Chapter 294: 294
Translator: 549690339
Because the stationâs doctor stepped in and the ambulance promptly arrived, and the old manâs local family was contacted through his unlocked mobile phone, the young Dr. Zhou Yiqing didnât go to the hospital.
Today, he had a prearranged dinner at his eldersâ house, and looking at the time, he was already running late. He hurried out of the station and hailed a cab to his relativesâ place.
While in the car, he couldnât help but replay the scene of the heart surgeonâs intervention in his mind.
Although he wasnât from the same specialty, as a qualified medical university graduate with several years of experience, he had a basic understanding of heart-related issues.
Yet, he found the cardiac surgeonâs âprocedureâ puzzling. He saw him placing his hands on the patientâs chest, not in the standard chest compression gesture, and didnât notice any specific movements or strong pressures. How did the doctor manage to revive the patient by simply holding his hands there?
Were there some techniques he didnât see clearly or didnât understand?
Or perhaps the patientâs heartbeat recovered just as the doctor felt it, which prompted him to get up and leave?
But from his actions, he didnât seem to check the patientâs heartbeat or breathing in the usual way.
Besides, before he had made space for the heart surgeon, he had confirmed that the old manâs heartbeat, and breathing had not yet resumed.
Never mind, he should just go to the Cardiac Surgery Department at the Medical Universityâs affiliated hospital and consult the doctor in person.
It was a pity that he didnât get a clear look at the doctorâs face, nor did he ask for his name.
However, there arenât that many heart surgeons in one hospital. With a bit of effort, it shouldnât be too hard to find him.
On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, a time also referred to as âMini New Yearâs Eveâ, friends and family would visit each other and gather for a meal.
Xia Libingâs parents couldnât come back from abroad for the Spring Festival, but she wasnât entirely alone in Citong City.
Her third uncle and his wife were also in Citong City, and naturally, they would invite her over to their house around this time.
Xia Libing initially refused using the excuse that she had the night shift at the hospital. However, her aunt, who was the Deputy Dean of the hospital, pulled some strings, adjusted the shift schedule a little, and personally drove Xia Libing from the hospital to their home.
Her third uncle and aunt had a son and a daughter. The older one, a middle school girl, and the younger one, a boy in fourth-grade elementary school.
These kids were quite a handful; they were infamous for being rebellious in the entire Xia family. It was a big headache for their parents, especially the older girl, who was currently going through her rebellious phase, always contradicting her parents. Punishments, rebukes, or withholding pocket money seemed to have no effect on her. Just before the final exams, she even went and got a row of earrings, which made their aunt so livid, she accidentally injured her finger hitting the door frame.
However, these troublesome kids were unusually well-behaved in front of Xia Libing. They had been like this since they were toddlersâwhenever they saw Xia Libing, they would behave as timidly as mice confronted by a cat.
Even now, in Xia Libingâs presence, they acted obedient, not daring to cause a fuss. All traces of their rebelliousness and rambunctious behavior disappeared completely.
Of course, their aunt was extremely curious about this, but ever since they were young, she had asked both her children and Xia Libing about this, but never received an answer.
Since Xia Libingâs arrival in Citong City, her third aunt didnât miss any chance to invite her to live at their home, intending to âdisciplineâ her two unruly children. However, Xia Libing proved reluctant, preferring to rent a house near the hospital herself. While her aunt had a higher status being an elder and the hospitalâs official, she still found Xia Libing impossible to manage, even more elusive than her own children.
Today, she brought Xia Libing home for dinner without informing her children beforehand. The moment they saw Xia Libingâs tall figure following their mother into the house, the daughter who positioned herself as the âbossâ of the house, and the son whoâd get lost in his own world while playing mobile games, both dropped whatever they were doing, as if electrified. They ran over, respectfully greeted their cousin with a simple, âSister Bing.â
Xia Libing gave a casual nod, called their names, and sent them off to their own pursuits.
The third aunt watched the two suddenly obedient children with some envy, and for the umpteenth time asked Xia Libing, âLittle Bing, how did you manage to make my two âdemonsâ so afraid of you?â freÄwÄbηovel.cà«Šm
Xia Libingâs response was the same as before, âI scared them when they were young, left a shadow in their minds.â
âYou never did tell me how you scared them. If I could do it too, managing them wouldnât be such a hard task,â the third aunt said helplessly.
Xia Libing shook her head, âYou wouldnât be able to do it, and even if you could, it wouldnât work now.â
âCanât you educate them a bit, make them listen to me more?â her third aunt asked.
âI canât,â replied Xia Libing, shaking her head with an honest air.
While they were chatting, Xia Libingâs third uncle returned home.
The third uncle and aunt, both extremely busy people, went to the kitchen to start cooking. Though they were both able to cook, they rarely got the chance. They mostly had a housekeeper do it. The housekeeper had gone back home, thus they had to cook themselves for the time being.
Seeing the food was almost ready and no one called to eat, Xia Libing sat on the sofa and chatted. She guessed they must be waiting for someone else.
As expected, the doorbell rang at half-past six and a tall, handsome man entered with a beaming smile.
âUncle Xia, Aunt Shen!â The handsome man greeted Xia Libingâs third uncle and aunt enthusiastically, also saluting the two children and handing them gifts.
The children, in contrast, seemed much more familiar and close to this handsome man than they did to Xia Libing. freŃwebnoŃ”el.com
Third Aunt introduced the man as Zhou Yiqing to Xia Libing, explaining he was her former colleagueâs son, and that their families had been acquainted for years. After graduating from the Medical University, he was now working in a hospital in a major city. Heâd come back during his vacation. His family had almost no relatives left in town, so her third aunt was the closest relation he had.
By observing their expressions, attitudes, and conversations, Xia Libing was able to sense that her third aunt seemed to have intentions of introducing Zhou Yiqing to her as a potential love interest. Neither her third uncle nor Zhou Yiqing himself seemed aware of this.
Xia Libing continued her usual demeanor: observing carefully, speaking sparingly, and eating a lot.
However, once they started eating, she remembered Xiang Kunâs cooking â while her uncleâs and auntâs meals were just okay, using expensive ingredients and tasting nothing too special. Compared to the dishes cooked by Xiang Kun, there was indeed quite a gap in the eating experience.
Xia Libing recalled seeing a chat in the group chat where Xiang Kun mentioned that he was also returning today. Perhaps he had already arrived in Citong City.
During his stay, she should find the opportunity to mooch another meal⊠no, make it two meals from him, Xia Libing thought to herself.
At the dinner table, the third aunt was asking Zhou Yiqing if the roads were congested at this time to which the handsome young doctor responded, âThere werenât many cars on the road, so it wasnât congested. Though, I got caught up at the station because of an incident.â
He then proceeded to tell the story about how he had saved an elderly man who had fallen ill at the train station. During the rescue process, another person claiming to be a cardiothoracic surgeon from the Medical Universityâs affiliated hospital placed his hand on the elderly manâs chest for a moment which instantly revived the manâs heartbeat and breathing.
Aunt Shen was puzzled, âHis hand rested there, but he didnât perform CPR? That means your earlier CPR must have already helped the patient recover his heartbeat and breathing. He said he was a cardiac surgeon from the attached hospital of the Medical University? That should be either Old Qin or Old XieâŠâ
Just as she was talking, Aunt Shenâs daughter, Xia Nianqing suddenly shouted with her phone in hand, âBrother Yiqing is on Douyin (TikTok)!â
Aunt Shen was about to scold her daughter for using her phone at the dinner table, but hearing these words, she couldnât help but take the phone to look. Sure enough, she saw a short Douyin video about the incident that had previously occurred at Citong City Train Station. The title was âExtremely handsome doctor saves lives at the station, itâs simply too heart-wrenching!â
The video mainly focused on Zhou Yiqing, showing a portion of the process of him performing CPR on the elderly man, and after the manâs heartbeat was restored, everyone applauding, and the man being taken away by an ambulance was all edited together. The appearance and departure of the self-proclaimed cardiac surgeon were all cut out.
Xia Nianqing, a middle-school girl, already had positive feelings towards handsome Yiqing. When she saw this attractive rescue clip, she naturally had stars in her eyes. If her parents and Old Xia werenât at the dinner table, she wouldnât be able to resist shouting, âBrother Yiqing is so handsome.â
âIt hasnât even been an hour yet, and itâs already onlineâŠâ Zhou Yiqing was quite surprised as he looked at the video. He remembered something, picked up his own phone to search, and did indeed find a more complete video. A post on a local forum was also discussing the incident at the station, but the posted video included the back of the cardiac surgeon. Of course, the attention of the postâs original writer and other repliers wasnât on him. The most replies were still praising Zhou Yiqingâs good looks.
âSo handsome! And so kind-hearted! Plus, heâs a doctor! Heâs just my type!â ââ This was the highest rated reply.
âAWSL!â ââ This was the second highest rated reply.
Zhou Yiqing didnât pay attention to the flattering replies, he only paused at the clip with the âcardiac surgeonââs back and showed it to Xia Libingâs Aunt Shen, âAunt Shen, look, this is the doctor.â
Even though the person had his hood up and his face couldnât be seen clearly, but just a look at that tall and sturdy back, Aunt Shen immediately shook her head, âItâs not Old Qin or Old Xie, theyâre not that big, could it be a new doctor in their cardiac surgery department?â
Having been quiet all along, Xia Libing, who initially wasnât interested in this matter, happened to glance at the paused video clip when Zhou Yiqing was showing it to Aunt Shen. However, she was immediately attracted by the familiar figure in the clip.
Is it Xiang Kun? ââ This was her first thought.
Despite the figure wearing a hoodie, Xia Libing had studied many video clips related to Xiang Kun, and so she was very familiar with his back silhouette. Most importantly, Xiang Kun had worn that outerwear before. During the recent days at Tongshi Town, he had consistently worn this piece.
Xia Libing did not join the conversation but instead picked up her own phone. She searched for that post and looked at the video a few times on her own. After repeatedly observing the âcardiac surgeonââs movements, she was more than 95% certain ââ the self-proclaimed cardiac surgeon, who had mysteriously touched the old manâs chest and walked away, was Xiang Kun.
If that person was Xiang Kun, then Zhou Yiqingâs assumption was likely to be accurate ââ the elderly man was probably saved by Xiang Kun.
Though she didnât know how Xiang Kun had managed to do it, based on her understanding of him, in a situation concerning life and death, Xiang Kun wouldnât fake being a cardiac surgeon just for the sake of creating spectacle or playing pranks.
His impersonation of a cardiac surgeon was probably to gain the right to take over the rescue.
Thinking of this, Xia Libing sent a WeChat message to Xiang Kun: âHave you arrived at Citong now?â
âAlright, enough of the phones. Letâs eat, we should eat! The food is almost cold!â Seeing everyone flipping through their phones and discussing, Uncle Xia could finally hold on no longer.
After dinner, Zhou Yiqing stayed for a while, drinking tea and chatting, and but he didnât leave until nearly nine oâclock.
On the drive to send Xia Libing home, Aunt Shen asked with a smile, âWhat do you think? Yiqingâs quite handsome, right? I just confirmed a couple of days ago, he currently doesnât have a girlfriend.â
She then briefly introduced Zhou Yiqingâs situation. This tall and handsome young man was the son of a very good former colleague of hers. Over a decade ago, that colleague passed away. Aunt Shen had always taken care of Zhou Yiqing, especially after his fatherâs death, she provided him with a lot of help. He could be said to have been under her care since he was small and she knew him even better than Xia Libing.
After waiting for Aunt Shen to finish speaking, Xia Libing, her expression unchanged, said, âAunt Shen, I do not wish to get into a relationship or get married at the moment.â
Aunt San laughed, âYouâre also of a suitable age, Yiqing is two years older than you. You two are essentially peers, and both of you are doctors. There should be common topics between the two of you. A little chat would not hurt, itâs also good to be friends. Yiqing is a nice guy, and perhaps he will return to the province next yearâŠâ
Xia Libing said, âAunt San, have you discussed this matter with my parents?â
Aunt San was perplexed, âIndeed, I have not⊠But I believe your parents would be supportiveâŠâ
âYou can ask them to find out.â Xia Libing stated before getting off the car.
Watching Xia Libing enter the neighborhood where she rents her apartment, Aunt San picked up her phone in confusion and called Xia Libingâs mother. After exchanging simple pleasantries, she went straight to the main point, mentioning Dr. Zhou Yiqing coming for dinner today, her plan to matchmake Xia Libing with Zhou Yiqing, and she introduced Zhou Yiqingâs circumstances.
To her surprise, Xia Libingâs mother, after thanking her, gently said, âXiao Bing is still young, thereâs no rush to find her a boyfriend. Let her will be done, just let things flow naturally, hehe, naturallyâŠâ
After returning home with many questions in her mind, Aunt San brought her husband to the balcony and perplexedly relayed her conversation with Xia Libing and the call with Xia Libingâs mother.
âItâs a bit strange. Xiao Bing is not still in school. She has studied for a Masters twice and even started working. In a few more years, sheâll also be approaching thirty. How can they say âsheâs still youngâ? With Xiao Bing being their only child, technically speaking⊠they should be in a rush to have grandchildrenâŠâ
After listening to his wifeâs words, Xia Libingâs uncle pondered for a moment, then said, âSince Aunt Shen said so, she must have her reasons. They certainly understand Xiao Bing better than any of us. We should do as they say. As for Xiao Bingâs childhoodâŠnever mind, Iâm not entirely clear about it. Anyway, we donât need to worry about this matter. Given Xiao Bingâs situation, does she have to worry about finding a boyfriend at any time?â
Aunt San thought for a moment, nodding, âThat makes sense.â Similarly, Zhou Yiqing isnât someone who would worry about finding a girlfriend.
Meanwhile, across Citong City, Xiang Kun had just finished dinner with his parents.
At dinner, Xiangâs father enjoyed several cups of the wine Xiang Kun brought back, and now stared at the white porcelain bottle with satisfaction, commenting, âThereâs not a single word or trademark on this bottle, but it tastes aromatic, a fine liquor indeed. Where did you buy it?â
Xiang Kun laughed, âA friend gave it to me before I left, apparently you canât buy it anywhere.â
Tang Baona knew he was going home for the New Year today, so she and Yang Zhen Er visited him at the train station with two bottles of wine and some tea leaves, which supposedly came from her grandfather. She intended them as gifts for his parents.
The amount of items Yang Zhen Er sent for him to take was even more significant â most of the things in his bag were from herâ but not for him, they were for Old Xia.
On this trip home, he had only packed one set of clothes for himself, but the New Year clothes that Yang Zhen Er bought for Old Xia half-filled the bag.
After dinner, Xiang Kun chatted with his parents for a while before shouldering his bag and heading out.
He originally planned to give the items to Old Xia tomorrow, but during dinner, Old Xia asked if he had returned to Citong. After a short chat, they decided to meet after dinner and deliver the items directly.
Previously, Xiang Kun specially made a pair of âEmotional Infusionâ chopsticks with the emotions of Little Fatty Girl eating, and originally intended to send them to Old Xia by courier first. However, the SF Express courier told him that although they would still collect items during the Spring Festival, the delivery time might be affected and possibly delayed by one or two days.
If there might be a delay of one day, it would be better for Xiang Kun to carry them back himself.
If he handed the chopsticks to Old Xia tonight, and if his previous line of thought was correct that this âEmotional Infusionâ mode could resonate with Old Xia, perhaps it could trigger Old Xiaâs dreamland tonight.
After leaving the house, Xiang Kun originally planned to take a taxi directly to the place where Old Xia was staying. However, after letting her know in advance, Old Xia sent him the address of a coffee shop â she had just returned home to find that the whole neighborhood was experiencing a power outage. The electricity company was still investigating the issue, so she brought her laptop to a coffee shop to get some work done.