Xie Yiren greeted Zheng Ren and Su Yun with a wave and headed straight to the on-call room.
When Zheng Ren caught up, she was already in the process of unpacking the dishes.
The size of the lunchbox belied the amount of food it carried. It opened up to reveal three more compartments. Zheng Ren was not familiar with this manufacturer.
‘How complicated,’ Zheng Ren thought as he studied the lunchbox, his hunger forgotten.
The glee in Xie Yiren’s eyes was unmistakable as she carefully removed each dish from the lunchbox. “The eggs Sister Yue brought were amazing. I made some stir-fry and egg drop soup. Have a taste. It’s a shame they had already eaten.”
The dish was split into three portions and plated. The aromatic steam swirled out when she opened the lid of the stylish stock pot.
“Come, come. Try some,” Xie Yiren ushered them to eat.
She was committed to her appreciation of food.
It was a fundamental trait of a foodie. Unfortunately, Zheng Ren did not share the same passion in life.
He took off his white coat and washed his hands before taking a seat at the table. Although he was not passionate about food, it was still necessary for sustenance — he had a strong desire to live.
The rice was cooked to perfection: soft and puffy.
The golden scrambled eggs with scallions smelled delicious. The aroma of the scallions was just enough to offset the smell of the cooking oil but not overpower the fragrant scent of the free-range eggs.
The dish was appetizing.
“Oh, impressive,” Su Yun complimented. He sat down at the table and started eating.
“That’s a given.” Xie Yiren washed her hands before taking a seat. With a pair of chopsticks, she picked up a piece of scrambled egg and placed it into her mouth, chewing her food demurely like a proper lady.
“I whisked the eggs by hand. There is no soul in the dish if one uses an electric egg beater,” Xie Yiren said proudly.
“I taste yellow rice wine in it,” Su Yun said.
“Just a bit to mask the smell of the egg. There shouldn’t be any taste of alcohol.” Xie Yiren beamed happily. The dish was a simple one, but she had put a lot of heart into making it.
Zheng Ren devoured his portion of the egg dish together with rice.
“Casting pearls before swine. What a waste.” Su Yun could not resist making a jab at Zheng Ren.
“The egg is fluffy.” Xie Yiren contemplated the bite of her own creation. “I prefer less salt so I hope you guys don’t mind.”
“It’s good.” Zheng Ren’s rice bowl and dish plate were already half-empty.
At his pace, he would finish both the rice and the dish at the same time.
The sight of Zheng Ren eating happily made Xie Yiren smile.
“I added some sugar to the egg. It helps to speed up cooking and retain moisture, which makes the egg fluffier. Isn’t it delicious?” Xie Yiren explained.
“Em,” came the short reply. Zheng Ren had finished his food and was making a move for the soup.
Watching him wolf down the food without bothering to speak was the best compliment.
“Where did you learn to cook?” Zheng Ren asked once he was finished.
“I got tired of outside food so I took it upon myself to learn how to make my own. There are many more dishes I can make. Come over when you guys have the time,” Xie Yiren answered with a grin.
“Chief Resident Zheng has no time. He can’t leave the emergency department so we can take his place,” the sharp-tongued pretty boy cut in.
“They’ll probably make you the chief resident when I’m in Imperial Capital,” Zheng Ren said coolly.
“Me? A chief resident? I would quit. The chief resident is just a scapegoat. Honestly, I would have quit if it hadn’t been for the chance to watch you operate in the emergency department,” Su Yun said without any fear.
“Where would you go?” Xie Yiren asked.
“A veterinary hospital. Simple surgeries, plus you get to see animals everyday. A peaceful working environment compared to a hospital.”
“Oh!” Stars sparkled in Xie Yiren’s eyes.
“Hey!” Zheng Ren poked Su Yun with his chopstick. He did not care if Su Yun left but the man was not stealing his scrub nurse. “You can go alone. Don’t try to poach Yiren.”
“As if the hospital is such a good workplace,” Su Yun muttered.
“Yiren wouldn’t like it there. She’d be lucky to have even one surgery a week at an animal hospital. It would be so boring for her, right?”
Xie Yiren nodded and continued eating her lunch.
“Lucky you, then.” Su Yun chuckled at Xie Yiren’s gleeful expression. Then, he turned to Zheng Ren. “Why are you going to Imperial Capital?”
“Remember the interventional surgeon, Professor Pei? He and a few experts came up with a new procedure. They’re inviting me to try it out.”
“What procedure?”
“I have no idea. I’ll find out when I get there.” Zheng Ren did not mind the trip. As a Master in interventional surgery, he figured he could make some minor contributions to the project.
At his age, Professor Pei was past his prime for performing surgeries. Professors like him usually left the grunt work to research students while providing the necessary guidance.
Zheng Ren did not dare consider himself better than Professor Pei but was confident of outclassing students.
“I want to go, too. I’m curious about the progress of some jerks there,” Su Yun said.
A gust of cold wind blew into Zheng Ren’s heart. ‘Why does Su Yun want to follow me to Imperial Capital?’
“Jerks?” Xie Yiren asked.
“Yeah. Some people who aren’t at my level but think they’re better than me. God knows who gave them the confidence.”
‘Your confidence is also without reason,’ Zheng Ren thought.
Halfway through their meal, Zheng Ren’s phone rang.
His heart rate shot to 110 beats per minute.
“Hello.
“Yes. I’ll take a look.”
Zheng Ren obtained some basic information and hung up. “There is a cholecystitis patient in the emergency department that needs my attention. I’ll text the both of you if surgery is required. Enjoy your meal.”
He put on his white coat and left the room in a flurry.
“Such quick movements right after a meal increases the risk of appendicitis,” Su Yun said as he slowly picked at his food.
Xie Yiren’s eating speed picked up.
“Why are you eating so fast?”
“There might be a surgery, so I would have to make preparations,” Xie Yiren said with her mouth full.
As she predicted, their phones chimed a few minutes later.
The patient had been diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and required emergency surgery. Zheng Ren informed the group to prepare for the procedure.
“Leave the things here. I’ll go to the operating room first.” Xie Yiren finished her food and rushed out of the on-call room.
