Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Since Ling Ran was neither in a rush to carry out surgeries nor in a rush to make ward rounds, he did not need to head out early for work.
That was something only associate chief physicians and those ranked above them enjoyed. Doctors with their own treatment groups were akin to military officers who led their own regiments. They got to carry out daily practices whichever way they wanted to.
By the time he was done showering, brushing his teeth, and washing his hands with soap, the chefs downstairs had laid out all of the prepared food on the table and disappeared like true soldiers.
Mister Jin got extremely excited just from watching those chefs, and by the time he moved next to the short and plump Ling Jiezhou, he felt as if he was two inches shorter than the other party. He asked in curiosity, “Sir, did you use to live overseas?”
“No.” Ling Jiezhou smiled and asked, “Do you want some food?”
“It’s okay, I’ll pass. I also have a… chef with me.” Mister Jin’s voice was a little low. He glanced at the chef from Prosperous Fountain Restaurant who was standing behind him.
Ling Jiezhou saw the chef too, and he nodded amicably at the other party. He said with a smile, “Is it a trend nowadays to bring your own chef around? You know, I don’t really like to use stuff like mobile phone apps, or else, I’d order food with my phone too. It’s easier that way, and the food they make tastes good. They often have promotions too.”
Mister Jin looked at Ling Jiezhou in disbelief and asked, “You guys didn’t hire those chefs?”
“Are you kidding? Why would I hire a dozen chefs just to make breakfast? If I had that much money, I would hire a chef to make breakfast every morning… No, I’ll just hire a chef once every three days.” Ling Jiezhou shook his head. “I usually just make some porridge and order enough steamed buns from the chef down the street to last us two or three mornings… That way, I won’t need to make any dishes. Sometimes, I make steamed dishes so that I can reheat them for lunch or dinner…”
Mister Jin’s expression started to change as Ling Jiezhou rambled on.
Even though he had met some special people with special interests, to be honest, it was obvious that a thrifty person would not hire a dozen chefs to make breakfast in his home.
Mister Jin could not help but become a little confused. “Are you saying that those chefs are from Meituan? How much did you pay for it?”
“It’s at most 30 RMB.” Ling Jiezhou calculated and continued, “I only ordered millet porridge and some steamed buns. I don’t think that it’ll be too expensive. It wouldn’t be reasonable if it’s more expensive than that, don’t you think so, son?”
When Ling Jiezhou saw Ling Ran, he waved and called Ling Ran over.
“We only ordered millet porridge and vegetarian steamed buns.” Ling Ran had heard half of the conversation earlier, and he answered his father with certainty. He then nodded at Mister Jin and Huang Maoshi without any intention of greeting them.
As he had just woken up, Ling Ran had even less desire to talk than usual.
He headed to the table and called out, “I’ll dig in first.” He then took a steamed bun and started to eat.
The Ling family was not ceremonial when it came to having meals.
They were neither like Caucasians who would hold hands in a circle and pray before meals, nor like traditional Chinese who would let their elders go first.
The Ling family usually just gathered together for meals, just like how many people would gather together to wait for the light to turn green before they crossed the road.
The Ling family’s clinic used to be very busy in the past, and both Ling Ran’s grandfather as well as Ling Jiezhou always had to attend to patients in the middle of meals.
Patients called them for all kinds of reasons: their fluid transfusion bags were almost empty, the needle in their veins was displaced, their blanket or pillow needed replacement, the back of their heads hurt, a kitten ran into the courtyard, and other such matters.
The doctors and bosses of small clinics did not really mind if patients called them for minor or not-so-urgent reasons. They would attend to the patients whenever they were called, and that was an unspoken rule.
Of course, most of the time, the clinic would be so flooded with patients at lunch or dinner time to the point that no one had the allowance to sit down properly and enjoy their meals.
All of the patients who visited the clinic were residents in the area. Aside from senior citizens, adults frequented the clinic for consultations, and they did so during lunch breaks or after work. Hence, there were plenty of patients during lunch or dinner hours.
Ling Ran was used to eating alone. Hence, he did not even intend to greet Mister Jin and Huang Maoshi. He merely scooped some porridge into a bowl for himself before he grabbed a steamed bun with his spotless hand and ate it.
Ling Jiezhou sniffed the air around him and said, “The millet porridge smells really good.”
“When they delivered the porridge over, they carried the load on a pole on their shoulders. As they made their way here, the charcoal fire would be swaying, and the porridge would be swaying as well. This means that the porridge was being stirred continuously, and because the heat was uniform, the porridge was properly cooked.” The chef from Prosperous Fountain Restaurant was a renowned one, and he could guess how the porridge was made just by looking at it from afar.
Huang Maoshi gulped when he heard that. “Do you mean that the millet porridge they sent over is better than the one cooked in the kitchen?”
“Yeah, never underestimate those poles people in the past used to carry food. Each vendor may have only sold one type of food item during his lifetime, and even if he didn’t do it daily, he was definitely very good at his job.” The chef from Prosperous Fountain Restaurant paused for a moment and continued, “The best porridge are the ones people carry on a pole while walking. This is especially true if the person walks on those Southern stone-slabbed roads because the road goes up and down. The porridge as well as the charcoal fire would keep swaying, and the porridge would be thoroughly stirred. Those people rode a bike here today, and because they were too fast, the porridge wasn’t stirred well enough.”
Ling Ran blew some air at the bottom of the bowl and finished the porridge inside in one go. He then bent down and refilled the bowl.
Ling Jiezhou went over to his son without hesitation and got himself a bowl of porridge too. He enjoyed the porridge, steamed buns, and dishes so much that he let out a contented sigh.
Huang Maoshi quietly inched toward the table as he smelled the fragrance in the air and said with a smile, “Uncle, I’ll get you a bowl of porridge.”
As he spoke, he filled a bowl with porridge and passed it to Ling Jiezhou. He then got himself a bowl of porridge too.
“Director Jin, why don’t you take a seat?” Huang Maoshi greeted the hospital director’s brother-in-law. Even though he did not think that Mister Jin would be of much use to him, it was still a good thing to maintain friendly relations.
The group of people sat around the table in the courtyard and happily devoured all the porridge. Soon, they finished all of the food on the table.
“What time are you going to work today?” After Ling Jiezhou was done with the food, he leaned against his chair and drank tea in a relaxed manner.
Ling Ran thought about it and said, “I’ll head to the hospital after I’m done with some reading.”
He stayed up all night to study with the help of a bottle of Energy Serum.
Now that he was receiving more and more Energy Serums, Ling Ran began using them for various purposes.
“Get some rest if you have time,” Ling Jiezhou advised. He then continued, “Will you be leaving before noon?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good, then. I made reservations at an Italian restaurant and will be heading there with your mother at noon. Besides, the people from the renovation company will be coming over to take measurements at that time.
Director Jin’s eyes brightened up. “Are you guys renovating the clinic?”
“Yeah.”
“Since you guys are renovating the clinic, it’s considered a commercial renovation, isn’t it? Our company does that too.” Mister Jin sounded way more at ease when he talked about this. He said with a smile, “You know, we usually only work on larger projects, but for your son’s family clinic, I don’t mind bringing a whole team over. I can guarantee that we’ll definitely be better, faster and cheaper compared with the renovation company you guys have hired.”
Ling Jiezhou did not give an immediate answer.
Director Jin arched an eyebrow and glanced at Ling Ran. He then asked with a smile, “Which renovation company did you guys hire?”
“Pu Lin Architectural Design Center,” Ling Jiezhou said.
“Pu Lin? Yun Hua’s Pu Lin Architectural Design Center?” Mister Jin’s voice immediately became a few octaves higher.
Ling Jiezhou nodded.
Mister Jin could not help but keep quiet. Since his company was not on the same level as the Pu Lin Architectural Design Center, there was no point in luring them with a cheaper price. Besides, if Pu Lin Architectural Design Center was willing to renovate a small clinic, Ling Jiezhou had definitely offered to pay them a large sum.
