On Friday, Li Ye left home ten minutes earlier than usual. But he was not rushing to work—he was heading to the hospital to pick up Zhang Qiyan after his discharge.
Among the people of the Flower Planter, the ways of human relations were a field of study. Some occasions required you not to go unless invited; others required you to show up uninvited.
Although a teacher being discharged was not as grave as certain other matters, Li Ye had heard Zhang Qiyan say he would leave the hospital on Friday morning when he visited him a few days ago. He could hardly pretend not to know today.
As Li Ye headed out, his grandmother, Wu Juying, had prepared a large bag of nutritional supplements for him and nagged him with a long list of instructions.
"When you get to the hospital, don't talk too much, and don't ask how your teacher is feeling. The more you ask, the more irritating it gets. As long as you show up and rush to do the work, your sincerity will have arrived too."
"I know, Grandma. Teacher isn't an outsider. He doesn't fuss over those things."
"Ha, you don't understand what patients are thinking at all. You can't go wrong remembering what I said. Hurry up! Don't be late."
"I won't be late. The hospital doesn't even open until eight! I'll definitely be there by seven fifty."
Brimming with confidence, Li Ye headed straight for the hospital. He figured that since he had gotten there so early, he would surely be able to run errands and lend his teacher and teacher's wife a hand.
Yet when he reached the hospital, Li Ye was startled to discover that he was actually Zhang Qiyan's most "dragging-his-feet" student. He could not even squeeze into Zhang