345. Encounter
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On a Saturday, the streets of the county town were mostly filled with middle-aged and elderly folks. Occasionally, groups of third-year middle school and high school students could be seen trudging along together, still stuck in classes on the weekend.
If it were a weekday, this time would see students flooding the streets, and buses would be packed tighter than sardines in a can.
Lin Nan couldn’t imagine commuting in a big city; to her, crammed buses felt like an unthinkable torture.
Fortunately, Saturday buses weren’t too crowded, and the duo hopped on one to the hospital, finally reaching her grandfather’s ward.
The room smelled distinctly of the hospital’s signature disinfectant—quite unpleasant. Luckily, she was wearing a mask, but maybe it was a psychological trick she played on herself, as the smell seemed a touch less invasive.
Wu Guodong had already woken up and was munching on a boxed meal he bought for breakfast.
“Grandpa, meat buns!” Lin Nan cheerfully announced as she placed a small bag on the bedside table. “Homemade!”
Grandpa pulled one out, joyfully nodded at Lin Nan, and mistakenly thought she had made them herself. After taking a bite, he was moved: “Not bad, not bad at all.”
He rarely smiled, but when he did, he looked quite amiable, a far cry from his usual stern and grumpy demeanor.
Chen Yao, on the other hand, had nothing to chat about with Lin Nan’s grandpa. He placed the yogurt he had brought from home in the corner and looked up to find Grandpa smiling at him as well.
Sure enough, even though he had said no gifts were necessary, if he brought something, he’d complain just a bit about wasting money. Not bringing anything, though? That was just plain foolish.
Standing silently behind Lin Nan, looking all earnest, he mimicked how Lin Nan had been tidying up his house the night before, picking up a broom and starting to clean the ward without a word.
“This kid is quite dependable, much better than Guodong, and he’s handsome too,” Grandpa chuckled, his face crinkling with crow’s feet.
Though he had met Chen Yao a few times, all he remembered was the sight of him and Lin Nan’s cousins glued to their phones. But clearly, Chen Yao’s behavior today had won him over.
Just as Wu Guodong took a bite of his meat bun, something clicked in his mind, and he looked up in bewilderment.
What’s so great about him? How is he better than me? Hey, I’ve bought my own house and car—aren’t I strong enough?
“Save the last one for your grandma. She’d love the one you made,” Grandpa said, sitting up and wrapping the meat bun for safekeeping in the drawer, then darting a glance at Wu Guodong, clearly worried he might sneak a bite.
Wu Guodong sighed in silent despair, buried his head into his meal instead.
“When are you two planning to head back?” Grandpa switched on the TV, leaning against the headboard. He scanned the three standing or sitting beside his bed. His smile deepened the creases on his face. “Better head back early; don’t let it affect your studies and work.”
“Maybe in the afternoon? I’m gonna catch a few Zs outside first,” Wu Guodong said, stretching lazily. “Didn’t sleep well last night. Need some shut-eye before driving.”
“Right, don’t stay up driving. Heard Lin Nan’s dad got into an accident last time…” Grandpa suddenly stopped, hesitated, then spat out, “That little rascal! Next time I see him, I swear I’ll knock him out!”
Lin Nan gave an awkward smile from the side, not knowing how to pick up that particular thread of conversation.
Grandpa then turned his full attention to a local opera program on TV. The dialect spoken was a confusing jumble to Lin Nan, and she understood barely a word. Finding herself utterly baffled and with nothing better to do, she wandered out into the hospital corridor, her curiosity piqued.
Chen Yao followed behind her, still rocking that gullible look of his.
“Stop pretending!” Lin Nan shot him a glare.
He burst out laughing, nearly letting slip, “Your uncle is having a rough time, always getting flak!”
But then it hit him—he was also subject to his mother’s relentless teasing at home, and his smile evaporated.
“What a sad bunch we are,” he mused.
With Grandpa needing some alone time, the two of them wandered aimlessly in the corridor.
Though it was still early, the hustle and bustle ratcheted up as families and healthcare workers filled the hall, making it densely populated. Lin Nan, someone who usually preferred solitude, began thinking about returning to the ward.
But just a few steps away, something caught her eye, and she blurted out, “Lin Qi Ge?!”
Chen Yao looked where Lin Nan had gasped, spotting a tall, thin guy with hair that obscured his eyes, giving off a bit of a non-mainstream vibe.
The moment Lin Nan shouted, she regretted it. Lin Qi’s gaze turned toward her, confusion written all over his face, completely failing to recognize this lively young lady.
Quickly, she lowered her head and scuttled past him, muttering an apology, “Sorry, wrong person.”
Lin Qi just stood there, befuddled. Who calls out someone’s name only to say they made a mistake?
Gazing at her quickly retreating figure, he thought he’d seen her before. Was she maybe the cousin he met last year?
“Who was that?” Chen Yao asked, a tinge of jealousy creeping into his tone.
Lin Nan pursed her lips, explaining, “My younger cousin. He lived next door to me during elementary school, and I used to play with him a lot. My cousins always protected me back then.”
Her cousins were a bunch of underachievers, complete troublemakers. There were three of them; all dropped out after middle school to work. Lin Qi stuck around as an IT guy, while the others moved out of town.
“I saw him when Dad took me back for New Year last year, but he probably wouldn’t remember me now.”
The jealousy melted away, and Chen Yao asked, “So why did you bolt?”
“My dad said not to embarrass him…” Lin Nan mumbled, lowering her head. “Besides, I didn’t know what to say.”
Feeling a bit downcast, the encounter with her cousin left her feeling like her old self was just a wisp of smoke—gone.
He probably thinks he ran into a weirdo, huh?
Returning to the ward, Lin Nan found her aunt had appeared, a somewhat unexpected sight.
Ever since she transformed into a girl, her aunt had seemed less interested in her. Now, seeing Lin Nan, who had just been laughing with their grandpa, immediately froze her face into a mask of seriousness.
“I’ll come pick you up in a couple of days,” Aunt said, pulling out several thousand yuan from her pocket and handing it to Grandpa. “Here’s some money. Take this for now; if it’s not enough, just ask for more.”
“Not like I’m broke,” Grandpa attempted to decline.
“Buy some supplements or something,” Aunt insisted, shoving the cash under the blankets and striding out.
Lin Nan watched her leave and turned to see Grandpa shaking his head vigorously.
“Come on, you two, get over here.” Grandpa pulled out the cash from under the covers, licked his finger to point at the money as he counted, all while grumbling, “You keep giving me money! The money I make playing mahjong is enough; I don’t even know how to spend all this!”
“Here, Nan Nan, take five hundred.” He handed Lin Nan some cash before she could protest, suddenly turning serious, “Take it, just take it.”
“And you, you get five hundred too.”
“I get something too?” Chen Yao beamed but quickly handed the money to Lin Nan, still wearing that innocent expression.
Wu Guodong poked his head in and asked, “What about me…?”
Grandpa seemed to have turned deaf, stuffing the remaining cash right into his pocket.
