Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 26

Ning Province First People’s Hospital.

Dr. Zhang Yuan had just stepped off the operating table when a nurse told him, “Dr. Zhang, there’s a package for you.”

Zhang Yuan was puzzled, not remembering ordering anything. When he got to the office and saw it was a cold delivery package, he was even more surprised.

Then he saw the sender’s name—Song Tan.

He fell silent.

The nurses gathered around, curious. “Dr. Zhang, what did you order?”

Zhang Yuan laughed helplessly: “I didn’t order this. It’s from a girl I treated after a car accident on the bridge. She sent it to me.”

“Do you remember? That girl was trapped in the car, and someone pulled her out. When she got to the hospital, she was perfectly fine!”

That kind of luck amazed everyone back then.

As a doctor, saving lives is his duty. The girl suddenly sending him something made him recall their conversation from a few days ago, and he had an idea of what it was about.

But this situation was tricky.

The nurses sighed: “With all the strict regulations now… Dr. Zhang, you should check what it is. You can’t return cold deliveries, and it’s better to figure out the price and pay her back. You don’t want to risk a report over this.”

Dr. Zhang agreed. As a doctor, money was always tight. If it was something expensive… how much would he have to pay?

Worried, he opened the package.

Inside the foam box, surrounded by dry ice and air pillows, was a bundle of fresh, green, crisp wild vegetables.

There was a note: “Dr. Zhang, here are some wild Malan head vegetables from my hometown for you to try.”

Everyone: …

So, they spent 30 yuan on cold delivery for a bundle of wild vegetables? Zhang Yuan was relieved but also found it amusing.

The room fell silent before someone awkwardly remarked, “Her handwriting is quite nice.”

…

There are no secrets in a department.

By noon, everyone knew Dr. Zhang from the trauma department had received a bundle of wild vegetables delivered cold, a long-distance, thoughtful gift!

Even the hospital director found it amusing: “This girl must think our Dr. Zhang looks like a cook.”

“He’s a bachelor who eats in the cafeteria every day. What’s he going to do with wild vegetables? Tell him to send them to the cafeteria for everyone to taste!”

Everyone laughed at this.

Dr. Zhang was also happy.

A bundle of wild vegetables wasn’t valuable enough to be considered a bribe but was sent with good intentions from far away.

It might not be worth much, but getting noticed by the director over this… wow!

He happily sent the vegetables to the cafeteria.

The head chef was delighted: “Dr. Zhang, this was sent with great care. Look how fresh and crisp this Malan head is! It’s cold now, and wild vegetables are scarce. It takes effort to gather such a bundle.”

“I’ll blanch and mix it for everyone to enjoy a taste of spring at lunch!”

Dr. Zhang imagined: a rustic mountain village, cold winds blowing, a simple girl in homespun clothes, painstakingly gathering vegetables… He was genuinely touched.

He quickly checked his contacts and sent a message, along with a photo of the vegetables.

“Ms. Lu, how is Lu Chuan recovering?”

“Here’s the thing, you insisted on confidentiality, so I didn’t mention it before. But the girl Lu Chuan saved has been inquiring and even sent these vegetables as a token of gratitude.”

“She’s a kind-hearted rural girl.”

“Why not give her a contact number at least? She can thank him and find peace.”

To save someone’s life and then disappear without a word… how could she rest easy?

…

Ren’ai Hospital, Capital City.

A haggard woman sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, staring blankly at the wall.

Suddenly, her phone beeped with a few notifications.

She opened the chat and saw the first message, a photo of vibrant green vegetables.

Reading the following messages, the woman fell silent.

After a moment, she typed a difficult reply:

“Thank you, Dr. Zhang. Lu Chuan is currently stable. The doctors mentioned severe second-degree burns from the explosion… I don’t understand much, but they said delays could hinder recovery.”

“Even with skin grafts, there might be scars…”

“Lu Chuan says he doesn’t go out much anyway. Now disfigured, he prefers staying home to avoid trouble. But the wounds weren’t healing well at home, so he returned to the hospital.”

She thought it over and deleted this part.

She simply replied: “Thank you, Dr. Zhang. Lu Chuan is stable but refusing skin grafts and is still recovering.”

“The girl is very kind, showing my son saved the right person. Give her Lu Chuan’s contact. His WeChat and phone number are the same.”

They were both young. Maybe she could persuade him.

In the nearby ward, Lu Chuan woke from the pain. He opened his eyes with difficulty.

His hair was shaved off, and his face was covered with medical dressings from the left cheekbone to the forehead. His neck, shoulders, back, and chest were similarly bandaged.

All covered by his hospital gown.

He reached for his phone, seeing 99+ unread messages on Weibo.

In his writer’s dashboard, the last message about taking a break had 20,000+ comments from readers eagerly waiting for updates.

Lu Chuan paused, then exited the app.

He opened WeChat, where a new message popped up.

“Lu Chuan, you’re the only male heir of the Zhou family. I can forgive you for changing your surname, but you must change it back. But you should never have risked your body.”

“I heard you’re refusing skin grafts?”

“Unacceptable! You must recover! You’re handsome, and Mr. Zhang’s daughter likes you. She’s an only child, with millions in assets. You can’t miss this opportunity!”

“And my assets need a male heir. You want everyone to mock me?”

“I’m your biological father! Even if I divorced your mother!”

“You must have the surgery! Mr. Zhang’s daughter is devoted to you, waiting for your recovery. Don’t let her down, or me!”

“Come back to Ning Province as soon as you’re done.”

Lu Chuan chuckled, his bandaged face pulling painfully, reflecting his current plight.

He looked through his contacts and sent a message:

“Hello, Mr. Zhao from Harmony Real Estate? My mom wants to buy that house. I’ll handle the down payment, under her name.”

“Please come to Ren’ai Hospital to collect the deposit and take her to see it, saying I arranged it.”