"Mom, I've cooked rice, bought and cut all the ingredients ready."
At 5:40 in the afternoon, Lu Cheng walked out of the kitchen wearing Tian Hui's special kitchen apron, with a face full of regret: "I just couldn't learn how to cook as well as you do, afraid you and Dad might not have enough to eat."
"Didn't Dad come home with you?" Lu Cheng didn't see Lu Nanjia, feeling slightly puzzled.
"Your dad got a last-minute call for a moving job and went to help out with his coworkers; he won't be back until tonight."
"I'll take care of grocery shopping and cooking, just rest whenever you can." Tian Hui, her figure slightly changed with some crow's feet and spots still hinting at her youthful beauty, took off her straw hat while changing shoes.
Father Lu Nanjia is a delivery truck driver, responsible for delivering home appliances and goods for businesses, helping with moving jobs, earning hard-earned money. Mother Tian Hui buys some vegetables to sell at the market.
Lu Cheng took off the apron, full of smiles: "Mom, my knife skills are actually quite good, the potato shreds I cut are even, uniform, and translucent."
"I also bought some beef..."
Seeing Tian Hui reaching for the apron in his hand, Lu Cheng hung it one notch higher: "Dad will take a while to come back, Mom, you relax and stay cool, there's no rush for dinner."
"I'll get you some fruit." Lu Cheng pushed Tian Hui toward the sofa in the living room to rest.
Lu Cheng's argument seemed to make sense, Tian Hui didn't refuse and happily watched Lu Cheng walk towards the fridge: "It's nice that my son has grown up and learned to care for others."
"I know your knife skills have improved, it's just..." Tian Hui, feeling a bit heartbroken, didn't continue.
"The cantaloupe is freshly chilled, has a refreshing feel, not too cold."
"Mom, your stomach isn't well, always remember to eat breakfast on time, avoid too much cold food, and eat fruit that's cool to the touch, leave it in the fridge for around an hour."
"Don't eat overnight fruit, don't hurt your stomach over saving things." Lu Cheng nagged attentively.
"I know, I know." Tian Hui felt a pang hearing Lu Cheng say this: "Every morning when you go to work, you throw away some fruit, which was all bought with money."
Tian Hui is a quintessential rural woman who left school before graduating elementary, working too low-wage jobs in the county, can only make a little money selling vegetables, using great thrift to support the family.
"Money lost can be earned back, my mom's health can't."
Lu Cheng naturally forked a piece of cantaloupe into his mouth: "By the way, Mom, didn't Uncle Liu say he wanted to introduce me to a matchmaking candidate? I haven't heard any follow-up?"
Uncle Liu is father Lu Nanjia's coworker, both delivery drivers.
Lu Cheng is already thirty, unmarried at this age in the county is considered unacceptable. Fortunately, Lu Cheng's position at the County Hospital gives him some "protection," keeping him from being "removed" from the family tree.
But numerous matchmakings have been arranged for Lu Cheng.
"Did you attend each matchmaking arranged for you? Didn't like any of the ten-plus times?"
"Uncle Liu's niece is a good girl, with decent education and character; if you don't want to date, there's no need to arrange contact."
Tian Hui turned her body, with a serious expression: "Lu Cheng, honestly tell Mom, are you still in contact with Mu Nanshu? Is that why you haven't thought about finding a partner?"
Lu Cheng used another fork to feed Tian Hui cantaloupe, shaking his head: "After she went abroad, we stayed in touch for two years, then both got busy, plus the time difference, so didn't contact much."
"Mu Nanshu and I are just friends."
Mu Nanshu was Lu Cheng's classmate since fifth grade, through junior high and high school, when applying for university, she went to Fudan University for clinical medicine (five-year), both were "good kids" along the way.
After finishing the melon, Tian Hui sighed: "Lu Cheng, if you selected Fudan University's willingness to adjust, or didn't select Han City University's adjustment, it would have been better."
"With your scores, you could've picked a decent university."
Lu Cheng's college entrance exam score was exactly 666, ranking well in Xiang Province that year, but he chose Fudan University clinical medicine (eight-year), yet slid off course, Han City University clinical medicine (eight-year) was his third choice backup, but ended up mistakenly selecting willingness to adjust.
Back then, Mu Nanshu's entrance exam score was slightly lower than Lu Cheng.
Sometimes, choice and luck are more important than "ability."
Lu Cheng laughed in tone: "Mom, you can say this at home, but not outside. How come my undergraduate alma mater Han City University isn't a good university?"
Tian Hui's face tightened: "I don't mean Han City University isn't good, but your major wasn't well developed."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't need to go for a master's."
"Now your qualification hasn't moved up, even the State People's Hospital rejects you, and what's the name of your classmate, who just got into a second-rate university, then took a master's and got into talent recruitment..."
Lu Cheng replied: "His name is Peng Feng. Mom, Old Peng is also my friend, the past is the past, now is now. Don't talk like—second-rate, second-rate—about people."
"Their recruitment clearly stated master's degrees required, the State People's Hospital not wanting me is just natural, isn't it?"
"What's unexpected though is the complex interpersonal connections at Long County People's Hospital."
"Learning surgery, getting into operations have no opportunity."
"Mom, let Uncle Liu know, that I am seriously attending each matchmaking, now the dating market is too chaotic, too many strange ladies, I can't handle it."
"My requirements are very simple, first is filial piety, second is normal values."
Tian Hui originally wanted to say something else, but hearing Lu Cheng mention matchmaking made her chatty: "Then you can relax, Uncle Liu said this Xiao Xu is very obedient. She looks quite pretty too."
Lu Cheng replied with a smile: "I hope she's not the type to bring her boyfriend over to a date..."
Tian Hui paused for a moment, then sharply: "Brings boyfriend to a matchmaking? Who introduced that? This is too unreliable, just what kind of people are they introducing..."
"Mom, the matter's in the past, why pursue it?"
"Here, let me massage your shoulders, my technique, if in the hospital, it'd be chargeable; consider it free since you're my mom." Lu Cheng stood behind Tian Hui, started stretching and easing the muscle origins and insertions on her shoulders...
Once Lu Cheng was on it, Tian Hui instantly relaxed, leaned back into the sofa, and closed her eyes, her voice faint: "Son, do you want to pursue a master's degree now?"
"Your dad and I are not very capable, according to you, you'll have to wait ten years in the County Hospital before any chance to rise..."
"Now that I'm older, pursuing a master's isn't worthwhile."
"No worries, I'm in the ER now, Professor Chen of Xiangya Second Hospital's technique is impressive, willing to give me a chance, I feel I can make headway." Lu Cheng's tone was calm.
Tian Hui suddenly asked again: "Why didn't any teacher pick you to learn some technique during training?"
Lu Cheng chuckled: "Mom, you have to understand your son's status, back then I was just a resident junior doctor, equivalent to an elementary student."
"The surgeries at Han City University Zhongnan Hospital were like doing advanced math in high school."
"If they trusted me with some simple maths problems, that's kind, expecting me to write solutions?"
"You really think your son was that genius level?"
The road in medicine is long, with diverse diseases, requiring lifelong learning.
A good hospital certainly offers better learning opportunities, but the "starting requirements" are too high.
Even though Lu Cheng was part of the orthopedic training at Han City University Affiliated Zhongnan Hospital, the fractures treasured at Long County People's Hospital were regarded disdainfully by professors, they wouldn't take them, directly dismissed them.
Complex bone defects, complex pelvic fractures, the correction of limb deformities, not to mention Director Peng Haibo at the county hospital, what if a city-level hospital's orthopedic director tried it?
Attempted with silence...