"Xu Ai..."
Mentioning the name "Xu Ai," a familiar, demure face automatically appeared in Xu Gui's mind.
Because the director's surname was Xu, most of the children in their orphanage took her surname; Xu Gui was like that, and so was Xu Ai.
Xu Ai was five years older than Xu Gui. She was extremely steady, mature, and sensible. When she was still in the orphanage, she took great care of Xu Gui and the other younger children.
Later, she went to university and became independent, so she moved out of the orphanage. Even so, she would occasionally buy things and come back to visit everyone.
Thinking about these things, Xu Gui asked the dean, "How is Sister Xiao Ai doing now?"
The dean smiled and said, "She seems to be doing quite well, and she even has a boyfriend... She came here with her boyfriend this time, and he seems to have a very good personality. Xiao Ai said that the two of them have already discussed marriage."
Xu Gui was surprised and said, "Sister Xiao Ai is only twenty-seven, right? Getting married so early?"
The dean gave her a reproachful look and said, "Twenty-seven is not early at all. Do you think marriage is such a simple thing? There's the bride price, the dowry, and all sorts of things to prepare. By the time the wedding actually takes place, it might be a year or two later."
In a year or two, Xu Ai will be twenty-eight or twenty-nine, which is the perfect age to get married. After marriage, having children a couple of years later, at thirty-one or thirty-two, is also the most suitable age to have children.
"Xiao Ai is much more planned than you young girls," the dean said.
Xu Gui blinked, not quite understanding.
The dean looked at her and said with affection, "Alright, you should rest now. I'll tell Xueya and the others not to bother you..."
Xu Gui nodded. After the dean left, she took a shower in the bathroom, changed into her pajamas, and tucked herself into bed. Then she turned over, hugged the blanket to her side, and took a deep breath.
"Mmm, the smell of laundry detergent..." Xu Gui sniffed the scent on the blanket, "and the smell of sunshine."
She could imagine that on a sunny day, the dean and the others had taken the blankets out of the house and placed them in the sun to dry. After the blankets had been sun-dried, she could feel a warm, cozy smell when she slept at night, and the cotton inside seemed to have become lighter and fuller.
Xu Gui took a breath, buried her face in the blanket, listened to the sound of the air conditioner, and quickly fell asleep.
She slept soundly. The children in the courtyard, having been instructed by the director, didn't disturb her, even though they wanted to play with her. They only rushed over when she got up and came out, surrounding her and chattering excitedly. Xu
Gui answered their questions casually, trying to attend to each one.
"…Sister Little Turtle, the seashells you gave us, Aunt Tuanzi and I made them into wind chimes! Look!" The children pulled Xu Gui to the cafeteria entrance, where a string of seashell wind chimes hung above the doorway, tinkling in the wind.
"You made these?"
"Yes, yes!"
Looking at the children's bright eyes, Xu Gui gave them a thumbs up and praised, "Wow, these wind chimes are so well made! How are you so amazing? How can children be so skillful?"
The children's lips curled into smiles as she praised them, and they strutted around, looking very proud.
"Alright, come and eat..." the cafeteria lady called out, tapping a basin like a bell.
Hearing "Time to eat," the children rushed in, shouting, "Oh, time to eat!"
While eating, Xu Gui asked the hospital director about Dongzhi's post-surgery progress—Dongzhi's heart surgery had already been scheduled for the day after her trip to H Province.
Xu Gui had originally planned to come back to be with her, having already discussed it with Kuang Ming, but the director refused when she mentioned it.
The director said her work was paramount, and the surgeon who operated on Dongzhi had said the surgery wasn't too dangerous, given her young age; the younger she was, the lower the risk, and now was the most suitable time. Later
, Xu Gui encountered the events at Jinding Mountain. By then, Dongzhi's surgery was already complete, without incident, so there was no need for her to rush back.
She had previously discussed Dongzhi's post-surgery progress with the director on the phone, but now, remembering it, Xu Gui asked again.
"It's going well, the doctor said the healing is progressing very well..." the hospital director said. "She'll probably be observed in the hospital for another month, and once it's confirmed there are no problems, she can be discharged."
Xu Gui nodded and said, "Then I'll go see her tomorrow."
The director smiled, "You're Dongzhi's favorite older sister. If you go to visit her, she'll definitely be very happy... You don't know, back when you were filming the show and doing live streams, she watched your live streams every day in the hospital, and she would tell the doctors
and nurses that you were her older sister." Listening to the director's words, Xu Gui gradually pictured Dongzhi proudly telling the doctors and nurses that she was his older sister, and he couldn't help but smile. His desire to visit Dongzhi in the hospital became even clearer.
The next day, after breakfast, Xu Gui went with the director to the hospital where Dongzhi had her surgery.
At this time, Dongzhi had already woken up. When she saw Xu Gui, her eyes lit up, and she called out, "Little Turtle Sister..." Her voice was sweet, as if it were overflowing with honey.
Xu Gui walked over and asked her, "Dongzhi, how are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"
Compared to before, Dongzhi looked a little thinner. She used to have a bit of baby fat on her face, but that was gone now. However, she looked quite well, and her face was full of joy as she looked at Xu Gui.
"Dongzhi feels great!" she said with a smile, tilting her head back with a sweet smile. She pointed to her chest and said, "Before, Dongzhi felt heavy here, but now it feels light."
Xu Gui nodded and handed her a conch shell she had brought from H Province: "Put this conch shell to your ear, and you can hear the sound of the waves."
Dongzhi looked very curious. She took the conch shell from Xu Gui and held it to her ear. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up, as if she had heard something, and she looked at Xu Gui with surprise.
"Little Turtle Sister..." she called out to Xu Gui in delight.
Xu Gui smiled and said, "Haven't you always been curious about what the sea looks like? Once you're better, you can go to the beach yourself and see if it's as blue as it is on TV, if the sound of the waves is as pleasant as it is on TV, and if the sea is as vast as it seems..."
Xu Gui remembered that Dongzhi had asked these questions when she saw the sea on TV as a child.
Dongzhi nodded vigorously after hearing her words, filled with anticipation for the sea she had never seen in person. Xu Gui watched as she repeatedly held the conch shell to her ear, picking it up and putting it down carefully.
A little while later, a nurse from the hospital came to check on Dongzhi. Dongzhi pulled Xu Gui aside and said, "Nurse, look! This is my little turtle sister... My little turtle sister is amazing! She can tell fortunes!"
Hearing her words, the nurse looked up at Xu Gui with curiosity. She had heard a lot about Xu Gui, after all, during Dongzhi's hospitalization, they'd practically heard her call her "Little Turtle Sister" countless times.
Of course, it was also thanks to Dongzhi that they knew Xu Gui was a celebrity, having participated in the show "360 Trades." Xu Gui was unaware that she had several fans in the hospital.
Now, looking at the curious nurse, she smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Xu Gui… Dongzhi has really been very fortunate to have been taken care of by you all these past few days. She said you were all so kind to her, we're so grateful!"
Hearing this, the nurse was flattered and said, "Ms. Xu, you're too kind. Dongzhi is a patient in our hospital, taking care of her is our duty. Besides, Dongzhi is a good girl, everyone in our nurses' station likes her very much."
Dongzhi was not only cute with a sweet smile, but she also knew how to sweet-talk people.
Despite her young age, she's a crafty pro. The hospital director, worried she'd be bored, bought her a huge stack of different colored papers. She folded them into various flowers and gave them to the doctors and nurses who cared for her, instantly winning their hearts.
Hearing about Dongzhi's "feat," Xu Gui couldn't help but glance at the child—although she'd heard the director say the hospital's doctors and nurses liked Dongzhi, she never imagined their affection came from this.
Xu Gui: Dongzhi, what an amazing child! She'll be incredible when she grows up.
The nurse gave Dongzhi her routine check-up. Dongzhi was very well-behaved throughout, even when pricked with a needle, remaining perfectly still without crying or fuss. After the check-up, the nurse habitually took a piece of candy from her pocket and gave it to her, praising, "Our Dongzhi was great today too!" Dongzhi
: "Nurse, you're beautiful today too, radiant!"
Nurse: "Haha, Dongzhi, your mouth is still so sweet."
Xu Gui, watching the nurse's sweet talk, was speechless: "..." Dongzhi, terrifying indeed.
After the nurse finished her examination, she left. At the nurses' station, she grabbed a nurse and exclaimed, "Xiaowei, guess who I saw in Dongzhi's ward? Xu Gui!! Don't you really like her?"
The nurse called Xiaowei was speechless. "Really?"
The nurse nodded. "Really! I saw her with my own eyes while I was examining Dongzhi. She must have come to visit Dongzhi… Wow, you wouldn't believe how beautiful she is up close! A star is a star!"
Xiaowei was excited and nervous. She circled the narrow nurses' station and asked her colleague, "Sister Hao, do you think it would be bothering her if I asked for her autograph?"
Sister Hao said, "I think she has a good personality, and aren't you a fan? She definitely won't feel bothered…"
Xiaowei hesitated, "But I'm a little embarrassed."
She hesitated until lunchtime, when Xu Gui was about to leave. At this point, Xiaowei couldn't resist anymore. Afraid of missing this opportunity, she rushed to Xu Gui without thinking.
"Hello, Little Turtle..." she stammered, her face turning bright red as she spoke. Forcing herself to speak, she said, "I'm your fan, can you sign my autograph?"
She held up her notebook, looking at Xu Gui with pleading eyes.
Xu Gui opened her mouth, pointing to herself and asking, "Me, my fan?"
Xiao Wei nodded vigorously.
Xu Gui exclaimed, "Wow! You're the first fan I've ever met who wants my autograph..."
She took the notebook from Xiao Wei, carefully wrote her name in it, and returned it, smiling, "Thank you for liking me! I'm so surprised!"
Xiao Wei was delighted to receive the autograph. Xu Gui's attitude was so kind that it made her feel a little more shameless. She whispered another request: "Can we take a picture together?"
Xu Gui readily agreed, of course. After all, this was the first fan to ask for both an autograph and a photo.
Even if the other person asked her to kiss him now, Xu Gui felt she would be willing... Luckily, she didn't say anything, otherwise Xiao Wei would definitely go from being socially anxious to being socially terrifying.
After finishing the photo, Xiao Wei looked at the picture on her phone with satisfaction, and couldn't help but sigh: My little turtle is so cute, Mom really loves it! — That's right, Xiao Wei is a mom fan of Xu Gui.
After looking at the photo, Xiao Wei looked up and saw Xu Gui looking at her thoughtfully.
Xiao Wei: "...What's wrong?"
Xu Gui said: "Tonight, if you encounter a situation where you need to go into the operating room to help with emergency care, take good protective measures... otherwise it will be very dangerous."
Xiao Wei was a little confused, and she humbly asked: "What kind of danger?"
As a fan of Xu Gui, she knew that Xu Gui was very good at fortune telling. If Xu Gui said that she would be in danger tonight, then it must be very dangerous. Since that's the case, she naturally had to ask carefully.
Xu Gui looked at her dark eyes and said: "Because the patient you need to treat tonight is an AIDS patient..."
Hearing this, Xiao Wei couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Xu Gui patted her head and said, "So, be careful. I hope you'll be alright when I come to the hospital next time."
After saying that, Xu Gui left, leaving Xiao Wei standing there in a daze. She felt a chill creep up from the soles of her feet, making her shiver involuntarily.
"…Xiaowei, what are you doing standing here?" Sister Hao patted her shoulder, looking at her suspiciously. "And you look so pale."
Sister Hao then glanced towards the elevator and asked, "Did Miss Xu go back? Did she say something to you?"
Xiaowei snapped out of her daze and grabbed Sister Hao's hand, saying nervously, "Sister Hao, what should we do? Xiao Gui just said we'll be receiving an HIV patient tonight…"
Sister Hao was startled and instinctively asked, "What did you say?"
Xiaowei said, "Xiao Gui said if we don't take precautions, we'll get infected! What should we do, Sister Hao…"
As a nurse with four years of experience, Xiaowei had never encountered an HIV patient before, so she was momentarily flustered and helpless, only able to stare wide-eyed at Sister Hao.
Sister Hao frowned upon hearing her words. Seeing Xiaowei's worried and nervous expression, she patted Xiaowei's hand reassuringly and said, "Don't worry, since Xu Gui said that, we'll take proper precautions, and there won't be any problems!"
Xiaowei nodded.
Because of this, she was somewhat distracted all afternoon. It wasn't until nearly midnight, when she was preparing to leave work, that the hospital suddenly received a critically ill patient, hanging by a thread, requiring immediate surgery.
Therefore, Xiaowei and several other nurses were urgently summoned to the emergency room.
Since it was almost time to leave work, and she had been incredibly busy all afternoon, Xiaowei had almost completely forgotten Xu Gui's "prediction" from noon. However, as she changed her surgical gown and prepared to enter the operating room, she suddenly remembered Xu Gui's words.
Xiaowei paused.
"Sister Hao..." she called out, looking at the other woman's eyes above her mask, and asked, "Do you remember the prediction Xiao Gui made at noon?"
Sister Hao: !!
It has to be said that Sister Hao had also forgotten about Xu Gui's prophecy.
It wasn't that they didn't believe in or value Xu Gui's prophecy; it's just that the hospital was so busy that they didn't have time to think about anything else. Their minds were constantly racing . If Xiao Wei hadn't brought it up now, Sister Hao probably wouldn't have remembered it until tomorrow.
"Wait for me!" Sister Hao said solemnly to Xiao Wei. She took off her clothes and turned to walk outside the emergency room.
Outside the emergency room, the patient's family was anxiously waiting for the surgery to begin. Apparently, the other party was the patient's sister.
Sister Hao asked the patient's sister, in a tactful way, whether the patient had any infectious diseases.
"...What do you mean by that?" The patient's older sister realized the implication in her words and became somewhat agitated, demanding in a shrill voice, "Are you suspecting my brother has some shameful disease?"
Sister Hao replied, "Miss, please calm down. That's not what I meant. I'm just considering the safety of the surgery..."
The patient's older sister shouted, "What safety of the surgery? This is clearly discrimination! What, if a patient brought in had an infectious disease, you wouldn't treat them?"
Sister Hao took a deep breath and said, "You really misunderstand. I'm asking these questions out of concern for the patient, so... I hope you can answer my questions honestly, because your answer not only concerns the patient's safety but also the safety of all of us doctors and nurses!"
Sister Hao's tone was very serious, and her expression was earnest.
"I don't have time to argue with you. You need to understand that if you intentionally conceal this matter, you will also bear legal responsibility if anything happens… And every minute we delay now is delaying your brother's life!" she said. "So, please answer my questions honestly!"
Seeing this, the patient's sister's eyes flickered. She looked away and said, "Then I'll tell you, no, my brother is perfectly healthy. He doesn't have any infectious diseases! Can you rest assured now?"
She glared at Sister Hao and said, "People outside say you're some kind of angels in white who save lives, I spit on you! My brother is currently waiting in the emergency room…" "You're in a rush to save him, yet you come to ask me these questions. You're treating human life like dirt!"
Hearing this, Sister Hao wasn't angry. She simply nodded slightly, exhaled, and said, "Okay, I understand the situation. Thank you for informing me... I hope what you said is true."
Hearing this, the older sister blinked rapidly, looking away somewhat guiltily, and said, "Anyway, my brother is in your hospital, so you have to be responsible for his life... If anything happens to him, it's all your doctors' fault." Sister
Hao glanced at the other woman, turned around, and quickly returned to the emergency room. Once back, she took out a new sterile gown and put it on.
The atmosphere in the emergency room was heavy. The patient lay on the bed, and the nurses were checking his vital signs. Everything was ready, waiting for the surgery to begin.
Xiaowei was anxiously waiting for Sister Hao. Seeing her return, her eyes lit up, and she quickly asked in a low voice, "Sister Hao, how did it go? What did the patient's family say?"
Sister Hao frowned and said, "The patient's sister said the patient doesn't have any infectious diseases."
"Huh?" Xiaowei was bewildered, her eyes widening. "But, but Xiaogui said… could Xiaogui have miscalculated? But Xiaogui is a fortune teller, that can't be right!"
Sister Hao said calmly, "Calm down. I think Xu Gui didn't miscalculate."
Xiaowei frowned, "But the patient's sister… could the patient's sister be lying?"
Sister Hao nodded, "That's my guess. This kind of situation has happened before…"
Saying this, she said to Xiaowei, "Wait here for a moment. I'll go tell Dr. Luo about this and tell everyone to be careful." — Dr. Luo was the surgeon in charge of this operation.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, at least she had to tell others. After all, as people on the same operating table, if it was true, everyone was in danger.
At the very least, everyone needed to take proper precautions.
Sister Hao walked over and told Dr. Luo, who was preparing for surgery, about it. Dr. Luo looked at her in surprise and asked, "Are you sure?"
Sister Hao whispered, "I asked the patient's family. Although she denied it,... I tend to think it's true."
The patient's sister had denied it loudly, but sometimes, the more guilty a person is, the louder they speak, as if that can bury their guilt.
In Sister Hao's view, that was exactly the case; the patient's sister didn't even dare to look her in the eye.
Hearing this, Dr. Luo frowned, his expression becoming extremely serious.
It's important to know that one of the main routes of HIV transmission is through blood, and during surgery, doctors and nurses inevitably come into contact with the patient's blood. If the patient about to undergo surgery really had the disease, then they, the doctors and nurses, would be constantly at risk of infection.
Dr. Luo took a breath and asked Sister Hao, "Are you sure about this?"
Sister Hao shook her head and said, "I can't be completely sure."
Dr. Luo thought for a moment, and ultimately decided to tell everyone in the emergency room about it.
"...If any of you want to back out now and not participate in this surgery, I can understand!" Dr. Luo looked at everyone present. "So, is there anyone who wants to withdraw from this surgery?"
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, but no one stepped forward to say they wanted to withdraw.
In the silence, Sister Hao smiled and said, "Dr. Luo, I don't like hearing you say that. You're not a coward, and neither are we. Besides, in this situation, if we withdraw, what will happen to the patient? He's waiting for emergency treatment."
Hearing Sister Hao's words, the others echoed, "Yes! Sister Hao is right..."
"Besides, as long as we take proper precautions, it's not a big deal!"
"Exactly... Dr. Luo, don't worry, we won't back down."
Everyone spoke up—whether out of professional ethics or a sense of responsibility, they couldn't just abandon the situation. Even if the patient might have HIV, they couldn't leave him on the emergency bed unattended.
The only thing they could do now was protect themselves and take proper precautions.
"Good, you've all done a great job!" Looking at everyone's determined eyes, Dr. Luo couldn't help but take a deep breath, his gaze hardening. He said, "In that case, let's prepare for the surgery!"