【012 Playing Games】
The three of them went inside, where an old man was sorting through herbs. Although the exterior of the small cottage was built of the concrete typical of rural areas, the interior still retained its old-fashioned wooden style. The aged wooden table and chairs gave the place a distinctly vintage feel.
“Ah! You’re here,” the old doctor asked. “Are these your grandson and granddaughter?”
Grandma laughed. “My grandson and granddaughter-in-law. They heard I was ill and came back especially to see me.”
“Oh my. What a filial pair. Just look at him—a fine young man—and this young lady is a real looker too. But why do I feel she looks familiar?” The old doctor pondered for a moment. “Isn’t she Old Li’s daughter from next door?”
“No, they aren’t. My daughter-in-law is from Ningbo, not from around here. She’s a PhD student and a doctor at a major hospital!” Grandmother immediately launched into a spiel about how brilliant Zhuang Yiyi was. Zhuang Yiyi gave Chen Ding a discreet nudge with her elbow, signalling him to stop watching the show and to stop Grandmother from talking.
Chen Ding heeded his wife’s words and cut Grandmother off. The consultation began in earnest.
Zhuang Yiyi whispered to Chen Ding, “Was it you who told Grandma?” She felt as though her entire family history had been laid bare.
Chen Ding nodded slightly and leaned close to her ear, saying, “I wanted Grandma to get to know you better.”
Zhuang Yiyi turned her head away, saying nothing. Chen Ding took her hand, afraid she might be bored, and smiled as he shared some gossip with her.
Before the consultation was over, several other elderly people of Grandma’s age arrived. The four of them gathered together, vividly demonstrating what it means when older people engage in their characteristic chatter and gossip.
Having stepped away from the social circle, Zhuang Yiyi could hardly contain herself any longer. She whispered to Chen Ding, “I want to go back to use the bathroom. I don’t want to use the toilet in a stranger’s house.”
Chen Ding glanced at his grandmother, who was deep in lively conversation, and said, “I’ll take you back first.”
“No need. Just give me the car keys; I’ll come over later.”
Chen Ding stayed behind with his grandmother and her friends.
In the midst of the conversation, a young man walked in. He looked quite smart, but his hair was a complete mess.
The old doctor spotted him and teased with a laugh, “Have you been to Old Yang’s for a haircut again?”
The elderly ladies all burst out laughing at his hairstyle. The man felt a bit awkward under their mockery, but the old doctor eventually came to his rescue.
Amidst the clamour of everyone chipping in, my grandmother suddenly piped up, “Oh! Let Dingding give you a trim! Back in secondary school, Dingding used to stand in front of the mirror with a pair of scissors and cut his own hair—he was brilliant at it!”
The man glanced at Dingding, who had been sitting quietly to one side. “No, no, that’s fine. It’ll grow out.”
“Oh!” Grandma was very enthusiastic. “Dingding, go and give him a trim!”
Chen Ding stood up to save the man from the awkwardness, chuckling lightly as he said, “I’ll have a word with him.”
Chen Ding called the man out.
“Old people are just a bit over-enthusiastic; she didn’t mean anything by it,” Chen Ding explained with a smile. “Chen Ding. The grandson of the old lady who just offered to cut your hair.”
The man gave a good-natured laugh. “I know! Qian Zhang, Dr Qian’s grandson. Have you come back this time because your grandmother’s been injured?”
“That’s part of the reason.”
“Well, you really ought to come back more often. With just the two of them at home, it’s a bit lonely for the old folks.”
From a distance, Zhuang Yiyi spotted two men standing in front of the house.
One was familiar,
and the other was familiar too.
She stopped her car halfway up the road and rang Chen Ding. Chen Ding, who had also spotted the car from a distance and was walking towards it, received the call just then.
“What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with the car?”
“No. I suddenly remembered I might have left the keys in the ignition. I wanted to pop back and check, but… it’s a bit of a hassle to turn the car round here.”
Chen Ding laughed. “Right, I’ll be straight over.”
Chen Ding walked towards her, whilst Qian Zhang went inside the building.
Zhuang Yiyi got out of the car and waited for Chen Ding to turn the vehicle round.
After parking the car, Chen Ding stood beside Zhuang Yiyi. “Are you tired? Why not go home and rest? I’ll stay here with Grandma.”
“All right.”
Leaning back on the sofa, Zhuang Yiyi opened Qian Zhang’s WeChat Moments. She hardly ever looked at Moments, but two days earlier, Qian Zhang had posted a message saying he’d gone back to his hometown, along with a photo of him and his grandfather.
As Zhuang Yiyi scrolled past the photos, she noticed he’d shared a post from the Second Hospital’s WeChat official account. Leaning against the pillows, she fell into deep thought.
That evening, the grandmother suggested Chen Ding take Yiyi for a stroll in the nearby town, which was bustling with activity.
The lights were dazzling, and as it was the off-season, the crowds weren’t too thick; a gentle breeze blew. Hand in hand, the two wandered through the streets and alleys.
Chen Ding bumped into a classmate, and Zhuang Yiyi, feeling bored, spotted a shop specialising in local produce and went in on her own.
As she was browsing, someone called out to her in a puzzled voice, “Yiyi?”
Zhuang Yiyi turned around and saw someone who was both a surprise and yet not entirely unexpected. She said gently, “Long time no see.”
Qian Zhang was visibly moved as he approached. “You… I never expected to see you here. You’ve come all this way—why didn’t you come and find me?”
“Why should I have come to find you?”
Her calm reply left Qian Zhang at a loss for words. “You… it’s not safe for you to be here on your own. Where are you staying tonight? Why don’t you stay at my place?”
“No, thank you.”
Qian Zhang grabbed her arm. “When are you leaving? Let me treat you to a meal.”
Zhuang Yiyi replied, “No, thank you. I’m leaving tomorrow.” She took a couple of steps before asking, “Are you going to the Second Hospital?”
Qian Zhang said, “Yes. I’m reporting for duty there next week. Yiyi, why don’t you stay at my place after all? It’s not safe for you to be staying in a hotel on your own.”
“There are police.” Zhuang Yiyi stepped out of the shop. Chen Ding, who had just finished chatting with his friends, was also walking over. In the dim light, his smile was heartwarming. At least he was better-looking than Qian Zhang.
Zhuang Yiyi walked over to him and pulled him in the opposite direction.
That evening, Chen Ding wanted to play ‘Landlord’ with her again. Zhuang Yiyi said, “I’m not playing.”
“Well, is there anything else you fancy doing?”
“Going to sleep.”
Chen Ding raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting. Zhuang Yiyi knew he’d got the wrong idea. She said nothing; the more she tried to explain, the more awkward the situation became.
“Are you going to sleep? If not, I’m off to bed now.”
“I’m sleeping.” Chen Ding turned over and switched off the light.
Early the next morning, the two drove back to Hangzhou. Before they left, Grandma stuffed them with all sorts of local specialities and insisted on giving them two live chickens to take home.
Chen Ding and Zhuang Yiyi both said they didn’t know how to handle them and declined repeatedly, so the two live chickens were left where they belonged.
Back home, they rested for a while. Chen Ding was called away by a colleague, whilst Zhuang Yiyi stayed in to watch television. Whilst watching, she received a WeChat message from Qian Zhang: “Yiyi, have you left yet? Why not come over for dinner?”
Zhuang Yiyi didn’t reply at first, but after a while she did. She said, “No need. I’m back in Hangzhou.”
“When did you go back to Hangzhou? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have taken you to the high-speed rail station; you wouldn’t have had to go to all that trouble.” Qian Zhang was just that sort of person: warm-hearted and not one to hold a grudge. Put nicely, you’d call it a big heart; put less nicely, you’d call it being a ‘central air-conditioning unit’ or a busybody.
Zhuang Yiyi didn’t reply.
But the next day at work, she bumped into Qian Zhang. The hospital wasn’t exactly huge, but it wasn’t small either.
And this time, the reason was perfectly reasonable: Qian Zhang had started his rotation and was now in the psychiatric ward.
Zhuang Yiyi felt awkward. They were from the same intake, and he was her ex-boyfriend; now she was supposed to be supervising him.
Qian Zhang was delighted to see Zhuang Yiyi and even said to her, “I thought I wouldn’t get assigned to you. Everyone’s been saying you’ve got a lovely personality and are a great person.”
Zhuang Yiyi’s expression remained impassive throughout. Qian Zhang felt rather defeated inside, and the reason was simple: he hadn’t expected this.
He’d assumed Zhuang Yiyi had come to the small town of Suzhou because of him. It hadn’t struck him immediately, but upon reflection—it wasn’t a tourist destination, and she’d come here alone—Qian Zhang felt that Zhuang Yiyi still hadn’t let go of him.
After finishing his ward rounds, Qian Zhang said to Zhuang Yiyi, “Yiyi, shall we have lunch together today?”
Zhuang Yiyi pondered for a moment. “I’ll let you know later.”
Zhuang Yiyi asked Han Rong and, learning that she had also recently taken on a new doctor, arranged to have lunch with her.
The restaurant was nearby. Han Rong had chosen it; the food was excellent, and it was usually quite busy.
The atmosphere at the table was fairly convivial. Han Rong was a real go-getter in her field, and the male intern she was mentoring was laughing so hard he was doubled over. Qian Zhang was laughing heartily too.
Zhuang Yiyi, hearing their cheerful laughter, joined in. Han Rong said, “Right then, shall we play a game?”