Li Man silently gazed at Huo Jian Sheng. It was the first time she had taken such a close and unabashed look at him. He had a handsome and resolute face with deep facial features and a high, straight nose.
As Huo Jian Sheng slept, he appeared less aloof than usual, and the contours of his features softened.
Li Man felt the warmth transmitted through her palm as Huo Jian Sheng held her hand. She inexplicably felt at ease, and her breathing unconsciously became gentle, afraid of waking him up.
Unbeknownst to her, Li Man fell into a deep sleep once again.
When she woke up again, she saw Chen XiaoHui.
A strange sense of loss surged within Li Man.
"You're awake."
Chen XiaoHui was delighted to see Li Man awake and approached her, asking, "How do you feel? Are you hungry? Would you like some water?"
Li Man nodded and struggled to say, "Thirsty!"
Chen XiaoHui quickly picked up the water cup on the bedside table and scooped some water with a spoon, bringing it to Li Man's lips.
Li Man took a few sips and stopped drinking.
Chen XiaoHui put down the cup and said, "Thank goodness Mr. Huo arrived in time last night, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do. I initially thought someone was jealous of our business, so they caused trouble. But later, I found out that those people were after you."
A hint of hatred flashed in Li Man's eyes. "It must be Huang De Han."
Chen XiaoHui nodded. "I think so too. I told the police the same thing. I don't know if they went to arrest him."
The police did go after Huang De Han, but he was lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak.
Huang De Han was severely injured, with his spleen removed due to excessive bleeding, two front teeth knocked out, and two broken ribs.
When the police asked him who had done this to him, he dared not say a word.
In the end, the police couldn't get any information from him and left.
"He's very clever and cautious. Unless they catch the person who attacked me and have them identify him, they won't be able to catch Huang De Han," Li Man said.
Chen XiaoHui fumed, "Every time we report to the police, they can't catch him. It's so frustrating!"
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble," Li Man said guiltily.
"Don't say that. It's not your fault. Don't think too much about it," Chen XiaoHui hurriedly comforted her.
Li Man sighed and said sorrowfully, "I'm injured like this, and I can't run the stall anymore."
"If you can't run it, take a break for a while. It's no big deal. I actually wanted to rest too. These past few days have been exhausting," Chen XiaoHui deliberately said so, hoping to make Li Man feel less sad.
But how could Li Man not see through it?
Now that they finally had some regular customers, if they closed for a few days, they would easily lose their customers.
After giving it some thought, Li Man said, "Then let's hire someone."
"Hire someone?"
"Yes, let's hire a barbecue chef. That way, we can have an easier time in the future."
Chen XiaoHui hesitated. "But what about you? Who will take care of you?"
"Just hire a caregiver for me. When I can get out of bed and move around, we won't need to hire anyone anymore. I can take care of myself."
"Well..." Chen XiaoHui was somewhat hesitant.
"Let's do it this way then. It would be such a waste to close down; we might lose customers easily," Chen XiaoHui thought Li Man made a valid point and agreed, "I'll go find a barbecue chef later."
"Great!"
They chatted for a while longer, and Chen XiaoHui fed Li Man some porridge before she left.
Before leaving, she arranged for a caregiver to take care of Li Man around the clock.
