Chu Ying’s eyes darted around in panic. She had never expected Chen Qingsong to tell Xu You about the lotus lantern.
When she saw Xu You looking over, she greeted her stiffly, afraid that Xu You would expose her.
“Doctor Xu, I was too frightened before. You’re the bigger person, so please don’t hold it against me.”
Xu You curled the corners of her lips.
“I can let it go, but you need to take responsibility for your own health.”
Chu Ying’s voice trembled.
“Are my test results out? Is something wrong?”
Xu You nodded.
“You secretly held a memorial for a man, then turned around and cried and knelt down, asking to marry your younger brother-in-law. As a professional doctor, I think you could benefit from seeing a psychiatrist.”
“Sister-in-law, please don’t avoid treatment out of embarrassment. Our hospital has a psychiatric department. If you need it, I can make an appointment for you.”
Chu Ying’s face turned deathly pale. She covered her face and began to cry.
She coughed as she sobbed.
“Qingsong, are you really going to let your girlfriend humiliate me like this? She might as well point at my nose and call me crazy!”
Chen Qingsong’s expression didn’t change.
“Sister-in-law, since you came to the hospital, you should listen to the doctor.”
Chu Ying threw her head back and wailed.
“Chen Qingsong, you have no conscience! You’re helping your girlfriend bully me. Aren’t you afraid your brother will hold you accountable? If your brother hadn’t given you his military enlistment spot back then, would you have what you have today?”
Chen Qingsong’s expression stiffened for a moment.
Xu You seemed not to notice and calmly said, “It’s a good thing that the patient can cry loudly. It means her airway isn’t completely obstructed. It may even help expel some of the fluid and allow her to release some of her stress, which is beneficial to her physical and mental recovery.”
Chu Ying’s crying abruptly stopped. She hadn’t expected Xu You to switch seamlessly into her role as a doctor.
Xu You continued, “If conditions permit, the patient can be encouraged to cry more.”
Xu You stood at the entrance of the ward and thoughtfully called over a young nurse.
“Please pay extra attention to the patient in Bed 3. Crying loudly can help expel a small amount of fluid and secretions from the lungs. Whenever she cries, have the nurse on duty come over and check whether any secretions have been expelled.”
The young nurse readily agreed.
“Don’t worry, Doctor Xu. We’ll keep a close eye on Bed 3.”
The afternoon’s drama had already spread throughout the hospital.
Everyone felt indignant on Doctor Xu’s behalf. Doctor Xu had been busy saving a life, yet the patient only wanted to steal Doctor Xu’s boyfriend.
If the treatment had been delayed, Doctor Xu might even have been punished.
Fortunately, Doctor Xu was highly capable and had managed to vent her anger through her own abilities.
Xu You returned to her office and read for a while before heading toward the family compound at nine o’clock.
Because Xu You was single, she had been assigned a one-room dormitory. Right across from it was a basketball court.
It was already late, and there was no one left on the basketball court.
Xu You carried a bucket to fetch water. After washing up, she went to bed.
The moment she fell asleep, she was pulled into a dream.
It was the director’s office.
“Like hands?”
It was that unfamiliar man again.
The man’s long, powerful hands gripped Xu You’s slender waist, those hands wickedly moving upward inch by inch.
“Did you like his hands?”
Xu You thought of Shen Xu’s hands from earlier that day.
“You really want to go after him?”
“Xu You.”
The man’s voice sounded a little aggrieved.
“How could his hands possibly be as capable as mine?”
“Could he make you feel this comfortable?”
Bang!
On the basketball court opposite her, someone made a shot. The basketball struck the rim with a loud clang.
Xu You raised her hand and checked the time.
It was only five o’clock.
She closed her eyes again, actually hoping to return to the dream.
She hadn’t had time to comfort that aggrieved man just now, nor had she gotten the chance to explain herself.
It was all that man’s fault for being far too attentive.
Xu You suddenly sat up in bed.
She really must have been quite ill to actually feel sorry for a strange man.
Dreaming too much was bad for the mind. Xu You decided that when she had time, she would see a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and get some medicine to help calm her mind.
Xu You opened the door, and there was already a faint glow on the horizon.
Through the wire fence, Xu You’s eyes met Shen Xu’s as he bounced a basketball. He was playing basketball with several men wearing military-green short-sleeved shirts.
Shen Xu nodded at her.
Xu You gave him a look and walked away expressionlessly.
Fang Zhiyang asked, “Brother Xu, is that Battalion Commander Chen’s girlfriend?”
Shen Xu nodded lightly.
“Did you offend Battalion Commander Chen’s girlfriend somehow? You greeted her, but she completely ignored you.”
Shen Xu thought about it. He remembered Xu You spouting nonsense in the director’s office the previous day.
“Probably because she has a lot of pent-up frustration from work every day. People have moved into this row of bungalows, so let’s arrange a time to play basketball in the future. Tell the others too.”
Fang Zhiyang laughed.
“What others? How could those married guys possibly get up at five in the morning to play basketball?”
“Exactly. Only bachelors like us have too much on our minds and can’t sleep at night.”
Shen Xu irritably threw the basketball at Fang Zhiyang.
“I’m not like you.”
“Quit pretending. Who was it that came knocking on my door at four?”
“Get lost.”
Xu You went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast. She ordered a bowl of porridge and a fried dough stick.
The fried dough stick was so huge that it made her cheeks ache from biting into it.
Rubbing her face, she headed to work.
As soon as she entered the emergency department lobby, she ran into Doctor Pan, who was yawning.
“Xiao Xu, you came at just the right time. Let’s switch shifts quickly. I was originally planning to go to the office and catch up on some sleep. Once we switch, I can go home and get a proper rest.”
Doctor Pan handed the patient files in his hand to Xu You.
Xu You didn’t take them.
“Doctor Pan, our shift change is at seven. It’s only five-thirty now.”
Doctor Pan frowned and waved dismissively, completely unconcerned.
“Rules are dead, people are alive. You’re already here anyway. There’s nothing wrong with switching a little early.”
“Fine. I’ll tell the logistics department later that I covered an hour and a half of your shift this morning. Have them calculate it as overtime and deduct it from your pay.”
The moment Doctor Pan heard that it would be deducted from his pay, he immediately snatched the patient files back.
His tone turned cold.
“Young people these days are really so calculating. We’re comrades in the same department. What’s wrong with helping each other out?”
Xu You said, “All right, then. I need to go to the traditional Chinese medicine department this afternoon. Could you please come in at four, Doctor Pan? You wouldn’t refuse, would you? I’ve covered at least ten hours of your shifts over the past few days, haven’t I?”
Doctor Pan glared at her.
“I’m taking a nap this afternoon. How am I supposed to get up?”
Xu You replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll ask someone to knock on your door.”
Doctor Pan scowled and turned to leave.
“If I don’t get enough sleep, what if something happens while I’m seeing patients tonight? Are you going to take responsibility? I never agreed to cover your shift. Don’t come knocking on my door!”
Xu You followed behind Doctor Pan and kindly gave him a lesson.
“Doctor Pan, true mutual assistance requires give and take. Please keep that in mind.”
Xu You’s tone remained calm as she followed behind him, repeating herself over and over.
“All right, all right, I know. Stop chanting like Tang Monk.”
The nurses who had worked the night shift pretended to be extremely busy, deliberately avoiding the battle between the two immortals.
But Doctor Xu was truly formidable. Doctor Pan often ordered them around to do all sorts of miscellaneous tasks. Since they were only junior interns, they didn’t dare resist.