Looking at that familiar figure, Xu Ze hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn’t call out… He just smiled and watched that figure slowly walk forward in the sunlight…
“I’m back…” Xu Ze said with a smile into the phone, responding to the familiar voice coming from the other end.
Hospitals always have that unpleasant medicinal smell—it never changes. The only thing that changes is whether it’s strong or faint…
Lianyang County Central Hospital had developed quite well over the past few years. The newly built inpatient building was already one of the tallest buildings in the entire county.
Seeing this building, Xu Ze couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile, his heart filled with melancholy. If he hadn’t met Xiao Dao back then, perhaps in a year or two, he would have ended up in this building, making it his lifelong reliance…
That was the path he had been destined to take back then, but because of Xiao Dao’s appearance, its direction had completely changed…
Not only had he never expected this, but his father, when setting him on that path back then, probably never expected it either.
Lianyang County Central Hospital had always been the best hospital in the entire county. Back when Xu Ze entered Xingda University, it was only natural that he had chosen it as the place for his future work.
But now he had become just a passerby… Truly, the ways of the world are hard to predict… Xu Ze thought to himself.
Seeing Xu Ze looking thoughtful, Sun Lingfei beside him curiously reached out and gently brushed his cheek, then smiled and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xu Ze turned to look at Sun Lingfei beside him, took her small hand in his, and chuckled, “Do you know? I always thought I’d come work here after graduation…”
“Ah? Here?” Sun Lingfei looked at the building outside, then seemed to realize something and laughed, “I never thought I’d end up with you either…”
“Yeah… I never thought so either…” Xu Ze gently held Sun Lingfei’s slender fingers and stepped out of the car…
The distant cousin that his mother had mentioned was staying on the third floor of Lianyang Central Hospital. Since starting university, Xu Ze had been away, and it had been several years since he last saw this cousin. Xu Ze tried hard to recall, and finally remembered what his cousin looked like—though it was from several years ago. He should still be able to recognize him when they met later.
“Li Changgen… Neurology Department, Bed 35…” Xu Ze repeated his cousin’s name twice, then grabbed a fruit basket from the car and, with Sun Lingfei holding a bouquet of carnations, headed toward the building ahead…
Entering the inpatient building lobby through the side door, Xu Ze saw that both elevators were already packed with people waiting.
Xu Ze smiled lightly and said to Sun Lingfei, “Forget it… it’s only the third floor, let’s take the stairs!”
“Okay…” Sun Lingfei didn’t like squeezing into elevators with so many people either, so she nodded and followed Xu Ze toward the stairwell.
The stairwell was quite quiet. Xu Ze carried a fruit basket in his left hand and held Sun Lingfei’s small hand with his right, making his way up to the third floor.
The hospital’s central air conditioning was working quite well. When Xu Ze pushed open the wooden door of the third-floor stairwell, he felt a warm breeze carrying a faint medicinal smell rush toward him…
Smelling that faint medicinal scent, Sun Lingfei couldn’t help but sneeze, then looked at Xu Ze with a slightly embarrassed smile.
Xu Ze led Sun Lingfei down the hallway toward the patient rooms, checking the room numbers on both sides as they walked. Only when they reached the end of the corridor did they see the sign for Bed 35…
Xu Ze pushed open the door and discovered that it was actually a luxury suite. He couldn’t help but sigh softly. He had known that his cousin’s family was well-off, but he hadn’t expected them to be this wealthy—even staying in such a luxurious private room in the hospital. He estimated that such a suite would cost at least two or three hundred yuan a day in hospitalization fees.
The outer area looked like a small sitting room, and the inner area was where his cousin stayed. At that moment, a rather young voice was saying with considerable pride, “Aunt Gen… is this room comfortable enough? Ordinary people can’t get this room even with money. I had to call Director Jiang personally to get this—the best luxury room in the whole hospital…”
“Xiao Li, it’s all thanks to you…” Then a woman’s grateful voice followed, “Our Li Qiang is so lucky to have a friend like you…”
“Aunt Gen… don’t be so polite. Uncle Gen is sick, and Qiangzi and I are such good friends. I can’t help with other things, but this little favor is no problem at all…” Xiao Li laughed proudly, then added, “Qiangzi… wouldn’t you agree?”
“Exactly… Mom, don’t be so formal with Brother Li…” Another young man laughed from the side.
Hearing these voices, Xu Ze remembered what these people looked like—one was his cousin’s wife, and the other was his cousin Li Qiang. As for the other “Brother Li,” he wasn’t familiar with him. He then led Sun Lingfei inside.
Walking into the inner room, the people inside came into view. It was a fairly spacious room with a large bed in the middle. The bedding and everything else were newly purchased. Apart from a central oxygen supply tube by the headboard and an IV stand above the bed, it didn’t look like a hospital room at all.
His cousin Li Changgen, whom Xu Ze was somewhat familiar with, was lying on the bed with his eyes slightly closed. Three people were sitting by the bedside. The one in her forties or fifties wearing a fur coat was his cousin’s wife. Beside her, a young man in a black woolen coat was his cousin Li Qiang. As for the other young man in a black leather jacket, that must be this “Brother Li”…
When Xu Ze appeared at the door, the people in the room turned to look at the two of them. Upon seeing Xu Ze, the three were momentarily stunned. But the cousin’s wife in the fur coat quickly recovered, a smile appearing in her eyes as she stood up and said, “Oh my… isn’t this Xu Ze? All these years and I barely recognized you… Come, come in and sit…”
Hearing his cousin’s wife’s words, Li Qiang also recognized Xu Ze and quickly stood up with a smile, saying, “Xu Ze… sorry to make you come all this way. We really appreciate it…”
“Not at all… Uncle is sick, of course I had to come see him…” Xu Ze handed the fruit basket to his cousin’s wife while bringing Sun Lingfei in, then smiled and introduced, “Auntie… this is my girlfriend, Sun Lingfei…”
Sun Lingfei stepped forward and called out sweetly, “Auntie…”
The cousin’s wife looked at Sun Lingfei behind Xu Ze, and her eyes lit up. She smiled and said, “Oh my… our Xu Ze is so lucky, finding such a beautiful girlfriend…”
Seeing Xu Ze with his girlfriend and bringing fruit and flowers, Li Qiang quickly came over to take the fruit basket and the flowers Sun Lingfei had brought, saying with a smile, “Come… sit down, sit down…”
The room was quite large with plenty of chairs. After Xu Ze and Sun Lingfei sat down, Li Qiang smiled and introduced Xu Ze, “Xu Ze… this is Wang Li, Brother Li… he’s County Magistrate Wang’s son…”
“County Magistrate’s son?” Xu Ze was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected his cousin’s friend to have such connections. He nodded politely at Wang Li with a smile and said, “Hello, Young Master Wang…”
Li Qiang had introduced him so formally, yet Xu Ze had only casually greeted him. This made Li Qiang’s brow furrow slightly.
Meanwhile, Wang Li, seeing that Xu Ze had only casually greeted him without even standing up, flashed a hint of displeasure in his eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, and he nodded with an extremely polite smile, saying, “Xu Ze, is it… Hello, hello…”
Seeing Wang Li’s reaction, Li Qiang was surprised. He knew Brother Li’s temper—he was always arrogant and ignored most people. Just now, Xu Ze had only casually greeted him, yet Brother Li wasn’t displeased at all and had even responded with a smile. This was rather strange.
After greeting the county magistrate’s son, Xu Ze turned to look at his cousin on the bed, then smiled at his cousin’s wife and asked, “Is Uncle asleep?”
“Yes… he’s been asleep for a while. Unlike before… ah… now he can only avoid the headache when he’s asleep. Otherwise, he needs painkillers just to get some relief. Otherwise, he’s always complaining about the pain…” When it came to her husband, the cousin’s wife’s face turned gloomy…
“Oh… how long has he had these headaches?” Hearing his cousin’s wife’s words, Xu Ze was slightly puzzled. The headache disappearing during sleep but returning when awake—that was indeed rather strange. He asked with confusion.
“It’s been over a month…” Seeing Xu Ze’s question, the cousin’s wife didn’t dare be careless and quickly told him everything about her husband’s condition in detail.
This nephew of hers was apparently quite remarkable—still in medical school, yet the name “little miracle doctor” had spread throughout the entire Chentang area. It was said he was famous in several nearby towns as well… Many people had traveled a long way to Xingcheng to see him for treatment…
When that distant aunt-in-law had come to visit, she had proudly mentioned having Xu Ze take time to come back from Yanjing to take a look. At first, she hadn’t quite believed it. But in the past two days, friends who came to visit, seeing that Li Changgen had gone to Xingcheng for treatment with no results, all asked why they didn’t invite that little miracle doctor from the Xu family to take a look—aren’t you relatives after all…
Only then did she remember what that distant aunt-in-law had mentioned that day. She quickly asked about it in detail out of curiosity, and hearing everyone’s praise, she decided to give it a try. Yesterday, she had called that distant aunt-in-law of the Xu family again. Learning that Xu Ze would come today, she had finally set her mind at ease.
Now that Xu Ze was asking about the situation, she naturally quickly explained everything in detail, then had Li Qiang go borrow the medical records from the doctors for her nephew to see…
After hearing his cousin’s wife explain everything, Xu Ze frowned slightly. Put that way, it really was a strange illness…
