kvmb Chapter 18 Goodbye by fate
Chapter 18 Goodbye by fate
The canteen was empty except for a dim oil lamp that illuminated the busy figure of the head chef.
Hearing footsteps at the door, a wide grin spread across his face, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and a soft voice called out, "You've come!"
If Qiao Manman hadn't been a staunch materialist, she would have screamed in terror at the sight.
But she wasn't afraid; with Motherland and the system protecting her, she was quite bold.
Qiao Manman smiled and came to the stove: "Uncle Hu, what are you busy with?"
The head chef frankly said, "I boiled some eggs for you, here, eat up!"
The chef took two eggs out of the pot, rinsed them in cold water, and placed them in front of Qiao Manman.
Qiao Manman didn't refuse, and she and the chef each had one. After finishing, she pulled out a handful of candies from her pocket: "Here, a return gift!"
The chef didn't stand on ceremony. He put the candy in his pocket, tapped Qiao Manman's nose from a distance, and then peeled and ate it.
They finished the egg in two or three bites, threw the eggshells into the stove, and the last batch of steamed buns was ready.
He lifted the lid to let the steam dissipate. He took the canvas bag from Qiao Manman and put all the cooled steamed buns into it.
He glanced at it, realizing it was too big to fit, and asked Qiao Manman, "Why don't you go out and deliver it first?"
Qiao Manman waved her hand with a smile: "No need, I still have a bag!"
As he spoke, he produced an identical canvas bag as if by magic.
The head chef took it and looked at it several times: "This bag of yours is quite unique!"
He liked the fabric very much, and the workmanship was exquisite. He wanted to get one for his wife to use at work.
Qiao Manman naturally sensed his meaning, and her scalp tingled. She changed the subject: "Uncle, what time do Aunt Li and the others usually go to work?"
"Soon, usually around five o'clock!" The head chef was a little disappointed, but not angry. After all, cloth coupons were hard to come by, especially for such good canvas.
He quickly packed the steamed buns for Qiao Manman and told her to come back if she needed anything else.
Qiao Manman waved goodbye and left, finding a secluded corner to store the hot steamed buns in her spatial storage. She left only twelve cooled buns in the bag.
He added two more cans of food with the packaging torn off, a pound of milk candy bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, and two packs of peach shortbread before carrying them back to the ward.
As dawn broke, Qiao Runming and He Nian had already woken up.
After resting for a day, He Nian looked much better. She took an enamel basin to the washroom to wash her face and also fetched water to wipe Qiao Runming's body.
When Qiao Manman returned, she noticed that the two of them looked noticeably different, so she smiled and offered them two large white steamed buns.
Around 6 o'clock, I went to the cafeteria and got a mug of oil tea.
The couple finally ate and drank their fill, licking their lips contentedly. They just felt that even a ton of peanuts wouldn't be enough to sustain them after eating and drinking like that.
Qiao Manman told the two not to worry: "Lu Yuan left me some money when he left, enough for us to last until we are discharged from the hospital."
Qiao Runming frowned, thinking to himself, "What's the use of having money? It's not my own anyway; I'll have to pay it back sooner or later."
Grandma Qiao wouldn't pay off their debts, and her other siblings showed no kindness whatsoever.
At 7:00 sharp, Li Minghua knocked on the door.
Qiao Manman welcomed the person in and introduced her to He Nian. After exchanging pleasantries, they locked the door. Li Minghua took out silver needles, sterilized them, and began to administer acupuncture to He Nian.
At first, He Nian was very nervous and afraid of pain.
But when the silver needles were actually inserted into my head, I found that it didn't hurt at all. There was only a slight soreness.
Li Minghua is skilled and adept at understanding patients' psychology. She chats with them about everyday things between acupuncture sessions to ease their anxiety.
He Nian fell asleep shortly after. Li Minghua gently removed the silver needles, disinfected them, and put them back into the needle bag.
He lowered his voice and said, "Comrade Qiao, I have to go now. We'll meet again someday!"
Qiao Runming wished he could get out of bed to see him off, but his legs were still hurting and he couldn't move at all.
He hurriedly said, "Manman, go and see Dr. Li off!"
Qiao Manman hummed in agreement and picked up the canvas bag.
Seeing that Li Minghua had gone to say goodbye to the dean, I waited by the corridor and, after Dr. Li finished his work, smiled and saw him off to the station.
"Comrade Xiao Qiao, you don't need to be so polite. I can go get a car myself!"
Qiao Manman smiled mischievously: "If I don't complete the task Lu Yuan gave me, he'll be angry!"
Upon hearing this, Li Minghua did not refuse again.
She walked one after the other with Qiao Manman, and asked with a smile, "How long have you two known each other? Is he usually particularly dense?"
Qiao Manman replied casually, "He's alright. Lu Yuan is very upright and empathetic."
Li Minghua glanced at her in surprise, then smiled, a sly smile on his face: "It's true, beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
Qiao Manman was puzzled but didn't press the matter. She saw Li Minghua to the station and waited with him for a while.
As the train rumbled into the station, Qiao Manman shoved the canvas bag into Li Minghua's hand, waved it off before he could react, and ran away.
The train stopped, and passengers crowded onto the train.
Li Minghua glanced at the contents of his bag, feeling somewhat anxious, but couldn't find Qiao Manman in the bustling crowd.
Afraid of missing his train, he could only carry the bag upstairs. After he sat down, Qiao Manman appeared again, waving from a short distance away.
Li Minghua smiled, genuinely.
"This girl of Lu's is quite interesting." It seems that the Lu family will be celebrating a happy occasion soon.
Qiao Manman had no idea what Li Minghua was thinking. After watching the train drive away, she left some money and tickets for Qiao Runming and He Nian at the hospital and then returned to the production brigade.
It takes two or three hours to get from the city to the county. It takes half an hour to get from the county to the commune, and half an hour to get from the commune to the production team.
In other words, it would take Qiao Manman half a day just to get there.
Normally, she definitely wouldn't want to go through all that trouble. But she remembered that Qiao Zhenzhen would be going to the county tomorrow to take a job recruitment exam.
Logically speaking, with Qiao Zhenzhen's terrible grades, she definitely wouldn't have passed the exam.
But who knew she'd get such incredible luck, she actually ended up in the machinery factory office.
She had a respectable job and was quick-witted, which made the Chen family, who were engaged to her but not entirely satisfied, agree to hold a wedding for the two of them.
Three months later, Chen Shicong was recognized for his meritorious service and qualified to have his family accompany him to the army. Qiao Zhenzhen then gave up her job to her brother-in-law and happily went north.
Grandma Qiao had been nagging about him for a long time.
This time, Qiao Manman also wants to take the exam, partly to vent her anger and cut off Qiao Zhenzhen's path to success.
Secondly, life in the countryside was too hard, and she had to find a way out for herself.
If Qiao Manman were to say what Qiao Runming did best, it would definitely be to let the original owner of this body go to school.
Back then, Qiao Runming was the first educated person from Qingshan Brigade to leave the village, so he naturally knew the importance of reading.
Despite the old lady's crying,闹事, and threats of suicide, Qiao Runming did not budge.
Holding a kitchen knife, he blocked the door of Old Qiao's house, threatening to chop anyone who disagreed with Qiao Manman's decision to go to school.
With sheer grit, he did manage to intimidate the Qiao family, forcing them to compromise.
Qiao Manman went to high school for many years, inheriting Qiao Runming's excellent genes, and successfully completed high school.
Afterwards, Qiao Manman asked, "Dad, you're so capable, why didn't you take back the job you gave to Uncle?"