Chapter 23.1 - Longan 龙眼
It seemed like a long time had passed before he opened his eyes. The white walls were there, with the air conditioner blowing steadily, and before he could react, a round little head slammed into the snow-white blanket, crying miserably, “Uncle, you’re awake! I thought you’d never wake up, you scared me to death.”
Then there was Qiu Tian’s voice, half-pampering, half-helpless, “You little rascal, your uncle just has a mild concussion, but he’s quite the heavy sleeper. He’s only waking up now.”
He Suye let out a sigh of relief. “So, I’m in a hospital now. Which one?”
Qiu Tian gave him a glance. “Your father’s hospital. As soon as something happened to you, they contacted the military district general hospital ambulance first. Do you want some water? I’ll pour it for you.” He turned to find a cup.
He Shouzheng’s eyes were red, looking at him with a face full of grievance. He Suye wanted to reach out and pat his head, only to realize his left hand was in a cast and his right arm was wrapped in bandages. He muttered to himself, “That’s quite a fall… Qiu Tian, give me my emergency observation report, let me have a look.”
He Shouzheng handed it to him, and He Suye took it and looked at it.
“Physical examination: Blood pressure in the left upper limb 105/60 mmHg, right upper limb 110/60 mmHg, pulse 50 beats per minute, respiration 13 breaths per minute, body temperature 35.7°C. The patient is mildly unconscious, with multiple wounds and bleeding on the limbs. There is bruising on the right lower limb. Physiological reflexes are present, pathological reflexes were not triggered. X-ray examination shows a fracture of the left upper limb near the distal radius, 7 cm from the wrist. MRI diagnosis: mild concussion. Treatment: oxygen inhalation (5L/min), 250ml of 5% glucose intravenous drip, blood pressure monitoring and adjustment of drip rate, wound cleaning, fracture fixation.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious, but it was still the worst misfortune of his life.
It was rare to see Qiu Tian so fussy, as if he hadn’t spoken in three days. “Do you know how long you’ve been asleep? An entire night. Your family only notified your father and hasn’t dared to tell the elders yet. The little rascal came in the morning and cried his eyes out when he saw you. No matter how much we tried to comfort him, he wouldn’t stop crying and didn’t even go to class. And Fang Kexin, she was so exhausted after bringing you back that she collapsed in the duty room.”
He stood up to pour himself some water, continuing to chatter, “Li Jie and Su Shan are still on their honeymoon. They were so scared they almost flew back. Your boss came to see you once too. Wait!” He raised a finger, “How many is this?”
He Suye was confused. “One!”
He raised two fingers, “How many is this?”
“Two!”
He raised three fingers, “What’s one plus one?”
He Suye finally couldn’t hold it in and exploded, though his voice was weak, “Two! Qiu Tian, why are you so boring? I wake up, and you don’t even call a doctor to check on me, nor do you call my family. You’re just here wasting time with me. What are you even doing?”
Qiu Tian jumped up in fright, “I! I tell you, don’t hit me! Don’t even think about it! I told Shen Xifan about this. I know you’ll scold me to death, but I couldn’t help it. I’d go crazy if I didn’t tell her. My conscience would torment me, I’d despise myself, and I’d be a criminal for the rest of my life. Don’t worry, don’t sit up, she’ll probably be here soon. I’ll go find a doctor for you!” After saying that, he rushed out.
Only He Shouzheng, in a daze, and He Suye, with complex emotions, remained. The little child mumbled to himself, “Uncle Qiu Tian is so bad. I almost got tricked. One plus one is obviously two, so why did I think it was three back then?”
The director of the neurology department came for the rounds and asked a few questions before concluding, “Xiao He, it’s fine. Just some superficial injuries. The MRI was done, and there’s no problem, but it’s better to stay hospitalized for observation.” He shrugged and smiled, “The dean’s instructions, no way around it.” Then he left, leading a group of students, bustling out.
Leaning against the clothes rack, Qiu Tian teased, “Good thing you didn’t hurt your face, that would have been a real problem. By the way, you’ve got some scrapes on your leg, so walking might be a bit difficult for a while.” He kept talking to himself but suddenly noticed the change in He Suye’s expression. Following his gaze, he turned around to see Shen Xifan standing at the door, covered in sweat, unsure whether to enter or leave.
The next development left him speechless. Seeing He Suye staring blankly at her, Shen Xifan hesitated and nervously stammered, “Who am I? Do you still recognize me?”
