Although the question was beyond his expertise, the doctor paused and then said, "Well...gaining weight depends on a.s.similation of nutrition. Therefore, a good digestion system is essential, about which I can ask the most authoritative professor in the hospital to give you detailed explanation."
"Forget it," Gu Nianbin waved his hand and glanced at Du Xiaoxian, "Do you mean all she need is good rest? Will there be any sequelae?"
"According to the result of examination, Miss Du should be fine." The doctor was sweating in his palm seeing the boss so attentive to his maid. Should there be any problem with the little maid in the future, he might be fired any minute. He thought about it twice and added, "However, it"s not for sure. Further observation is still necessary. If Miss Du feels uncomfortable, please come to the hospital as soon as possible."
"Set up a special medical record for her and pay regular follow-up visits."
"OK, President. If there"s nothing else, I will get to it right now."
Gu Nianbin nodded. The doctor was greatly relieved and walked out immediately. He"d rather do an eight-hour operation than cope with the big boss. His awe-inspiring aura made the doctor"s palms sweat for just a few minutes" conversation.
After the doctor left, Gu Nianbin asked Ling to get something for lunch, and called Xiaoding to pick him up later in the afternoon.
When everyone was gone, Gu Nianbin sat down at the bed and looked at Du Xiaoxian whose head was wrapped with white bandage. He asked in a gentle voice, "Does it still hurt?"
Du Xiaoxian shook her head and turned her eyes away. Although the young master was kind and she liked him, she felt nervous when staying alone with him and had no courage to look up at him.
"You are brave." Gu Nianbin praised her.
Du Xiaoxian blushed and whispered, "Ling said I overestimated myself."
"She"s not wrong about that," Gu Nianbin raised his hand as if reaching out to caress her head, but he held it for a second in the air, finally gave her a light touch on the head. "It"s very dangerous and you are not allowed to do so in the future. Do you hear me?"
Du Xiaoxian nodded. She must obey the young master. He was so nice to her. He came to see her personally, asked the doctor about her situation and talked to her gently.
"Do you want anything to eat?" Gu Nianbin looked at her hands, which were tiny but rough, not like a little girl"s hand at all.
Noticing that he was watching her hands, Du Xiaoxian slowly hid them behind herself. Her hands were work-worn, with cracks, calluses and coa.r.s.e skin. Compared with those of Ling and Lanzhi, her hands were really ugly.
As she didn"t answer, Gu Nianbin asked again, "What would you like to eat?"
"Ling was out to buy lunch. Anything will do, sir."
Gu Nianbin scratched his eyebrow with his little finger, "Anything else? Such as fruits and snacks?"
Du Xiaoxian frowned, for she had never eaten any fruits or snacks before. There were no such things in her hometown, and when the servants of Gu"s family had fruits together, she walked away deliberately. Fruits were not staple food and there would be no harm if she didn"t take any. Besides, if she didn"t eat her share, sister Ling and others could have more.
Gu Nianbin waited for a long time to hear her whisper, "Sir, I don"t need anything else."
Being afraid that she was standing on ceremony, Gu Nianbin said, "You have made great contributions today. I want to reward you. You can ask for anything you want. You can"t say no."
Du Xiaoxian kept silent for a while and then spoke with embarra.s.sment, "I... I don"t know what tastes good."
Gu Nianbin then realized that she didn"t have any chance to eat tasty things in the remote countryside. She could only barely fill her belly. Those things were just wild wishes.
He called Xiaoding and asked him to buy some fruits and snacks. He felt a little bit regretful for not bringing anything for her. How could he visit a patient with empty hands?
The room became quiet again after the phone call. Gu Nianbin usually didn"t talk much, but now he wanted to say something. Looking at her thin shoulders, he said, "You are too skinny. You should eat more."
Du Xiaoxian gave a shy smile, "I was born this way like my mother. No matter how much I eat, I just won"t get fat."
This was the first time she mentioned her mother. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you like your mother or father?"
"My aunt said that I looked like my mother." Du Xiaoxian looked at him and said proudly, "She also said that my mother was the most beautiful woman in the village."
It meant that she was also beautiful. Gu Nianbin was amused by her words and looked at her with a smile, which made her lower her head shyly. Her long eyelashes fluttered like wings, covering the light in her eyes. Her soft hair hung down loosely on her shoulders, shimmering. Compared with the time she first came, her hair had become darker.
After a bit of silence, Gu Nianbin uttered, "You are beautiful, too."
Du Xiaoxian"s head was even lower, and her heart was beating wildly, not because of fear but some inexplicable and unsettled feeling. She was told that only a man with evil intention would praise her beauty and she should stay away from such guys. But it was the young master who was so kind to her. How could he harbor any bad intention to her?
"My mother was the real beauty," Du Xiaoxian felt that she must say something to break the silence, "Although I was only six years old when she pa.s.sed away, I did remember her appearance. She had long dark hair, big eyes and cherry lips like a fairy. My aunt said she was a golden phoenix, but didn"t find a phoenix tree to land." She sighed softly, but then smiled, "It"s alright though. My mom was a kind person. My aunt said that a kind person will be reincarnated into a good family and live happily in the next life."
Gu Nianbin had thought she was motherless, but still felt a p.r.i.c.k in his heart when hearing it from her mouth. Losing her mother at the age of six and without a considerate father, she had grown up all by herself. He could never imagine how she came through all these years.
"After your mom pa.s.sed away and your father left home, did you have any relative to look after you?"
"I could already live on my own when my mom pa.s.sed away. A neighboring aunt was kind to me. She often took care of me and supported me to go to school. She also found me the job to work here."
"She must be a kind person."
"Yes! So I must repay her. My mom taught me that a hand given at emergencies deserved great return. Only in this way can you have a good conscience."
She spoke those sophisticated words with a childish face. Gu Nianbin found it interesting and thus teased her, "How will you repay her?"
Du Xiaoxian thought for a moment and replied, "To buy her food, clothes and lots of things. And... I will take care of her when she grows old..."
At this time, Xiaoding knocked on the door and came in with two big plastic bags. Gu Nianbin asked him to put things on the bedside table and said to Du Xiaoxian, "I don"t know what you like to eat. So I asked him to bring you these things. Open it and see if there is anything you like."
Du Xiaoxian hesitantly opened a bag full of fruits, including red grapes, bananas, pears, plums… She couldn"t help sniffing the fruity scent, blinked her eyes and opened the other bag. This one was full of chocolates, potato chips, preserved plums, soda biscuits, pistachio nuts and sunflower seeds…She was dazzled.
"Are...are these all for me?" Du Xiaoxian asked with a silly look.
"Of course." Gu Nianbin smiled at her.
She had never received so many tasty things and therefore had no clue what to do. A little bit dizzy and at a loss for a moment, she then grabbed a handful of snacks and put them on Gu Nianbin"s hand, "I can"t eat so much. Sir, take some please." She also grabbed some more and put them into Xiaoding"s hand, "Please have some too."
Xiaoding looked dumb at the snacks stuffed into his hand. Before he came to himself, Gu Nianbin took a glance of him and asked, "Why are you still here?" His voice was slightly cold.
"Oh, I am leaving and will pick you up later." Xiaoding put the snacks on the table and walked out at once. "Did I disturb them?" He was startled by this idea. The young master and Du Xiaoxian? Impossible! Du Xiaoxian was injured for the sake of the master and the young master came to thank her. He was thinking too much.
Du Xiaoxian wanted to get up and gave the snacks to Xiaoding, but Gu Nianbin stopped her, "It"s fine. He doesn"t like these things." He put snacks in his hand on the table too.
"Do you dislike these either, sir?" Du Xiaoxian looked at the snacks and asked. She couldn"t believe that somebody could refuse such delicious things.
Gu Nianbin took a piece of chocolate, opened it and handed over to her, "This is what girls like to eat. Men don"t eat these."
Du Xiaoxian chewed the chocolate slowly. Her mouth was filled with aromatic and smooth sweetness. It tasted good, but…
Seeing her frown, Gu Nianbin asked, "How about it? Don"t you like the taste?"
"It is tasty," Du Xiaoxian rubbed her fingers and smiled timidly, "but a little bit bitter."
Only she could say something such contradictory. Gu Nianbin couldn"t help laughing and stroking her hair, "Silly little girl, so was chocolate."
Du Xiaoxian wasn"t aware of the intimacy in his behavior. She was fascinated by the young master"s smile. He looked so handsome when he smiled. With a relaxed expression, he was not cold and serious anymore and made her feel warm like the sun in winter.
Gu Nianbin felt strange being stared by her like this, "Is there anything on my face?"
"You are really handsome." She marveled softly.
This was the second time she said he was handsome. His heart missed a beat. He had never met a girl who would flatter him so straightly, unless she had a crush on him. This was obviously not the case with Du Xiaoxian. She was simple-minded and was used to say what she thought. In the morning, she said she wanted to do something in return to his kindness. It would be totally different if another girl said that.
Doing business for so many years, Gu Nianbin had been used to sophisticates and hypocrites. A girl as simple and naïve as Du Xiaoxian was novel to him, and thus aroused his interest.