This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”Come and taste it. See if it’s the flavor you were talking about.”

Du Heng let go of his inner struggles and buried that thought deep in his heart.

”It smells great. Did it take long to make?” Du Heng casually sat down at the dining table and sniffed gently at the bowl.

Wu Shengnan sat across from Du Heng, her face full of anticipation, waiting for Du Heng to taste her cooking. ”It took almost two hours in total, and I’ve been keeping it on low heat while waiting for you, plus checking on it constantly. It’s been exhausting.”

His wife had clearly put a lot of effort into it, so Du Heng made sure to praise her with a heartfelt thank you.

He took a comfortable sip. Immediately, he felt a warm flow travel from his oral cavity, down his esophagus, and straight into his stomach. He couldn’t help but shudder as his whole body instantly warmed up.

”This is great stuff! It warms the body, nourishes the blood, and dispels the cold. In the Big winter, one sip is simply delightful.” Du Heng smacked his lips, quite satisfied. ”Honey, you should have some too.”

Wu Shengnan looked at Du Heng’s reaction and showed a satisfied expression. ”You just drink yours. When it was ready, I already had a bowl.”

”Then I won’t worry about you.” Du Heng picked up the mutton soup and had another sip. ”Honey, do you have cilantro? The gamey taste of the mutton still isn’t completely gone.”

Wu Shengnan smiled and got up to go to the kitchen. She then came out with a small bowl. ”I chopped it earlier, but I wasn’t sure how much to add, so I didn’t put it in.”

Du Heng added cilantro to the mutton soup, and suddenly, the flavor became even fresher.

Du Heng sipped and chatted with Wu Shengnan, ”How come you came home so early today? Not busy?”

”I was called to a meeting today. After the meeting, I saw it was getting late, so I came straight back.”

”There are more meetings at the end of the year. But do you guys in the Criminal Police Team also have so many meetings?”

Wu Shengnan gave a soft ’mhm,’ acting a bit absent-minded.

Du Heng sharply noticed this and took the initiative to ask, ”What’s going on? Something on your mind?”

Wu Shengnan hesitated for a moment but still nodded. ”Yeah, something came up at the meeting today.”

”Is it okay to talk about it? If it is, let me give you some advice,” Du Heng said casually.

Wu Shengnan thought for a moment, then leaned on the table and slowly said, ”The Department is holding a training class next year, and our department has given me the opportunity to attend.”

A training class at the Department? This is a great thing! After the training, her position and rank would change. This is much easier and quicker than grinding it out in a frontline workplace. However, opportunities like this usually have nothing to do with frontline Staff. It’s rare for them to even reach the provincial level; the quotas are usually filled long before that. Now that Wu Shengnan got the opportunity, well, that’s very good.

Du Heng didn’t show surprise about Wu Shengnan getting the spot but just smiled. ”That’s great. You should go; it will allow you to Take it Easy a bit. But how long is it for, three months or half a year? Can you be back in time to have the baby?”

Wu Shengnan pursed her lips. ”The preliminary plan sets aside one year for theoretical Studying and one year of practical training at the Department, then I return to my original post. It’s going to start in April.”

Du Heng slowed his sipping of the mutton soup, asking with some confusion, ”I understand when doctors get seconded to higher-level hospitals; after all, their experience, access to varied pathogens, and technical skills are all better than local ones. There’s a lot to learn. But I don’t quite understand this kind of attachment for your unit. Your Department doesn’t seem to investigate specific cases, right? So, what can you learn by being there? Looking at personnel files?”

Wu Shengnan shot Du Heng a sharp glance. ”While the Department doesn’t investigate cases directly, they supervise major cases Nationwide. We’ll participate as observers in these cases. The cases supervised by the Department are not like the ones I’m investigating now. Those are the truly challenging cases, and they’re Nationwide in scope. And also, judging by your tone, you seem to look down on looking at personnel files. But let me tell you, those personnel files are the most precious things, and those Materials are not something just anyone can access. Setting aside everything else, the broadening of one’s horizons alone is a considerable asset.”

Du Heng promptly put down the bowl in his hands.

That thought he had just suppressed, one he was reluctant to recall, suddenly became irrepressible, churning in his mind. When the mountains and rivers seem to have exhausted their reach, a new village appears amidst the hidden willows and blooming flowers.

Du Heng controlled his emotions and said softly, ”I don’t know much about your profession, so I was just asking. By the way, since there are so many benefits, what do you plan to do? Go or not go?”

Wu Shengnan placed one hand on her lower abdomen, gently rubbing it. ”This is indeed an opportunity. And now that I’m pregnant, it’s a good time to rest and do some Studying. However, the duration is a bit too long—two years.”

As Wu Shengnan spoke, her expression fell a bit. ”A few months would be bearable, but for two years, we would have to live apart. Moreover, the Child will be born by then. I can’t just send the Child back to you and not see him or her. I wouldn’t be able to stand that.”

Sighing gently, she said, ”Alas, I’ve thought it over and over, and I’m still thinking of giving up this opportunity.”

Du Heng hurriedly said, ”Don’t give up! Why would you give up? Besides, there’s no guarantee you’ll get another chance in the future. And even if you were given the opportunity again, would Everyone be okay with it?”

Wu Shengnan looked at Du Heng with surprise. ”You mean, you want me to go?”

”Of course! This is such a good opportunity, one that others couldn’t get even if they begged. Why would you give it up?” Du Heng said firmly. ”Go. You must go.”

”But it’s for two years! And our family of three would be separated. You might be able to bear it, but I can’t.” Wu Shengnan became unhappy when she saw how eager Du Heng was. ”And what do you mean by being so enthusiastic? Are you tired of me? Do you want to get rid of me?”

Seeing Wu Shengnan’s mood shift, Du Heng knew she had misunderstood. However, it’s normal for pregnant women to have emotional fluctuations, and it’s important to soothe them quickly. Otherwise, it would affect the mother’s mood and the Fetus’s development, and more importantly, provide fodder for future arguments between them. After all, when women argue, their favorite thing to do is dredge up the past.

Du Heng got up, walked over to Wu Shengnan, and gently put his arm around her. ”Don’t let your imagination run wild. That’s completely untrue.”

”Then why are you so enthusiastic?”

Du Heng took a deep breath. ”I have something to tell you as well.”

”Go on, tell me.” Wu Shengnan looked at him as if challenging him to spin a good tale.

Immediately, Du Heng recounted Lan Changhua’s invitation to Wu Shengnan. ”...basically, that’s how it is. I was worried about you and the Child, so I had already given up on the idea of going to the Capital. But unexpectedly, things turned out to be such a coincidence, completely dispelling all my concerns. We can go to the Capital together. I believe that in two years, I should be able to fulfill my wish, and then we can return together. Moreover, during these two years, you won’t have to worry about our family being separated. When we’re both busy, we can hire an Auntie to take care of the Child. Won’t that solve the problem?”

Wu Shengnan was initially pleased, but then asked worriedly, ”What if you don’t accomplish your goal?”

Du Heng took a deep breath, paused for a moment, then said slowly, ”We’ll see how it goes then. If it doesn’t take much more time, you and the Child can return first, and I’ll come back after another year or so. If it takes longer, then we’ll figure something out, see if we can arrange a transfer for your job.”

Upon hearing Du Heng’s last suggestion, Wu Shengnan jabbed him playfully. ”You think the Department is your family business? That you can just say ’transfer’ and it happens? Do you know how difficult it is to get a transfer to the Department?”