Translator: CinderTL
There were more empty rooms in the hospital than expected. Pushing open the Gate, they happened to see several men sitting around a bed playing cards.
Judging by their attire, they should be the nursing aides Zhao Ru had mentioned.
This place didn't seem like where these people lived, as the room had exceptionally good lighting. Near the window, there were several large clothes racks.
Clothes and white bed sheets were hanging on them.
On their way here, they had passed a place similar to a laundry room, with the corridor wet and covered in water stains.
Seeing Zhao Ru appear, a man dressed in nursing aide attire stood up and walked over nervously, asking, "Nurse Zhao, is there something you need?"
"Where's Wu Gang?" Zhao Ru scanned the group of men but didn't find the person she was looking for.
"He went to collect the patients' laundry," the man replied.
As soon as he finished speaking, another man walked in from outside. He looked ordinary, with dark skin, probably in his early 20s, and appeared quite sturdy.
Like the previous man, he looked nervous upon seeing Zhao Ru. "Nurse Zhao, you—"
"Wu Gang, have you been slacking off lately?"
"No, I haven't," Wu Gang widened his eyes, looking innocent.
"Then why weren't the clothes of the patient in Room 906 changed?" Zhao Ru asked. "If this happens again, I'll have to report it."
"Please don't," Wu Gang explained. "Nurse Zhao, let me explain. I go twice a day, morning and evening, to help with the laundry."
"Did you change them today?"
"Yes, I did," Wu Gang said earnestly. "Brother Liu and I went together. If you don't believe me, you can ask him."
"Then why are the patient's clothes so dirty?"
"Ah!" Wu Gang spread his hands, helpless. "Nurse Zhao, there's nothing we can do about that. Sometimes the patient suddenly has an episode, convulses, and falls off the bed. It must have happened then."
After saying this, Wu Gang seemed to remember something and ran off. Less than a minute later, he returned, holding a patient gown.
Jiang Cheng immediately recognized it—it was the same as the one the woman had been wearing earlier.
It must have just been changed.
The gown had blue and white stripes, with thick lines and rough craftsmanship, something rarely seen nowadays.
As Wu Gang displayed it, Jiang Cheng noticed that the gown was covered in dust, and the cuffs were even blackened, giving the impression that it had been used to mop the floor.
"Did she fall off the bed again?" Zhao Ru's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
"Exactly," Wu Gang said. "She was fine, then suddenly had another episode. It's really exhausting."
"When we went in this morning, she was already lying on the floor, and she was asleep. What could we do?"
"We can't just tie her up, can we?" Wu Gang also looked helpless.
Now that she understood the situation, Zhao Ru didn't linger. After reminding Wu Gang and the others to check on the patient more often, she left with Jiang Cheng.
As they left, she also reminded Wu Gang and the others to be careful when playing cards, as it wasn't allowed in the hospital.
"So, that woman can still move?" Jiang Cheng asked, seemingly curious. After leaving the nursing aides' room, he took the Medical tray from Zhao Ru.
As they walked along the stairs, Zhao Ru turned a corner, and the two of them returned to the corridor on the 4th floor. "Hmm," Zhao Ru paused and said, "I hadn't heard about it before, but it's something I've noticed recently. She keeps falling to the ground for no reason and then starts convulsing inexplicably."
"At first, I thought something had triggered her, but in the end, I couldn't find the source of the stimulus," Zhao Ru sighed. "I reported this to Director Qi, but he didn't say much. He just told me to keep an eye on her and make sure to give her injections every day."
At this point, Jiang Cheng's footsteps suddenly halted.
Director Qi. It's him again.
But Jiang Cheng's face showed no reaction. He continued chatting casually with Zhao Ru, as if asking offhandedly, "Does Director Qi know this woman?"
"That's unclear," Zhao Ru replied while rubbing her arm. "But don't let Director Qi's youth fool you. He's actually a veteran at our hospital."
At this, Zhao Ru tilted her head and asked in a puzzled tone, "Don't you know Director Qi? You could ask him yourself."
"He's so busy every day. It's already enough trouble for him to help us with the transfer," Jiang Cheng shifted the topic, sounding somewhat complain. "But who would have thought he'd arrange such a shabby room for us."
"The rooms on the 6th floor haven't been used for a long time," Zhao Ru seemed equally puzzled. However, she didn't dare to speak ill of Director Qi behind his back. A single word from him could make her pack up and leave, so she could only deflect, "Maybe he wanted you to have a quiet place to recover. The 6th floor is secluded, and usually, no one disturbs you there."
"I think he meant well too," Jiang Cheng suddenly said with a smile.
When they returned to the nurse's station, Zhao Ru was still the only one there.
Zhao Ru mentioned that there were a few other nurses, but they were all downstairs. The lower floors had more wards, and they usually didn't come up unless necessary.
Her role here was mostly to handle miscellaneous tasks.
Time passed quickly, and it was almost 11 o'clock. The rain outside made everything feel gloomy.
It felt like night had already fallen.
Worried that asking too much might alert Zhao Ru, Jiang Cheng started chatting about random topics with her, and soon, he had her laughing happily.
The two of them were getting along so well that they didn't notice the group of people standing not far away.
Weiwei and Du Feng first glanced at Jiang Cheng, who was so animated even from the back, and then they sneakily looked at Lin Wan'er.
They noticed that Lin Wan'er was silently watching, showing no signs of displeasure.
It was as if she was watching a circus performance.
But someone's dissatisfaction was written all over their face. "What is he doing?" Wang Changguo said indignantly. "We're out here risking our lives looking for clues, and he's over there flirting with a nurse?"
"Is this how he looks for clues?"
"Maybe... his methods are different from ours," Yu Yu, who was standing beside Lin Wan'er, said. "He might just be trying to get information from the nurse—"
Before she could finish, Yu Yu closed her mouth because everyone saw Jiang Cheng take the nurse's hand, gently stroking it while continuing to talk enthusiastically.
Wang Changguo couldn't stand it anymore and walked straight over, knocking on the glass door with a forceful motion that made the glass tremble.
Seeing Wang Changguo's long face, Jiang Cheng showed no sign of nervousness. He had just opened Zhao Ru's lunchbox, which contained her lunch.
She had brought it from home that morning. The meal was simple, with rice and dishes packed together, but Jiang Cheng didn't find it appetizing at all.
Moreover, the temperature was quite low today, and the food had already gone cold.
After looking at it, Jiang Cheng didn't put the lunchbox back. Instead, he closed the lid, held it in his hand, and stood up. With an expectant look, he said to Zhao Ru, "Can you give it to me? I'd like to taste the cooking of a beauty."
(End of the Chapter)
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