Chapter 4: The Patient

Beneath the sunlight, the half-lowered black car window closed completely. From inside came only a calm, effortless voice: “Thank you.”
That counted as agreement.
Su Qing instinctively nodded from inside the room. A moment later, realizing the person outside could not see him, he shook his head in amusement and lounged on the bed a little longer.
Only after those people entered the main building's medicine room did he head to the kitchen on the eastern side.
Not long after, he had no idea what happened, but the main room erupted into chaos. Old Liu shouted, “Qing, Qing! Come give me a hand! All of you, get out!! Out, out, out!”
Hearing how furious Old Liu sounded, Su Qing thought the two youths must have offended him again.
But when he hurried over, he saw the two half-grown young men standing beneath the corridor with red-rimmed eyes, wiping away tears in grievance.
Several black-clad men stood beneath the courtyard sun, motionless as statues. The atmosphere had become painfully frozen.
“All of you, get out! Don't stand outside irritating me. What, are you already mourning him and preparing the funeral?!”
Su Qing: “…” The old man still had the same explosive temper.
He walked straight past everyone and went inside. Old Liu immediately started ordering him around.
Behind him, the thinner youth tried to rush in too but was stopped by the other. “Cheng, don't be impulsive. We won't be able to help if we go in.”
“But Brother…”
The boy called Sheng shook his head. Obeying Old Liu, he turned and sent all the black-clad men outside to wait.
Now they could only rely on those two.
Every time Sir suffered an attack, he hovered on the line between life and death…
–
Su Qing did not know much about pharmacology, but he could still serve as Old Liu's assistant without trouble.
At the very least, he understood the layout of the medicine room better, knew where Old Liu kept what he needed, and did not suffer from the frantic confusion that came from caring too much, as the two youths did.
“Stop fetching medicine. Give me the needle case… Good. Hold his shoulder down. Relax, you don't need that much force… Good, let go. Go to my drawer, take out a slice of ginseng, and place it in his mouth.”
Perhaps because the patient was a complete stranger with no connection to him, Su Qing could calmly follow every instruction and face this struggle between life and death head-on.
Even Old Liu was not as calm as Su Qing. As a doctor, he naturally understood just how critical the man's condition was.
One tiny mistake and the patient could leave here as a corpse.
And those two boys outside glaring like tigers—wouldn't they eat him alive?!
Never mind their earlier promise not to hold him responsible. Old Liu was not as naive as Su Qing.
If Su Qing had not spoken up for them at the end, he might never have taken on this trouble at all—damn it! If he got another chance, he absolutely would not agree again!
“Hey! Hold on! Are you still conscious?”
The situation suddenly worsened. In the middle of the acupuncture treatment, Old Liu discovered that the patient's breathing had abruptly weakened, followed by a fading pulse.
This really was… someone even an immortal could not save, a man the King of Hell himself had marked for death.
Su Qing had just placed the slice of ginseng into the mouth of the man on the couch. With nothing else he could do to help, he found himself marveling at the man's extraordinarily pale skin—pale enough to make many women feel inferior.
It was obviously the snow-white pallor of someone who had gone without sunlight for a very long time, but his skin itself was excellent, giving the color a beauty all its own.
All the novels you want to read have already been prepared for download at Night Union Pavilion:
YEHEG.COM
Su Qing had no time to study the man's appearance anyway, nor did he have any voyeuristic interest in staring at other people.
After one unconscious glance, the only impression left in his mind was: white.
While his thoughts were wandering, he noticed Old Liu's poor expression and his heart tightened.
Only then did he truly understand how serious the patient's condition was—and how precarious their own situation had become.
“Grandpa Liu, until the very last moment…”
“Mm!” Su Qing's words snapped Old Liu back to himself. A physician should have a compassionate heart. Since this man had already become his patient, he had to do everything he could until the very last moment. He could not give up.
He had been the confused one.
Su Qing's own heart began pounding. The only reason he had dared say that to Old Liu was because he could see that the man's will to survive had not given up.
His eyelashes were still trembling almost imperceptibly.
For a moment, Su Qing thought of himself. In their desire to live, the two of them were equal.
“Stay alive.” He lifted the hand hanging over the edge of the couch.
Pale, long and bony, with ten fingers like carved jade.
He had only meant to place it back on the couch, but the hand suddenly turned and gripped his tightly.
The grip was surprisingly strong, reddening all five of Su Qing's fingers.
Su Qing did not mind. He covered the back of the man's hand with his left hand and clasped it in return, using that contact to pass on his encouragement.
His own hand was definitely warmer than the man's. Giving him even a little heat was better than letting him die in such bitter cold.
Gradually, the warmth in Su Qing's palm began to fade. What he did not notice was that the other man's body temperature was rising.
Old Liu did notice, and he looked completely baffled. “Strange…”
The man's breathing had actually stabilized again, and his pulse no longer resembled that of someone on the brink of death. Old Liu had almost been ready to give up…
“Can he be saved now?” Su Qing asked delightedly from where he crouched by the couch, rising to look toward the patient's head.
In a daze, he met a pair of black eyes with their brilliance held quietly within. He had no idea how long they had been watching him.
His mind jolted.
He could not tell whether he had stood too quickly and become dizzy at the sight of blood, or whether the man's presence was simply so powerful that it stunned him.
Another impression lodged itself in his mind: those phoenix-shaped eyes were truly beautiful, long at the corners, the brows rising toward the ends, naturally carrying an air of classical nobility.
The black of those eyes was not dense, but light and clear, warm and translucent like jade, like an ink painting slowly unfurling before him.
Before long, the eyes closed wearily again.
Su Qing went outside. The two frantic youths had already rushed in.
There was nothing more for him to do anyway, so Su Qing went off to make dumplings.
“This dough has been resting for a while. How about making little wonton wrappers with it?”
“Anything, anything. Your grandmother used to make the best little wontons.” Old Liu followed him in, his voice full of nostalgia. He had even forgotten about his vinegar.
After circling the kitchen once, he happily went to the living room to wait for food.
Su Qing chopped fresh pork, shrimp, and beaten egg into a three-delicacy filling, then rolled the dough into thin square wrappers, perfect for little wontons.
He truly had inherited his grandmother's excellent cooking skills. His left hand scooped filling while his right folded the wrapper.
It took less than half a second to make each little ingot-shaped wonton. Soon, an entire layer filled the bamboo basket lined with clean white cloth.
The old hen in the pot had long since stewed tender. Once the fat was skimmed off, the chicken broth was perfect for cooking the little wontons.
“No chicken broth. No scallions. No cilantro.” Just as he prepared to ladle out the soup, someone spoke behind him.
While Su Qing had been rolling wrappers, the youth called Cheng had come in, critically inspected the entire kitchen, and watched him make wontons for a long time.
And he had suddenly spoken up just to demand no chicken broth, scallions, or cilantro?
Wait a second. Su Qing was not their family cook.
His ladle paused. He filled another pot with clean water and brought it to a boil, then dropped in the little wontons. Each one turned white, plump, and round. After adding cold water twice, he fished them out.
One serving was exactly as the youth requested: clear, almost flavorless broth and absolutely light. The other two bowls received chicken broth.
The wonton skins were tender, and the fresh chicken broth soaked into them beautifully.
“You two brothers are eating too, right?” Su Qing explained to the slightly puzzled youth.
Cheng immediately took a step backward. Not because he was shy.
It was more like he had become alarmed and wary, as though wondering, What is he plotting by trying to ingratiate himself with me this way?
For some reason, Su Qing could even see an expression like a beauty turning pale with shock.
The boy was not yet eighteen and had an androgynously beautiful face, lovely enough that countless handsome men and beautiful women outside would feel ashamed beside him.
But what use could two bowls of little wontons possibly be?! Su Qing still wanted to ask.
Forget it. He turned around and continued cooking portions for himself and Old Liu.
Those absolutely had to include both scallions and cilantro.
Fortunately, the youth was not completely heartless. He ran outside and called his brother Sheng back to help carry the three bowls of little wontons.
Sheng was the sunny, handsome type. With that good-looking face, he could debut directly as an idol in the entertainment industry, and unlike the usual pretty young stars, he also had a strong frame and solid muscles.
He at least seemed to possess the conscience Cheng lacked. Before leaving, he remembered to thank Su Qing instead of treating him as their cook by right.
Su Qing had not planned to hold anything against a youngster anyway. Sheng's cheerful grin was likable enough to soften him further, and he even asked whether they had enough to eat.
“No, no, don't fuss over us. My brother can't eat much. If it really isn't enough, we'll cook more ourselves.”
Fine. They truly did not regard themselves as outsiders.
Speechless, Su Qing carried his and Old Liu's portions into the living room.
Behind him, Sheng—the one Su Qing had developed a fairly good impression of—left the kitchen and immediately lost his smile.
It was not that Brother could not eat much. There simply were very few foods his stomach could tolerate.
They had left home suddenly and had not brought their own chef. Food cooked by Su Qing in a little kitchen like this might not be clean, and the ingredients came from unknown sources. They had even less reason to expect anything from it.
If Cheng had not said it smelled decent, Sheng would never have taken it to Brother at all.
They could treat it as another dish added for decoration. Yes.
That was what Sheng thought when he carried it into the east wing and placed it among the expensive dishes delivered from private restaurants. Yet his brother singled out the bowl of little wontons immediately.
“Did the gentleman across the courtyard make this?”
“Uh… yes. Brother, do you want to try it? Cheng said it was all right.”
Before he even finished speaking, the man at the table had already gestured for someone beside him to bring it over.
Seeing him pick up his chopsticks, Sheng and Cheng were both surprised and delighted. They picked up their own portions, which they had not originally planned to eat.
They had to admit it: it really was fragrant.
White, round, ingot-shaped wontons floated in the fresh chicken broth, dotted with tender green bok choy. Their skins were thin and soft, seeming ready to melt the instant they touched the tongue.
The fresh pork-and-shrimp filling could not quite satisfy palates accustomed to the very finest ingredients, but once it absorbed the broth, it was still perfectly decent.
Most important of all, their brother had already eaten quite a lot. Only a few cabbage leaves remained floating in the bowl, untouched.
“Brother, you look much better?” Cheng was always the least able to contain himself.
“Mm?” The man's final syllable rose faintly. He waited until both of them had finished eating before speaking; otherwise, these two would certainly put down their food and rush off to work before taking another bite.
“Cheng, go back and prepare another gift to send over.”
“All right, Brother.” There were light gifts and weighty gifts. They had already brought Old Liu one when they arrived.
The list Cheng had just received was unquestionably for a very substantial gift.
Old Liu had saved their brother today. No matter how valuable the gift, it would be worth it.
Cheng put away the list, then suddenly realized something. “Should I prepare two copies of everything on it, Brother?”
The man's fingertips tapped the table slowly. “No. Go first and have someone bring it over this afternoon. Sheng, you go take care of something else.”
Across from him, Sheng cheerfully turned his computer screen around. “Brother, I already found all his information for you. Su Qing. He's even an actor…”
The corner of those black eyes drifted toward him in a light glance, and the boy immediately fell silent.
Cheng waited on the steps until Sheng came outside. “We're both leaving? No one's staying with Brother?”
“Brother gave us the whole afternoon. Stop worrying. I still need to pick out a few neighborhoods in West City and bring over some daily necessities from home. I'm not waiting for you.”
“Hmph.” Cheng knew the unspoken meaning: whoever finished first would get to return first.
“I still think it's strange. Brother only told me to prepare one gift. That Su Qing…” They had guarded the doorway the whole time. Su Qing's contribution today had been obvious to everyone.
Walking out of the courtyard gate, Sheng narrowed his eyes against the glaring sunlight. “Brother knows what he's doing. Still, what happened today really was strange…”
The man had inexplicably escaped death, and even the miracle doctor himself found it baffling.
“Hmm… could that charlatan from before have been right? Do we really need to find someone to marry Brother for good luck? Maybe we should have Su Qing's birth characters read sometime…”
Cheng: “…Lian San, when we're outside from now on, don't tell people we're brothers.”
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who sent me Overlord Tickets or nutrient solution between 2021-03-12 22:31:54 and 2021-03-18 23:09:31~
Thank you to the little angel who sent a landmine: Second Uncle, 1;
Thank you to the little angels who supplied nutrient solution: Start Over, 66 bottles; Misty Rain, Live Out My Life and xixaxia Rosy-Cloud Pillar, 2 bottles;
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!