Electronic Nezha

Chapter 25 The Sudden Turn of Events

It seems Liu Zhenhua won't bully Yuanyuan, so I can safely pack up my bucket and run away.

Once in the car and started the engine, at this time of year when all the TV stations were broadcasting commercials, Xiao Wu, amidst the noisy background noise, spoke in a rapidly changing accent from all over the country: "Oh, isn't this my dear master?" His main point was to be ingratiating yet insincere.

"If you don't want to call me master, you can call me Brother Liu from now on." I don't really like being the master of this chatterbox either. This guy has the ability to spout something that makes this relationship seem like a joke at any time. Just look at Sancho Panza and Don Quixote—I told you I'm more of a literary type.

"Okay, bro, are we heading to the hospital?"

I said in surprise, "You're quite smart."

“I’m not stupid to begin with—of course, I’m not as good as my No. 0, but when it came into existence, what era was that? Humans were already—” Xiao Wu abruptly stopped.

What's wrong with humanity?

Xiao Wu asked, "What did Brother Liu have for lunch?" He changed the subject as he drove the car out of the residential area.

"...Isn't that a bit abrupt?"

"Hehe, I won't say what I shouldn't say."

I interrupted, "Hey, can you see what I look like?"

"If you stand in my reversing camera, I can see you."

"Will you see me when we get there?"

"I don't have that need..."

"Don't you want to see if I'm handsome or ugly?"

"What's the use of being handsome or ugly? The part of your body that I have the most contact with is your butt. Ask Daniel Wu's car if he thinks Daniel Wu is handsome."

I really wanted to kick it, but the car was mine, so I was hesitant.

I said abruptly, "Let me ask you something else. What level of technology will humanity reach in the future? Just say whatever comes to mind, no need to elaborate."

"Brother Liu, weren't you just praising me for being smart?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

"I'm already this smart, do you think your rambling, topic-shifting, and sudden-trick-or-treating tactics will work?"

……

When we arrived at the hospital, my dad had already completed the admission procedures and was now in the cardiology ward, a six-person room. My dad had an IV drip in the back of his hand, was awake, and was lying in bed looking bored, just like when he woke up and wanted to stay in bed. My mom was chatting with the old lady in the next bed.

Why do I feel a little uneasy when the person accompanying me to the hospital isn't on their phone?

My dad was facing the door, so he saw me first. The old man immediately got up, which startled my mom.

"Xiaofeng, did you bring me food?"

My mom complained, "Didn't we tell you not to run around?"

"I'll take your place. After you finish eating, go home and rest." I turned to my dad and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"So fresh, it hasn't had any water or rice for over ten hours."

I asked my mom, "What did the doctor say? Is it okay to eat it?"

"Yes, but you should eat light meals and have small, frequent meals."

As soon as the insulated box was opened, the aroma of stir-fried chicken breast with bamboo shoots filled the air, drawing the attention of everyone in the ward.

My dad had already picked up a steamed bun, taken a big bite, and stuffed a piece of vegetables into his mouth, making "mmm" sounds of appreciation. His movements were clumsy, and the liquid bottle was shaking from his grip.

"Slow down, or your hand will start bleeding," my mother scolded the old man while eating.

After taking a bite of food, the elderly couple turned to me with hesitant eyes.

"Who did this?" my dad asked.

I pointed to myself: "Me!" My dad chuckled: "It's not that I'm looking down on you, but you're only good at making fried sauce. Even a dog wouldn't eat anything else you make!"

"Dad, you're insulting yourself..."

My mom concluded: "It must have been bought from a restaurant."

My dad shook his head and said, "This doesn't taste like a restaurant."

As the elderly couple ate, they began to politely defer to each other. The doctor advised them to eat small, frequent meals, but the old lady still subconsciously wanted the old man to eat well. My father, understanding my mother's thoughts, was afraid she would go hungry, so he kept putting the meat that the old lady had put on his plate back to her.

I said, "Is there not enough food?" Then I understood. This was Yuan Yuan's original intention. Of course, it knew that my dad needed to eat small meals frequently, so it specially measured out the amount.

"Not bad, a little porridge is just right to help." My dad poured half a bowl of porridge from the thermos, slurped it up, and said, "Hmm, this porridge is good too."

My mom urged me to go home as soon as she finished eating.

"What are you saying, Mom? Go back to sleep. I'll be here tonight too. What if you get sick from staying up all night?"

"When you get old, you don't have that much sleep. It's nice for me to chat with people here."

I did notice that from the moment I entered the ward, the elderly men and women knew my nickname, what I did, how old I was, and my marital status... My mother also knew everything about their children. With my mother's ability to gather information, anyone with good spoken English could easily be in charge of an M16.

I insisted that the old lady go home, but my mother got anxious: "What will happen to Zhenhua if you don't go back?"

"He's a grown man, he can take care of himself."

Then my dad got anxious too: "Think about what you were like when you were 14. You didn't turn off the gas stove after cooking, and you didn't turn off the TV when you went out to play. You'll regret it when he sets the house on fire!"

I need to clarify this. The old man made up the whole story about not turning off the gas stove after cooking. I made fried rice with eggs and then thought I would sauté the bean sprouts in oil, so I didn't turn off the stove. And shouldn't the point be that I was able to cook when I was 14?
It's true that he left the TV on when he went out to play. He only did it once, but the old man remembered it for the rest of his life. It was a crime on par with "not turning off the gas after cooking". It shows how careful the old man was when he was young. Wasting things is equivalent to murder and arson.

Since I couldn't get angry with the old man right now, I didn't argue with him. After my mother finished eating, I coaxed her to go back. The old lady couldn't persuade me, so she could only give me various instructions while putting on her coat.

My dad complained, "If you ask me, we can just get discharged since everything's fine. At worst, we can get some IV fluids and go back to the community clinic for an infusion—"

My mom and I glared at him together, and the old man shut his mouth in annoyance. Then he climbed off the bed and said, "Xiaofeng, you hold up some of the bottles for me. Let's go downstairs together to see your mom off."

Having been fed a mouthful of dog food by people my age, I couldn't help but say, "You're reluctant to leave even for a little while?"

My mother glanced at the old man and said decisively, "He doesn't miss me; he just wants to go downstairs for a smoke."

I chuckled and said, "Dad, you haven't given up on that idea yet?"

"I'm all better, why can't I have a shot?"

My mom said, "I'll call the doctor. If he tells you to take the medication, I'll go buy you some cigarettes right now."

"Listen to him..." The old man knew his plan had failed and sat back down helplessly.

My mom eventually left by bus.

It was just the two of us left. The old man was slurping up the porridge while staring intently at me.

I shrugged and said, "Don't look, I definitely won't let you smoke."

"It's not about that." The old man suddenly leaned closer to me and whispered, "Xiaofeng, tell me the truth, do you not have anyone else?"

I asked, half-laughing, half-crying, "How did you figure that out?"

The old man shook the porridge in his bowl and said with absolute certainty, "This food was made by a woman!"

"Even if it was made by a woman, can't the chefs in a restaurant be women?"

The old man smiled knowingly: "I recognize these insulated boxes and thermos flasks. With your brains, how could you remember to bring something from home when you go to a restaurant to buy food?"

I was stunned. This old man is too cunning. Could this old couple be special agents who worked in some special profession in their early years and are now retired with honors?
How about starting a new book?
I insisted, "Stop speculating, I did it."

The old man said slowly, "I won't force you if you don't want to talk about it. It's normal for someone your age to take another step forward—is she good to Zhenhua?"

"She..." As soon as I said it, I realized that this was another trap the old man had set for me. So my skill in setting traps for Xiao Wu was inherited?

(End of this chapter)