Ma Yanlin’s wedding went very smoothly.
Even though there were people who collapsed in the banquet hall, in the kitchen, at the back door, by the road, in the hotel room upstairs, or even inside their own car because they were too drunk, all the doctors who came from different departments of different hospitals had a great time because of this.
Aside from this, the wedding was also conducted in a very orderly manner.
Wei Man’s uncle acted as the emcee. He was a middle-aged doctor who often worked overseas in disaster sites. Not only was he extremely adaptable to sudden changes, but he was also calm and collected.
“Hmm, the man sitting beside the window seems to be experiencing shortness of breath. Madam Zhou from Peace Hospital is helping him out. Madam Zhou has been with Peace Hospital ever since its establishment. Even though she is already retired, she seemed to be as fit as a fiddle.”
“Oh, by the way, the young man squatting in front of the wheelchair with a stethoscope is Madam Zhou’s son. After he graduated from the University of Edinburgh in England, he returned to China and worked in Peace Hospital. He’s now an associate chief physician in the Cardiology Department of Peace Hospital. He’s carrying on his mother’s legacy indeed. Hopefully, the newlyweds on the stage, Ma Yanlin, and Wei Man will be able to build a happy life together and give birth to a baby soon!
“Next, it’s time for the bride and the groom’s parents to come on stage. Oh, that waiter over there scratched his hand. I can’t tell from here, but from the amount of blood, he probably did not hurt his artery. Hmm, the First People’s Hospital of Yun Hua City sent two doctors over, and it seems like his injury is under control already. They stopped the bleeding by applying localized pressure and did it very well indeed. Alright, let’s talk about the two families…
“Eh, someone choked on his food again. A doctor applied the Heimlich Maneuver with great strength and managed to get the food out of the person’s airway. Did he break any ribs? No? Great. The Heimlich Maneuver was perfectly executed. Do clap for him. The one who performed the maneuver is Doctor Lu Wenbin from Yun Hua Emergency Medical Center, who is the groom’s colleague. The pork trotter tower you guys saw just now was provided by Doctor Lu. By the way, Doctor Lu is still single, and if any of you ladies out there are single, you can leave him your number.”
Wei Man was clad in a snow-white wedding gown. She usually acted a little coldly, but now she was smiling brightly throughout the wedding.
Since his bride was happy, Ma Yanlin naturally felt joyous too.
And since the bride and the groom were happy, their parents, family members, and friends were also happy.
The guests’ spirits were also lifted by the cheery atmosphere, and the fact that they got to see other doctors perform all kinds of maneuvers also made them happy.
Even the patients could not help but feel relieved that they collapsed right here. Or else…
“Next, I hope all of you enjoy the food and drinks…” Wei Man’s uncle who was acting as the emcee arduously carried on after being cut off multiple times, and finally succeeded in saying all that he needed to.
The guests let out a cheer. It was over one in the afternoon already, and all of them were already starving.
The eyes of the surviving staff members from the wedding-planning company were wide open. They were all relieved that no disaster fell on their heads.
Wei Man went and changed into a set of clothes meant for brides to wear when they toast the guests. When she returned to the banquet hall to meet Ma Yanlin again, she was still full of smiles.
“You guys prepared the wedding really well.” Wei Man took the initiative to hold Ma Yanlin’s arm and said in a hushed tone while no one was around them, “My dad and his friends are retired, and they really miss the times they got to save lives and heal people in the hospital. You really thought of a good idea when you allowed them to relive their past in this wedding.”
Ma Yanlin widened his eyes. “What?”
“Those patients. They’re all your friends and are just acting, right? There are even senior patients, did you hire a group of actors?” Wei Man whispered with a smile on her face.
Ma Yanlin froze for a moment and suddenly realized what Wei Man was talking about. He flashed a bright smile. “It’s nothing much. I relied a lot on coincidences to be able to pull that off.”
“You’re amazing indeed.” Wei Man leaned against Ma Yanlin’s shoulder and smiled blissfully.
Ma Yanlin chuckled. He did not know what was going on yet, but he did not mind, as his bride’s happiness was of utmost importance.
Yu Yuan who came over to help out was in shock when she heard that. She could not help but criticize Ma Yanlin internally when she saw how pleased with himself he looked. ‘Hah! Men!’
…..
Ling Ran carefully savored the steamed eel he had placed in his bowl.
Ma Yanlin’s family members bought those eels over from their hometown, and they were Zhousand Island’s local specialty.
Sand eel was a general name used to refer to anago and Arctic lamprey. They were small in size and shaped like river eels. However, in a dining context, they were usually categorized according to their flavor, and their value was usually determined by whether they were caught offshore or in the open ocean.
Local eels that were caught offshore often swam around the islands and looked for food among the reefs. Compared to eels that swam in the open ocean, these eels had a fixed habitat and a fixed place to scourge for food. Even though they were smaller in size, they had more meat compared to eels that swam in the open ocean. This was why more people favored them, and hence they were higher in price.
A person could compare eels that were caught in the open ocean to older scholars who traveled to the capital city for the imperial examination. Even though they were rich in knowledge and were well built, the long journey would wear them down. In contrast, eels that were caught offshore were like sons of rich landlords who stayed at home to enjoy life. Even though they did not like to study and were good for nothing, their skin was smooth and they had a lot of meat on their bones as they had never worked a day in their lives.
The Japanese liked eels from Zhousand Island a lot. They import a large number of them, and this caused a major hike in price for local eels.
Even so, whenever people from Zhousand Island held banquets, they would always serve eels on the tables. Even though the wedding banquet was held in Yun Hua City, Ma Yanlin’s family members still bought a lot of eels and sent them overnight. Those eels were then cooked personally by a chef from Zhousand Island.
Those steamed eels were soft and fragrant. The moment people put the eel in their mouths, they just needed to bite the eel gently to taste the aroma of its fats.
Ling Ran did not especially favor the other dishes served, but he could not help but get a second slice of eel after the first.
When Tian Qi saw how much Ling Ran enjoyed the eel, she picked up the slice of eel on her plate and gave it to Ling Ran without hesitation. She then explained, “I haven’t started eating this. It was just on the empty plate for a while.”
“Two slices are enough for me.” Ling Ran smiled and said, “You can give it a try too. It tastes really good.”
“Okay.” Tian Qi was not the kind of person who liked to put on a show of politeness. When she heard what Ling Ran said, she picked up the slice of eel, placed it inside her mouth and took a gentle bite.
It was fresh and smooth.
Tian Qi closed her eyes as she savored it. She then took another bite.
“This is really delicious,” Tian Qi gave a very straightforward comment.
Ling Ran nodded in agreement. When he wanted to extend his hand to get another slice of eel, the plate of steamed eel on the banquet table was already empty.
“Ah, there’s no more left.” Tian Qi smiled at Ling Ran and said, “Another day, I guess.”
Ling Ran hummed in acknowledgment.
At this moment, a young man sitting opposite them at the banquet table took the opportunity and said, “Eels taste the best when you catch them yourselves.”
Tian Qi raised her head to look at the young man upon hearing that.
The young man was encouraged by her response and quickly said, “It’s really fun to catch eels since they swim backward. So, you need a lot of skills to be able to catch them. I always use squids as bait. If you come over to Zhousand Island, I’ll teach you how to fish them.”
“Thanks for your offer, but there’s no need for that.” Tian Qi shook her head slowly.
As expected, the young man smiled. He then said, “If you don’t have time to come over, I can bring the eels I catch to Yun Hua City for you. Sand eels are able to stay fresh for a few days. But you’ll have to wait for a few days…”
“There’s really no need for that.” Tian Qi rejected the young man again and turned to say to Ling Ran, “Doctor Ling, are you interested in catching sand eels? My family owns a fishery, and they might have a branch in Zhousand Island. Even if they don’t, they probably have a partner company there.”
Before Ling Ran could speak, the young man sitting opposite them furrowed his eyebrows. He struggled internally for a few seconds as he gazed at the breathtakingly beautiful young woman in front of him before asking, “Which fishery belongs to your family?”
“My family owns the majority of the shares of Rongyuan Fishery.” Tian Qi smiled.
The young man had his lips twitch a few times before saying, “Is Rongyuan the fishery that owns three or four ocean fleets?”
“I’m not exactly sure of what they do.” After Tian Qi said that, she turned and whispered to Ling Ran, “Doctor Ling, the rice would taste really good if you pour the soy sauce you dipped the eel inside just now on it.
Ling Ran thought carefully about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I don’t feel like doing that today.”
Tian Qi smiled and said, “Then, let’s make steamed sand eel together next time so that we can pour the soy sauce on our rice.”
Ling Ran hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Tian Qi was so happy that she clenched her fists tightly.
The young man sitting opposite them glanced at Tian Qi before he looked at Ling Ran. A surge of helplessness overcame him.
