Chapter 78

He Ping decisively pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket and handed it to Yu Xiangnian.

Yu Xiangnian asked, “Aren’t you going to wait until the patient is re-examined and the results are confirmed before paying?”

He Ping replied, “I trust you!”

She then asked, “What’s your name, and how can I contact you in the future?”

“Yu Xiangnian. If you need to reach me, have one of my three friends pass a message to me, and I’ll come find you.”

Yu Xiangnian took the money and cheerfully told Qiu Yang, “Let’s go! I’ll take you out for a nice meal!”

At the state-run restaurant, each of them had a bowl of plain noodles.

Qiu Yang looked at the noodles and then at Yu Xiangnian, with a cool expression. “Yu Xiangnian, you’re treating me to a bowl of plain noodles? When I treated you, you had everything!”

Yu Xiangnian said, “Have you never heard that you should be generous with others but frugal with yourself?”

Qiu Yang grumbled, “You just earned three hundred bucks!”

“I need to buy a fan and save some money,” Yu Xiangnian replied.

“Well, at least add some braised beef slices!”

Yu Xiangnian told the waiter, “Please add a braised egg for him.”

Then she said to Qiu Yang, “Braised beef? People across the Strait can’t even afford a braised egg!”

As they ate their noodles, Qiu Yang finally believed that Yu Xiangnian could perform surgery.

“Yu Xiangnian, are you hiding something from me?”

Yu Xiangnian immediately became wary. “No.”

“I’ve watched you grow up. I know every detail about you. It’s been a year since I last saw you, and now you can translate and perform surgeries. You’d better explain what’s going on.”

“If I said I had a divine revelation, you wouldn’t believe it! So don’t ask. I know these things now, and since we’re close, I’m telling you. You have to keep it confidential!”

Qiu Yang’s eyes darted around. “Confidential? Fine! Then come with me to Shanghai.”

“You need to show me the medical report first. If I can’t treat the patient, there’s no use going.”

“Eat the noodles first and come to my house. I just received the medical report yesterday.”

They went to Qiu Yang’s house. Yu Xiangnian examined the medical report and concluded that the patient likely had coronary artery disease and would need a bypass surgery.

It could be done, but it was an open-heart surgery with significant trauma, and given the current medical conditions, the risk was still quite high.

Qiu Yang was excited and wanted to buy train tickets immediately, preparing to depart the next day.

Yu Xiangnian said, “You and your friends should discuss the actual situation and make an informed decision.”

Yu Xiangnian went to a department store and bought a fan for one hundred fifty-six yuan, as well as five meters of fabric, planning to have Wang Hongxiang make a dress for her.

Carrying the fan, Qiu Yang made quite an impression as he walked from the residential compound.

No one in the compound had a fan yet, and the residents had only seen such items in the department store.

One hundred fifty-six yuan! That could buy several hundred pounds of rice, enough for a whole family for a year!

Furthermore, a person was following Qiu Yang, looking pleased.

All the residents looked at Yu Xiangnian with envy and jealousy.

“I heard the fan blows strong, cool air and can keep blowing non-stop. It’s so comfortable!”

“I heard it even rotates, cooling down the whole room!”

“Really? I’ve never seen one! In this hot weather, that woman really knows how to enjoy herself!”

“Deputy Commander Cheng is to blame too. How can she just let her spend money like that?”

“······”

In the July heat of South City, with temperatures above thirty degrees Celsius and the sun blazing like a fireball, the room felt like a steam room.

Who wouldn’t want a fan to blow cool air?

As Cheng Jingmo walked into the house, he saw a white electric fan oscillating in the living room.

At that moment, he understood why all the residents had been staring at him along the way.

Yu Xiangnian had become the center of attention in the residential compound.

Xiao Jie stood in front of the fan, swaying back and forth with its rotation.

Yu Xiangnian, with her back to the door, said to Xiao Jie, “Don’t stand in front of it for too long, you might catch a cold.”

“Auntie, can I sleep with it on at night?”

“As long as you don’t mind the noise,” Yu Xiangnian said. “Also, it should only be on the lowest setting and pointed at the wall. If you leave it on all night, you’ll catch a cold by morning.”

“It’s so hot these days, I can’t sleep well.”

Yu Xiangnian thought about how Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie shared a bed. In this heat, it would be even more unbearable. Plus, Xiao Jie was seven years old and should be sleeping in his own bed.

She was considering asking Cheng Jingmo to get a separate bed when Cheng Jingmo’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Where did this fan come from?”

Yu Xiangnian turned around and replied proudly, “I bought it!”

Cheng Jingmo walked over to the fan, feeling the cool breeze, and said, “Where did you get the money?”

Yu Xiangnian replied, “That’s none of your business. It’s all earned honestly, no stealing or robbing involved!”

Cheng Jingmo assumed she had sold some goods from the daily chemicals factory and earned the money that way, so he didn’t ask further.

Having been with Yu Xiangnian for so long, he knew she would never skimp on herself. If she wanted something, she’d get it. At the same time, she was generous with others, always willing to share regardless of the cost, as long as it made her happy.

The next morning, Qiu Yang came to the residential compound again to find Yu Xiangnian.

Qiu Yang said, “My friends have considered it and want to give it a try. They want us to go to Shanghai as soon as possible. I’m going to buy train tickets and get a referral letter. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“So soon? I haven’t even told Cheng Jingmo yet.”

Qiu Yang sneered, “Why do you need to report to him where you’re going?”

“What are you talking about? He’s my husband; of course, I need to tell him!” Yu Xiangnian shot him a look. “Give me two days. I need to think of an excuse and prepare.”

“Saving lives is more urgent. Don’t delay!” Qiu Yang said. “By the way, my friend’s father is the head of a publishing house in Shanghai. Interested in making some money?”

When it came to making money, Yu Xiangnian was decisive. “Buy the tickets quickly; let’s depart tomorrow!”

Nothing could delay her from making money!

When Cheng Jingmo came home from work, Yu Xiangnian immediately told him about the plan.

“Cheng Jingmo, I’m going to Shanghai with Qiu Yang tomorrow.”

Cheng Jingmo’s body tensed, and he stood still. His face remained its usual neutral expression, but his eyes were sharp and cold as he looked at Yu Xiangnian.

After a moment, he asked, “How long will you be gone?”

Cheng Jingmo wanted to ask: What’s the purpose of the trip? Will you come back? Are you planning to follow Qiu Yang abroad again?

Many questions surfaced in his mind, but in the end, he only asked one: How long will you be gone?

Yu Xiangnian calculated that the train ride from South City to Shanghai would take two days and nights, so the round trip would take four days.

Six days for the surgery would be sufficient!

“Ten days,” Yu Xiangnian said. “Tomorrow is July 10th, and I’ll be back home by July 20th.”

“Hmm.”

Cheng Jingmo went into the kitchen to cook.

Yu Xiangnian heard occasional clattering noises from the kitchen. After thinking for a moment, she followed him in.

“Cheng Jingmo, are you worried I’ll follow Qiu Yang abroad again?”