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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Six: Edible Lucia
The meal was finished by the three of them, and all the bowls and plates on the table were empty, except for a green bowl that still had a few enoki mushrooms stuck to the sides. Even the hot pot noodles that usually remained after a meal were completely devoured by Lucia, who kept exclaiming how delicious it was. Zhang Qiu stared wide-eyed at Lucia, wondering how someone so slender could eat so much—did Westerners have larger stomachs?
“Lucia, what type of food do you prefer? I can order some more for you.”
“No need, thank you. I’m very full. Usually, I only eat until I’m about seventy percent full, but today I feel like I’ve eaten one hundred and twenty percent,” Lucia exaggeratedly patted her stomach, which only made her ample chest more noticeable. Not sensing anything amiss, Lucia gave a thumbs up and said, “Your Chinese hot pot is amazing; I love China.”
Zhang Qiu knew that Americans were quite straightforward; if she said she wasn’t eating anymore, then she truly wasn’t. Not wanting to be polite any longer, Zhang Qiu checked the time—it was half an hour until class started, and they had plenty of time to get there.
“Waiter, the bill please.”
Zhang Qiu called out, and a waitress in a qipao approached with the bill in both hands. After glancing at it briefly, Zhang Qiu handed over Biao Ge's bank card with a smile and asked, “Can I pay by card?”
The waitress politely nodded, took the card to swipe it on the POS Machine, and handed it back to Zhang Qiu for her to enter the password. This was Zhang Qiu’s first time using a bank card; she quickly pressed six digits after confirming the keys. The screen displayed “processing,” and after a moment, a receipt printed out from above. The waitress tore it off and handed it to Zhang Qiu, offering her a pen with a smile, saying, “Sir, please sign your name.”
Zhang Qiu solemnly wrote her name and then exited the restaurant with Jiang Xue and Lucia, amidst enthusiastic shouts of “Welcome again!” As soon as they stepped outside, a wave of heat hit them; their exposed skin felt the scorching warmth directly. Looking up at the blazing sun, Zhang Qiu sighed; summer was indeed hard to endure.
After dropping Jiang Xue and Lucia off at No. 1 Middle School, Zhang Qiu bid them farewell at the entrance: “I won’t be joining you this afternoon. I’ll come pick you up tonight, Xue'er.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you,” Jiang Xue replied with a sweet smile.
“Aren’t you joining us for the other activities this afternoon?” Lucia asked with some disappointment. After spending just one noon together, she had developed a deep interest in this Chinese boy. It wasn’t just because of the ancestral jade pendant; mainly, she sensed something in Zhang Qiu that was absent in other students. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly but was eager to get closer to him.
Zhang Qiu smiled: “Tomorrow then. If nothing comes up, I’ll come back tomorrow; you’ll still be at No. 1 Middle School, right?”
“Yes,” Lucia replied with a hint of reluctance in her tone. “Tomorrow is our last day in China; we’re taking the High-Speed Rail to the capital this afternoon and flying back home.”
“I’ll come see you off tomorrow.”
“It’s a deal.” Lucia quoted another Chinese idiom.
"One word is a promise." Zhang Qiu smiled at Xue'er and said, "I'm planning to go to the county hospital to find Wang Jinghan for the money I owe. Do you agree to let me go alone to see other girls?"
Xue'er pretended to think carefully and slowly replied, "You can see Wang Jinghan, but not anyone else."
Zhang Qiu chuckled and agreed, bidding farewell to the two women once more. Under the watchful eyes of Xue'er and Lucia, Zhang Qiu rode off on his Electric Vehicle, occasionally glancing back at them standing outside the school gate.
Zhang Qiu arrived at just the right time, having not called Wang Jinghan in advance to confirm. He had a gut feeling that he would definitely see her. Sure enough, when he locked his Electric Vehicle in the parking lot and walked into the lobby, he saw Wang Jinghan in a pink nurse's uniform standing behind the counter on duty.
Zhang Qiu hurried over to the counter, and Wang Jinghan looked surprised at his sudden appearance, asking, "What are you doing here?"
Zhang Qiu laughed and replied, "What? You don't want me here?"
"Not at all. Oh no, how come you took off your bandage!" Wang Jinghan quickly noticed the issue; the doctor had clearly instructed that the bandage should not be removed. This Zhang Qiu was being reckless again, just like Xue'er—why wasn't she keeping an eye on him?
Wang Jinghan shot Zhang Qiu a reproachful glance and firmly pulled him along, prompting Zhang Qiu to ask, "Where are you taking me?"
"To see the doctor!" Wang Jinghan insisted resolutely, dragging him into the room where he had been treated last time.
Inside the room was only Dr. Li. When he saw Zhang Qiu, his expression suddenly changed; he stood up and scolded, "Why did you take off your bandage!"
Zhang Qiu hurriedly explained to Dr. Li, "I thought the wound had healed, so I removed it."
"Nonsense!" Dr. Li dismissed Zhang Qiu's claims. "Am I the doctor or are you? Your wound may not be deep, but it won't heal that quickly. Come here; let me take a look."
Dr. Li's face was grim. After decades of practice, he had seen all kinds of patients and could tolerate almost anything—except for one type: those who didn't follow medical advice.
Professional ethics compelled Dr. Li to calm down and examine Zhang Qiu. To his astonishment, this young man's wound had indeed healed. Dr. Li checked multiple times but still couldn't believe his eyes. Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could recovery happen so fast?
In his early twenties when he entered medical school during the Cultural Revolution's turmoil, he had witnessed everything from knives and rifles to machine guns and tanks over the years. He had seen many wounds heal quickly before, but none as fast as this young man’s.
Suddenly, Dr. Li recalled that a while ago, another doctor with the same surname mentioned a patient who had been hospitalized with a knife wound and exhibited similarly astonishing recovery abilities. Looking at Zhang Qiu before him, Dr. Li asked, "Did you come here a while ago?"
"Yes, I have been here before. You personally bandaged my wound," Zhang Qiu said, looking at Dr. Li in confusion. He thought to himself, what is wrong with this doctor? Just a minute ago, he was scolding him for removing the bandage, and now he is asking such a silly question.
"No, no, no, my friend. What I mean is, a longer time ago, did you ever have a knife wound?"
Zhang Qiu suddenly realized and couldn't help but laugh. So that's what it was about. He replied, "That's right. I did have a knife wound some time ago, and I was treated at the county hospital. Coincidentally, the doctor there also has the surname Li."
"That would be Director Li from the seventh floor," Wang Jinghan added from the side.
Dr. Li nodded slightly, looking thoughtfully at Zhang Qiu, and said in a deep voice, "Indeed, indeed."
Zhang Qiu asked, "What is indeed?"
Dr. Li replied, "Your physique is quite good; your recovery ability is so strong. In my years of practice, this is the first time I've seen such a case. If you are willing, our hospital can conduct a comprehensive full-body check-up for you."
Zhang Qiu was speechless. How could Dr. Li on the first floor sound exactly like Dr. Li on the seventh floor? He didn't want to be some guinea pig for others to study and quickly said, "Thank you, doctor, but I don't think I need it."
"Ha ha, alright then." Dr. Li didn't press further; since the young man was unwilling, that was that. He added, "If you need anything in the future, feel free to come find me. I have plenty of experience with injuries and fractures. No one in Beilan County can match my skills in setting bones."
Zhang Qiu looked at Dr. Li's white hair and beard and his white coat and thought to himself that even if he was telling the truth, his age spoke for itself.
After leaving the Director's Office, Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "There are quite a few doctors with the surname Li in this hospital."
"Not really; it's just that you happened to run into them. By the way, what brings you here?" Wang Jinghan asked after noticing that Zhang Qiu seemed fine; she realized he must have come for some reason.
Zhang Qiu smiled as he pulled three hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to Wang Jinghan. This was money he had withdrawn from the bank on his way here; he had already seen the payment slip indicating that the brain scan cost three hundred yuan.
Wang Jinghan asked, "What do you mean by this?"
"This is for the last procedure."
"Did you tell your family that you were injured?" Wang Jinghan's first thought was about the money his family must have given him; otherwise, how could Zhang Qiu—a high school student—come up with three hundred yuan? Unless he had taken all his living expenses out and planned not to eat or drink for a while. However, knowing Zhang Qiu, that was also a possibility.
Zhang Qiu: "Of course, I didn't tell my family."
Wang Jinghan firmly refused to take the money: "I don't want it, just put it away. Honestly, did you take out all your living expenses? I'm telling you, I'm not in a hurry for money, so you don't have to be so polite with me."
Zhang Qiu smiled: "I'm not on a diet, right? Don't worry, I'm starting to make money just like you. No matter how good our relationship is, I can't let you pay for my medical expenses. If I really were so broke that I couldn't even spare a penny, I'd be the one clinging to you for help."
Wang Jinghan was amused by Zhang Qiu, put the money away, and asked, "What are you doing to earn money?"
"At a bar, managing a group of guys and keeping an eye on things."
"Not bad, keep it up," Wang Jinghan encouraged Zhang Qiu, then added, "Just be careful."
As for Zhang Qiu's choice of this particular line of work, Wang Jinghan didn't know what to think; all she could do was remind him to stay safe. After all, Zhang Qiu often ended up getting hurt, and she was genuinely worried about seeing Liu Xiaofei's fate replayed in Zhang Qiu's life.
Zhang Qiu had no idea what Wang Jinghan was thinking and cheerfully said, "By the way, I have something fun to tell you that I think you'll be interested in."
Seeing Zhang Qiu's mysterious smile, Wang Jinghan immediately became curious and asked, "What is it?"
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