Chapter 3 Uninvited Guests (3)

"It is not my problem," Tu Ran pointed to her own stomach, "it is he who dislikes it very much."

Because I am getting married

Zhou Xiaoqian turned her head and smiled at her: "The woman across from our house is also pregnant, but I have never seen anyone as delicate as you. She is also a frail woman, carrying a big belly and still shopping with bags in hand."

She has already experienced early pregnancy symptoms, ranging from chills and drowsiness to gradually being unable to tolerate even the slightest smell of oil, and finally, even the scent of her usual shampoo can trigger bouts of dry heaving

Zhou Xiaquan accompanied her for two days of drinking plain congee, in which nothing could be added, only a sprinkle of plum blossom salt. By evening, her stomach was growling with hunger, and she hurriedly wanted to go downstairs to eat at the street food stall

She listened carefully and recognized it was Tu Ran's voice. It was the first time she had heard such a ringtone on her best friend's phone, and for a moment, she almost burst out laughing.

Zhou Xiaoqian, having eaten and drunk to his satisfaction on the chilly streets, finally requested some tea to rinse his mouth before heading back home

Every time he rounds, a group of white-coated figures follows closely behind him, from the chief physician to the nurses and then to the patients and their families, all holding their breath in silence. The beds are neatly made, resembling blocks of tofu, and the low tables beside them are devoid of any clutter. The intern doctors wear their white coats, with collars and cuffs meticulously buttoned, their expressions tense, fearing the sudden questions from this elderly gentleman. It is not that his questions are particularly tricky, but he never lets any uncertainty in the answers go unchallenged, always pursuing the matter to the very end.

Of course not, "Tu Ran said, "I got married for the purpose of having children."

Zhou Xiaquan pressed the phone and said "Hello," then heard the man say: "Tu Ran, it's me"

Zhou Xiaquan quickly poured her a glass of water and handed it over, but Tu Ran wrinkled her nose and pushed it away, saying, "This water has a taste"

Zhou Xiaquan rushed upstairs in a fit of anger, running so hard that his stomach began to ache, only to find Tu Ran already curled up in the bedding. Zhou Xiaquan threw his phone over and said, "Just now, your lover called you."

This esteemed Professor He is a towering figure in the field of cardiovascular medicine within the province. At nearly eighty years of age, Lu Chengyu is fortunate to be his closed disciple. As this mentor has long been renowned and is now advanced in age, he does not engage in the same frantic pursuit of project funding or academic research as other doctoral advisors. Instead, he often frequents the specialized outpatient clinics or visits the wards once a week to address complex medical cases.

Tu Ran looked at her seriously and said: "For the stability of society, for the propagation of humanity, I can only make this small contribution, but I am proud of it"

Tu Ran knew that she was trying to extract information, so she couldn't be bothered to respond and turned around to return to her study

Zhou Xiaquan said: "The young couple who just moved in, the man is quite good-looking, but he is always busy, constantly making the woman buy groceries. Your child's father won't be like that in the future, will he?"

Tu Ran's reaction this time was quite intense. She quickly reached under the bed to pull out the trash can and began to gag over it, but since she hadn't eaten much, there was nothing to vomit.

Tu Ran pondered for half a day: "Oh dear, that sounds quite profound, but I believe you are one of the vast majority," she winked at her friend again, "and I am convinced that the adulterer would wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion"

Zhou Xiaoqian looked up at the balcony, where in the dim light, a figure was holding a faint orange-red starlight, and then said: "She is smoking on my balcony"

Zhou Xiaquan listened and, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that the attitudes of the two individuals were not serious or proper enough. This matter was of great importance and could not be taken lightly, as it concerned the lifelong happiness of her close friend. Therefore, she wanted to ask Lu Chengyu for clarification. However, she encountered repeated obstacles, as the groom-to-be was simply too busy to pay her any attention

Zhou Xiaoqian shook his head: "Let me summarize it for you, marriage is for having children, having children is for marriage, and both marriage and having children are to avoid taking a path that is different from the vast majority of people, right?"

In the days that followed Tu Ran's arrival, Zhou Xiaoqian experienced great suffering. Firstly, it was because Tu Ran refused to mention who the father of this illegitimate child was, which suppressed her curiosity to the point of near explosion. Furthermore, she could not enjoy food at her leisure, as Tu Ran's sense of smell had become extraordinarily sensitive, allowing her to detect the scent of oil, pepper, and soy sauce even through two closed doors, leading to continuous vomiting

This strict and pragmatic guidance style has greatly benefited Lu Chengyu, who, unlike other students busy with trivial tasks for their mentors and running around to apply for better research topics, has had little time for clinical learning. Lu Chengyu has heard him say more than once: "Doctors who do not go to the clinic and spend all day in the laboratory are no different from lab technicians. If you just get a doctor's degree, you become an attending physician or an associate chief physician, but in the end, your skills are so rusty that you can't even perform an appendectomy correctly. How can you treat patients? Are you treating them like guinea pigs? This is not a medical professional; it is clearly Zhao Kuo from the State of Zhao. Do you know Zhao Kuo?" After he finishes this statement, he often asks this question. Interestingly, there are indeed students who are unfamiliar with this historical figure, prompting them to go home and pull out their middle school textbooks to look it up, thus understanding the origin of the phrase "talking about military strategy on paper." This is not a medical professional; it is clearly Zhao Kuo from the State of Zhao. Do you know Zhao Kuo?" After he finishes this statement, he often asks this question. Interestingly, there are indeed students who are unfamiliar with this historical figure, prompting them to go home and pull out their middle school textbooks to look it up, thus understanding the origin of the phrase "talking about military strategy on paper."

In those years, Lu Chengyu came this way.

Tu Ran asked: "When did someone move in next door? Hasn't it been empty all along?"

Zhou Xiaquan said: "I am Zhou Xiaquan, I mistakenly took Tu Ran's phone. What can I do for you? I will have her call you back shortly. By the way, I noticed that your voice sounds quite... quite manly on the phone!"

Then why must you give birth to this child

Lu Cheng indeed kept his promise and called to briefly inform Tu Ran that he had applied for a study abroad opportunity from the institute last year, and that his visa had recently been approved. He would need to leave in mid-March for a duration of one year. Due to the urgency of the situation, he asked if she would mind picking up the certificate first, and they could discuss the wedding banquet later. He then mentioned his living situation, stating that he currently resided in the school's Doctor's Degree building, which was too small and inconvenient. He also mentioned that before his mother passed away, she left behind an old one-bedroom apartment that was not in a formal community and had a poor surrounding environment. He expressed that with a child, the space would feel even smaller. He planned to sell the old apartment once he secured a formal job, which would at least cover the down payment for a larger new apartment, with the remaining amount to be paid off monthly. Therefore, for the next year or so, he would have to trouble Tu Ran to stay in her previous home, where her parents could also help take care of her during her pregnancy and childbirth. Additionally, he urged her to quit smoking.

At the end of the conversation, she felt it necessary to express her feelings at that moment, so she said to the perpetrator: "Thank you for not allowing me to kill my own child." At that time, she was mentally exhausted, her mood was strange, and she felt weak and angry, which made her tone sound eerie. Zhou Xiaoqian, who was beside her, couldn't help but shiver, wondering what kind of feelings Lu Chengyu on the other end of the phone would have.

Oh," Zhou Xiaoqian responded, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her mind. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, and the more excited she became. Gripping her phone tightly, she exclaimed: "Lu Chengyu, it turns out you are the one behind this mischief. I never would have guessed you were such a rogue. The underground work you’ve done, sneaking in and out, I thought you were a person of substance, believing you were quite respectable. I didn’t expect you to be someone who would just wipe his mouth and try to slip away after indulging. I shouldn’t have brought Ranran that day, I shouldn’t have tried to matchmake you two. Do you know that you are putting me in an unjust position? I really want to slap you..."

Tu Ran weakly shouted from behind: "Clean out the gaps between your teeth before entering, not a single bit should be brought back."

In those years, amidst the heavy academic workload, it was inevitable to experience the stirrings of springtime emotions, yet he always managed to clearly identify the most important goals in life, never allowing even the throes of passionate love to interfere with his responsibilities. At that time, he was indeed young, knowing only to charge forward with determination, easily relinquishing things that could be given up. Although he had occasionally fantasized about marriage, such thoughts were rare. Marriage, in his view, should be the perfect and serious outcome of a deep and earnest love, yet it felt far too distant. However, what constitutes earnestness, and what defines perfection? He found these questions to be rather profound.

She felt that this situation could not continue, so she told her family that she would be on a business trip for a few days, and then packed a few pieces of clothing to move in with Zhou Xiaoqian. Zhou Xiaoqian lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment, which he claimed was a dowry sponsored by his parents. Tu Ran took sick leave from the company and spent her days lounging on the sofa bed in Zhou Xiaoqian's study.

The man ignored her and directly asked: "Where is Tu Ran?"

Zhou Xiaoqian suppressed his anger and asked, "What exactly is your reason for wanting to have children and get married?"

At this moment, Lu Chengyu was busy to the point of being dizzy. He had been scheduled to work in the hospital until the day before his departure, and during this time, he encountered patients under his care whose conditions were not optimistic, requiring him to work overtime. The chief physician, a rather easygoing middle-aged man, perhaps fearing that Lu was too young and impulsive, joked with him: "Since you are about to leave, you need to gain more clinical experience; otherwise, when you return after a year, your skills will have dulled, and how will you perform surgeries? Moreover, this is also what Old He intends."

Tu Ran lay there without moving, not even opening her eyes. Zhou Xiaoqian shook her vigorously: "Lu Chengyu just called you, he said he would call back later"

Zhou Xiaoqian is devastated: "From now on, both water and the adulterer are on the list of things that make me nauseous, right?"

After Lu Chengyu spoke, Tu Ran did not take his words to heart at all; her emotions were still immersed in the joy and excitement of being able to keep the baby. For a moment, she thought: Baby, I, as your mother, have done right by you. Then she felt it was hard to believe: Lu Chengyu was quite straightforward, and this matter was just too swift.

Lu Chengyu was quite patient, waiting for her to finish scolding before calmly saying: "I will call back in five minutes"

As she reached the bottom of the building where she lived, her phone in her pocket began to buzz and ring incessantly. A gloomy female voice came from it: "Big brother, don't go, let me rob you of your color..."

Who would have thought that one would enter the city in such a muddled manner today

The man uttered a sound of "hm," with a tone that seemed to carry a hint of disbelief, and he said: "She cannot smoke"

The feeling of having one's fate grasped in the hands of others is quite unpleasant. During the few days of waiting for a response, Tu Ran once again entertained the thought of giving up

Indeed, Zhou Xiaoqian has always found the situation between these two individuals quite puzzling. They do not seem particularly affectionate when they meet, so how did they end up having a child, and now they are insisting on getting married? In this day and age, it is not uncommon for an unmarried woman to have one or two abortions after being with her boyfriend; society is developing so rapidly, and people's hearts are naturally restless. Who among us does not have a past? Although it is often said that it is better to dismantle ten temples than to destroy a single marriage, Zhou Xiaoqian has thought it over and feels that this matter is somewhat rooted in her own actions. It is necessary to offer some advice, so she earnestly tells Tu Ran: "Above all, do not marry just for the sake of marriage."