Evening Stars Chapter 26 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 26.1
On his way to the county hospital, the snowfall had lessened. Fang Shiyou went to the inpatient department first. A colleague told him they had just admitted a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The surgery was scheduled for 8:30 the next morning. Because the aneurysm was too large and at risk of rupture at any moment, it had been added to the schedule as an emergency case.
The hospital was very busy that day. After the cardiothoracic director finished his morning consultations, the emergency pediatrics department brought up a child with a patent ductus arteriosus. After examining the child, the director instructed the team to transfer the patient to the city hospital.
When Xu Nanheng slowly woke up, it was already half past five in the afternoon. As he stirred awake, he heard people chatting downstairs, and for a moment it felt like he was back in his college dorm. His dorm had been on the third floor, and he had always loved to sleep in. Sometimes he would nap until dusk, and when he woke, he could hear students returning from getting food, chatting as they entered the dorm building.
Xu Nanheng sat up in a daze. Sometimes, when he woke up, he felt he should sleep a little longer, so he would lie back down and doze off again.
Fang Shiyou's bedroom was simple and very clean. Dr. Fang was a bit of a neat freak. Even his bedside table was regularly wiped down with alcohol spray. Xu Nanheng reached out and touched the other side of the bed. After a moment, his hand froze. Why had he done that? The gesture felt strangely wifely, like a new bride waking up late on the second day of marriage, trying to feel her husband's lingering warmth after he'd left early for work.
That thought jolted him fully awake. He quickly withdrew his hand and got out of bed.
Fang Shiyou had left him the Wi-Fi password. Even though it was the holiday, Xu Nanheng still needed to sort through lesson plans for after the break. Sitting at the dining table, he connected to the internet and opened the volunteer teaching group chat. Everyone shared their National Day holiday arrangements, all following the official public holiday calendar.
He tagged Tan Xi and asked if he was secretly holding remedial classes.
Teacher Tan Xi posted a four-second video in the group chat. In it, his voice rang out, clear and firm, “I'm working!”
Xu Nanheng couldn't help but laugh. Teacher Tan's video showed a place that looked like a farmer's market. He was sitting at his great-uncle and great-aunt's stall, pitting pomegranates and placing the seeds one by one into a plastic bowl. It was easy to see that there were many tourists where he was, and the weather was bright and sunny.
It was the second day of the National Day holiday. The teachers were all relaxing. Teacher Dai commented that Teacher Tan was truly versatile, excelling in both scholarly and practical pursuits. The group continued to chat idly.
After a while, Dai Jimian suddenly remembered something.
[Dai Jimian: @Xu Nanheng, Teacher Xu, you mentioned before that there was a blizzard and your door lock broke. What happened afterward? Do you have a place to stay now?]
Uh. Xu Nanheng was using WeChat on his laptop. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure what to type. After a moment's thought, he typed: ‘I do.’
It was…… a very straightforward reply.
He couldn't exactly say, ‘Because I picked up a doctor whose car had broken down on the national highway, he's been perpetually grateful to me. He has looked after me ever since, even rushing to my rescue in the early hours during a blizzard. He brought me back to his place, which had a furnace, hot water, and good internet.’
But then again, what was so bad about saying that?
Fortunately, at that moment, Su Yu appeared in the group chat and sent a voice message: ‘Oh my god, you guys! My student took me horseback riding today! It was so much fun!!’
Teacher Dai's attention was instantly diverted. “Pictures! Let us see, let us see!”
The group chat moved on to a new topic, and Xu Nanheng finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. He turned his focus back to the exam bank from their main school in Beijing. The school had both junior and senior high school divisions, and teachers had universal access across the system.
The junior high school division of their main school had held a small exam before the National Day holiday. The top ten papers from each year had been scanned and uploaded. Xu Nanheng went straight to check the math exams.
The students in Beijing generally showed clear and structured problem-solving skills. The school Xu Nanheng had attended was quite reputable. One could even tell, from the students' handwriting, that they had received a comprehensive elite education from a very young age.
Xu Nanheng himself went through the same thing. When he was a child, he had to learn calligraphy to make sure his handwriting looked good. He had to learn an instrument too, all to avoid being the only one who couldn't play a tune. That was just how families around him were, especially in a city as competitive as Beijing. What had once been considered impressive, like studying an instrument and calligraphy, wasn't enough anymore. These days, children were writing essays about skiing in the Alps.
The longer he looked through the exam papers in the system, the more hopeless he felt. He rubbed his face, exported a few suitable questions, and suddenly felt the urge to smoke.
There was an ashtray on Fang Shiyou's coffee table, but no cigarette butts inside. He walked back to the dining table and sat down again. On his Moments, his mother had posted a few pictures of their tabby cat. October in Beijing was mild, particularly in the afternoons. The cat was lying in the courtyard, dozing with its belly turned up to the sun.
Xu Nanheng gave the post a like and commented: ‘Send it to school!’
A moment later, his mother replied: ‘No, our Pangpang can't handle that kind of hardship.’
Pangpang was their cat's name. Xu Nanheng chuckled ruefully and set his phone aside. After exporting the questions, he formatted the new test paper on his computer. Once he checked everything carefully and saved it, his planned tasks for the day were complete.
Stretching lazily, he carried his laptop to the sofa and played a random video. Glancing out the window, he noticed the snow had stopped. He was starting to feel hungry. While he was figuring out how to get back in without a key after going out for food, he noticed a key sitting right there in a little tray on the entryway cabinet.
Xu Nanheng closed his laptop and stood up. He tried the key, and it fit the door perfectly. It must have been left for him by Fang Shiyou. Slipping it into his pocket, he went downstairs.
The area was a residential neighborhood, the outer walls mottled with age. Although the snow had stopped, the sky was still a dull gray. A thick layer of snow covered the ground. With both hands tucked into his pockets, Xu Nanheng followed the sidewalk.
He wore a baseball cap with a black crown and a red brim. The heavy snow had just let up. Most of the shopkeepers had only come to open their stores after it stopped. Xu Nanheng spotted a Hunanese restaurant, where the owner was rubbing his hands together while working the door lock open.
Hunanese cuisine, he thought, remembering that one restaurant in Beijing where there was always a queue and at least an hour's wait. Once, he had gone there with his cousin and her husband, waited more than an hour, and by the time they were finally seated, the dishes they wanted were sold out.
After thinking for a moment, he walked over.
“Hey!” The owner had just unlatched the door. Seeing Xu Nanheng approach, he called out, “Watch your step on the stairs!”
Xu Nanheng smiled and replied, “Alright, thank you.”
The snow was thick, so he really did have to watch his footing. With his head slightly lowered, he typed a message to Fang Shiyou on WeChat, telling him that he went out to get food and asking if he should bring some to the hospital for him.
Just after sending the WeChat message, the owner appeared carrying what looked like a heavy U-lock. Thinking the man was waiting for him to enter first, Xu Nanheng slipped his phone back into his pocket.
But the owner wasn't waiting for him. From the side of the building came another man, carrying two large black bags. He walked up to the owner, opened one of the bags, and said, “The bell peppers and erjingtiao chili peppers that arrived today are both really good. I bought a lot”
The owner smiled at the man and said, “Oh really? What's the price today? That old guy last time really overcharged us.”
Xu Nanheng didn't think much of it. He just figured the two were business partners. Out of idle curiosity, he glanced at the big bags. Since he had just come up the steps, he was standing just behind and to the side of the man holding the pepper bags. The man hadn't noticed Xu Nanheng's presence.
Then, the man stepped forward and kissed the owner on the forehead, smiling as he said, “Much cheaper today. Come on inside. It's freezing.”
Xu Nanheng froze.
So did the owner.
A second later, the owner quickly stepped back, his face flushing red like a boiling kettle, as if steam might burst from his ears. He stammered, “W-what are you doing, there's…… there's a customer!”
Only then did the man turn around, and saw Xu Nanheng.
A cold gust of wind swept past. The three of them stood in silence.
Xu Nanheng wanted to say something, maybe reassure them that it was fine, that he didn't mind, but he couldn't quite find the words. He just stood there, looking awkward and unsure.
The owner was a little embarrassed. He tentatively leaned out and asked Xu Nanheng with caution, “Um…… would you…… still like to eat?”
Xu Nanheng realized the man was worried he might be he would be offended or disgusted.
He quickly replied, “Of course! I'm starving.”
“Then please come in,” the owner said, pressing his lips together in a small smile.