Finally, the cast on his hand was removed. Yet, as He Su Ye flexed his left hand, it felt foreign to him. Frowning, he said to Qiu Tian, “Using my left hand these past two days feels strange. Even typing feels unnatural. I guess I’m just not used to it.”
Qiu Tian rolled his eyes dramatically. “Did it regress or something? I remember you used to be able to write and use chopsticks with your left hand!”
He Su Ye sighed. “It feels like I’ve lost some sensation.” Picking up a pen with his left hand, he tried writing a few strokes before putting it down and shaking his head. “Am I getting old?”
Qiu Tian burst into laughter, accidentally toppling a pile of medical records. “Old? Please. I’m a year older than you. Remember, we were the youngest in our class back then.”
Nodding, He Su Ye bent down to help pick up the scattered files. “Yeah, seven years have flown by. In the blink of an eye, we’re already working. Back then, I never imagined what field I’d choose or the people I’d meet.”
Qiu Tian smirked. “Here you go again, getting all sentimental. You were never this emotional before. Is it because Shen Xi Fan left? You know, you should save this sentimentality for her instead of torturing a single guy like me.”
He Su Ye paused thoughtfully. “Whenever I see her, I can’t seem to say anything at all. It’s strange.”
“That’s completely normal!” Qiu Tian declared confidently. “You should just fly to the U.S. and find her already. Watching the two of you dragging things out is unbearable!”
He chuckled. “Good things take time. Rushing it wouldn’t feel real. They say all good things come with trials, don’t they?”
* * *
At home, he turned on his computer and saw a message from Shen Xi Fan on QQ:
“Finally finished my Management for Services course. Two weeks, three credits earned, and half my brain cells gone. I keep dreaming about the concepts we covered in class!”
Noticing the late hour, he typed back quickly:
“It’s so late. Staying up isn’t good for your health. You should go to bed.”
Her reply came almost instantly, accompanied by a crying emoji:
“Now I’m doing Operations Management. The course requires us to ‘use computers extensively,’ so I practically live with my laptop.”
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re overworking yourself! Get some rest. It’s only 5 AM in Ithaca—you didn’t pull an all-nighter, did you?”
There was no response for a while, and He Su Ye understood. The little girl probably had stayed up all night and was now hiding from him out of guilt. Smiling, he typed:
“I’m not mad. I’m just worried about your health. Don’t hide—come back. I won’t scold you.”
Her reply popped up immediately:
“Okay, I was wrong. I promise I’ll never stay up all night again.”
Or at least, I’ll never admit to it in front of him again, he thought with a sigh. He reached for the teacup beside him, glanced at it, and put it back down—it was leftover tea from He Shou Zheng, still half-full.
After dinner, He Shou Zheng stared mournfully at the half-empty cup of tea, on the verge of tears. “I don’t want to drink this! It’s so bitter and sour!”
Unrelenting, He Su Ye said, “Little rascal, you’re overweight. You eat junk food every day with no nutritional value. Obesity is bad for your health, and you don’t like exercising. Aside from making you drink this tea, I don’t have any other options.”
Sniffling, He Shou Zheng bargained, “Can’t you add some sugar? Please?”
Sighing, He Su Ye opened a book and pointed to a page.
“‘Standard weight = (height - 100) × 0.9.’ If your actual weight exceeds the standard weight by 20%—excluding factors like muscle mass or water retention—you’re considered obese.”
The boy went silent, touching his face. Then, He Su Ye pulled out a book on traditional Chinese medicine and spread it open in front of him.
“The tea I gave you is specially made. It has bitter orange, dried tangerine peel, hawthorn, poria, lotus leaf, and alisma root.”
Pouting, He Shou Zheng muttered, “Why not just eat oranges instead of using their peel?”
0 Comments