Sheng Xia

Sheng Xia didn’t expect that the hospital admission notice would come down two days later, more than a week earlier than she had planned.

Caught off guard, she felt a lack of security.

“Do you really not need Mom and Dad to come over?” On the other end of the phone, Sheng Xia’s mother, Sun Shuangyun, had specially spent two hours driving to find a cafe with internet access.

“No need.” Sheng Xia was packing her luggage, propping her phone on a stand with the video call open, her voice firm. “Stick to the plan, otherwise I’ll be even more confused.”

One unexpected thing is enough.

Sun Shuangyun: “……”

Although she gave birth to her, she had to admit that Sheng Xia’s habit wasn’t something they had taught her – Sheng Xia’s planning was innate, not long after she was born, the time to drink milk and use the toilet every day could be on time to the minute…

“Besides, Xixi’s annual leave has also been approved.” Sheng Xia crossed out the last item on the paper and breathed a sigh of relief, “She will take care of me.”

She had checked online, and it wasn’t a major surgery.

It was just losing a gallbladder and getting indigestion easily in the future……

“Alright, alright, it’s good to get it removed.” Sun Shuangyun rambled on, “I took your medical records to ask the doctors in our team, and they also suggested that the surgery should be done. Otherwise, if you work in remote areas in the future, it will be troublesome if it acts up.”

Sheng Xia: “……”

Indeed, she was her mother. Her perspective was unique, and her logic was impeccable, and in a few words, she had turned the conversation quickly into a minefield.

“Xiao Fu’er ah…” Her mother called Sheng Xia’s childhood nickname, making Sheng Xia instinctively shudder.

“There are many choices after graduating from a film major, you don’t necessarily have to become a documentary director, right?” They had talked about this topic eight hundred times, and just like that, it was unexpectedly brought up again.

Sheng Xia reacted very quickly, leaning her body against the phone stand while packing, she let out a well-sung “Oh no!”, and the video call was promptly cut off.

“Mom, I’m in a hurry, and talking about this topic before the surgery will affect my mood, which will subsequently affect the surgery.” Next, she quickly sent a voice message before her mother could call again.

Sure enough, Sun Shuangyun only replied with an emoticon of “I’m going to kill you”, and that was the end of the conversation.

In fact, both her parents knew that once she decided on something, it was already decided. However, Sheng Xia also knew that the reason her parents kept bringing up this topic was because it was a very difficult path to take, and from their perspective, they always wanted to try their best to salvage the situation.

It’s just that these two people didn’t really have a position to convince her.

One was a war correspondent, and the other was a war photographer, trying to convince her not to do something dangerous and difficult, sounded like a state official setting fire.

Moreover.

Why did the hospital have to move up the schedule by more than a week? She had been told it wouldn’t be until next month.

Just thinking about all the things she had planned to do during this week, the packages she ordered, the online classes she would miss, her heart was surging with uneasiness.

***

Inpatient Building of the Affiliated Hospital of Lucheng Medical University – Building A.

“37.6, low fever.” The nurse at the nurse’s station by took Sheng Xia’s temperature and blood pressure, made a record, and pointed to the chair next to her. “You wait here for a moment, and we’ll notify you when the bed is ready.”

Sheng Xia nodded.

The Building A of the inpatient building of the Affiliated Hospital of the Medical University has been around for some years. It had an old-fashioned cylindrical structure, and looking into the nurse’s station, there was a long corridor. The white walls on both sides of the corridor were marked with traces of time. The chairs next to the nurse’s station were green, and the plastic square stools were wedged into black strips, and they had become a little wobbly after long use.

But it was clean, spotless, with a faint smell of disinfectant. The nurses at the station were also quite busy, working quietly, not chaotic, giving off a solemn atmosphere.

Sheng Xia kept peering down the corridor. A long corridor that couldn’t be seen to the end at a glance, with wards on both sides, and bright incandescent lights on in the corridor even during the day.

A busy nurse with bags of medicine walked past Sheng Xia, who instinctively shrunk her feet. Unknowingly, she felt a real sense of her impending surgery.

With the feeling of reality, fear would creep in.

Sheng Xia, who was usually calm, did not hesitate to open the daily vocabulary app on her phone, took out a pen and paper.

The hustle and bustle around her instantly created a safe distance from her. She was very satisfied, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, she put on earphones, and began to concentrate on reciting.

At least she can memorize ten.

She began to make plans.

***

Cheng Liang walked up to the nurse’s station and saw a girl with her head down writing furiously, leaving only the top of her head visible to him.

He somehow felt that the top of her head seemed familiar.

“Borrow a pen.” He swept a glance and extended his hand at the little nurse who was processing the admission procedures.

……

The little nurse instinctively covered her only signature pen.

She had been interning here for four months and had to get two boxes of pens from the head nurse every week. However, every weekend, she had to borrow a pen from someone because she didn’t have a single pen left. The culprit for the disappearance of these pens was none other than these doctors in white coats.

It was as if they were chewing up these pens as snacks in the corners where no one could see.

No matter how many pens reached them, they would enter another dimension.

“There’s no more pens left…” The small nurse lied with her eyes wide open.

Cheng Liang: “……”

Very good, now even the intern nurses have started to protect their pens. They are really well-educated.

“New patient?” With no pens left, he couldn’t just turn around and leave. That would be too heartless and obvious.

So Cheng Liang chose to strike up a conversation.

“En,” the little nurse nodded and added to the conversation, “It’s your patient.”

Cheng Liang turned his head to look.

Sheng Xia raised her head as if she was aware of it. Her mind was still on the words she was memorizing, and her expression was blank.

She had just finished memorizing the ninth word.

It was the very handsome doctor, named Cheng Liang.

Her first thought.

Why does his gaze seem strange… staring at her pen?

Her second thought.

Cheng Liang coughed lightly in embarrassment and turned his gaze away.

He was her patient, and he had watched her livestream last night. However, the failed attempt to borrow a pen just now made him very interested in the pen in his patient’s had.

It was a black matte fountain pen.

He was so interested that his patient put away the pen in her bag.

……

Stingy.

“Let’s arrange for admission first.” He could only put on a doctor’s demeanor, briefly explained to the little nurse, nodded at Sheng Xia, and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

His footsteps echoed.

The little nurse and Sheng Xia looked at each other, and the little nurse, who had protected her signature pen, happily waved at Sheng Xia. “Wear this on your wrist, you can only take it off when you’re discharged, and fill out the forms when you’re ready.”

***

Sheng Xia felt lucky.

The ward she was assigned to was a double room, and the woman in the next bed was a long-term patient in her fifties. Despite her sickly appearance, she was smiling and looking like she had a good personality.

“Xiao Liu, is this Doctor Cheng’s patient?” She seemed familiar with the nurse.

The little nurse, Xiao Liu, nodded and turned to Sheng Xia, explaining, “You can use this bedside table and the cabinet near the door with your bed number. You should rest for now, and the doctor will come to talk to you about the treatment plan, including the time of the surgery.”

“Doesn’t Doctor Cheng have surgery this afternoon?” The patient in the next bed happily spoke again.

Sheng Xia saw Xiao Liu sigh almost imperceptibly, and explained to Sheng Xia, “He’ll come to see you after the surgery.”

“Then I don’t know what time it will be.” The auntie in the next bed smiled.

Xiao Liu didn’t even give her a reaction this time and spoke to Sheng Xia, “You still have a slight fever, so pay attention to rest. If you feel uncomfortable, press the nurse call button or come directly to the nurse’s station to find us.”

“Or find me.” The auntie from the neighboring bed, who had a strong sense of presence, leaned over, “I can also call a nurse for you.”

“You still have to continue taking the anti-inflammatory medicine for cholecystitis that you are taking now. Everything has to wait until the doctor talks to you.” Xiao Liu pretended not to hear, and only closed the folder after she was sure that everything had been explained.

“Auntie Liu,” Xiao Liu took a deep breath and turned around, “The new patient is still having a fever and needs to rest, so please don’t keep pulling her to chat.”

“I know, I know!” Auntie Liu waved her hand.

“If you know, you wouldn’t have let the previous patient apply to change rooms with us.” Xiao Liu muttered in a low voice and walked away.

Auntie Liu pursed her lips and whispered too: “It was that patient couldn’t figure things out on her own, asking me whether to give a red envelope to the doctor.”

Then, addressing Sheng Xia, she said, “I won’t quarrel with such a well-behaved girl.”

Sheng Xia, who felt that she was really lucky to be assigned to a two-person ward and be placed beside the window, finished reciting the tenth word first and smiled, “Hello, Auntie Liu.”

The lonely Auntie Liu immediately smiled so hard that her eyes disappeared: “Oh, hello, hello, hello.”

“What illness does the young girl have? Why did you come alone?” Auntie Liu immediately entered the chatting mode, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

“Gallstones,” Sheng Xia busily stuffed her things in the cabinet, “My friend is still at work and will come over in the evening.”

“Alone in Lucheng?” Auntie Liu understood.

“En.” Sheng Xia opened her suitcase, took out toiletries, and when she was packing her luggage, she brought an extra set, which she handed to Auntie Liu, saying, “Auntie Liu, this is quite good. I brought an extra set. It’s disposable, so you can throw it away after use.”

“Aiya, you child.” Auntie Liu scolded while taking it, “You’re also an adult. Why bring so many things when you’re hospitalized? It’s not auspicious ah.”

Sheng Xia smiled amiably.

In fact, what she feared the most was having wardmates with cold and indifferent faces. She was accustomed to being independent, so she understood too well the importance of relying on friends when outside. It was convenient to have someone warm and helpful.

“But you’re lucky,” Auntie Liu held the set of toiletries and looked at it over and over again, reluctant to put it down, “Doctor Cheng is known for his excellent medical skills, and he even comes to the ward to chat with patients when he has time.”

Auntie Liu winked at Sheng Xia, “And he’s handsome too.”

Sheng Xia smiled again.

“But the thing about people, you can’t be too perfect.” Once the conversation started, it was hard to stop. Auntie Liu hid the toiletries that Sheng Xia gave her in the innermost part of the bedside cabinet, covered them with two packs of toilet paper, and continued the topic with great interest, “Those who are too good are easily envied. See if that’s not the case. He was not selected as the Outstanding Young Doctor, and his bonus went down the drain.”

Sheng Xia was surprised.

How long does this Auntie Liu have to stay in the hospital to know so much gossip about the doctors?

“It’s said that…” Auntie Liu shifted her buttocks, and lowered her voice, “it was he himself who sent the wrong application email. He sent the hospital’s doctor introduction file as a recommendation file. As a result, he got rejected in the first round.”

Auntie Liu covered her mouth, hiding a smile, “He’s just careless fool. Apart from treating patients, he is simply…”

“Auntie Liu!” Xiao Liu, holding a patient’s gown at the door of the ward, appeared as cold as ice.

Auntie Liu quickly shut up.

Sheng Xia, who was still smiling from listening to the gossip, and Xiao Liu looked at Xiao Liu and saw her holding the precious signature pen in her hands.

“If you continue like this, I’ll transfer you to a single room!” Xiao Liu probably also thought of the signature pen, so she could only vent her frustration on Auntie Liu.

“The hospital needs to be quiet,” she was annoyed.

How can you gossip about doctors with a patient as soon as they arrive!

Although what she said wasn’t wrong!

She couldn’t say that she was spreading a rumor, right??