Meng Yang carried the bag and followed behind her.
The corridor was dimly lit, making Liu Zhi's silhouette appear desolate and dejected.
On TV, the Spring Festival Gala was nearing its end, and the ward was filled with laughter.
Meng Yang opened the insulated box and placed the dumplings in front of Liu Zhi.
"Pork and celery filling, I made them myself." Meng Yang took out a plastic bag of vinegar from the bag and poured it into a dish. "Dip some."
Liu Zhi tasted half of it, then covered her face with her palm and wiped away her tears.
Meng Yang moved another chair over and sat down next to her.
Have you adjusted your emotions?
Liu Zhi did not answer.
“If you’re really feeling unwell, you can tell me.” As she spoke, Meng Yang’s eyes reddened again. “When you cry, I feel like crying too.”
“It’s too painful to keep everything bottled up inside,” Meng Yang choked up. “Don’t bear it all alone.”
Liu Zhi looked at Meng Yang, unsure of where to begin.
From her grandmother's stroke when she was 16, from that winter vacation when her parents had a huge fight that drew all the neighbors to watch, or from that summer when she came to the capital alone with her suitcase, or even from the death she personally experienced on New Year's Eve...
After a long pause, Liu Zhi said in a hoarse voice, "I'm so tired, I miss home so much."
Upon hearing her voice, Meng Yang couldn't help but shed tears.
"Get through this year, and I'll go home next year." Meng Yang followed her gaze.
Liu Zhi responded softly.
"Wash your face and change your clothes, I'll go heat up some dumplings," Meng Yang said softly.
Liu Zhi responded softly again.
The communal microwave was at the end of the corridor. Meng Yang set the time and waited for Liu Zhi to come out from the sink.
Liu Zhi's eyes were swollen. After rinsing them with cold water, she looked at herself in the mirror and felt a deep sense of exhaustion.
Meng Yangli stood by the door and knocked on the door frame.
"I've put the things back on your desk. Are you feeling better now?"
"I'm much better now. It's getting late, you should go home," Liu Zhi said.
Meng Yanggou glanced at the clock stuck to the ceiling of the corridor and shook his head.
"It's almost midnight, I might as well stay up all night with you."
"Until 8 a.m.?"
Meng Yang arrived at the affiliated hospital around 8 a.m. today and has been waiting for Liu Zhi until this late. It's indeed a bit unsafe for her to go home alone at this hour.
"You can rest on my desk for a while," Liu Zhi said hesitantly, "but I might not feel well."
“I can help you with the work.” Meng Yang pulled out a tissue and handed it to Liu Zhi to wipe her hands.
They remained silent, slowed their pace, and walked side by side through the corridor.
It was late at night, and some wards had already turned off their lights, while others were still watching the live stream.
At exactly twelve o'clock, cheers erupted from the television as the hosts exchanged congratulatory greetings.
Liu Zhi leaned close to Meng Yang and whispered, "Happy New Year."
Meng Yang leaned close to her and replied, "Happy New Year."
Just after midnight, a video message of blessings from my family arrived.
Liu Zhi closed the door, sitting on the far north side of the office. Meng Yang opened the window, shrinking into the far south side of the office.
Meng Yang received a video call from his parents, while Liu Zhi received a video call from her younger brother.
The two families exchanged similar blessings.
"Happy New Year, my dear! May everything go well for you and may your work be successful!"
Happy New Year, sister! Wishing you good health and success at work!
The firecrackers were loud on Liu Yi's side, disturbing Meng Yang's side. Liu Zhi couldn't leave, so Meng Yang took his phone and went to an open outdoor area.
"Where are they setting off firecrackers?" asked Mencius' mother. "I haven't heard such firecrackers in a long time."
“You misheard,” Meng Yang said. “It’s on your TV.”
"Why aren't you home yet?" Mr. Meng frowned as he looked at the sign for the affiliated hospital's inpatient department on the screen. "Isn't it cold outside?"
"I'm afraid of disturbing other people's rest." As soon as Meng Yang spoke, white smoke rose from his mouth.
“No, you went out like this during the New Year, and you’re not home in the middle of the night?” Meng’s mother stared at Meng Yang, her eyes scrutinizing him.
“You’re twenty-seven this year, you’re no longer a child.” Meng Yang’s eyes darted around.
"Mengmeng, are you dating someone?" Meng's mother called Meng Yang by his nickname, somewhat curiously. "Are you keeping him company while he's on duty?"
Meng Yang sighed inwardly. She was indeed keeping someone company while they were on duty, but that person was just someone she had a crush on.
“He’s a friend,” Meng Yang said vaguely.
Meng's father was not pleased to hear this.
He knew his daughter was virtuous and didn't need her parents to worry about her, but he still couldn't help but mutter, "Why is a girl like you giving herself away?"
"Just a friend." Meng Yang sighed, "Really just a friend."
"A girl?"
"girlfriend."
The eyes of Meng's parents were filled with disbelief.
They had just spotted a tall, slender figure passing by the camera – wearing a white lab coat, standing with his back to the door making a phone call.
She didn't show her face, but her back view looked good.
Since their daughter wanted to keep it a secret, they couldn't interfere too much.
"Come home early tomorrow morning," Meng's mother instructed.
"Okay, I'll definitely come home early," Meng Yang promised.
The video was finally cut off, and Meng Yang rubbed his cheeks as he returned to Liu Zhi's office.
Liu Zhi has already started working.
She was doing statistics, and after watching for a while, Meng Yang felt sleepy.
Liu Zhi moved aside a bit, and Meng Yang moved another stool and sat down. Liu Zhi estimated that Meng Yang would fall asleep in less than half an hour.
Soon after, Liu Zhi felt a heavy weight on his left arm.
She turned her head to look, and sure enough, Meng Yang was asleep. Because they were so close, Meng Yang naturally rested his head on Liu Zhi's left arm.
Although the hospital was very warm, Liu Zhi was still worried that Meng Yang would catch a cold, so she reached out and helped her put on a down hat.
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Author's Note:
orz, sorry for not updating on time.
Chapter 20 Father-in-law
Sleeping on your stomach can easily cause poor blood circulation, and Meng Yang woke up after sleeping for less than half an hour.
When she woke up, half of her head was resting on Liu Zhi's forearm, her forehead was sweaty, and her hands and feet were numb.
Liu Zhi rested her forehead on her right hand, a ballpoint pen lying to one side, and looked like she had fallen asleep.
Meng Yang leaned back on his arm, looked at Liu Zhi, and traced her face with his eyes.
A sense of weariness settled between Liu Zhi's brows, memories and reality overlapped, and Meng Yang's thoughts drifted far away.
Liu Zhi opened her eyes and met her gaze.
Meng Yang silently turned his head away and continued to lie there pretending to be dead.
Liu Zhi continued to write and compile statistics.
Meng Yang couldn't stand the heat anymore, so he straightened up, took off his coat, and walked around the wall twice to relieve the soreness and numbness in his legs and feet.
"Do you want to rest a little longer?" Liu Zhi asked.
What time is it?
It's almost two o'clock.
Meng Yang felt she couldn't stay any longer. She occasionally worked shifts, but she had never spent 24 hours a day at the hospital. Let alone a year, she would go crazy even if she did it for a week straight.
She made Liu Zhi a cup of coffee and tried to keep herself active.
Liu Zhi went to perform another emergency surgery around 3 or 4 o'clock, and returned around 6 o'clock.
At that time, Meng Yang pulled his chair to the corner of the wall, leaned against the wall, and watched the show while dozing off.
As the TV series reached its climax, the background music was incredibly rousing. Even with headphones in and the volume turned up high, Meng Yang's eyelids were still so heavy he could barely keep them open.
The sound of the door opening woke her up.
It was the transition between spring and winter, and the nights were long. Meng Yang glanced around; it was still dark outside.
"It will be dawn in another hour or two," Liu Zhi said, picking up her now-cold coffee and taking a sip.
"I want to go home." Meng Yang was exhausted. "Our department's night shift is alright, we don't need to move around so often."
"I really can't handle this." Meng Yang rubbed his temples.
Liu Zhi listened to Meng Yang speak while drinking coffee, and finished half a cup of cold coffee in no time.
...
At eight o'clock, the alarm rang, and Meng Yang had never found the sound so pleasant.