Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Doctor Ling, I brought some chestnut biscuits from home for you to try.” Li Xiaoning rushed out from the ward area and took out a small paper box.
The box was not wrapped in any fancy packaging. Instead, it was just covered with the simplest of corrugated fiberboards, and there were a few words written on it: Heart Chestnut Biscuit.
Li Xiaoning smiled and said, “I know that doctors should not accept any gifts. These are just some local food products from my hometown. There are twenty of them in a box, and it weighs two pounds. They did not cost a lot, but they taste really good.”
Ling Ran did not think much of it. He accepted it and said, “Then, I will open it.”
As he spoke, Ling Ran opened the gift box.
Ling Ran knew that one of the better ways to treat the people who gave him gifts was to open the gifts on the spot. This was especially so when there was a possibility that the gift was being given to him secretly.
Ling Ran used to receive a lot of weird stuff from gift boxes. So, he finally learned how to use this mode to treat his gifts.
Li Xiaoning was stunned for a while before she immediately felt relieved. She even provided an explanation for Ling Ran. “It’s not wrong at all to be more careful. Doctor Ling, you’re a careful person… Yes, if you’re not careful enough, you may not do well as a surgeon.”
The chestnut biscuits in the small paper box were all golden yellow in color. All of them looked very crispy after they were baked. Of the twenty chestnut biscuits, nineteen of them were packed using oiled paper, and only one of it was wrapped in plastic.
Li Xiaoning smiled faintly and made some introductions. “It used to be wrapped using plastic because everyone wanted to see the chestnut biscuits inside. But we’re all talking about preserving the environment now, right? So they started to use waxed paper to wrap the biscuits.”
Ling Ran nodded and took out an oiled paper pack. He then opened it. The golden color of the chestnut biscuit could be seen. He brought it out to take a look, and he asked, “How’s your husband feeling?”
“Quite good. He was transferred out of the ICU. He feels more comfortable in a normal ward. His condition is quite stable, too. Doctor Ling, really, thank you very much. You saved his life, even though he had such a serious liver injury…” Li Xiaoning sounded sincere. After the accident, she repeatedly thought about all the people she was acquainted with and the matters she went through. She had the deepest gratitude toward Ling Ran.
If she had not allowed Ling Ran perform emergency hepatectomy immediately and had wanted Professor Huang to perform the surgery, Li Xiaoning doubted that Professor Huang, whom she had invited over, could make it in time to the surgery.
Even if he could make it, Professor Huang might not be able to save her husband’s life. This was said personally by Professor Huang, and Li Xiaoning started to believe that slowly.
“The patient is not completely out of the critical stage yet. If you’re free, just spend more time to accompany him and keep track of his situation.” Ling Ran looked at Li Xiaoning and said, “Since your family members are all doctors, there are advantages for him during his postoperative recovery period… I’ll accept the chestnut biscuits. Thanks.”
Ling Ran knew that there were some gifts that he needed to accept.
He passed a bottle of pine nuts from his pocket and passed it to Li Xiaoning. He said, “Pine nuts that are good for health. You and your family can take this as snacks.”
Li Xiaoning kept nodding when she heard what Ling Ran said. When he passed over the pine nuts, she wanted to push it away. However, when she heard Ling Ran said they were pine nuts that were good for health, Li Xiaoning could not help but take them.
Ling Ran smiled faintly. He continued walking down the stairs with the chestnut biscuit in his hands.
His Volkswagen Jetta had been polished by others in the parking lot in the basement until the surface was clean and shiny. The paint was as dazzling as the cars in car exhibitions.
He opened the door.
He got into the car.
When Ling Ran reached Lower Groove Clinic, the sky was not completely dark yet.
Ling Ran carefully drove his car through the alley and parked it in the customized garage in the backyard. He walked toward the front yard and heard laughter from that place.
“The turtles in Tahiti are as big as our Chinese square tables.”
“Yes. They looked really nice.”
“We even took some photos with the turtles.”
Both Ling Jiezhou and Tao Ping spoke one after another, and their voices could be heard from the entire clinic.
The neighbors were very polite. When they looked at the photos, somebody asked, “Is the turtle meat nice? How did it taste as compared to soft-shelled turtles?”
“They did not allow us to eat them.” Ling Jiezhou felt regret and relief at the same time. “If they really sold the meat, I guess we’ll have to spend a lot. There aren’t many turtles now.”
“Don’t turtles lay a lot of eggs?”
“Not all can be hatched…”
“Are turtle eggs tasty?”
The shifting of the topic was expected.
Tao Ping and Ling Jiezhou was not bothered. They just wanted the photos to be shared around. These people might already be off topic, but it was nothing at all compared to how people digressed in the comment sections of their WeChat moments.
Although Ling Ran went into the clinic, he did not get a lot of attention from them. At most, only seven to eight neighbors, around ten of his family members, and seven to eight young ladies greeted him.
Ling Ran showed a socially acceptable smile. Then, he was caught by Tao Ping and had his hair ruffled mercilessly by his mother.
“When we’re not at home, did you eat well? Did you dress up warmly? Did you have enough money?” Tao Ping chattered on and asked many questions in one go. After she received affirmative answers from Ling Ran, she let go of Ling Ran.
Ling Ran stood obediently at the place with the dimmest light. Although he still attracted the attention of many people, the effect of him catching the attention of others had been minimized.
Madam Tao Ping decided that Ling Ran had the right to remain by her side after considering the fact that many neighbors would go away if she chased Ling Ran back to his bedroom. She also started a new topic.
“The plane that we took this time is really convenient. It was a Boeing 787, the world’s largest airplane. But there were very few people in the flight. After we got tired of sitting in the business class cabin, the stewardess even invited us to walk around inside the airplane. Then, I felt more comfortable.” The reason behind why Tao Ping was able to become the fashion representative in Lower Groove and the surrounding areas because she could mix around with the crowd while chatting in the alley.
The neighbors indeed started imagining the world’s largest airplane and the first class cabin. Everyone was happy as they chatted. Some elderly men and women who were free suddenly called out to Juan Zi for another two injections of red sage.
Ling Ran’s phone vibrated for a while at this time.
Ling Ran took out the phone and saw a Wechat message sent by Tian Qi.
[Have your parents arrived safely? I met them at Tahiti, so we came back in the same flight.] Tian Qi even added a cute emoji at the end of the sentence.
Ling Ran typed. [They’re now sharing their experience in the first class cabin.]
[Since we were short on time and there were not many flights back to our country, it’s not ideal if I let those who had purchased their tickets to get a refund. Although my family is one of the shareholders, I still need to consider the opinions of other shareholders and the board of directors.] Tian Qi immediately sent her text over. Then, she sent another text. [I’m preparing to ask my family to own an airline company, and I believe more and more people will have this demand in coming times.]
Ling Ran sent a smiling emoji.
Tian Qi was motivated and typed in excitement. [Although I can’t compare myself with you, who always needs to make decisions that concerns life and death, I’ll still work hard.]
Tian Qi sent out the message by closing her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ling Ran’s reply.
[Work hard.] Ling Ra added an emoji at the end of the sentence.
Tian Qi was so happy that she laughed. She could not help but roll around her bed and threw away the pillow that blocked her way to the side of the bed. Then, she clapped and shouted, “Xiao Wei, I want to see stars.”
“Okay, Young Qi.” The AI butler, Xiao Wei, replied gently. The ceiling over Tian Qi’s head opened slowly. Then, the room became dimmer, and starlight could be seen.
Tian Qi looked at the stars and fell asleep.
