Lao Xia Is Still Young

Because a station doctor took over the case, the ambulance arrived in time, and the elderly man's relatives in the area were contacted through his unsecured mobile phone, the young doctor Zhou Yiqing did not go to the hospital with him.

He came back today with prior arrangements to have dinner at his elders' house. After checking the time, he realized it was getting late, so he quickly left the station and took a taxi to his elders' house.

Sitting in the car, he couldn't help but recall the cardiac surgeon who had just saved the person.

Although he wasn't a doctor in the relevant department, as a graduate of a legitimate medical university with several years of experience, he still knew some basic knowledge related to heart problems.

The cardiac surgeon's "operation" was truly incomprehensible to him. His hands were on the patient's chest, but it wasn't a standard chest compression gesture. He didn't see any specific movements, no forceful pressing; he was just pressing down. How did he manage to save the patient?

Is there some technique that you can't see clearly or understand?

Or perhaps the patient's heartbeat just returned, and the doctor sensed it, so he simply got up and left?

But judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be making any normal movements to check his heartbeat and breathing.

Moreover, before making way for the doctor, he had confirmed that the old man's heartbeat and breathing had indeed not yet recovered.

Forget it, I'll just go back to the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the affiliated hospital of the medical university and find that doctor to ask him for advice in person.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good look at the doctor's face, nor did I ask his name.

However, there are only a few cardiac surgeons in a hospital, and he easily found them by asking around.

The 29th day of the twelfth lunar month is also called "Little New Year's Eve" in many places. Relatives and friends will visit each other and get together for a meal.

Xia Libing's parents were abroad and unable to return to China for the Spring Festival, so she stayed in Citong City, but she wasn't completely alone.

Her third uncle and aunt's family also lived in Citong City, so they would naturally invite her to come to their home on this occasion.

Xia Libing initially declined, citing her night shift at the hospital. However, her third aunt, who was the vice president of the hospital, used her power and personal connections to adjust the shift schedule and personally drove Xia Libing from the hospital to her home.

Xia Libing's third uncle and aunt have two children, a boy and a girl. The older girl is in junior high school, and the younger boy is in fourth grade.

Neither of these kids was easy to manage; they were notorious troublemakers in the entire Xia family. Their third uncle and aunt had a real headache dealing with them, especially the older one, who was currently going through puberty and constantly defying his parents. He'd do exactly what they were told not to do, and they weren't afraid of being hit, scolded, or having their allowance taken off. No amount of coercion or persuasion worked. Just before the final exams, he even got a row of earrings pierced, which infuriated his third aunt so much that she slapped the doorframe, injuring her finger.

But these two mischievous kids, ever since they were running around naked, have always been incredibly well-behaved whenever they see Xia Libing, like mice seeing a cat.

Even now, when he sees Xia Libing, he behaves himself and doesn't dare to cause trouble. All his rebelliousness and childishness are completely suppressed.

The third aunt was naturally very curious, but she had been asking her two children and Xia Libing since they were children, yet she had never received an answer.

After Xia Libing arrived in Citong City, her third aunt desperately wanted her to stay at her home and then "discipline" her two troublesome children. However, Xia Libing refused and found a place near the hospital herself. Despite being an elder and a hospital leader, her third aunt felt powerless to control Xia Libing, even more so than with her own two children.

Today, I brought Xia Libing home for dinner. The two kids didn't know beforehand, but when they saw Xia Libing's tall figure following their mother into the house, the daughter, who always acted like she was the boss, and the son, who seemed to be in another world when engrossed in his mobile game, both reacted as if struck by lightning upon hearing her say, "Come and say hello to your Sister Bing." They immediately dropped what they were doing and ran over to respectfully greet their cousin, "Sister Bing."

Xia Libing nodded calmly, called out their names, and then told them to go back and do their own thing.

Auntie looked at the two children, who were noticeably more careful and well-behaved, with a hint of envy, and asked Xia Libing for the nth time, "Xiao Bing, how did you manage to make my two 'devils' so afraid of you?"

Xia Libing's answer was the same as it had been countless times before, "I scared them when they were little, and it left a lasting impression."

"You won't tell me how you got scared. If I could learn it myself, I wouldn't have to worry about you so much," Auntie said helplessly.

Xia Libing shook her head. "You can't learn it, and that method won't work now."

"Then could you 'educate' them and make them listen to me more?" Auntie San asked.

"I can't do it." Xia Libing shook her head, speaking the truth.

During their conversation, Xia Libing's third uncle also returned.

My third uncle and aunt went to the kitchen to get busy. Although they are both very busy people and can cook, they rarely have the opportunity to cook themselves. They usually hire a housekeeper to do the cooking. However, the housekeeper has gone back home recently, so they have to cook for themselves.

Seeing that the dishes were almost ready, but Auntie San didn't call for dinner, instead sitting on the sofa chatting, Xia Libing knew that they were probably still waiting for guests.

Sure enough, at 6:30, the doorbell intercom rang, and soon after, a tall, thin, handsome man walked in with a big smile on his face.

"Uncle Xia, Aunt Shen!" The handsome man greeted Xia Libing's third uncle and aunt warmly, then greeted the two children and gave them the gifts he had brought.

Compared to Xia Libing, they were closer to and more familiar with this handsome man.

Xia Libing's third aunt also introduced her to this man named Zhou Yiqing, saying he was the son of her former colleague and a long-time friend of their family. He had graduated from medical school and was now working at a hospital in a first-tier city, and was currently on vacation. However, he had practically no relatives left in his family; in terms of connections, Xia Libing's third aunt was the closest person to him.

After a brief observation of the expressions, demeanor, and conversations of the group, Xia Libing concluded that her third aunt seemed to be intentionally introducing Zhou Yiqing to her so that they could date. However, her third uncle and Zhou Yiqing himself appeared to be unaware of this.

Xia Libing continued her usual behavior: observe more, listen more, eat more, and speak less.

However, as soon as she started eating, she thought of Xiang Kun's cooking—to be honest, the food cooked by her third uncle and aunt was only average, relying on expensive ingredients to make it palatable. But compared to Xiang Kun's cooking, the experience was naturally quite different.

Xia Libing remembered seeing in the group chat that Xiang Kun was also coming back today, and might have already arrived in Citong City by now.

During his time back, I should find another opportunity to give him a good beating... no, two beatings— Xia Libing thought silently to herself.

At the dinner table, Auntie was asking Zhou Yiqing if the roads were congested at this time. The young and handsome doctor shook his head and said, "There aren't many cars on the road now, so it's not congested. However, something happened when I was getting off at the station, so I was slightly delayed."

As he spoke, he recounted at the dinner table how he had encountered an elderly man who was having an attack when he exited the station, and how, during his attempt to help, a man claiming to be a cardiac surgeon from a medical university affiliated hospital had placed his hand on the elderly man's chest for a while, after which the elderly man's heartbeat and breathing were restored.

Auntie asked curiously, "You're placing your hand on the patient, but you're not performing chest compressions? That means your CPR must have restored the patient's heartbeat and breathing. He said he's a cardiac surgeon at the affiliated hospital of the medical university? Then it should be either Old Qin or Lao Xie..."

Just then, Auntie's daughter Xia Nianqing, suddenly shouted from her phone, "Brother Yiqing is on Douyin!"

The aunt was about to scold her daughter for playing on her phone at the dinner table again, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but pick up the phone and look. Sure enough, she saw a short video on Douyin) about what had happened at the Citong City train station, with the title "A super handsome doctor saves lives at the station, he's so cool!"

The video was primarily focused on Zhou Yiqing, editing together the process of him performing Zhou Yiqing on the elderly man, the applause after the man's heartbeat was restored, and the scene of the man being taken away by an ambulance. The video cut out the appearance and departure of the person who claimed to be a cardiac surgeon.

Xia Nianqing, a junior high school girl, already had a crush on the handsome Yi Qing. When she saw this cool rescue clip, her eyes were filled with stars. If her parents and Lao Xia hadn't been at the dinner table, she would have shouted, "Yi Qing is so handsome!"

"It hasn't even been an hour, and it's already online..." Zhou Yiqing looked at the video, quite surprised. Remembering something, he picked up his phone and searched, and sure enough, he found a more complete video. A post on a local forum also talked about the train station incident, but the video in that post showed the back of the cardiac surgeon. Of course, the poster and the other people who replied didn't pay attention to that person; most of the replies were praising Zhou Yiqing's good looks.

"So handsome! And so kind-hearted! A doctor too! He's totally my type!" -- This was the most upvoted comment.

"AWSL!" -- This was a highly upvoted reply.

Zhou Yiqing ignored the replies praising him, but paused the clip of the "cardiac surgeon's" back and showed it to Xia Libing's third aunt. "Aunt Shen, look, that's the doctor."

Although the man's coat hood was on, obscuring his face, Auntie immediately shook her head upon seeing his tall, broad back. "It's neither Old Qin nor Lao Xie. They're not that Big Guy. Could he be a new doctor in the cardiac surgery department at their hospital?"

Xia Libing, who had been silent all along, was not interested in the matter at first, but when Zhou Yiqing showed the paused video to her third aunt, she glanced at it and was immediately drawn to the back of a figure on the screen that gave her a strong sense of familiarity.

Is it Xiang Kun? -- That was the first thought that popped into her head.

Although the figure was wearing a hooded jacket, Xia Libing had studied many video clips related to Xiang Kun, so she was very familiar with his back. Most importantly, Xiang Kun had worn that jacket before; he had been wearing it for the past few days in Tongshi Town.

Xia Libing didn't participate in the discussion. Instead, she picked up her phone, searched for the post, and watched the video several times, repeatedly observing the "cardiac surgeon's" movements. She was then more than 95% certain that the person who claimed to be a cardiac surgeon and inexplicably walked away after touching the old man's chest was Xiang Kun.

If that person was Xiang Kun, then Zhou Yiqing's guess is very likely—the old man was probably saved by Xiang Kun.

Although she didn't know how Xiang Kun managed to do it, based on her understanding of Xiang Kun, in such a life-or-death moment, it was absolutely impossible for Xiang Kun to impersonate a cardiac surgeon and perform those actions simply for the sake of showing off or playing a prank.

He would impersonate a cardiac surgeon, presumably to gain the authority to perform the rescue.

Thinking of this, Xia Libing sent Xiang Kun a WeChat: "Have you arrived in Citong yet?"

"Alright, alright, stop playing on your phones and eat first! It's getting cold!" Uncle San finally couldn't stand watching them all glued to their phones, discussing things.

After dinner, Zhou Yiqing stayed for a while to have tea and chat before leaving around nine o'clock.

On the way home, Auntie Xia Libing asked with a smile, "How was it? Yi Qing is quite handsome, isn't he? I just confirmed a couple of days ago that he doesn't have a girlfriend right now."

Then she briefly introduced Zhou Yiqing's situation. This tall and handsome young man was the son of one of her aunt's close former colleagues. That colleague had passed away more than ten years ago. Her aunt had always taken good care of Zhou Yiqing, especially after Zhou Yiqing father also passed away, she gave him a lot of help. It could be said that she watched him grow up, and in terms of understanding, she even knew him more than she knew Xia Libing.

After her third aunt finished speaking, Xia Libing said without changing her expression, "Third aunt, I don't want to date or get married right now."

Auntie smiled and said, "You're about the same age now. Yiqing is two years older than you, so you're practically the same age. And since you're both doctors, you should have things in common. It's fine to chat; you can even be friends. Yiqing is a very good person, and he might even go back to the province next year..."

Xia Libing said, "Third Aunt, did you not tell my parents about this?"

Auntie San looked a little surprised. "No, there really isn't... but I think my eldest brother and sister-in-law will probably support it..."

"You can just ask them," Xia Libing said before getting out of the car.

Watching Xia Libing walk into her rented apartment complex, Auntie San picked up her phone with great curiosity and dialed Xia Libing's mother's number. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she got straight to the point, mentioning that Zhou Yiqing was coming over for dinner today and her idea of matchmaking between Xia Libing and Zhou Yiqing, and also introducing Zhou Yiqing's background.

Unexpectedly, after thanking her, Xia Libing's mother said tactfully, "Xiao Bing is still young, there's no rush to find a partner. Just let her be, let nature take its course, hehe, let nature take its course..."

After returning home with a lot of questions, Auntie San pulled her husband to the balcony and, with great confusion, briefly told him about her conversation with Xia Libing and her phone call with Xia Libing's mother.

"That's a bit strange. Xiao Bing isn't still in school; she's already completed her master's degree twice and started working. In a few years, she'll be almost thirty. How can they say she's 'still young'? My older brother and sister-in-law only have Xiao Bing as their child. Logically speaking... they should be eager to have a grandchild by now..."

After listening to his wife's words, Xia Libing's third uncle thought for a while and said to her, "Since my sister-in-law says so, she must have her reasons. They definitely know Xiao Bing better than we do. We should just do as they say. As for Xiao Bing when she was little... well, I don't really know much about that. Anyway, we don't need to worry about it. With Xiao Bing's qualities, she'll never have to worry about not finding a boyfriend."

Auntie thought for a moment and nodded, "That makes sense." Similarly, Zhou Yiqing isn't the kind of person who would worry about not finding a girlfriend.

Meanwhile, in another location in Citong City, Xiang Kun had just finished having dinner with his parents.

During the meal, Xiang's father drank a few glasses of the Xiang Kun had brought back. Now, quite satisfied, he held a white porcelain bottle, looked at it, and nodded, saying, "This bottle doesn't have a single word or label, but it tastes really good. Where did you buy it?"

Xiang Kun smiled and said, "A friend gave it to me before I came back. I heard you can't buy it anywhere else."

Tang Baona knew he was going home for the Chinese New Year today. When she and Yang Zhen'er took him to the station at noon, they brought him two bottles of wine and some tea, saying they had taken them from her maternal grandfather's house and were to give them to his parents as a token of their filial piety.

Yang Zhen'er had him carry even more things; his bag was basically full of things Yang Zhen'er had asked him to bring—but not for him, but for Lao Xia.

When he returned this time, he only brought one set of his own clothes in his backpack, but the new clothes Yang Zhen'er bought for Lao Xia for the New Year filled half the bag.

After finishing his meal and chatting with his parents for a while, Xiang Kun his backpack over his shoulder and headed out.

He originally planned to give the things to Lao Xia tomorrow, but Lao Xia suddenly asked him if he had gone back to Citong while they were eating. After chatting for a few minutes, they decided to meet after dinner so he could deliver the things to her directly.

Xiang Kun had previously made "Emotional Injection" chopsticks based on the Little Chubby Girl's eating emotions. He originally planned to send them to Lao Xia via express delivery first, but the SF Express courier told him that although they would accept packages as usual during the Spring Festival, the delivery time might be affected and might be delayed by one or two days compared to usual.

If there's a real possibility of a one-day delay, then it would be better for Xiang Kun to bring it back himself.

If we hand the chopsticks to Lao Xia tonight, and if our previous thinking was correct, this "Emotional Injection" approach might resonate with Lao Xia, and perhaps even trigger his dreams tonight.

After leaving the house, Xiang Kun originally planned to take a taxi directly to Lao Xia's rented place, but after telling him in advance, Lao Xia sent him the address of a coffee shop instead—she had just returned home and found that the entire neighborhood was without power, and the power company was currently inspecting the problem, so she took her laptop to the coffee shop to work.