Chapter 352: Chapter 351: Specially Appointed Expert
By the time the Yan siblings and Yu Suye flew back to Binhai and wearily made their way home to Zuimo Court, it was already close to six in the evening.
After quickly washing up, it was time for dinner.
Upon entering the dining room, Yan Ziruoâs eyes lit up at the sight of a huge, steamed yellow croaker on the table. Before even sitting down, she eagerly snatched a piece with her chopsticks.
The first bite surprised her.
"Mrs. Du, whatâs the story with this yellow croaker?"
"It doesnât taste like itâs farm-raised."
Mrs. Du came over when she heard the shout and explained, "Oh, Ziruo, I forgot to tell you."
"The fish was a gift from Mr. Wang at the hospital. He dropped it off this afternoon. He brought two large yellow croakers and a grouper."
"Mr. Wang said a friend of his who lives by the sea sent them over."
"Mr. Wang also said that Mr. Yan has been working hard lately, so he passed them along for him to replenish his strength."
Before Mrs. Du could even finish, Yan Ziruo had already picked up a piece of fish and placed it in her brotherâs small bowl.
She then picked up another sizable piece and put it in Yu Suyeâs bowl.
Then, she pulled the fish platter in front of herself, protectively wrapping her hands around it to claim ownership.
"The rest is all mine! No snatching."
Yan Feifan rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Sis, itâs just a fish. Do you have to be so dramatic?"
"Even if you eat the whole thing, youâre not going to gain a single pound."
Yan Ziruo huffed, "Of course I do! This is a wild large yellow croaker. You can hardly find these in the market."
"Besides, I went through all that trouble of running to Jingcheng for you. Even if I didnât get a medal, you have to give me credit for the effort, right?"
Yan Feifan gave a contemptuous scoff. Not wanting to deal with his gluttonous sister, he buried his head in his food.
Yu Suye also started eating, holding back a laugh...
More than halfway through the meal, with the entire fish now in her stomach, Yan Ziruo took a contented sip of soup.
Putting down her soup bowl, she glanced at her brother, then at Yu Suye, and said with a sly smile, "Feifan, Suye, since you two have already taken the next step in your relationship, why not be a little more direct?"
"You should move in together!"
Yan Feifan froze, then quickly shook his head. "Sis, no, absolutely not."
"Itâs too hot with two people sleeping together, and itâs not comfortable."
Yu Suye had been about to politely refuse as well, but she found Yan Feifanâs excuse unacceptable.
âWhat kind of reason is that?â
Yan Ziruo chuckled. "Silly little brother, you studied medicine. Donât you know that women tend to have a slightly higher body temperature?"
"As for it being uncomfortable, youâre just not used to it yet."
"Thatâs all the more reason for you two to sleep together and get used to it."
Yan Feifan glanced at the silent Yu Suye and explained softly, "Sis, sometimes I have to study or work late at night. Iâd disturb Suyeâs sleep."
"And for a surgeon, high-quality sleep is crucial."
Yan Ziruo nodded lightly. "That is a problem."
She thought for a moment, then declared, "Iâve got it! Feifan, Suye, you two can move into the master bedroom."
"The bed in the master bedroom is big enough. You can cuddle or sleep separately, and the bathroom is convenient."
"And Feifan, weâll turn your bedroom into a study, a place for you two to work and discuss things."
"As for me, Iâll move into the attic."
Yu Suye, her face flushed, said, "Ziruo, itâll be inconvenient to use the bathroom from the attic. Youâd have to go up and down the stairs!"
"And now that itâs summer, the attic will be much hotter."
Yan Ziruo said dismissively, "Iâll just keep the air conditioner on. As for a bathroom..."
"Iâll hire someone to run plumbing up there and build one."
Hearing this, Yu Suye felt a slight pang of jealousy.
Yan Ziruo was, after all, the lady of the house. With a single sentence, she had decided on the very thing Yu Suye had been wanting to do for a while.
âIf the attic had plumbing...â
Yu Suye quickly said, "Ziruo, if youâre building a bathroom upstairs, then you donât need to give up the master bedroom."
"The attic is spacious enough. We could make the inner room into a bedroom for Feifan and me, and the outer area could be a study and a small living room. It would be perfect..."
The two women then launched into a heated discussion about the attic renovation, leaving Yan Feifan completely sidelined.
This bought Yan Feifan some breathing room, however.
The attic renovation would take at least a month.
During that time, Yan Feifan could mentally prepare for the idea of living together...
A little after eight that evening, the Yan siblings had a visitor.
It was Liu Xia, the owner of Xinfeng Restaurant.
She brought a huge cardboard box filled with at least thirty to forty pounds of cured pork, along with cured duck, cured chicken, and other preserved delicacies.
Not only that, but Liu Xia also brought a contract.
"A ten percent stake?"
Yan Ziruo quickly scanned the contract and immediately tried to refuse. "Mrs. Xia, we canât accept this."
"My brother and I will happily accept the cured meats. But we absolutely cannot take these shares. Theyâre far too valuable."
Liu Xia chuckled softly. "Honestly, a ten percent stake isnât worth as much as you think."
"In a good year, the dividend is only about one or two hundred thousand. In a bad year, itâs even possible to lose money."
"The restaurant industry is very volatile."
Liu Xia then added, a little sheepishly, "This contract is to thank you for your help, but to be honest, I was also hoping to latch onto someone powerful."
Yan Feifan couldnât help but laugh. "Mrs. Xia, Iâm just a surgeon. The âthighâ you want to hug is pretty skinny."
Liu Xia chuckled. "One phone call from you can get the precinct to dispatch officers and haul away troublemaking thugs, and make a formerly arrogant landlord grovel and apologize."
"It even got the chief of the local police station reassigned to an insignificant post."
"Mr. Yan, even if your thigh is skinny, it must be made of titanium alloy. Itâs incredibly solid!"
Yan Feifan said modestly, "Mrs. Xia, youâre giving me too much credit. That phone call I made didnât have that much power."
"At most, it was just a pretext, a spark that set things in motion."
Liu Xia replied with a serious expression, "Even if it was just a spark, not just anyone is qualified to be one."
"Mr. Yan, this agreement is just a formality. Whether you sign it or not, as far as Iâm concerned, itâs already a done deal..."
Liu Xiaâs persistence and her forthright generosity only strengthened Yan Ziruoâs determination to make her their future aunt.
Setting the agreement aside for the moment, Yan Ziruo and Liu Xia began to chat enthusiastically about everyday matters.
Yan Feifan and Yu Suye sat quietly beside them.
After a short while, Yan Feifan received a call from Qin Feng.
"Mr. Yan, the patient hasnât woken up yet, but all their vital signs are stable. If this continues tomorrow, we can move them out of the ICU..."
Qin Feng briefly updated him on the patientâs condition over the phone, then changed the subject. "We were in such a rush with the surgery last night, and I slept all day today, so I havenât had a chance to properly thank you for all your hard work, Mr. Yan."
"Mr. Yan, thank you!"
Yan Feifan replied casually, "Mr. Qin, youâre too kind. It was my honor to be able to help a national defense researcher."
"Mr. Yan, in you, I see the true embodiment of a great and sincere physician!"
Qin Feng offered his praise, then continued, "In todayâs world, you canât just talk about the spirit of dedication and other empty ideals. Thatâs not enough."
"Mr. Yan, you came to our hospital to perform an emergency guest surgery, and you should receive the proper compensation for it."
After a pause, Qin Feng asked, "Mr. Yan, would you be interested in becoming a special-appointment expert at our hospital?"
Yan Feifan demurred, "Mr. Qin, Iâm just a resident. Iâm not worthy of the title âexpertâ."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qin Fengâs hearty laughter came through the phone. "Haha... âIt doesnât matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.â With your medical skills, Mr. Yan, who would dare say youâre not worthy?"
"Mr. Yan, to be honest, this invitation actually comes from our hospitalâs director."
Just then, Yan Feifan heard Yu Suyeâs indignant voice by his ear.
"No means no!"
Yan Feifan glanced over in the direction of the voice and saw that Yu Suye was also on the phone...