Little Meteor Chapter 25
byChapter 25 Green Tea is Suitable for a Cold
Shen Mu had composed himself completely by the time he returned to the ward with the thermos. He placed the thermos back on the bedside table and was about to organize the clothes he had brought when his mother suddenly grabbed his wrist.
“Xiao Mu,” his mother leaned closer, her voice very low, “Did you smoke?”
“No,” Shen Mu avoided her gaze, “Someone else was smoking, and the smell clung to me.”
“Come out with me, son.”
His mother pulled Shen Mu by the wrist and walked out. Shen Mu’s father was chatting with the elderly man in the next bed and looked surprised: “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, I just need to talk to Xiao Mu for a moment.”
His mother led him to the hospital corridor, released his hand, and looked up at her son, who was a head taller than her: “Xiao Mu, tell Mom, is it because of what they were saying just now? About getting married and having children? Are you starting to feel distressed again?”
“No,” Shen Mu smiled, “I really am not.”
Seeing him like this made his mother even more anxious: “Xiao Mu, listen to me. Your father and the old man next door were just making casual conversation. We aren’t trying to pressure you. Asking him to introduce you to someone was just a passing comment. Don’t feel stressed, and don’t overthink it.”
When Shen Mu had anxiety disorder, his physical reactions were very severe. His mother was likely recalling that time, afraid that his anxiety disorder would relapse. Only after Shen Mu repeatedly assured her that he was fine did his mother reluctantly relax.
Shen Mu asked his mother to go back in first while he stood outside for a while longer.
“Aren’t you going to get some sleep, Doctor Jiang?”
After performing two consecutive emergency surgeries with the Director—one for intracranial hematoma removal and one for emergency decompression of an intraspinal tumor—standing for nearly ten hours, Doctor Wang had napped at his desk. He woke up to pour water and saw Jiang Chengxuan still sitting and looking at his phone, which he truly admired.
Jiang Chengxuan hadn’t closed his eyes since yesterday. He turned off the screen and set his phone aside: “I’m overtired, so I can’t fall asleep.”
Doctor Wang yawned hugely, rubbed his eyes, and slumped back into his chair: “You really can endure. I feel like my brain is turning into mush right now.”
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t respond. Doctor Wang continued chatting about everyday life: “Our profession really keeps us busy; we can’t spare time for anything at home. My wife was complaining the other day, saying I didn’t even have time to go back and see our child when they had a fever. What can I do? There’s a person lying on the operating table. Sometimes I feel really bad about my family. My parents are getting old, and my child is still young. It all relies on my spouse to hold things together.”
Jiang Chengxuan smiled: “Is that so?”
“It is. You don’t know because you haven’t started a family, but once you do, you’ll understand deeply. It’s genuinely hard to balance work and family…”
Doctor Wang was still rambling when Jiang Chengxuan stood up and said he was going to wash his face to wake up.
Jiang Chengxuan turned on the faucet, and the icy water splashed onto his face, stinging him into alertness. Doctor Wang’s words about family and guilt were still swirling in his mind.
Shen Mu’s family must be relying entirely on him right now. He put himself in Shen Mu’s shoes. Shen Mu was the backbone of that family. His parents were getting older, and if they fell ill or if there was any family upheaval, there was no one else in the family who could help, not to mention a brother with mental health issues. All the pressure, anxiety, and exhaustion could only be processed by him alone, without even a temporary helping hand.
He had initially been a little upset with Shen Mu, upset that he had pushed him away so stiffly on the phone, using that prickly tone to say things like “self-righteous.” It was as if all their previous intimacy and reliance were fake, and he could easily draw a line when trouble arose. But now, all he felt was heartache.
That evening, he called Shen Mu again when he got home, but there was no answer. Since Shen Mu wasn’t there, he didn’t bother cooking and just made do with some noodles. He had never felt his apartment was so quiet before. Usually, at this time, Shen Mu would turn on the TV to watch the news for writing inspiration, but then he would exit and search for the latest variety shows. He would then realize there was no membership and say, “Jiang Chengxuan, you are so old-fashioned.” Jiang Chengxuan would pick up his phone and scan the code: “I’ll get you one.”
Shen Mu would press down on his hand, saying he knew a cheaper way to get a membership, but then he would enter the wrong number. Shen Mu would slump on the sofa, looking heartbroken as if he had lost a hundred million dollars. Jiang Chengxuan would look at him, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly, and soothe him: “It’s fine. I already got you one. I’ll reimburse you.”
Jiang Chengxuan lay on the sofa for a while before taking a shower. He hadn’t slept for nearly two days, but he couldn’t fall asleep in bed. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, then got up and went to the second bedroom. He finally drifted off slowly after lying down on the side where Shen Mu usually slept.
It wasn’t a deep sleep. He woke up in the middle of the night feeling cold all over. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was drenched in sweat. He sat up, flicked on the light, and spaced out for a while. He got out of bed and found a thermometer to check his temperature.
He had a slight fever, 38.5 degrees Celsius. He hadn’t been sick in a long time. He sighed, found some fever medicine, and took it. The medicine hadn’t kicked in yet, and his head hurt badly. Unable to sleep, he picked up his phone to check messages and scrolled through some short videos, but still found it meaningless.
There were a few of Shen Mu’s books on the bedside table, mostly novels or essay collections. There were sticky notes and dog-eared pages marking spots where Shen Mu found something interesting or inspiring.
Jiang Chengxuan picked up a book to read. Every profession has its specialties, and he genuinely didn’t understand these things much. In college, he often dampened Shen Mu’s enthusiasm, and he had low emotional intelligence. Later, Shen Mu stopped sharing anything with him.
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t know when he fell asleep. When he woke up, the book had fallen to the floor. He picked it up, dusted it off, and put it back in its place. He had an outpatient clinic today and was nearly late for rounds. By noon, his throat was so sore he could barely speak. Liang Siyuan brought him a cup of hot water: “Professor Jiang, are you alright? You looked unwell during rounds this morning. Don’t push yourself if you’re sick.”
Jiang Chengxuan took a sip and popped a throat lozenge into his mouth: “I’m fine, just a bit of a cold.”
“I didn’t expect you to get sick,” Liang Siyuan rarely had a chance to tease him. “I thought you were made of iron.”
Jiang Chengxuan was truly listless and wilted: “We’re all flesh and blood. No one is made of iron.”
Liang Siyuan was very thoughtful and brought him some plain porridge and side dishes from the cafeteria. During the meal, Shen Mu called him back, saying he had been asleep last night and hadn’t seen the call.
Shen Mu’s tone was still distant. Jiang Chengxuan simply said, “Mhm. It’s good that your uncle is fine.”
Shen Mu was silent for a moment before speaking: “What’s wrong with your voice?”
“Oh, nothing,” Jiang Chengxuan coughed twice, “I had a bit of a fever last night.”
“A fever?” Shen Mu’s tone was finally less cold. “Did you take medicine?”
“No, it makes me sleepy in the afternoon.”
Shen Mu’s voice grew louder: “How can you not take medicine?”
Jiang Chengxuan chuckled softly: “It’s really nothing, just a common cold.”
Shen Mu heard him cough twice more, his voice terribly hoarse. Just as he was about to emphasize “drink more hot water,” Jiang Chengxuan said, “I have things to do, I’m hanging up now.”
Liang Siyuan’s mouth was slightly agape. He looked at Jiang Chengxuan with an expression of disbelief and gave him a thumbs-up: “Professor Jiang, I have a newfound respect for you.”
Jiang Chengxuan looked up and glanced at him: “What did I do?”
Liang Siyuan reached for his cup: “I’ll make you a cup of green tea. You should drink this when you have a cold; it clears heat and detoxifies.”