Extra Chapter 1.1 - Sweet Osmanthus 桂花
Having just completed a surgery, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and He Suye let out a sigh of relief as he pushed open the office window.
A light breeze brushed against his face, and from a distance, the fragrance of flowers wafted towards him. He carefully identified the scent—it was osmanthus. Shen Xifan had always liked osmanthus. In the early morning, at midnight, or after a light rain, clusters of pale yellow flowers would settle lightly on the branches. Their fragrance, whether subtle or strong, would deeply permeate the air, even without the wind.
Freshly picked osmanthus flowers, preserved in honey, could be used to make osmanthus rice dumplings in the winter, sweet and intoxicating.
At this moment, a nurse came to knock on the door. “Dr. He, please prepare. We need you for a photo shoot soon.”
He paused for a moment, and then saw the nurse pointing to her name badge. He immediately understood—it was a different hospital now, and this was a standard procedure.
He took off his white coat, fixed his hair in the mirror, and suddenly remembered something.
It was before they got married when they went to the department to hand out wedding candy. When he came out, he saw Shen Xifan standing frozen at the department door. Curiously, he followed her gaze and saw his own photo on the notice board.
She looked at the photo and then at herself, drawing a conclusion, “It’s a good thing you don’t photograph well. Otherwise, most of the patients would probably be coming for you.”
He was puzzled, “Is it really that bad? Why do so many people say I don’t photograph well?”
“No!” she said firmly. “It’s just that you look better in person. Don’t be too greedy, Dr. He. You’re already very handsome.”
He chuckled, “Is that so? I don’t feel it!”
Shen Xifan pursed her lips and smiled faintly. “When I first saw you, I was stunned. How could there be such a handsome doctor in the hospital? I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
“Heh, little girl, when you mention that, I remember. That time when I was writing the prescription, I kept seeing you staring at me. I felt like you weren’t looking at the medicine I was writing. What were you doing then?”
“Uh—looking at your name. But I didn’t see it clearly at the time. I only saw ‘Attending Physician.’”
“Didn’t the prescription have it on there?”
“How would I know? Doctors’ handwriting is always so fancy. The printed version was much clearer. Besides, in case you prescribed the wrong medicine for me, I could easily file a complaint.”
He was immediately speechless. Shen Xifan grinned and held his hand. “Just kidding. How could I doubt your medical skills back then? You rattled off all those professional terms and immediately convinced me. I felt like you were a reliable doctor.”
Seeing the dimples on He Suye’s face, she added, “But back then, you always had such a stern look, so serious. I thought you were going for the cold, aloof type. I didn’t expect that when you smile, you’d almost lose your breath. You looked so young.”He Suye couldn’t help but laugh. “When I was an intern, my mentor always said I looked too young to give patients a sense of security, so he paired me up with Qiu Tian. He said Qiu Tian could highlight my stability. But unexpectedly, Qiu Tian suddenly became incredibly serious all day, and even I couldn’t laugh. Finally, when we got back to the dorm, we laughed for a long time.”
Shen Xifan blinked. “So that’s how your seriousness was trained, huh? As expected, behind every successful man, there’s always another successful man.”
Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Grandpa He urging them to come back for dinner. Before leaving, Shen Xifan couldn’t resist looking at the photo one more time and quietly whispered to him, “He Suye, next time, try to look worse in the photo!”
Without hesitation, he replied, “I’ll try!”
After the photo shoot, a few doctors and nurses gathered around the computer to check the photos. The photographer picked up a folder and confirmed something, then said to him, “Dr. He, you’re a soldier, right? The rules here say the photo needs to be in military uniform.”
He Suye looked troubled. “The military uniform is at home. I don’t wear it to work.”
The photographer smiled. “No worries, there’s another batch tomorrow. You can come back and take it then.”
He Suye nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”
As he was preparing to leave the office, he received a call from Shen Xifan. “He Suye, we have a class reunion tonight. I won’t be going back for dinner.”
“Alright, then I’ll head to Grandpa’s house. After the gathering, give me a call, and I’ll come pick you up?”
“No need. We agreed not to bring family members. It’s fine, I’m not a kid.”
He Suye couldn’t help but remind her, “Drink less, come back early. If you can’t get a cab, call me, okay?”
Shen Xifan laughed. “I’ve had my ID for over ten years. I’m not a minor anymore, Dr. He!”
Before even parking, the faint scent of flowers wafted into his nose. It was from the osmanthus at Grandpa’s house. The rain had washed the green leaves clean, and the pale yellow blossoms were still sparse—some were like tiny millet grains or buds. The sight of it made his heart feel light and happy.
When he got out of the car, he saw He Shouzheng in the yard. After a few days, the boy seemed to have grown a lot. Seeing him, He Shouzheng ran over and clung to him, saying, “Uncle, come, come! Help me pick that big flower bud. I can’t reach it!”
Curiously, he asked, “What are you picking it for?”
“We’re going to make it into honey, Mom taught me.”
He smiled, “I’ll help you pick it, but you have to get me a basket.”
“Are you going to make it too? Grandpa has some honey from last time, it’s in the little cupboard in the kitchen.”
“Yeah, your little aunt loves to eat osmanthus honey dumplings.”
He Shouzheng pouted. “It’s ‘Sister Shen.’ When you call her ‘little aunt,’ it makes her sound so old.”
He Suye teased, “You always call me ‘uncle,’ why don’t you think I’m old?”
He Shouzheng nodded seriously. “You’re not young anymore. Marrying Sister Shen is like an old cow eating young grass!”
He Suye burst into laughter, but before he could respond, He Shouzheng went on, “If Uncle has a child, that means I’ll be the older one. I’ll finally have my chance to turn the tables!”
