Zhang Heping seemed completely oblivious to his thin and frail figure. He simply dried his slightly long hair with a towel, leaned over the table, and said, "It smells so good. Qiao An's cooking is really good."
Bi Qiaoan felt a lump in her throat. "If you like, you can come over for a meal anytime. We don't need your chopsticks."
"Haha, that's great! I'll be living in your house from now on!" Zhang Heping said with a grin as he sat down.
Shen Yanming didn't say much, but simply scooped a full bowl of rice and placed it in front of him, "Eat first, there are still dishes to be prepared!"
"There's more?" Zhang Heping exclaimed in surprise.
Looking at the tomato and egg dish, shiitake mushrooms and bok choy, garlic-flavored romaine lettuce, and stir-fried broccoli in front of him, he felt it was already quite a feast, and this was the best meal he had had in months.
Zhang Heping dared to say that even the director of his hospital didn't have this standard of living, but unexpectedly, there were still dishes that hadn't been served at the Shen family's house.
Zhang Heping put down his chopsticks. "Then I'll wait until all the dishes are ready before I eat."
"Aren't you hungry?" Shen Yanming asked, somewhat surprised, because he could vaguely hear Zhang Heping's stomach rumbling.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Heping insisted, "Well, Qiao An hasn't sat down at the table yet. She's worked so hard, we have to wait for her."
However, Zhang Heping didn't have to wait long before Bi Qiaoan came out with freshly fried eggplant fritters.
"There's also braised fish and stewed pork ribs, they'll be ready in about ten minutes."
Zhang Heping nodded, "Thank you for your hard work!"
Bi Qiaoan smiled and said, "It's okay, eat first if you're hungry."
When Bi Qiaoan returned to the kitchen, Zhang Heping noticed Shen Yanming's skin tone.
Oh my god, what's wrong with this person? The area above their neck is two different colors, the one below their neck?
Shen Yanming felt a little uncomfortable under Zhang Heping's gaze, so he asked, "What are you looking at? Is there a problem?"
Zhang Heping pointed at Shen Yanming's arm, then at his face, and said with a smile, "What's going on? A black and white pairing? It wasn't like this before!"
Because they had been working in the fields recently, neither he nor Qiao An dared to wear thick veils, and their faces inevitably got tanned.
Feeling a little embarrassed by Zhang Heping's stare, Shen Yanming said, "Qiao An spent her free time tinkering with cosmetics at home and came up with a whitening cream. Then she forced me to do the experiment for her, and the results were quite good."
Actually, it was because he added a few drops of spiritual spring water to his bath, but could he say that? Obviously not.
However, Zhang Heping's question gave the opportunity to bring Bi Qiaoan's whitening creams into the open.
Zhang Heping nodded, suppressing a laugh. "It's not bad, but you've covered your whole body in white paint, why don't you take care of your face too?"
Shen Yanming sighed, "Don't you see how many people are as fair-skinned as me these days? At least I can cover up my skin with a long-sleeved shirt, but what about my face? If I go out, won't people gossip about me?"
"That's true. Even our dean, who sits in his office all day, isn't as fair-skinned as you."
"Um, please wait a moment."
Shen Yanming got up and went to the bedroom. After closing the door, he went to his spatial storage and took out the box of whitening cream that Bi Qiaoan had made.
She came out and handed it to Zhang Heping, saying, "Although Qiao An has experimented on me, you should still take it back and have it tested to see if there are any harmful ingredients."
Zhang Heping opened the box and smelled it. It had a pleasant fragrance and seemed to be made from pure plant extracts. "You're not even sure if there's anything wrong with it, yet you let her put it on you?"
Shen Yanming touched his nose. "Anyway, they're all kinds of flowers, grasses, and medicinal herbs. I figured they're not poisonous, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
Zhang Heping was speechless. "Fine, you've got guts!"
Just then, Bi Qiaoan came out carrying a braised fish. "What are you talking about?"
"Speaking of your whitening cream, the effect is remarkable!" Zhang Heping smiled and gave Bi Qiaoan a thumbs up.
Bi Qiaoan smiled smugly, "That's right, let me tell you, I used a lot of medicinal herbs to make this small box."
When Shen Yanming saw Bi Qiaoan put down the plate and walk towards the kitchen, he grabbed her, pressed her down to a seat, and got up to go to the kitchen to get some pork rib soup.
When the pork rib soup was served, Zhang Heping excitedly said, "Finally, everything's served! Let's eat!"
Then I picked up a piece of braised fish with my chopsticks.
The three of them didn't adhere to the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping. They ate and chatted, and eventually the conversation turned to Zhang Heping's situation.
"The hospital isn't busy anymore, so you're on vacation?"
"It's alright. Since all the HZ virus patients have recovered, the number of hospitalized patients has decreased significantly. The hospital director thought that we hadn't been home for several months, so he gave us a few days off to take turns resting."
"What about Old Master Lin?"
"He recovered earlier than others, but the old man doesn't want to go home and stays in the hospital every day."
"Why? Wouldn't it be better to go home? How can you recuperate in the hospital?" Bi Qiaoan asked.
"The old man said he wanted to stay in the hospital and contribute his expertise. Since he had already had the HZ virus, it was impossible for him to get a second infection, so he was more suitable to stay than the others."
But actually, I suspect the old man is somewhat self-conscious about his appearance.
Zhang Heping sighed, "When the old man was almost fully recovered, Uncle Lin took his little girl to see him. She was only seven or eight years old, and she was so frightened by her grandfather that she cried."
I suspect that's why the old man doesn't want to go home.
"Is the disfigurement severe?"
"Of course, it only looks better now than when the body was ulcerated. Think about it, the skin on the whole body and face is uneven, like it has been scalded with boiling water."
Bi Qiaoan gasped upon hearing this.
Is this considered good? How terrifying must it be when things get bad?
Bi Qiaoan couldn't help but feel grateful that Shen Yanming had covered her eyes when he took her to the hospital; otherwise, she might have really had nightmares.
"There are still a lot of mosquitoes now, and everyone is covered up so that their faces can't be seen when they go out. But what will they do when the mosquitoes are gone?"
I heard in the courtyard that a new type of insecticide has been developed, and I believe that it won't be long before everyone will be able to take off their headscarves and veils.
I wonder if these people who have barely survived can handle the strange looks they receive.
Bi Qiaoan sighed, "Hopefully the research institute can develop a scar removal cream soon, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, not only would others not be able to stand it, but they themselves wouldn't be able to stand it either. Before I went on vacation, there was a patient in the hospital whose girlfriend broke up with him because of his ugly appearance. The young man couldn't think straight and jumped off a building."
Fortunately, the floor wasn't too high, so I survived, but the days ahead are going to be tough!
Seeing that Zhang Heping and Bi Qiaoan had no appetite, Shen Yanming said, "It's alright, we have a prescription for removing scars."
"Huh?" Zhang Heping and Bi Qiaoan were both stunned for a moment, then looked intently at Shen Yanming.
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