled as their eyes met. “You’re overpraising me, wife. Can I—”
Before he could finish, she suddenly kissed him gently, her lips filled with the taste of wine, intoxicating. They were so close, the rapid breathing and movements of their bodies creating a storm of passion. The kiss became an intense and beautiful battle.
But suddenly, He Suye remembered something important. Gasping, he asked, “Today…”
Her eyes glinted in the light, silently enticing him, and Shen Xifan smiled, sweet and mischievous. “Forget it. Whatever happens, happens naturally…”
He couldn’t help but smile inwardly. Alright, he would just let it happen naturally.
It felt as though the golden sunlight was dancing before his eyes. He Suye couldn’t help but open his eyes. He propped himself up to check the time on his watch. The person beside him stirred a little, then squinted and lazily asked, “What time is it?”
“It’s still early. Aren’t you off work today? Go back to sleep for a while.”
Shen Xifan snuggled deeper into the pillow, pulled the blanket tighter, and mumbled sleepily, “I’m tired…” and fell back into a deep sleep.
He gazed at her tenderly for a while, unable to resist kissing the corner of her lips before getting up to make breakfast.
Osmanthus honey dumplings—though not the season for it—was a luxurious treat for the morning, and he couldn’t help but enjoy it by himself.
He left a bowl in the microwave with a note for her and returned to the bedroom to get the military uniform.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Shen Xifan had unexpectedly taken the initiative the night before. Fortunately, in the final moments, they both still had enough sanity not to ruin the uniform.
After folding the uniform neatly and packing it in a bag, he suddenly remembered the receipt Shen Xifan had asked him to get for her cousin. He had to go back to the bedroom to gently wake her up. “Where’s the receipt? Your cousin’s been asking about it.”
Still half-asleep, she mumbled, “It’s in my wallet. Go get it yourself.”
Her wallet was full of cards, and after searching for a while, he finally found the receipt wedged between two credit cards. As he carefully pulled it out, a photo slipped out with it.
He picked it up and couldn’t help but chuckle. It was an old photo of him wearing the work ID badge from his previous hospital—the one she teased him about calling “unphotogenic.”
That contradictory little girl—if it was so unflattering, why did she carry it around with her, not even telling him? Secretly hiding it away.
If she had said so earlier, he would have made sure to pick the best one for her to carry around, just like he always carried the most beautiful photo of her in his wallet.
He sighed, deciding to keep this one for now.
The second batch of photos were for the military doctors, all in olive green uniforms. Several of the nurses gushed, “So handsome! Men really look best in uniforms!”
After finishing his own shoot, the photographer pointed to one of the pictures on the computer and asked, “Dr. He, should we use this one?”
He smiled and said, “Let’s use that one. Can you privately send me this one?”
The photographer was puzzled, wondering if his aesthetic judgment was being questioned, and quickly asked, “I think this one looks better than that one.”
He politely smiled again, “Yes, that’s why we’re using that one.”
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He opened it to find a message from Shen Xifan: “He Suye, did you see a one-inch photo when you took the receipt today?”
He decided to tease her, “What photo? I didn’t see anything.”
Soon, another message came through. He could already imagine how anxious she must be, “Oh no, did some flirtatious woman steal it yesterday, or did it get lost? Are you sure you didn’t see it?”
“What photo? Is it important?”
“Of course it’s important, it’s your photo! Oh no—”
He chuckled to himself and reassured her, “I’ll give you another one when I get back. Our hospital is taking new work photos.”
“Remember to keep the best one for me. Use the less good one for the work photo.”
He smiled and put on his white coat. Just as he was about to reply to her message, another one came in—
“Come home early tonight, I’ll make osmanthus lily lotus seed soup. Remember to come back early!”
“Got it, I’ll definitely come back.”
He took a detour to the inpatient department, crossing a patch of green land. The fragrant osmanthus scent wafted over to him. He looked up and saw tiny petals falling like raindrops, gently drifting down. The osmanthus trees were blooming in clusters, all at the same time, filling the air with fragrance.
He reached out to catch the delicate petals, his heart full of anticipation for the next flowering season. Perhaps by then, he would have his complete family—just the three of them.
