Chapter 36 - 036 Unexpected

Words : 1444 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 36: 036 UnexpectedDu Heng’s heart remained calm. When he saw Wang Shuqiu’s news, he just treated it as a friendly greeting. With a peaceful mindset, communication would be equal. Searᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I went to the upper village today and just got back from my busy day." With a simple tap, the news was sent. Wang Shuqiu had sent her news at around five o’clock, and it was almost nine o’clock when he responded to the news. Du Heng didn’t care too much if she would reply or not. The purpose of his reply was just politeness. What was that saying? Indifference makes one strong! He routinely checked the group chat with his classmates. The active participants were those who worked in pharmaceutical companies or administrative units. As for the others, they were just like Du Heng, professional lurkers who only observed and never chatted. Those working in big hospitals were too busy to chat idly with everyone. Those in small hospitals, clinics, or who had returned to their hometowns felt too embarrassed to chat. It wasn’t that people would look down on them; they just felt like they hadn’t succeeded and were embarrassed about it. Wang Shuqiu, "You must be tired. So where are you now? Are you back at the Health Clinic?" Before Du Heng could even scroll through two pages of the group chat news, Wang Shuqiu’s news arrived. Seeing her quick response, Du Heng felt a hint of joy in his heart. Du Heng, "There were a lot of people in the village, so I couldn’t finish today and stayed in the village. Haven’t you gone to sleep yet?" Wang Shuqiu, "Oh, it’s still early. I’m still grading my students’ essays, and they’re hilarious." Du Heng, "You really work hard, grading assignments this late." Wang Shuqiu, "Not really. I was lazy after school and went shopping with my sister. Otherwise, I would have finished grading long ago." Wang Shuqiu, "When will you come back?" Du Heng, "Is something up?" Wang Shuqiu, "I would like to invite you for dinner. Are you free?" Du Heng, "Dinner sounds nice. I’m definitely free. How about Friday?" Wang Shuqiu, "Sure, I’ll call you then. I have to go back to grading papers now. No more chatting." Du Heng, "Alright, you go ahead." Wang Shuqiu inviting him for dinner was unexpected but reasonable. Everyone was connected through Wang Zhenzhen. Regardless of whether they liked each other or could become a couple, as long as they had normal intelligence and emotional intelligence, they wouldn’t make Wang Zhenzhen, the middle person, feel awkward. Last time Du Heng treated them to dinner, it wasn’t a lot, but it definitely wasn’t cheap either; a hot pot for four people cost over 600 yuan. As per the principle of reciprocity, Wang Shuqiu would definitely return the favor as long as her mind was clear. Of course, if Wang Shuqiu were the kind of person who thought eating and drinking on a man’s dime was normal and never had enough of taking advantage, it would be another story. In the end, Wang Zhenzhen might feel awkward, but it wouldn’t have much to do with Du Heng. Now that she was inviting him, Du Heng could accept for the same reason. If Wang Shuqiu maintained a good attitude and they could be friends, Du Heng wouldn’t mind showing off a bit. He could save face and continue to pay for the meals. If Wang Shuqiu still had that haughty attitude, then it would be a different story. He would eat and drink as he pleased; if she paid the bill, they would be square. I wouldn’t feel I was at a loss, she wouldn’t have taken advantage, Wang Zhenzhen, the middle person, wouldn’t feel awkward, and everything would be settled! Looking at Wu Buwei, the boy had already covered his face with a book, snoring loudly. Reading, indeed, was helpful for falling asleep. Du Heng gently took the book off Wu Buwei’s face, put it next to the pillow, swiped his mobile phone a few times, chatted with his two classmates in Jinzhou for a bit, and then peacefully went to sleep. Sleeping on the bed in winter was quite an experience. The inside of the quilt was hot and sweaty, and his limbs and trunk couldn’t get comfortable no matter how he positioned them. But his exposed face felt a bit cold. When the fire in the stove went out in the latter part of the night, it would be like experiencing both ice and fire. When he woke up in the morning, he would find his head tucked in the quilt at some unknown point. But overall, it was quite nice. Some people’s beds were not sealed properly and leaked smoke. After a night’s sleep, their whole body smelled like bed smoke, which was a bit pungent. But Zuo Liangliang’s bed was well made, and the stove in the room only lost its heat near morning, so it was a comfortable night’s sleep. Du Heng called Wu Buwei to get up, fold the quilt, and set the bed. As soon as they were done, Zuo Liangliang’s family also got up. The child went to school, Zuo Liangliang’s wife made breakfast for the three of them, and after eating, they went straight to the Village Committee. Zuo Liangliang had the key to the broadcasting room, so he went on the loudspeaker while Du Heng and Wu Buwei rubbed their hands together from the cold. Wu Buwei rubbed his hands and breathed on them, "Big brother, are we too early? It’s too cold and there’s nobody here. Everyone probably hasn’t even gotten up yet." Du Heng tucked his hands under his buttocks and shrank his neck while sitting on a stool. "Ha, not awake? Some diligent ones have already fed their mules and sheep, and are now starting their second round of sleep." While the two were talking, a tricycle not far away drove by with a BANG BANG BANG sound, carrying a load of sharp-smelling sheep manure. Du Heng motioned for Wu Buwei to look. "See that? That person has already brought back a cartload of sheep manure from who knows where, and you think farmers have nothing to do but sleep in?" Wu Buwei spun around on the ground, constantly blowing on his hands. He looked at the sudden increase of chimney smoke in the village and listened to the sporadic crowing of chickens and barking of dogs, occasionally interspersed with a few donkey brays. His eyes were a little empty, not knowing what he was thinking about. Du Heng was also cold, but he and Wu Buwei were different; he chose to curl up into a ball. BEEP. Early in the morning, his mobile phone chimed with a news notification. Since he had nothing to do, Du Heng took his hands out from under his butt, pulled out his mobile phone, and looked at it. Wang Shuqiu, "Good morning. Have you left yet?" It’s Wang Shuqiu again. Could this woman be harboring some ulterior motives? Du Heng read the news, smiling smugly to himself, and then took out his other hand to hold the mobile phone and start typing. "Morning! I just arrived, and no one has come yet. Are you in class?" "The students are having morning reading, and I haven’t started class yet." She replied to the news quickly, almost instantly. Although the chat was just simple chit-chat, Du Heng still smiled happily. As for why he was happy, he himself didn’t know. Just as he was about to continue typing his reply, someone had already come to their desk. "Someone’s here. I have to get busy. Talk to you later." After typing his reply, Du Heng swiftly put away his mobile phone and quickly got into work mode. Perhaps because it was early and cold, people came in dribs and drabs. It took a long time for each person to arrive, completely unlike yesterday’s scene of people queuing for a check-up. It wasn’t until nearly 11 a.m. that they had seen less than 20 patients. Compared to yesterday afternoon’s 52 patients, the gap was quite significant. Du Heng was thoroughly perplexed. Could there be a problem with his diagnosis? Did people no longer trust him? But that didn’t make sense either. The twenty people who came that morning were from various villages. If they had exchanged negative experiences, it was unlikely that only one person from each village would show up. This was another unexpected turn of events.

Chapter 36 - 036 Unexpected

Comments (0)