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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Thirty-Two: Inscription by Director Chen
In early April, the streets were still quite cold. There were few pedestrians on the main road, and two rows of streetlights cast a warm yellow glow extending into the distance. The road was also quiet, with only an occasional car slowly passing by. Fortunately, this barbecue restaurant was quite famous in Beilan County, so there were no shortage of taxis pulling over to attract customers.
Zhang Qiu waved down a taxi, opened the door for Wang Jinghan to get in first before he entered himself. The taxi driver was an older man who turned to Zhang Qiu and asked enthusiastically, "Where to, young man?"
"To the county hospital," Zhang Qiu replied.
"Got it," the driver said as he stepped on the gas. Once on the main road, he continued, "Going to the hospital this late? Are you visiting a patient?"
"I'm going back to work; I work at the county hospital," Wang Jinghan said.
"I'm just dropping her off," Zhang Qiu added with a smile.
"Oh!" The driver chuckled and said to Wang Jinghan, "Your boyfriend treats you well, personally taking you to work."
"He—uh, he's not my boyfriend," Wang Jinghan replied.
The driver awkwardly laughed but thought to himself, I've seen so many people; how can I not see through you two? Nowadays, couples aren't shy about hugging and kissing in public. Yet when asked about their relationship, they become vague.
Beilan County Town isn't large. After the county hospital relocated to its new site, it wasn't far from Bill's Barbecue. In no time, they could already see the unique outline of the county hospital.
The county hospital was part of an urban renovation project. The newly built county hospital covers an area of 10 acres and consists of a 17-story main ward building and a 4-story outpatient building, with a total of 800 available beds. Additionally, there is a 5-story infectious disease building and a logistics and administrative office building. On one side of the main building is inscribed "Beilan County Emergency Command Center" in large calligraphy written by then-County Chief of Beilan Chen Guobin, glowing bright red and standing out even more in the darkness.
The scale of the county hospital is considerable, and its level of attention is high. Since its completion, Beilan County Hospital has become the most famous hospital in Beilan County, overshadowing the previously largest private hospital in the area. The old site of the former county hospital was demolished but did not see any high-rise buildings constructed; instead, it fell into disrepair. The surrounding bungalows saw a sudden spike in rental prices and became known as a Red Light District.
The taxi stopped beside the entrance of the county hospital. Just as Zhang Qiu was about to take out the money from his pocket—the leftover hundred yuan from noon—Wang Jinghan quickly paid the fare, smiling and saying, "I'll pay for the ride back, just get out." She opened the door from one side, and Zhang Qiu smiled as he got out from the other side.
The two stood at the entrance of the county hospital. Wang Jinghan, who had just stepped out of the warm taxi, clearly struggled to adapt to the cold temperature. The chilly wind blew, causing her to shiver. Zhang Qiu noticed this and took off his outer coat, draping it over Wang Jinghan's shoulders.
Wang Jinghan hurriedly took it off and handed it back to Zhang Qiu, saying anxiously, "You should wear it; it's too cold, or you'll catch a cold. I'll get used to this temperature soon."
"Then give it back to me once you adapt," Zhang Qiu insisted, placing the coat back on her shoulders. This time, Wang Jinghan did not refuse but silently sighed in her heart.
Standing in front of something taller than oneself often leads to a habitual upward glance. Even if one already knows what it looks like, they will instinctively do so. At that moment, Zhang Qiu looked up at the building and suddenly said, "Isn't the writing on your hospital sign wrong?"
Wang Jinghan looked at Zhang Qiu in surprise. "No way! That's Director Chen's calligraphy."
Zhang Qiu pointed at the words "Emergency Command Center" and slowly said, "The character for 'command' has 'car' written as 'fight.' Even if it's in traditional characters, it should be 'car.'"
Wang Jinghan focused on the glowing red character for 'command' and was astonished to find that Zhang Qiu was indeed correct. Having come here multiple times without noticing this detail was quite amusing. She couldn't help but look at Zhang Qiu and say, "You really observe things closely; it does look like what you said."
Zhang Qiu smiled at the compliment. The two walked toward the parking lot. Unlike other places, even at night, the hospital parking lot was almost full. Zhang Qiu's electric vehicle was parked conveniently outside. However, Wang Jinghan's was in a worse situation, blocked by several improperly parked bicycles.
Zhang Qiu approached and maneuvered through the narrow space until he finally cleared a path to get Wang Jinghan's electric vehicle out. "Give me the keys," he said.
Wang Jinghan tossed him the keys she had been holding tightly in her hand. Zhang Qiu caught them and squatted down to unlock the vehicle. After some effort, he managed to pull it out. Seeing the beads of sweat forming on Zhang Qiu's forehead, Wang Jinghan gratefully said, "Thank you."
Zhang Qiu smiled and replied, "Let's go; I'll take you home."
"Wang Jinghan" refused, saying, "No need, you should go back quickly. If you return late, your family will worry about you."
"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry. My family thinks I'm still at school today; I have to wait until school is over to go back."
"Wang Jinghan" chuckled and said, "Look at the time now."
"Zhang Qiu" took out his phone and pressed it, but there was no response. He shrugged his hands, indicating to "Wang Jinghan" that his phone was dead.
"Wang Jinghan" handed her phone to "Zhang Qiu," and the time displayed was already nine forty. The winter dismissal time for "Beiluan No. 1 High School" was nine thirty-five. "Wang Jinghan" firmly pushed "Zhang Qiu" away, saying, "It's fine; I walk this road every night, I'm very familiar with it. It's time for school to be over; you should go back."
"Zhang Qiu" wanted to insist, but "Wang Jinghan" said, "You can't send me every day." Her words silenced "Zhang Qiu," who seemed to sense that he was feeling down. She comforted him, saying, "Don't worry; I'll call you when I get home, okay?"
"Zhang Qiu" forced a smile and replied, "Alright then, take care on the way." The two of them rode their electric vehicles to the intersection—one continued west while the other turned north, each heading in different directions.
On the road, students wearing uniforms from "Beiluan No. 1 High School" and "Second High School" gathered in groups laughing together. At the intersection, vendors selling food waited for high school students to finish school, completing their last business of the day.
This would be the last hustle and bustle on the cold night road. Once the students and vendors returned home, apart from the occasional roar of racing cars' engines, the streets would fall silent again. It wouldn't be until dawn that the noise would resume as students headed back to school.
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