"Dongdong said a very nice uncle gave him a lot of toys and even took him to the dentist?" Grandpa asked me seriously.
"Hmm." I held my breath and could hear my own heartbeat.
"Where did you meet her?"
"It's Hu Lu's colleague. Last time when Dongdong went to the dentist, Hu Lu was usually quite busy with work, so she asked her colleague to help take care of him."
"Hmm," Grandpa continued watching the Peking Opera on TV, tapping his left hand to the beat intermittently.
I was a little tired, so I lay on the bed and watched the female lead, the dignified lady, and the martial arts actors on TV.
"Think about yourself."
"Um."
How could I not understand what Grandpa meant?
It's not that no one has approached them about this; some of them are quite well-off. Some of these men are even fairly good-looking. Their only thing in common is that they've all been married once. Some are either widowed or divorced.
Given my circumstances, finding a suitable partner shouldn't be a problem, but I also have a child to support. Even if a young man is getting married for the first time and agrees, will his family agree? So I've never considered this kind of thing. My grandfather has never mentioned it to me; he's treated me the same way he always has.
Thinking about myself, this was a real wake-up call, and it was a good one.
Zhang Qian
Grandpa is a childlike man, very stubborn. He couldn't stand Auntie's stern face towards Dongdong at the dinner table that day, so he stayed there and refused to come back. Father was, of course, the happiest; he wished Grandpa could stay with him forever. But Father is a sensible person, and there are some things he can't make decisions about.
Before I came back, Grandpa told me not to worry about him. He said he was enjoying himself and being waited on hand and foot over there, but coming back here would be torture. He was clearly trying to comfort me.
He's so old, why bother? I couldn't persuade him; instead, he scolded me. If Dongdong hadn't come to the rescue, Grandpa wouldn't have let him go for at least a day after that scolding.
During my break at home, I cleaned the house. I watched TV in my spare time; I'm usually too busy with work to watch much. Our factory has a longer holiday because all the out-of-town employees went home for the Chinese New Year, and they usually don't come back until after the Lantern Festival. Our garment factory's holiday is after the Lantern Festival.
Some people and some things are better left unsaid; if you bring them up, everyone will lose face.
I've been through so much these past few years, I've come to terms with it, and that's just how it is. Living in the past is painful. Being uncertain about the future will only bring more pain. It's best to live each day to the fullest. I don't expect anyone to erect a monument to my virtue; I don't believe in that. As long as I can be true to my conscience, that's enough.
I turned off the tap, wrung out the clothes, and laid them out to dry on the balcony. I took down the bamboo pole, wiped off the dust with a cloth, and called Dongdong to pick up the other end. I hummed a Peking Opera tune my grandfather taught me when I was a child.
"Mom, it's Uncle!"
It's him!
His car was parked downstairs, and he stood by the car, smiling at me.
"uncle!"
Dongdong let go of the bamboo pole and ran downstairs. Clothes fell to the ground.
What's meant to happen, can't be avoided.
Pick up the dirty clothes from the ground and put them back in the basin.
Go into the toilet, throw it into the bathtub, fill the tub, and start over.
"I'll help you." He rolled up his sleeves and immersed his hands in the cold tap water, beginning to rub the clothes.
"Come in and have a seat, it'll be ready in a minute."
Before I could even do anything, the clothes were already clean. I took the basin to the balcony and laid them out to dry again.
"I'll help you get the bamboo pole."
I can't give you this bamboo pole.
"Dongdong, come here."
"Let me do it, the clothes are heavy."
Why are you so insistent on doing this?
"Go in, there are people on the other side."
He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry."
After hanging up the clothes, he put the washbasin back in its place and returned to the living room. He and Dongdong sat on the sofa and played Ludo.
"What are we having for lunch?" I asked.
"Something simpler."
"How about dumplings?"
"good"
I used two pots to cook different kinds of dumplings. One pot contained Dongdong's bowl, and the other pot contained mine and his.
Bring out the dumplings and place them in front of him.
"The filling is different today, try it." I picked up a piece with my chopsticks and put it near his mouth, and he smiled.
"Is it hot? Let me blow on it for you." She took the dumpling back and gently blew on it.
"Eat it, it's not hot anymore."
His eyes never left me, because my eyes never left him.
"Don't throw up, this was made especially for you." I covered his mouth. "Do you know what this is called?" I asked him.
"What"
"Life has many flavors." She picked up another dumpling and put it in his mouth. "Try this one."
"Is it good?" I asked.
He didn't say anything, he just stared at me.
Life is full of flavors, both sweet and sour, bitter and spicy, and I've given myself one too.
It's bitter.
One more, this one's spicy.
She picked up another dumpling and put it in his mouth, asking, "Do you know about Su San's journey to prison?"
"have no idea."
“It’s Peking Opera,” she said, picking up another piece to feed him. “Grandpa loves listening to opera, and he learned to sing a few lines when he was little.”
"This Su San was originally a courtesan. She fell in love at first sight with Wang Jinglong, the son of an official, and they made vows of eternal love. When Wang Jinglong went to the capital to take the imperial examination, Su San and the young master made a promise to never leave each other. But in the end, Su San was unjustly imprisoned for various reasons, and none of her former confidants and lovers were willing to lend her a hand. It shows that men's true feelings are nothing more than that. It's quite an interesting play; you can go and listen to it if you're interested."
He's gone.
"Mom, why did Uncle leave?"
I'm sorry, we are just two parallel lines, occasionally intersecting but destined to separate.
Anqi
After the holiday, the hospital was almost empty, except for a few people who went to the internal medicine department to see a doctor for a cold.
The patient in bed 44, who had already been discharged, came back to register for emergency care.
"Dr. An, please take a closer look. This is my new X-ray. Is there anything wrong with it?" The patient in bed 44 squinted, leaned forward, and stared at my expression.
"Um."
"How about it?"
"good."
"Dr. An, I've been having a lot of nightmares lately, and I wake up in a cold sweat, vomiting everything I eat. At my age, I'm afraid I'll get this kind of illness..."
"Your stomach isn't very good, is it?"
"That's right!" His voice rose considerably.
"Open your mouth."
He opened his mouth wide, which reminded me of when I took Dongdong to the dentist. He covered his mouth with his hand and said, "Don't give me a shot in my mouth." Kids are so easy to fool; how could I possibly give him a shot in his mouth?
"Alright, here's some appetite stimulant for you."
His medical record card simply stated the cause of his illness and the prescribed medications.
"Dr. An..." The patient in bed 44 was not giving up; he just wanted to hear from me what he was thinking.
"Turn left at the main entrance on the first floor and go up to the third floor of Building 2. Look for a doctor surnamed Chen."
"Is he...is he an expert in this field?"
"Um."
"Doctor, is there any hope for my illness?"
"Hard to say."
"Then, Dr. Chen... is he confident?"
"He is an authority."
"Thank you so much!" The patient in bed 44 gripped my hand tightly, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.
You're welcome.
The only patient who came to the emergency room this morning was the patient in bed 44. The first week after the holiday is relatively easy, but after that it will be back to normal.
The disposable cup on the table was piled high with cigarette butts; I checked my pockets, and they were empty.
I walked out of my office to the nurses' office across the street, said hello, and told them to call me if they needed anything while I went downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes.
"Hey, did you hear that this morning?" the round-faced nurse asked the little nurse sitting next to her.
"What?"
"Dr. An," the round-faced nurse said.
"You've taken a liking to him?"
"Go away, don't talk nonsense. I'm asking if you heard this morning about Dr. An treating that 'celebrity' who used to stay in bed 44?"
"No, the patient in bed 44 is here again?"