Chapter 50: Reminiscence

The pace of life in Kuake County was truly slow. Before ten o'clock in the morning, apart from a few restaurants run by Han Chinese, the rest remained closed. Especially in winter, one would rarely see any commerce before noon. Two weeks after Zhang Fan and his colleagues arrived, the city hospital notified them that they could take a two-day break. Old Li was thrilled and went off to do photography. He had a passion for taking pictures, carrying a camera and a tripod, and always sought out places with the fewest people.

Since there were no surgeries in the morning, Zhang Fan simply decided to go to the city to finish Li Xiao's treatment. Just as he was getting ready to drive back, Wang Yanan tagged along. "Are you heading back to the city?" she asked Zhang Fan. "Yes, I'll be back this afternoon."

"I'll go back too. There are no surgeries, and staying here is utterly boring." Anyway, they didn't officially belong to the county hospital, and Dong Hua had specifically asked Tang Jingjing to give Old Zou a heads-up. "Alright, did you let Director Li know?"

"I did, and he agreed."

They got in the car and set off. Wang Yanan wasn't particularly curious about Zhang Fan owning a car; her family background was decent, so cars weren't rare to her. What she found fascinating was that Zhang Fan knew how to drive. They had both just graduated from college, so why did he already know how to drive? She didn't ask where he got the car; instead, she kept asking relentlessly whether driving was hard to learn. Halfway through the journey, seeing that there weren't many cars on the road, Wang Yanan looked at Zhang Fan with an itch to try and said, "How about I give it a try? Just for ten minutes."

Zhang Fan ignored her completely. While there weren't many cars on the road from Kuake County to the city, Zhang Fan wasn't tired of living yet. This young woman had an aggressively masculine streak and loved being in control. "Stingy," she muttered. When Zhang Fan paid her no mind, she reclined her seat and dozed off with her eyes half-closed. In the distance were snow-capped mountains, a blue sky, and warm sunlight. If the girl in the seat had been a bit more gentle, the sense of happiness would have been overwhelming. When he first met Wang Yanan, he thought she was somewhat aloof, but once they grew familiar, he realized she was simply a man wearing a woman's skin—blunt as hell!

The car was relatively new, and Zhang Fan hadn't installed a CD player or anything like that. It wasn't that he didn't like music, but rather that it cost money. The road from Kuake County to Chasu City wound around mountains, and the radio didn't get much reception anyway. After dozing for a while, she actually drifted off to sleep. When they reached the city, Zhang Fan gently pushed Wang Yanan: "Wake up. Where are you going? I'll drop you off." Wang Yanan opened her eyes, glanced out the window, and said, "The Health Bureau's residential compound. Wake me up when we get there. I'm going to sleep a bit more."

As ill luck would have it, the moment Zhang Fan let Wang Yanan out of the car, her mother came out. Seeing her daughter stepping out of a car looking just awake from a nap, her mother flipped out. She grabbed the car door handle and asked Wang Yanan, "What is going on, Yanan? Didn't you go to the county?" With that, she glanced at Zhang Fan and demanded, "What on earth is the meaning of this?"

Unable to drive away, Zhang Fan simply got out of the car as well and greeted her mother politely, "Hello, Auntie. I'm Wang Yanan's colleague." Hearing that he was a colleague, her mother's expression relaxed considerably, and she asked again, "Where did you two go?" This time, the question was clearly directed at Zhang Fan. "Mom, this is my colleague. He had business in the city, so I came along. There aren't any patients down at the county anyway. Stop nagging and go back inside."

"Why the rush? Since you're right at the doorstep, invite him inside for a sit-down. Your dad, your uncle, and your eldest uncle are all chatting inside, and I was just about to go buy some groceries. What's the young man's name?" Her mother had a massive headache when it came to Wang Yanan. Not only did a grown young woman spend her entire day surrounded by men, but she was also this old and had never once had a boyfriend. While Wang Yanan wasn't in a hurry, her mother certainly was. She had introduced several prospective partners, but Wang Yanan refused to even meet them! Seeing this scene today, she assumed something was going on between Zhang Fan and her daughter, and immediately started probing for background information.

Hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Zhang Fan's back. It felt like a trial before a three-member tribunal. Wang Yanan, on the other hand, grew impatient. "Stop being so fussy. Hurry up and go inside, he has things to do." She pulled her mother away, but before leaving, she told Zhang Fan, "What time are you leaving this afternoon? Call me when you're ready to go."

Zhang Fan hurriedly drove away. It was too terrifying! Li Xiao hadn't gone out today either; she was at home doing the recovery exercises Zhang Fan had taught her. As soon as Zhang Fan stepped through the door, he saw Li Xiao wearing workout clothes and exercising in the spacious living room. Seeing Zhang Fan, a smile lit up her face. "Dr. Zhang, look at whether my form is correct. Over the past few days, I feel it's much easier to bend my waist than before. My whole body feels so much lighter."

"It's looking quite good. Sister Li, you must not rush; take it step by step, otherwise, you'll do more harm than good." Zhang Fan deliberately reminded her once more.

"Understood, I will definitely pay attention. Have a seat first while I tidy up. I didn't expect you to arrive so early today, and I'm covered in sweat. Let me take a quick shower, wait for me for a moment. Help yourself to some tea and cigarettes."

"Alright, don't mind me."

Li Xiao's assistant quickly poured tea for Zhang Fan, bringing over cigarettes and an ashtray as well. Zhang Fan half-rose from his seat and said to the assistant, "Thank you." The assistant didn't speak, just smiled at Zhang Fan. While performing the treatment, Li Xiao remarked, "Dr. Zhang, is this massage technique of yours going to be passed down only to men and not to women in the future?" Li Xiao's sister had taken her CT scans to the Capital Water Lily Hospital, and the specialists there had bluntly told her to undergo surgery immediately, or else major problems would ensue. After a few weeks under Zhang Fan's care, her lower back kept getting better and her symptoms had eased significantly, which made her realize just how formidable Zhang Fan truly was.

Without letting up in his movements, Zhang Fan replied, "Sister Li is joking." In truth, Li Xiao had already begun harboring thoughts about mastering this massage technique. After finishing the treatment, Li Xiao invited Zhang Fan to stay for a meal, but he declined. He ate some pilaf outside and then called Wang Yanan. When he went to pick her up, her mother was standing right beside her, treating Zhang Fan with extraordinary politeness and loading the car with all sorts of snacks.

These few days were counted as working at the county hospital, so they didn't need to report to the city hospital and could head straight back to Kuake County. However, the moment they entered the county hospital grounds, they saw Wang Sha walking toward them. Upon spotting Zhang Fan, Wang Sha quickened her pace and said, "Zhang Fan, long time no see. I have a small favor to ask, I wonder if you're busy right now and if it's convenient." She also nodded and greeted Wang Yanan.

Hearing this, Zhang Fan immediately knew it concerned Li Hui, and he bit the bullet and replied, "I'm not particularly busy. How have you been?" He had no desire to get entangled in their affairs; it was blatantly obvious that Li Hui had acted like Chen Shimei. Even judges were helpless in such matters, let alone him.

"I'm doing great, I'm getting married soon. You must definitely come when the time comes," she said with a bright smile. Hearing this, Zhang Fan muttered inwardly: they really did get engaged!

Wang Sha led Zhang Fan to the small two-story building where they used to live. The dormitory wasn't as empty as before; with more staff officially on the payroll, it was almost fully occupied. Entering Wang Sha's room, there was only a newly arrived young woman; the others had all gone to work. "I have a favor to ask of you. I have some things here, could you please hand them to Li Hui? It's inconvenient for me to go look for him myself, so I'm counting on you." It was a package, neither large nor small. As Zhang Fan wondered what could be inside, Wang Sha smiled at him and said, "It's nothing much, just some things he gave me in the past. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep them, but it's a pity to throw them away. Hand them over to him and let him deal with them."

As she spoke, she placed the package into Zhang Fan's hands. Zhang Fan noticed that Wang Sha's eyes were red as she fought back her tears. What she was handing to Zhang Fan wasn't merely objects, but seven or eight years of affection—the very best years of her youth were contained within that bundle. From then on, she and Li Hui would be strangers, not even worthy of being called friends. Wang Sha was exceptionally resolute; once she decided to let go, she did so cleanly without a shred of hesitation.

"Sorry to trouble you." Her voice carried a faint trace of crying. She was mourning her lost youth and affection.

"It's no trouble. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. You should get some rest." In his heart, Zhang Fan was cursing Li Hui thoroughly. The bastard's actions had left him feeling entirely awkward, as if he were the one who had abandoned someone else.