Chapter 279: Blissful Little Rock
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu
Zhang Fan swiftly took a hot shower. Although the operating rooms were eternally kept at a set comfortable temperature, standing up for so long and the tense surgical operation had still naturally caused him to sweat.
The operating rooms’ showers were rather high-class. Back when former Superintendent Huang was renovating the operating rooms, he paid for massaging shower heads from Hong Kong. This counted as a benefit of working as a surgeon for Chasu City Hospital—former Superintendent Huang had been a surgeon himself and favored the surgical departments. Back when the massaging shower heads were first installed, the internal medicine doctors had been really envious!
Right when Zhang Fan exited the hospital, he just happened to spot Shao Hua getting out of a taxi.
“You even came to pick me up! Why didn’t you just go to sleep earlier? You were probably quite busy yourself today.” Zhang Fan patted Shao Hua’s face in pity.
“Why would I be tired? If I get tired from studying, I can always take a walk to refresh myself. You must be exhausted today, working on a surgery for so long. Let’s go home. I’ll even give you a massage,” Shao Hua said flirtatiously.
“Haha, okay! But, let’s walk back home instead of taking the taxi. I’ve been standing for the whole day. My legs still feel numb. My knees won’t be able to take it if I don’t walk a little!” Zhang Fan and Shao Hua thus walked together down the streets in this beginning of spring.
The beginning of spring would usually be quite pleasant in Chasu City. A gentle warm breeze would usually blow, while green leaves were beginning to wave in the wind!
Everything would feel like heaven as long as there was love. As they walked, Shao Hua leaned right into Zhang Fan, who felt so much bliss as he inhaled Shao Hua’s faint fragrance. His bliss was like a fountain that kept flowing. People who were still single would never be able to understand this feeling of love.
Early spring was normally when vegetation would return to life, but in northwestern China and northern China around Beijing, the sandstorms could be quite vicious. If you happened to sneeze during a sandstorm, you would find that you would no longer be able to close your mouth, because your mouth would become filled with sand and dirt! Luckily, Chasu City was one of the few places in northwestern China that didn’t experience sandstorms, truly making it an oasis.
There were trees which were hundreds of years old that lined the roads of Chasu City. These trees had been nourished by blood! They blocked wind and rain for Chasu City’s sake! People who had never visited the border province wouldn’t know just how large China was, and people who had never visited Chasu City would never know how beautiful the border province was.
The Russians had managed to claim the majority of this area filled with rivers and valleys. Otherwise, this entire land would’ve belonged to China. This was the only place in northwest China which had four distinct seasons and nice weather. Such a pity!
“Little Rock!” Shao Hua leaned into Zhang Fan’s embrace as she addressed him by his mother’s nickname for him. Her tone was sweet, really sweet. Zhang Fan grabbed Shao Hua’s hand and kissed her face.
“You’re getting naughtier and naughtier!”
Shao Hua then laughed loudly because Zhang Fan tickled her!
The two of them chased each other and messed around for a little while. Zhang Fan felt his fatigue being erased by his joyful emotions!
“Little Rock, let’s stop messing around now. I can’t run anymore! Please spare me, I’m begging you!” Shao Hua grabbed Zhang Fan and kissed him on the lips.
“Alright, I’ll be magnanimous enough to spare you!” Zhang Fan and Shao Hua continued to slowly walk down the street while tightly hanging on to each other.
They had a safe and peaceful environment to live in. It didn’t seem like this was the border province or China’s border at all. This was all thanks to China’s power. Truly, one wouldn’t realize how powerful China was unless you came to visit China’s border.
“Little Rock, the singer Daolang is coming. He’s going to hold a concert in Chasu City next week,” Shao Hua told Zhang Fan.
“Oh! Do you want to go to his concert? Go ahead. What day is the concert? I’ll go with you if I’m not working that day. If I’m working, then you should go with Jia Suyue,” Zhang Fan said.
“Sigh! I’m actually not that fond of his songs. Only older women like him! For instance, my mother. She didn’t even know what concerts were before this. However, the older women in the neighborhood were all talking about going, so my mother mentioned it last night at dinner. I want to have my parents go listen to Daolang’s concert.”
“Sure! Let’s buy tickets for them, then,” Zhang Fan remarked.
“There’s no more tickets! It’s only been three days since the concert was announced, but all the tickets are gone already,” Shao Hua said somewhat regretfully.
“Wow, he’s really popular!”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect that he would be so popular.”
The two of them soon returned home as they chatted about daily life. This was their ordinary lifestyle which repeated itself every day. Although it was plain, it was also really warm! This was one of the best ways of living life!
Shao Hua’s mother immediately greeted Zhang Fan and brought him some chicken soup when he returned. “Oh my! You must be exhausted. Sheesh, the hospital didn’t even try to find someone to replace you during the surgery. Even a robot would be tired from such a long day of work. Hurry and have some chicken soup, Zhang Fan. It just finished cooling. I put some wolfberry and codonopsis pilosula in the soup for you. Have a taste.”
“Ha!” Shao Hua’s father laughed derisively when he heard his wife’s comment. He was currently reading through a newspaper.
“Did I say something wrong?” Shao Hua’s mother had already returned to the kitchen, but she came out and glared at her husband upon hearing his laughter filled with derision.
“What do you even know? You think it’s that easy to change doctors midway through a surgery? You know nothing at all. Zhang Fan is the primary surgeon, understand?” Actually, Shao Hua’s father didn’t know anything about surgery, either. However, there were a few nurses and doctors who lived in this neighborhood, so what little he did know was from gossiping with the other elderly men who lived here.
Shao Hua’s father had never paid any attention to medical things before, but since Zhang Fan was his future son-in-law now, and also because he was now the official legal owner of Zhang Fan’s hospital, if only in name, he was paying more attention to this type of knowledge. He finally found an opportunity to brag to his wife.
Shao Hua’s father then commented to Zhang Fan, “Isn’t that right, Zhang Fan?”
Zhang Fan, who had only been watching the show, immediately avoided this question by picking up the bowl of chicken soup. “Whoa! Wow! This soup tastes great!”
Shao Hua’s mother was quite happy that he was praising her soup, so she ignored what her husband was saying. “Let me bring you another bowl. Have some rice pilaf. It’s vegetable rice pilaf today because I know that you don’t like eating meat rice pilafs. I put raisins, almonds, and walnuts into today’s vegetable rice pilaf.”
“No need for the rice pilaf, Ma’am. I’ll eat it tomorrow morning as I’m truly full. I stuffed myself with Kentucky Fried Chicken earlier. Even now, I’m feeling like it was so greasy.”
“Why eat something like that? That’s nothing but junk food. If you have overtime work in the future, I’ll have my husband bring some food to you. Your body will collapse on you if you don’t eat well.”
Originally, Shao Hua’s father had been about to go visit a friend to go play Chinese chess, but since Zhang Fan had now returned, he decided against going out. He simply pretended to flip through his newspaper while sitting on the sofa while actually listening to everyone else’s conversation, even if he didn’t join in.
Zhang Fan could finally rest for a little now. Shao Hua’s parents had especially purchased a sofa that also doubled as a bed for him. Zhang Fan slept on that sofa, while Shao Hua’s parents sat on the other sofa and watched television. Shao Hua sat by Zhang Fan’s side and kept adjusting his head’s position.
At first, when the sofa was purchased, Zhang Fan felt rather awkward about sleeping there. Still, Shao Hua’s mother always insisted every time, so Zhang Fan slowly got accustomed to it! Although the television was tuned to the local news channel, Zhang Fan was far too exhausted and easily entered dreamland even with the television’s sound.
Shao Hua’s mother pushed her husband. “Hmm?” He looked at his wife in confusion.
“Turn the volume down. Look at Little Zhang. Sigh! Why is his job so tiring?”
“Oh!” Shao Hua’s father hurriedly turned down the television’s sound, and then whispered to Shao Hua, “Zhang Fan’s apartment that he received from the hospital is now finished with the living room’s renovations. Your mother and I will buy the furniture for you. When you have time, you should pick out the furniture that you want.”
“Oh~! It’s already finished renovating? I forgot all about it because I was so busy studying accounting. No need for you to worry about the furniture. This will depend on Zhang Fan. I don’t know what he will like. We can pay for the furniture by ourselves.”
“Yeah. You two should discuss things with each other. Don’t make things hard on him. Look at Little Zhang, he’s so exhausted!” Shao Hua’s mother interrupted.
“I know!” Shao Hua was slightly jealous. Zhang Fan was so popular that her mother was even favoring him over her. Shao Hua pitifully rubbed Zhang Fan’s face as he lay fast asleep.
Before Shao Hua could even put down her hand, Zhang Fan’s cell phone suddenly rang. Shao Hua was scared that she had accidentally caused Zhang Fan’s cell phone to ring. Zhang Fan instantly woke up as if he had received an electric shock as he sat up immediately.
He took the call without even checking the caller ID. This was a habit common to all doctors! Modern cell phones were basically devices that might summon a doctor over at any time!
“Hello?” Zhang Fan spoke to his cell phone.