Chapter 12.2 - The Fragrance of that Tea (Part 1)
A few minutes later, another female student came over and asked, “Senior Zhou, what are we having for lunch? We need to order. Teacher Ai’s treating us.”
Zeng Li was surprised. “Don’t you get a lunch break?”
“We usually take an hour, but after one o'clock, we get back to work. Today, with so many patients, we might not even have time to eat,” Zhou Wen explained.
At that moment, Zeng Li’s phone rang—it was her mother, Zeng Mama.
“Xiaoli, we’re waiting for you.”
Zeng Mama had arranged a blind date for Zeng Li, thinking that since Zeng Li had taken the day off for her follow-up, it would be a good time for lunch. She hadn’t expected the wait to be so long, so she explained on the phone but couldn’t get out of it. Now both families were waiting for her to arrive.
Zeng Li asked Zhou Wen how much longer it would be.
“Your braces didn’t fall off, right?” Zhou Wen asked.
“They did,” Zeng Li replied awkwardly.
Zhou Wen almost groaned. “How come no one listens? You still have twenty minutes left, so it'll take at least half an hour to fix it.”
Zeng Li checked the time. “I won’t make it in time. Can I just stay in line and come back this afternoon?”
“Why?” Zhou Wen asked.
Zeng Li and Zhou Wen were around the same age, and after a few encounters, they had become fairly familiar with each other. So Zeng Li didn’t beat around the bush—she clasped her hands together and pleaded with Zhou Wen, “I have a blind date and won’t make it. If I’m late, I’ll be scolded.”
Zhou Wen couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, I see.”
“Yeah,” Zeng Li frowned and nodded.
“Then go ask Teacher Ai for permission,” Zhou Wen said.
Zeng Li froze for a moment at the suggestion.
Zhou Wen laughed suddenly. “I’m just kidding. Come back this afternoon!”
Zeng Li got permission and hurriedly left the clinic to catch a ride to her blind date.
Ai Jingchu had just finished and was catching his breath, sitting down. Zeng Li was the next patient, and her follow-up card was right on top. Ai Jingchu’s gaze swept over, and he saw her name.
He asked, “Zhou Wen, who’s the next patient?”
Zhou Wen finished what she was doing, stood up, and replied, “Zeng Li was waiting all morning, but she had an urgent matter and told me she’ll come back this afternoon.” She quickly explained, worried that Ai Jingchu might think badly of Zeng Li or that he might think she had made the decision on her own.
Ai Jingchu didn’t say anything. He pulled out the card and set it aside.
Around two o'clock, Zeng Li returned. She waited for over an hour before it was her turn. By then, most of the patients had left, and she was almost one of the last ones.
She lay down, and Zhou Wen asked Ai Jingchu to come over.
“The one who lost the braces, did you glue it back on?” Ai Jingchu asked.
Zeng Li noticed that his voice sounded a bit hoarse.
“No,” Zhou Wen answered and glanced at Ai Jingchu. She was increasingly amazed by her teacher—Ai Jingchu could even tell that a patient's braces had fallen off without them saying a word. If Zeng Li hadn’t mentioned it earlier, she would have been caught off guard.
Ai Jingchu sat down, changed his gloves, and took a mirror from the sterilized dental tray to check Zeng Li’s braces. Then, he gave Zhou Wen instructions on what to do next.
From start to finish, Ai Jingchu didn’t acknowledge Zeng Li or even look at her, as if they didn’t know each other at all. He then moved on to check on other patients.
Zhou Wen took the mirror from Ai Jingchu’s hands. The first thing she did wasn’t to fix Zeng Li’s braces but to carefully observe Zeng Li’s teeth, then called over a fellow student to look as well.
Zeng Li felt uncomfortable under their gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“An artwork,” Zhou Wen said.
Seeing the confusion on Zeng Li’s face, she explained, “I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about your braces. Isn’t it perfect, Fan Fan?”
The girl named Fan Fan quickly nodded, “Teacher Ai did it himself. It’s perfect.”
“It’s been a while since Teacher Ai did a full set of braces. We should take a picture.”
Zeng Li was speechless—her mouth full of metal didn’t exactly seem “beautiful” to her...
Zhou Wen continued, “I was supposed to meet you that day, but I couldn’t make it. I tried calling you, but couldn’t get through. I was about to tell the nurse to reschedule for you when Teacher Ai got really upset.”
Zeng Li opened her mouth to let Zhou Wen remove the wires, unable to reply, so she just listened.
Zhou Wen was still adjusting the wires when she added, “He often tells us that we must keep our word, and actions must match our words. Trust between doctor and patient is vital—‘sincerity in heart, trust from others.’”
When Zeng Li was finally able to close her mouth and rest, she asked curiously, “Is Ai Teacher a talkative person?”
“Talkative? How could he be like that? If you ask him to say one more word, he’d probably think it’s a waste of time.”
“Then why are you all so afraid of him?”
“Our boss is really kind and approachable, but we never joke around with him. You don’t know how strict his exams are, and the papers are terrifying! One time, a senior was so scared during her defense that she cried. Honestly, it’s enough to give you a heart attack,” Zhou Wen complained quietly, looking around to make sure Ai Jingchu wasn’t there.
Zeng Li couldn’t help but laugh as she remembered how Ai Jingchu almost scared her into having a heart attack that night.
