Liu Zhi carried too many hopes, which became invisible pressure weighing on her shoulders.
She only dared to move forward and not retreat; sometimes, she didn't even have time to lick her wounds.
In the end, Liu Zhi's biggest dream became to escape—to escape this home, to escape everything.
She applied for a job in a city very far away from Yancheng and stayed in the capital to work, not returning home for two whole years.
"Meow~"
The sounds of Naituan and Lihua playing around pulled Liu Zhi back to reality.
In those few short minutes, Meng Yang had no idea what Liu Zhi was thinking. She remained quiet and patiently waited for Liu Zhi's reply.
"It's too late, you should get some rest," Liu Zhi said calmly. "Go wash up."
Meng Yang pinched Liu Zhi's chin. "Why are you so sullen again? Your hesitant expression is making me grit my teeth."
She used both hands to knead Liu Zhi's hands into a funny expression, "I'm going to take a shower, remember to save me some red bean dumplings!"
The Silent One nodded and watched her departing figure.
The next day, Meng Yang went to work, while Liu Zhi continued to be her "housewife".
Meng Yang lingered in bed a while in the morning and was about to be late for work. Seeing that she hadn't eaten much breakfast, Liu Zhi forced two bites of a rolled pancake onto Meng Yang's plate.
Meng Yang opened the door while putting on his shoes, his words muffled.
"Drive carefully," Liu Zhi said.
Meng Yang waved his hand, signaling her to close the door.
...
After a long break, going back to work feels especially painful.
The busy morning passed, and Meng Yang recalled a line of poetry: "I could have remained in darkness if I had never seen the sunlight."
She ate her bland and tasteless cafeteria meal, longing for Liu Zhi's stir-fried dishes.
Meng Yang sent Liu Zhi a picture of lunch with a pitiful emoji.
Liu Zhi: "The food is so bland."
Meng Yang: "I want to eat the dishes you cook."
Liu Zhi: "A lighter diet is good for physical and mental health. After so long, I actually miss the cafeteria food."
Meng Yang: "...a well-fed man does not know the hunger of a starving man."
Liu Zhi turned off the camera, took a picture, and sent it to Meng Yang.
In the photo, a cup of prepared oatmeal sits next to a thick textbook.
Meng Yang: "Baozi, please take better care of your health."
Liu Zhi took a sip of oatmeal, not quite understanding the strange nickname "Baozi".
Meng Yang: "Baozi, are you still there? There's still some pork rib soup in the fridge. It would be better to heat up some soup and have a drink than this."
Liu Zhi: "Do you want me to bring you food?"
After a while, Liu Zhi sent another message.
"Could you please use a different form of address..."
Meng Yang chuckled on the other end of the phone and changed to a form of address that Liu Zhi found even more unacceptable.
"Baby, remember to drink the pork rib soup."
Liu Zhi: "..."
A dozen seconds later, Meng Yang received a call from Liu Zhi.
"I'm heating up some pork rib soup." The microwave sound from Liu Zhi's side was very clear. "Take a good rest during your lunch break, recharge your energy, and don't waste time on meaningless things."
Meng Yang suppressed a laugh and said, "Okay, wife."
Liu Zhi paused, holding the bowl, and was speechless for a moment.
"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore." Meng Yang used his shoulder and head to hold his phone while delivering the food tray. "My dad called and asked me to bring you home for dinner this weekend."
He said he wanted to thank you properly.
"Are you planning to marry your daughter to me?" Liu Zhi's ears were burning as she said this.
"Well done, Liu Zhi, you're quite the expert." Meng Yang couldn't help but laugh. "Is the oil leaking?"
"I learned it from you." Liu Zhiqing cleared his throat.
"Alright, I'm done joking around with you. I still have things to do," Meng Yang said.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Liu Zhi asked.
The sound of the plate being thrown was quite loud, and Meng Yang didn't hear it clearly.
"What did you say?"
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Liu Zhi repeated.
"Silent One!" After saying that, Meng Yang hung up the phone, leaving Liu Zhi on the other end of the line looking bewildered.
The afternoon was even busier than the morning.
Meng Yang's first patient was rather eccentric.
From his headache to his legs, wherever Meng Yang pointed, he was in pain. When Meng Yang offered to give him a medical examination, he absolutely refused.
"Doctor, my illness flares up frequently, but I usually recover after a few days of rest at home," the man said. "Why don't you just give me a sick leave certificate so I can rest and see if I get better?"
The man spoke to Meng Yang in an almost earnest tone, "If that doesn't work, I'll come back to check!"
Meng Yang wasn't stupid; she roughly judged that this person had only come to get a sick leave slip.
“You need to undergo relevant examinations to determine the root cause of your illness. My abilities are limited, and I cannot determine the crux of your problem based solely on your verbal description,” Meng Yang said. “It is very necessary to undergo an examination.”
"I'm just a wage earner with limited financial resources, so I try to save money wherever I can. Please understand."
Meng Yang pursed his lips. "We have our own regulations, so please understand."
The man got impatient and stopped pretending.
"I just want you to issue me a sick leave certificate. Will you issue it or not? Just tell me."
“We have the relevant regulations,” Meng Yang said seriously. “I cannot drive it.”
Hospitals have clear regulations regarding the issuance of sick leave certificates, and Meng Yang cannot, under any circumstances, go against his conscience and issue a certificate to a person who is not sick.
The man persisted, his attitude changed drastically, and he spoke with obvious force.
Meng Yang sighed inwardly, thinking that she seemed to have a unique constitution that made her particularly prone to encountering such events.
This time it was a medical dispute, and now it's happening again during a follow-up visit.
Chapter 35 Father Liu
Meng Yang was much calmer than last time.
As she made her way to the surveillance area with no blind spots, she called the security department, just in case.
"I should have gone to see a specialist! Seeing a doctor like you was a complete waste of my time!" the man continued grumbling. "You're such a quack!"
Meng Yang ignored him; for this kind of person, silence was the best form of retaliation. If you responded, he would get feedback and become even more emboldened to rant; if you ignored him, he would be throwing a punch at cotton, only getting angrier and angrier.
The security department acted quickly, and soon sent someone up.
Seeing that things were not going well, the man muttered a few more words before leaving.
That evening, Meng Yang talked to Liu Zhi about this matter, feeling extremely puzzled by his tendency to cause trouble at hospitals.
“Because you radiate pure goodness from the inside out,” Liu Zhi said. “I don’t know if this description is correct.”
"Naive and innocent?" Meng Yang was even more frustrated.
Liu Zhi hesitated for a moment, "It's the kind of non-aggressive, um... pure..."
"Samoyed?" Meng Yang asked curiously.
"Samoyeds are tall and strong after all. If we're comparing sizes, you're at best a white poodle."
Meng Yang: "..."
"It's just an inappropriate analogy," Liu Zhi said, placing her hand on Meng Yang's shoulder. "Don't take it too seriously."
Meng Yang pulled the blanket over her head and rolled to the edge of the bed to sleep. Every time Liu Zhi moved closer to her, she would move away a little. The last time, she almost rolled onto the floor, and Liu Zhi quickly caught her.
"I've never seen anyone roll off their bed in their sleep before," Liu Zhi said.
"Looks like you really want to see me roll on the ground." Meng Yang turned around and wrapped his arms around Liu Zhi's neck. "You're so cunning, Dr. Liu."
Liu Zhi nudged Meng Yang's cheek. "Stop fooling around and get some rest."
Meng Yang kissed Liu Zhi's neck and whispered, "Goodnight."
The touch was so tingling that Liu Zhixin couldn't help but tremble. She stroked Meng Yang's hair with her fingertips, her gesture conveying a sense of comfort.
"This kind of medical dispute can really dampen a doctor's enthusiasm for their work. If it really affects their mood, we can try changing careers. Many of my classmates who graduated from Capital Medical University didn't end up working in clinical fields," Liu Zhi said. "No matter what, it's your life, and you should make yourself happy."
Meng Yang opened his eyes and said sullenly, "You talk a lot about grand principles, but I've never seen you put them into practice yourself."
“I love this profession,” Liu Zhi said softly, “although I may not seem that happy.”
So close, Meng Yang could feel the vibration of Liu Zhi's vocal cords with every word she spoke. This feeling brought Meng Yang immense peace of mind.
"Ask yourself honestly," Meng Yang drawled, his eyelids heavy, "Are you happy...?"
Liu Zhi calmed down and asked himself some questions. By the time he got the answer, Meng Yang had already fallen asleep.
She was quite happy during this time, especially after she got together with Meng Yang.
Meng Yang already had the face of a first love, and she looked even more serene when she was asleep. Looking at her sleeping face, Liu Zhi felt a little heart sink.
Liu Zhi felt a tickle in her heart and couldn't resist planting a kiss on Meng Yang's smooth forehead.
...