As they drew nearer, Meng Yang knocked on Liu Zhi's door.
Liu Zhi opened the door for her barefoot.
Meng Yang stood at the door, sizing her up.
"You sleep in a white T-shirt?"
"Um."
"Serves you right for having a sore throat."
Liu Zhi opened the door and let Meng Yang in.
"Where's Naituan?" Meng Yang didn't go in, but only glanced at her.
Liu Zhi's room was clean and tidy, and very well organized. Her daily necessities were neatly categorized and stored in storage boxes, stacked in the corner in order of size from largest to smallest.
The wardrobe was open. Meng Yang glanced at it and didn't see many clothes, but he did see quite a few books.
Liu Zhi picked out the clothes she would wear that afternoon from the wardrobe and placed them on the bed. After hearing Meng Yang's words, she pointed to the side of the bed.
The kitten fell asleep, sprawled out on its back, looking nothing like a cat.
Meng Yang finally approached Liu Zhi's room and helped Naituan straighten the blankets.
"Come and hug it after you finish eating," Meng Yang said softly.
Liu Zhi stood there, her clothes draped over her forearms, watching Meng Yang.
Meng Yang and she exchanged a glance, and then Meng Yang suddenly realized what was happening.
"I'm going out. Go change your clothes."
Before Liu Zhi could figure out what was going on, Meng Yang quickly walked out and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
When Liu Zhi came out after changing her clothes, Meng Yang was feeding the cat in the living room.
One cat, one bowl; one in the east, one in the west; they don't interfere with each other.
Pear Blossom didn't have the proper table manners of a young lady, and Gege was so timid that she would look up at Meng Yang even while eating.
On the table were Meng Yangxia's noodles and a bowl of something pitch black.
Liu Zhi sniffed it; it tasted bitter with a hint of sweetness, so it was probably another medicinal meal.
"What is this?" Liu Zhi picked up the bowl.
"Autumn pear syrup." Meng Yang knew what Liu Zhi was asking without even turning his head.
"Isn't pear syrup yellow and looks quite translucent?" Liu Zhi said.
“I added monk fruit.” Meng Yang continued to add nutritional paste to Gege’s bowl.
"My throat is much better now." Liu Zhi looked at the contents of the bowl.
"You're kidding me. Your voice gets hoarse after talking for a short while. Long-term sleep deprivation has disrupted your endocrine system," Meng Yang said, turning his head back. "Dryness and heat damage your body fluids, causing qi deficiency and blood stasis."
"Eat whatever I feed you, don't worry about it," Meng Yang said, raising his head. "Don't you trust the doctor's diagnosis?"
Liu Zhi, holding the bowl, said, "Of course I believe it."
"I still have some angelica and red date chicken soup simmering in the pot, and some pear syrup left. I'll drink the soup first."
Liu Zhi was stunned by what she said and stood there in a daze.
"I've already taken a bite of the pear syrup..." Liu Zhi stroked the porcelain bowl.
“Your stomach isn’t good, so you can put the pear syrup aside for now, but you must drink the chicken soup,” Meng Yang said earnestly.
Chapter 16 Change
The old man suffered from lower limb edema and paralysis caused by liver cancer, and could barely sit up by supporting himself on his arms.
The old lady hasn't been feeling well lately, and her son has been taking care of her. With his help, it's much easier for Liu Zhi and Meng Yang to get their checkups.
That day, they provided basic treatment to the elderly man, and his bedsores did not worsen and even showed a slight improvement.
The old man's granddaughter was doing her homework on a chair not far away. As soon as Liu Zhi and Meng Yang arrived, she stopped writing and cautiously peered at them.
The little girl was quite outgoing; as she was leaving, Meng Yang was tugged at by the hem of her clothes.
"Sisters, are you doctors?"
Meng Yangyang laughed, "Yes, we are all doctors."
"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor and treat my grandfather's illness," the little girl said, emphasizing each word.
Others might think this was just a child's whim, a casual remark, but to Liu Zhi, it was a solemn promise.
Liu Zhi stopped in her tracks, turned around, and encouraged the little girl, saying, "You must keep going."
The little girl nodded solemnly.
The old man's son was very polite to Liu Zhi and Meng Yang, praising them all the way and seeing them off to the intersection.
On the way back, Liu Zhi said to Meng Yang, "I need to get a haircut. Let me take you home first."
Meng Yang flicked Liu Zhi's hair. "Do you want to cut it shorter? I think it's fine as it is."
Based on Meng Yang's understanding of Liu Zhi, Liu Zhi's "haircut" definitely meant cutting the hair short, and there was no possibility of dyeing, perming, or changing the style.
Liu Zhi hummed in agreement.
In her hometown, there's a custom of getting a haircut before the Spring Festival, a habit Liu Zhi has always maintained. Work fills almost her entire life, and time flies by in the daily grind; sometimes, half a year passes in the blink of an eye.
Liu Zhi suddenly realized that she had long lost her overall sense of time—the emergency room made her count in minutes and seconds, while hospitalization always made her count in days.
Getting a haircut at the end of the year has thus become a ritual.
“I know a hair salon nearby that does great styling. I was thinking of getting a haircut too, so let’s go together?” Meng Yang said.
Without giving Liu Zhi a chance to refuse, Meng Yang began to manually direct the direction.
“Turn at this intersection.” Meng Yang patted Liu Zhi’s right shoulder. “Yes, this is it. Watch out for cars.”
I'd heard before that these kinds of hair salons offer such meticulous and thoughtful services that they can make you feel awkward, and today I experienced it firsthand.
The hairdresser handed Liu Zhi a tablet so she could choose a hairstyle. Meng Yang stood beside her, browsing through the hairstyle database with great enthusiasm.
“Look at this, I think it would look great on you.” Meng Yang glanced at the tablet and then at Liu Zhi.
The person in the display image has medium-length hair, reaching to the shoulders, and the overall style is slightly fluffy.
"Our hairstyle uses a bouncy air cushion perm, and this kind of high-end C-shaped perm is very popular this year. This lady's face shape is also very suitable..." The hairdresser went on and on.
"Let's try this hairstyle," Meng Yang said. "Let's give it a try, let's try to change it."
Meng Yang's hairstyle was quite conventional and wouldn't affect Liu Zhi's work.
Liu Zhichang switched between long, straight black hair and ear-length short hair until she was twenty-eight years old. She had her own aesthetic sense, and she also thought this hairstyle looked good on her.
However, she was hesitant to try it.
She was like a rigid, old-fashioned person, confined to her own little world, unwilling and afraid to make changes.
Liu Zhi hated this version of herself.
"Just try it once, dare to break through your own limitations." Meng Yang's gaze followed her eyes.
That look again...
"Okay." Liu Zhi struggled with her thoughts and hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.
Meng Yang was as happy as if he were getting a new hairstyle, and generously took out a prepaid card to finalize the new look.
Liu Zhi wanted to transfer money to her, but Meng Yang refused.
"You can treat us to dinner."
"good."
Next, it was the barber's turn. After going through the required procedures, Meng Yang sat in the waiting area looking at his phone, occasionally stealing glances at Liu Zhi.
Liu Zhi could see her every move clearly in the mirror. Meng Yang's subtle expressions as she secretly watched were adorable, which eased Liu Zhi's tension.
Her long hair was cut short, falling to the ground in clumps. The first half of the haircut was done quickly, but the second half, the perm, took an incredibly long time.
Bored out of her mind, Liu Zhi pulled out a professional paper to read.
The long and tedious wait made Meng Yang drowsy.
Liu Zhi put away her phone and watched with interest as Meng Yang dozed off in the mirror.
She didn't fully wake up until a staff member brought her a cup of tea.
Two hours later, Liu Zhi looked at herself in the mirror, her expression slightly frozen.
She doesn't quite feel comfortable with herself now.
For most trend-conscious people, this hairstyle is as understated and simple as it gets.
Meng Yangli stood behind Liu Zhi and gently gathered her hair.
"Look, you can tie your arms up like this when you're working. Doesn't it look much more composed?"
The hospital has basic requirements regarding dress and conduct, and perming hair is not against the rules, but patients trust mature and composed doctors more. Meng Yangzheng understood this and chose the current hairstyle for Liu Zhi.
Even so, Liu Zhi still felt that she had changed too much.
"Hurry home, the three kids are waiting," Meng Yang urged Liu Zhi.
"Don't you want me to treat you to dinner?" Liu Zhili stood there.
"Let's order takeout when we get home." Meng Yang tugged at her sleeve. "It's getting dark, let's go home first."
...
When the door was opened again, Pear Blossom, Gege, and Naituan were sitting neatly in the doorway, arranged like cell phone signals. Even their movements of looking up at Liu Zhi and Meng Yang were synchronized.
Meng Yang patted each of their heads, and Lihua and Gege followed her, leaving only Naituan waiting for Liu Zhi's hug.
Liu Zhi sat on a high chair in the living room with Naituan in her arms and ordered takeout. Naituan crawled out of her arms and looked at the phone screen curiously.
"Don't move." Liu Zhi rubbed the little dumpling's head and tucked it back into her arms.