052. Acute Gastroenteritis?
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When Lin Nan returned to Uncle’s house, it was already past midnight.
He didn’t feel sleepy at all. Thanks to his insomnia these days, his biological clock had shifted to around two or three in the morning.
Wu Guodong plopped a mountain of bags next to the sofa, set a bucket of fried chicken on the coffee table, stretched his aching back, and finally sank down with a face full of agony.
He never expected Lin Nan to be such a shopping maestro.
Usually, his exercise routine consisted of a ten-minute bike ride to and from work. He thought that leaving at six would just mean a quick half-hour jaunt to buy some clothes. But wearing flip-flops, he ended up hiking around for a whopping four hours until the mall closed—with blisters forming on his feet—before Lin Nan reluctantly headed home.
If only he had known not to wear flip-flops.
Wu Guodong was fuming. He spent money only to suffer, a real classic case of self-inflicted misery.
He glanced over at Lin Nan, who was eagerly rummaging through the bags and pulling out his newly purchased items. Besides clothing, most were cute little plush toys the size of a hand.
He could understand that guys like cute things; after all, he bought his fair share of figures and enjoyed his fair share of “adorable” anime. But seeing Lin Nan’s face light up over those toys made him look like a little girl who just scored a dream toy.
“Uncle, aren’t you going to bed?” Lin Nan asked, as he arranged the plushies on the sofa. He still had to crash here for the night, and tomorrow afternoon, Wu Guodong would have to drive him back to school.
“Just munching on a late-night snack.”
You mean you’re going to devour that entire bucket of chicken by yourself?
Wu Guodong chomped on a chicken piece and suggested, “Why don’t you sleep in my room tonight? I’ll take the sofa.”
Not out of any warm unclely affection, but because he felt it was downright unkind to make a guest sleep on a sofa without air conditioning or a fan.
Even if Lin Nan refused, he could feel justified in doing so…
“Sure, why not?” Lin Nan surprisingly nodded. “Your bedding’s been washed, and you’ve been out all night, so it shouldn’t smell too bad, right?”
So you thought my room stank before?
Wu Guodong was at a loss with his nephew. He had never hit, scolded, or lectured Lin Nan, and especially not now.
He nodded begrudgingly and then lifted his foot to examine the blister, he added, “Go grab my first aid kit from the shoe cabinet. I need to pop this blister.”
Lin Nan obediently stood up, grabbed a chicken leg from the bucket, took a bite, and scampered off to find the first aid kit.
However, as he reached the first aid kit, Lin Nan furrowed his brows and suddenly sensed something was off.
He looked down at his abdomen and felt a familiar pang of pain gradually spreading from his belly.
What is Li Na doing? Playing around again?
Last time he had stomach pain, Li Na admitted it was “punishment” from her magic. Back then, Lin Nan was scared half to d*ath, thinking it was his time of the month. He even suspected something was wrong with his insides. But now, it was indeed something he never predicted.
Frowning, Lin Nan returned to the sofa, handed the kit to Wu Guodong, and absentmindedly pressed a new plush toy against his belly, placing the half-eaten chicken leg on the coffee table.
“Is your stomach hurting?” Wu Guodong dug into the kit and slapped two types of medicine for gastric and intestinal pain on the table. “So, is it diarrhea or stomach ache?”
He was a programmer, and his eating and sleeping habits were notoriously chaotic. At first, it was manageable, but after several years, his body began to throw tantrums. Though he was of an older generation, his mindset was still like Lin Nan’s; he figured these were just minor ailments unworthy of a hospital visit, so he stocked up on various medicines.
“Make sure to eat breakfast, skip late-night snacks, keep your diet regular,” he mumbled advice he knew he himself didn’t follow.
“Yep.”
Lin Nan recognized this was Li Na’s magic at work. Though he didn’t know how he had angered her, according to her, it seemed he could lift this spell.
So, he pressed on his abdomen, trying to adapt to the pain, and closed his eyes, rummaging through the vastness of his memories for a solution.
Wu Guodong soon dealt with his blister and bravely tested his feet on the ground, noticing the pain had significantly lessened. He finally had time to focus on Lin Nan, who was turning pale and trembling in pain.
“What’s wrong with you? Want some medicine?”
“I’m fine.”
Lin Nan opened his eyes, giving a pained smile and shaking his head.
The memories of Lilith were indeed too numerous and detailed, and solving a small magic problem seemed like an ordinary task for her, which made it all the more tedious for Lin Nan.
“I’m just going to lie down for a bit.” Lin Nan said wearily.
Looks like he was in for another day of suffering.
Wu Guodong mistakenly thought it was just ordinary stomach pain and, with a carefree attitude, picked up the game controller to play some console games.
But this time, the pain hit him like a tidal wave, coming in relentless waves, transforming from mild discomfort to horrific stabbing agony, spreading not just in his belly but into his lower back and thighs.
The pain and tingling sensations spread to other parts of his body, making Lin Nan tremble involuntarily, his body twitching, lips turning ashen as he curled up in the corner of the sofa, groaning painfully.
Does Li Na really hate me this much?
Wu Guodong, lost in his gaming oblivion, finally sensed something was seriously wrong with Lin Nan but couldn’t figure out what to do.
“Should I call 120?”
“No need…”
The trouble with magic wouldn’t show up in a hospital examination, and it might even reveal his condition to Uncle.
His abdomen felt icy, and the pain radiated from one point, Lin Nan could barely speak through the painful waves, cold sweat pouring down him.
Wu Guodong panicked: “I’ll go get you some hot water!”
It’s a common belief in their culture that hot water is the fix for any ailment. He hurriedly fetched a cup of water from the dispenser. He intended to hand it straight to Lin Nan but saw Lin Nan’s arm trembling violently.
With no other option, he scooped Lin Nan up and carefully poured warm water to his lips.
His mind was a mess, as he was unnerved by the warm and soft body he held in his arms.
“Why don’t we just go to the hospital?”
“No way.” After drinking the warm water, Lin Nan felt the coldness in his belly dissipate a bit, and the pain eased.
He suddenly began to suspect that the troublesome Frapuccino was to blame. Could this be acute gastroenteritis?
“What in the world is wrong with you?” Seeing that the tremors had calmed down a bit, Wu Guodong finally felt reassured. “Have you had this before?”
“Once.”
“Did you get a medical check-up?”
“The doctor said I was fine.” Lin Nan wriggled free from his uncle’s embrace and grabbed the cup of water.
Wu Guodong frowned, saying, “I need to tell your parents, so they can take you to a big hospital in Beijing.”
“Then I’ll spill the beans about those embarrassing body pillows you bought for me…”
That line was a k*ll shot. Wu Guodong’s expression stiffened, and he awkwardly laughed, “I did it for your own good, you know?”
“Pfft~ I need to use the bathroom.” Lin Nan struggled to get up from the sofa, but his legs buckled, and he plopped back down. Wu Guodong quickly helped him up and supported him until he reached the bathroom door.
Looking at Lin Nan close the door while Wu Guodong was still trying to steady himself, he suddenly heard a shrill scream from inside the bathroom.
“AHHHH!!! What the…?!”
“What’s going on?!”
