Evening Stars Chapter 26 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 26.2
The restaurant was warm. A thick, quilt-like curtain over the door shut out all the cold, enclosing the space in cozy heat, like a small cabin with a fireplace deep in a winter forest.
“Sit anywhere you like,” the owner said. “You can order by scanning the code. Tea is free. The tea menu's on the last page.”
His accent didn't sound Tibetan, though Xu Nanheng didn't ask. He just nodded in response. Before scanning the code, he checked his WeChat. Fang Shiyou had replied.
‘If it's convenient, could you bring me something? Call me when you arrive, and I'll come out to get it.’
Fang Shiyou, like him, hadn't eaten a proper meal since dawn. Xu Nanheng replied, ‘Okay,’ then scanned the menu. Before he could place an order, the owner came over with a plate of sliced fruit and set it down in front of him.
Looking up, Xu Nanheng realized it was complimentary and quickly said, “Oh no, that's really not necessary. I can't even finish everything.”
“No,” the owner said. “It's just…… I felt like we startled you earlier. I'm really sorry.”
“Not at all.” Xu Nanheng smiled. “I wasn't startled, really. I'm…… a very tolerant person.”
Still, the owner seemed embarrassed and a little awkward with words. He pushed the fruit plate toward him again. “Either way, just take it as our way of welcoming you. You're not from around here, right?”
“Ah, no.” Xu Nanheng nodded.
The owner eagerly nodded. “Mm, yes, then let's just say it's our county's way of welcoming you.”
“But you look like you're not from around here either,” Xu Nanheng quipped.
Just then, there was a soft clack as another plate was set down on the table. The man who had been carrying the chili peppers earlier, now wearing an apron, brought over a plate of fried chicken pieces.
Xu Nanheng glanced down at the menu on his phone and joked, “If you two keep this up, I'll just have to order a bowl of rice, won't I? Really, boss, this is too much. You're making me feel guilty.”
Still, the fried chicken smelled amazing. Xu Nanheng swallowed hard, sneaking a look at it.
It was fresh from the fryer. As the plate was set down, two pieces rolled to the edge, their crispy crust making a sharp crunch. It made him think of Beijing, where fried chicken deliveries always arrived soggy and limp. Maybe, he thought, takeout wasn't perfect after all.
“In any case……” the owner said, “enjoy your meal!”
He thought that would be the end of it, but the the other man asked the owner, “Should I still mix that cold noodles in the back?”
Such a candid older brother. Xu Nanheng almost leapt to his feet, quickly saying, “No need, really! Please don't trouble yourselves. I mean it.”
The owner gave the man a helpless look and said, “Then don't mix it.”
Xu Nanheng wasn't sure about Fang Shiyou's preferences, but with a plate of fruit and another of fried chicken already on the table, he decided to order at most two more dishes: one spicy, one mild. After placing the order, he rested his chin on one hand and poked a few pieces of honeydew melon with a toothpick.
The snow outside was thick, and it was bitterly cold. Inside the shop, Xu Nanheng was the only customer. Through the window, he could see people sweeping snow off the road and shaking out blankets over the snow, trying to clean them.
The county town was quiet. With no tall buildings to break the vista, it offered a clear view of the snow-capped mountains that encircled it. The town's daily rhythm was almost transparent. Vegetables and fruits were brought in from outside to the market, then pedaled away by rickshaws to supply the small shops.
Nothing here could be rushed. There was no traffic, but everything required patience. Xu Nanheng watched as the person outside finished cleaning the blanket and carried it home, then came back out again with a bucket, scooping up clean snow from the ground.
“They're collecting snow to boil for water,” the owner said, bringing over the dishes he ordered. “The air's clean here, and so is the snow. After boiling it and letting it settle for a bit, the clear top layer can be used for drinking, and the rest for washing clothes or mopping.”
“Oh!” Xu Nanheng came back to his senses and smiled. “Thank you.”
From what the owner said, he could tell they were outsiders too. Xu Nanheng picked up his chopsticks, paused, and asked, “Excuse me, do you have any takeout boxes?”
“Ah, yes, yes we do.”
Xu Nanheng looked outside again. Two children had run out to join the person scooping snow, using toy shovels to help fill the bucket with clean snow.
The candid older brother, probably the chef of this restaurant, came out of the kitchen after Xu Nanheng's dishes were all served. He looked like he wanted to smoke by the window near the counter, but the owner shot him a look, and he quietly put the cigarette away.
Xu Nanheng could tell the owner and the chef got along well. The chef looked fierce, with tattoo lines running down his wrist, the kind of man you wouldn't want to mess with, yet one look from the owner was enough to make him back down.
It was…… how to put it? Xu Nanheng found it rather cute.
Of course, this wasn't something within Xu Nanheng's usual vocabulary. If Teacher Dai or Teacher Su had been around, they would have told him that this kind of ‘cute’ was called ‘shippable.’
After finishing his meal, he packed up the portion meant for Fang Shiyou. The owner asked the chef to wrap it tightly with layers of aluminum foil from the kitchen before placing it in a bag. Xu Nanheng thanked them sincerely.
The Tibetan people in the agricultural and pastoral areas live by relying on heaven and earth. The simple-hearted Tibetans often felt guilty about slaughtering yak or sheep for meat. The animals they released wore ear tags as a sign. No one was allowed to kill them for meat or skin. From then on, those cattle could only die from illness or predators.
This place was governed by nature, and the people here lived in harmony with it.
When snow fell, they collected snow. When the grasslands flourished, they grazed their cattle. Birth, aging, sickness, and death repeated in endless cycles. It truly felt like a land sheltered by the gods.
Xu Nanheng took a rickshaw to the hospital entrance and sent Fang Shiyou a message saying he had arrived. About three minutes later, Fang Shiyou jogged out of the main entrance.
The moment their eyes met, both paused briefly in the busy hospital entrance before walking toward each other. Fang Shiyou reached out to take the bag, lifted it, and said, “It's so heavy. Isn't this too much? Did you eat enough yourself?”
“I did. It's heavy because the boss gave me some complimentary fruits,” Xu Nanheng replied.
“Is that so? Are you cold? Come inside and warm up.”
Before Xu Nanheng could respond, Fang Shiyou switched hands to hold the bag and naturally placed his other hand on Xu Nanheng's forearm, guiding him inside.
Next to the outpatient department was the emergency room. In snowy weather, traffic accidents were common, and most of the patients brought in today had external injuries. The sky was a deep gray, blending seamlessly with the bluish-gray mountains in the distance.
After turning twice down the corridor, Fang Shiyou opened the door to a doctor's office and said, “Come in and sit for a bit. I'll get you the car keys so you can drive back.”
Inside, there were two people, one of whom was Yang Gao. Seeing him, Yang Gao smiled and greeted, “Hey, Teacher Xu.”
“Dr. Yang,” Xu Nanheng greeted back.
Then Yang Gao and the other doctor both stood up. Fang Shiyou said, “Director Guo's on the second floor. The patient with the abdominal aortic aneurysm can't do the endovascular procedure and needs open surgery. Director Lu just admitted a patient in the ER with nearly two liters of blood loss. Which one of you can go and assist?”
“Got it.” Yang Gao quickly gathered up the things on his desk. “I'll go. Dr. Wangmo, you haven't rested for thirty hours. Don't come in tomorrow morning.”
Dr. Wangmo said, “Ah, then there won't be any anesthesiologist.”
Fang Shiyou: “It's fine. One will be coming from the city in the morning.”
Once the office emptied out, Fang Shiyou set the bag on his desk without opening it right away. Instead, he picked up the thermos from the floor and poured Xu Nanheng a cup of water.
“You should hurry and eat,” Xu Nanheng said. “It'll get cold soon.”
Fang Shiyou opened the bag, took out a box of fruit, and put the rest into an insulated container. It was clearly not the right time for a meal. He handed the car keys to Xu Nanheng and said, “The ER's busy today. I'll eat once the next doctor comes in. Sit down and drink some hot water.”
Xu Nanheng was still holding the cup he'd poured for him. The wind on the rickshaw ride had been so strong it nearly frozne his face. He cupped the mug with both hands and said, “Mm.”
Just as he sat down at Fang Shiyou's desk, Fang Shiyou reached for a pen from the holder. Suddenly, the office door was shoved open from the outside with force.
A nurse called out, “Dr. Fang! The aneurysm in bed ten just ruptured!”
More than one person rushed in. Both Yang Gao and Dr. Wangmo, who had just gone to the ER, came running back. Dr. Wangmo expertly grabbed the report for bed ten off the desk, and Yang Gao tossed the items he had just organized onto the desk in a heap.
Fang Shiyou looked at the nurse and said, “Type and crossmatch the blood. Dr. Yang, go down and inform the family of the critical condition, get their signatures for the surgery, and prepare the patient. Wangmo, go prepare the anesthesia. I'm calling Director Guo.”
He spoke while pulling out his phone. More people came in after receiving the alert, shrugging off their white coats as they prepared for surgery. Despite the chaos, Fang Shiyou didn't forget about him.
As he dialed, he turned his head toward Xu Nanheng and said, “I'm not coming back tonight. Go to sleep first. Don't wait for me.”
“……” Xu Nanheng's mind went blank for a second. What was that supposed to mean!?
Luckily, the room was a mess and no one seemed to have heard, except Yang Gao, who still managed to throw him a look of amused surprise in the middle of an emergency.