Old Chen, aka my dad, formally retired February of this year. After a lifetime of doing hard labour, Old Chen spent half a month idling at home but couldn’t sit still. It so happened that the Senior Citizen’s club in our town was recruiting members, so off he went. Once he got there, he then found out that his 50-something age was considered the young backbone in the Senior Citizen’s club where the average age is 70. Because of that, Old Chen’s pa.s.sion from long ago was ignited. Every day, he’d be pedalling his bike towards the club to organize their recreational activities. This kind of pa.s.sion, is the kind that has been burning for years.

It’s just that his pa.s.sion also hasn't been burning for quite some time, and had only given him an initial show of strength for the first few years. This old man got on a stool to hang their activity banner when his foot landed on air and fell down.

When I got a call from my mom, I was on the highway, looking out at the billboards. My entire body broke out into a cold sweat though it was one sunny day. Even though I was always being beaten by Old Chen when I was young, I was also thinking of beating him too as soon as I grew up. But despite that, I really love him.

On the way to the hospital, I kept on crying while talking endlessly with the cab driver about how good my dad is. The driver, a 7-feet tall st.u.r.dy-looking man, was moved by me and floored the gas all the way. When I paid him, he offered to just dismiss the remaining fare, and told me, “Young child, remember my plate number, x.x.xX, by all means, don’t flag down my cab again. I have a blabbermouth wife and mom at home so when I listen to other people talking nonstop I can’t help but tremble. Forgive me, I wish your father a speedy recovery.”　　

………

I rushed inside the hospital crying, when I got there my mom was peeling apples while scolding my dad: "Your weary old body is still considered backbone? Fall one more time and I'll push you straight to cremation. Your backbone (gu gan) I'll upgrade it into bone ash (gu hui).

I held unto the door frame in tears: "Mom, how's dad?"

Mom looked up at me, "Oh, stop crying, what are you crying for, I've endured so much to raise you just so your face won't be covered in snot and tears."

I held back my tears and went over to sympathize with the old man who has been oppressed for such a long time: “Dad, are you alright?”

My dad looked helplessly at the apple mom was holding: "No, your mom already peeled three apples, and didn't even give me one to eat."

I think there's no way of knowing things from their mouth，I simply picked up the thermos and said: "I'll go get hot water."

I went straight to the nurse’s station carrying the thermos and didn’t mind my mom who was crying out behind me: “This d.a.m.n child, the thermos is full!”

Probably because I looked too menacing, the nurse quickly got the doctor. The doctor described my dad’s condition with a blank face, said the fall affected his lower back — the vertebra was compressing the nerves. In other words, he needs to go through surgery, and made me prepare 30,000 bucks.

I asked the doctor a few specific questions but he gave me a pointed look, “If I tell you, you still wouldn’t understand, just prepare the money alright? Leave the rest to us doctors.”　　

I asked again: “Then, when's the surgery?”

He said impatiently: “Line up, when it reaches your turn then we’ll do it.”

I was itching to cough out a big mouthful of thick phlegm on his face, and then tell him, "Sorry, I have tuberculosis."

But I couldn’t, I could only fish out a few hundred bills from my pocket, and force it on him, “Then, I can only bother you to take care of it……"

He glared at me and pushed away the money: "What are you doing! I understand your sentiments as a family member but this is against the hospital regulations! You really don’t have to worry, I will find time to give you a detailed explanation.”

I felt so ashamed. I thought that I indeed unfairly judged a n.o.ble person with my own narrow mind. Some doctors were really just born with a bad temper. As I was deeply reflecting on my own personality, the doctor then turned to leave, but before leaving, he raised his chin and gave me a meaningful look. I pondered if he was having cramps or if he was implying something else for quite a while. Until I imitated his action and raised my chin, only then did I understand. A camera was mounted on the wall……

I was just about to ask the nurse where the doctor’s office was when my phone rang. I took it out and looked at it. My heartbeat quickly went downhill at lightning speed as if stepping on an accelerator that I’ve almost wanted to go to to the Cardiology department and check my pulse.

Jiang Chen, my ex-boyfriend.

I politely picked up the phone, shaking: “h.e.l.lo?”

I've been saying h.e.l.lo for a very long time, but all I could hear was a bunch of random noise, it seems like he just accidentally pressed the phone. I was gonna hang up the call but I heard a delicate female voice saying, “Doc, I'm having chest pain.”

I just remembered how Jiang Chen as a doctor now, is said to have a bit of reputation. I hung up the phone, confused for a while, my final decision, if I have to wallow in the darkness of our motherland's healthcare system, might as well be transferred to the hospital where Jiang Chen is. During those days I've helped him peel around a thousand tea eggs so he has to consider that somehow.

I went back to tell my mom regarding this matter, and she told me: “Jiang Chen, that kid whom you were in a puppy love with back then?”

Uh……..your memory sure knows the more important parts.

Mom asked again: “If we go to the hospital he’s at, will he help us? I mean does both of you still have mutual affection?”

Truly a “hit the nail on the head” question, I stammered: “He will help us that’s for sure, it’s just that……..”

“Just what?”

"It's only that, things are a bit like something 'scissors can't sever, and when sorted out, is tangled again*."  (T/N: too complicated)

The old lady scoffed: "Stop using big words on me. Can't cut with scissors then shave it all up! You are going to contact him right now. Your dad must be transferred tomorrow. I can't stand that b.a.s.t.a.r.d doctor here anymore.　　

I was expecting for my mom to tell me lovingly that her child really has integrity, ex-boyfriends and what not, we shouldn’t go bother, I really overestimated my mom.

Jiang Chen showed no hints of being surprised when he got my call that it makes me want to become a doctor, so used to seeing strong winds and big waves*, even dead bodies and internal organs don't scare him, how can I, an ex-girlfriend, scare him. (T/N: difficulties, struggles)

I was stuttering when I explained the situation to him all the way through, and managed to tell him: “Is it okay to transfer my dad to your hospital?”

“Okay.” He replied concisely that I was too ashamed to mention the thing about peeling tea eggs.

He added: “Get everything ready, I’ll find an ambulance to pick up your dad for the transfer.”

Finally, he was silent for a long time, and then asked me: “You okay?”

Okay.

After hanging up the phone, I clutched my chest and leaned against the wall of the lobby, breathing heavily. A young nurse next to me helped me up: “Are you alright?”

I shook my head, although feeling very glad that I had long last seen the light of humanity in this hospital.

She then went on: “Who did you just call? Seems like you’re going to be transferred, am I right? Which hospital do you know the higher-ups? Introduce me okay? I only have a month before I finish my interns.h.i.+p yet I haven’t found a hospital who would hire me. Can you help me? My grades are actually very good, it’s just that I don’t want to accompany hospital directors to bed."

There's really no other way but for me to be entangled with her, so without any better option I said: "Actually, that person I called is a janitor in a hospital, I promised to accompany him to bed, so he promised to help me ask around and see if I could transfer.

………

Three hours later, Jiang Chen, with an ambulance whizzed in front of me. I haven’t seen him in 3 years yet I didn’t dare look up to get a good look at him. I just kept on staring at what seems like a quite expensive fountain pen in the pocket of his white coat. I don't know if he already learnt how to write the new characters used in medicine.

When I was at university, I’ve always been worried about Jiang Chen, for fear that his beautiful penmans.h.i.+p’s small script would face difficulties in the medical profession. In order for him to achieve a penmans.h.i.+p that would let him evade responsibility even if he prescribed the wrong drug, I once forced him to copy my penmans.h.i.+p. It’s a pity that in the end, he failed to learn its true essence.

Discharging procedures, admitting procedures, Jiang Chen arranged everything by himself. My mom and I were terribly idle, just chatting near the hospital entrance, each with an apple.

Mom said: “This young man is indeed whom I looked after growing up, really good.”

She made it sound like she should be given credit for looking after him while growing up because he turned out be a good young man, really shameless.

She added: “Such good thing, how did you miss it back then? You’ve almost succeeded.”

I took a bite out of the apple: "Dad is bored being alone in the ambulance, you go eat an apple and make him watch."

Mom heaved a sigh, then gladly and diligently went to where the ambulance was, yelling while running: “Old man, your daughter made me eat an apple for you to watch.”

Jiang Chen was holding a large doc.u.ment and some small receipts when he chanced upon this scene, he smiled and looked skeptically at me: “You’re really too filial.”

I looked up at him, he was slightly bent over in front of me, bowing his head to look at me. The tips of his hair that was drooping over were glowing in the morning light. He smiled at me like how he used to, his left cheek squeezing out a deep dimple, it was as though we just ate and watched movies together yesterday.

I averted my gaze, this is a sinister dimple. Back then my little heart was drunk and fell in this dimple. Now that I think about it, this pit in his face was a giant fraud.

Jiang Chen’s existence used to be just like one of those lamp post in the alley. He lives in the house across ours, the mayor’s son, cla.s.s monitor, looks good, plays the piano, writes calligraphy, has good grades, and speaks nice Mandarin.　

Television and novels label us boys and girls who are friends, and live awfully close together since young as "childhood sweethearts", moreover, they generally divide it into two categories: one, the "in love with each other" type. Two people who are close together like siblings, poking honeycombs and getting stung by bees together, stealing sweet potatoes and getting beaten together. By the time the two would look back, only then would they realize that the friends.h.i.+p from long ago has slowly blossomed into love. The other one is the "sees and hates each other" type. Two people who opposes the other with equal intensity, already itching to rush ahead to bite the other when spotted from a distance. When they get the chance, they'd pull the tire valve of each other's bikes. But later on, when the two would grow up, they would suddenly realize — Ah! This is true love.

Unfortunately, Jiang Chen and I are neither of the above mentioned. In a very long time, me and him were simply just neighbours who live across each other. Him playing his piano daily, me watching Chibi Maruko-chan with gusto. Occasionally, when I’d forget the content in our homework, I would press the doorbell of their house. He would always mock me, and impatiently ask why I didn't remember. Probably, because I'm seeking out a favour, so I never bickered with him. Of course, it might also be because I don't like to argue with people since young. I'm someone calm and collected, a bit extraordinarily.

Summer vacation of 2nd year middle school going 3rd year, our cla.s.s secretly organized a picnic after the exams. During the picnic, Jiang Chen and I was a.s.signed to wash the sweet potatoes. There were 40 people in our cla.s.s but we bought 44 sweet potatoes. Jiang Chen just washed those four extra sweet potatoes, and after that, played skipping stones with the boys on the side.

I was crouching at the lakeside, forced to keep my anger in check as I was was.h.i.+ng the potatoes. The more I wash, the more I get mad. By then a small slab of rock was dropped right in front of me and splashed me on the face. As I looked up, Jiang Chen looked nonchalant as though nothing has happened. He raised his hand, and a stone skipped across the water surface, piercing its stillness in beautiful four successive skips, along with it were ripples of varying sizes, colliding together and then dissolving.

It’s pretty logical that I should’ve scolded him, splashed water on him, pressed his head into the water, or perhaps, pushed him into the lake to drown.

But I did nothing. I just stared at him with a silly look on my face.

The breeze lifted his loose, white school uniform. The sun casting a golden light on his lashes and the tips of his hair. The slightly raised corner of his mouth was squeezing out a proud smile on his left cheek.

Right then, time and s.p.a.ce froze leaving only the thumping of my heart.

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Translator’s Corner:

Hi! Dolly here. I don’t know how people found out about this translation (which was intended for my real-life friends who were bugging me about it) but thank you for reading. English or Chinese isn’t my first language so if the sentences doesn’t flow smoothly (the verb tenses are giving me a headache) or if I had some mistranslations, I deeply apologize. If you have any input on how to make it better or for some corrections, please do drop me a message on my !