In the autumn of 2018, Ruan Mian passed her graduation defense ahead of time and became a member of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at He Xie Hospital in City B.
The first two months after entering the hospital, she was busy running around in circles. Her mentor was Deputy Chief Physician Meng Fu, known for being strict in thoracic surgery. Getting scolded was common, overnight shifts were constant. In an instant, it was like she had gone back to when she did clinical rotations here years ago. She was mentally and physically exhausted to the point of collapse.
In the days before the Lunar New Year, the entire hospital from top to bottom was busy beyond compare. Drunk driving accidents, high fevers, the emergency department was lit up through the night.
At 10pm at night, after observing a surgery for a patient with a steel bar impalement injury with Meng Fu who was the first assistant and surgical instructor, Ruan Mian returned to the office with him.
At that time, there was a constant sound of sirens outside the emergency building. Accompanied by the howling wind and torrential rain outside the window, it strangely made one feel uneasy.
In the office, Meng Fu went to the water dispenser and poured himself a cup of hot tea. He had just taken a sip when a colleague rushed in from outside. There was a hint of urgency in his voice, “Chief Meng, there’s been an emergency accident in the suburbs. President Zhou is calling you over for a meeting!”
Meng Fu acknowledged and didn’t even have time to put the cup lid back properly. He directly put the cup down on the table and rushed out following the person.
The sound of rain striking the window, the office phone suddenly rang. Ruan Mian got up to answer. After listening to the description from the other end, she urgently said, “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
They didn’t give details over the phone, only mentioning that a residential building that had just been handed over to owners in the suburbs had collapsed. One section per two households, twelve floors in total, heavy casualties.
The hospital urgently formulated a rescue plan. Some doctors went to the scene to participate in rescue efforts, while some stayed at the hospital to prepare to receive critically injured patients.
Ruan Mian also went to the scene.
This wasn’t her first time at a scene like this, but when she truly arrived and saw the wailing all around, as well as the bodies with no breath pulled out from the rubble by firefighters, she still felt like her heart was stuffed with cotton. She couldn’t catch her breath.
The heavy rain and extremely low temperatures increased the difficulty of rescue and also caused many to lose the chance of survival they might have had. Ruan Mian quickly put away these unnecessary emotions and threw herself into treating the injured.
The rescue mission continued for half a month. During this time, the news was filled with reports about it. The whole city, even the entire country, was paying attention to this matter. But the final outcome was not as hoped. Of the hundreds of residents in the building, only a little over a dozen survived in the end. Some lost parents and children. Some lost siblings. But most lost their entire families.
When the building collapsed, it implicated a complex web of related interests and connections, from a certain high-level figure, down to a small cement supplier. They all became criminals.
On the ride home to Pingcheng for the Lunar New Year holiday, Ruan Mian saw the reports on how certain departments were handling this matter.
Those who should be punished didn’t get away. But this outcome could only barely be considered justice for those still living. As for those innocent lives lost, no matter what, they would always remain regrettable losses that could never be made up for.
She turned off her phone and looked out the window, sighing softly.
The taxi stopped at the entrance to the residential complex. Through the window, Ruan Mian saw her father waiting at the entrance. She smiled and got out of the car, calling out, “Dad!”
Ruan Mingke had been watching the seniors play Chinese chess in the complex. Hearing the voice, he looked over and quickly came up, smiling as he asked, “How long are you staying this time?”
“Around a week.”
Ruan Mian carried her luggage, “I have a training in Luolin Township with Dr. Meng next month. I’ll probably be busy for a while.”
Ruan Mingke sighed, “Now you’re busier than me.”
Ruan Mian laughed, “How has grandma been recently?”
“She’s doing well.”
Ruan Mingke turned to look at her, “She even said she wanted to cook up something tasty for you herself today. More energetic than Auntie.”
“Oh?”
Father and daughter chatted and laughed on the way home. At home, Zhou Xiujun was already busy preparing lunch in the kitchen with Auntie. The aroma drifted out to the doorway.
After changing shoes, Ruan Mian walked over, “Grandma, what are you cooking that smells so good?”
Zhou Xiujun poked her head out from the kitchen, bragging in an exaggerated manner, “What else could it be, just all your favorites.”
“Then I’m in for a treat.”
Ruan Mian kneaded the old woman’s shoulders and neck, then reached in to snatch a piece of seasoned cucumber to pop in her mouth.
Zhou Xiujun slapped her arm, scolding her, “Did you wash your hands? Just eating like that. You’re a doctor, have some hygiene.”
Ruan Mian chuckled and turned on the faucet next to her to wash her hands before going out to watch TV with Ruan Mingke. The news happened to be reviewing the residential building collapse in City B. The camera panned and Ruan Mingke actually caught sight of Ruan Mian in the bottom right corner.
He paused and asked Ruan Mian, “Is that you?”
Ruan Mian stared at the TV screen for a moment, scratching her forehead, “I think so?”
It should have been the second day of rescue efforts. The local TV station had sent reporters for live coverage of the situation on scene. Ruan Mian had been escorting an injured person to the hospital then. The camera must have briefly swept over her, capturing an unclear side profile, but people who knew her could recognize her at a glance.
Ruan Mingke pressed play. The TV sounds resumed, the coverage now moving to the investigation results announced that morning. One group chairman named Tang Wei involved in the case had received the death penalty.
Ruan Mingke brought up another topic, “I heard this Tang Wei also invested in quite a few research projects. With him arrested now, those projects will probably also be implicated.”
Ruan Mian was concerned, “Your project team is okay right?”
“We’re unrelated. Our funding is from higher-ups.”
Ruan Mingke frowned, thinking, “But I think one of my colleagues…”
He was halfway through when he seemed to recall something else and said to Ruan Mian instead, “Right, that colleague of mine has a son. Do you want to consider…”
Ruan Mingke laughed, “Okay, I won’t say anymore. But you’ll have to prepare yourself for your mom’s side. She’s not as easygoing as me.”
Before Ruan Mian even had time to prepare, early next morning Fang Ruqing directly came knocking on her door, even bringing a pile of profiles on prime bachelor candidates.
Fang Ruqing said, “These are all from aunties in mom’s company and acquaintances of your Uncle Zhao. I researched them all carefully. They have good family backgrounds and careers. Take a look, see if there’s anyone you fancy.”
Looking at the materials as detailed as resumes in her hands, Ruan Mian was exasperated, “Mom, isn’t this a bit too formal?”
“I’m doing this for you after all.”
Fang Ruqing patiently advised, “You’re almost twenty-seven. If you drag this out longer, all the good ones will be taken by others.”
Ruan Mian’s eyes widened slightly and she sighed, “Mom, I really don’t have time for romance right now. Moreover, I plan to stay in City B for development in the coming years. Would they even want a girlfriend so far away?”
“You can’t stay single forever. At least try it out with someone, what if you hit it off?”
Fang Ruqing nagged on and on.
Listening made Ruan Mian’s ears go numb. She finally compromised, “How about this? I’ll listen to your arrangements after I finish training in Luolin and come back. Is that okay?”
“Really?”
“Really, but you have to wait until I’m free.”
“Alright then.
Are you spending New Year’s with your dad or coming to my place this year?”
She didn’t give Ruan Mian time to think and decided on her own, “Come to my place. Shutang is also coming back this year. Shuyang misses you a lot too.”
Last Spring Festival, Ruan Mian stayed in City B. After coming back, she didn’t stay for many days either. So this time, she didn’t decline. “Okay, I’ll come over tomorrow morning.”
The next day after spending New Year’s at the Zhao family’s and staying another two to three days, Ruan Mian had originally wanted to meet up for a meal with Li Zhi. But he had gone back to his hometown Xiping, and wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon, so they could only arrange to meet another time.
After the brief holiday ended, Ruan Mian returned to City B. Before going to Luolin for training, she ate with He Zhechuan at Guomao.
After university, He Zhechuan had given up the graduate school spot preserved for him by the school. He and some friends started up a gaming company, weathering the storms over the past few years and striking gold in the sands. By now, they had made quite a name in the industry.
Previously when Ruan Mian went to his company, she had to make an appointment in advance. Even this meal was booked half a month beforehand.
After ordering, Ruan Mian took a sip of the lemon water on the table and joked, “It’s harder for me to see you once now than when I’m on vacation.”
He Zhechuan chuckled. “I think you have it backwards. If you want to see me, you can anytime. But can you take vacation anytime you want?”
He hadn’t changed much these past few years. Aside from having to wear formal suits at necessary times, the rest he wore a T-shirt and sweats, which along with his youthful looks made him seem like a university student who hadn’t graduated yet.
Ruan Mian was too lazy to spar words with him, since she had never won once. “Right, last time you said your mom wanted to introduce a girlfriend to you. How did you reject it in the end?”
“Oh that. “
He Zhechuan looked at Ruan Mian, smiling oddly.
Ruan Mian guessed, “Don’t tell me you told your mom I was your girlfriend?”
“I didn’t go that far.”
“Then what did you say?”
Ruan Mian set down her glass. “Let me learn from it too.”
He Zhechuan looked at her. “You really want to know?”
“Mm.”
He nodded, his tone even. “I told my mom I like the same kind as me.”
Ruan Mian didn’t get it. She looked at him in confusion.
He Zhechuan enunciated each word. “The same kind as me. Men.”
After probably a few minutes, Ruan Mian asked very seriously, “Has your mom kicked you out of the house now?”
“No, she just gave up on introducing me to girlfriends.”
He Zhechuan laughed. “She’s preparing to introduce me to boyfriends now.”
Ruan Mian pressed her lips. Right then the server came with their food. She abandoned this topic. “Alright, let’s eat first.”
After the meal, He Zhechuan drove Ruan Mian back to the hospital. When they arrived, he asked her, “Is your mom rushing you to find a boyfriend?”
“Yeah, and she’s being really pushy about it.”
Ruan Mian undid her seatbelt. “I probably can’t hold out much longer.”
He Zhechuan wiggled his fingers, speaking casually. “Then next time your mom pressures you, just use me to block it, right?”
“That won’t work.”
Ruan Mian got out of the car and stood outside, saying, “A lie has to be upheld by countless other lies. If I really use you to block, my mom’s next step would be rushing me to get married.”
“Alright.”
Ruan Mian closed the car door and bid him goodbye through the window, “I’ll head in first then. Drive safely.”
He Zhechuan leaned over the steering wheel and waved at her, watching until she entered the hospital gates before driving off from here.
The next few days, Ruan Mian was still dizzyingly busy. It wasn’t until the night before leaving for Luolin that she worked an early shift. After going back and packing her luggage, she also had a half hour online meeting with Meng Fuping and some other colleagues who were going for the training.
Early next morning, the coach bus left the hospital for the airport to transfer flights, only arriving at Luolin in the afternoon after 1pm. When they got there, Meng Fuping told them to go rest in their rooms first, and they would go visit the local hospital and learn later that night.
Ruan Mian was rooming with Lin Jiahui from the general surgery department next door. From the window of their room, rows of undulating mountains could be seen across the way.
Exhausted from the traveling, Ruan Mian first went to shower. When she came out, she heard Lin Jiahui on the phone with her boyfriend, vividly describing the landscape here with its clear waters and green mountains.
Ruan Mian laughed and went to grab her own phone after drying her hair. Unlocking it, she saw there were several missed calls from Meng Xinglan.
She called her back.
Meng Xinglan picked up and asked, “What were you doing earlier? I called so many times but no one picked up.”
Ruan Mian laughed. “Showering.”
Right then, Lin Jiahui seemed to be arguing about something with her boyfriend. Their voices suddenly grew louder.
Ruan Mian glanced at her and took her phone outside the room.
Meng Xinglan asked, “Weren’t you just off work?”
“No, I’m out of town for work.”
“How come you’re suddenly on a business trip? I wanted you to go wedding dress shopping with me.”
Meng Xinglan and Liang Yiran had officially started dating in their third year of college. Last Christmas, Liang Yiran successfully proposed. Their parents set the wedding date for this June.
“It was a sudden training.”
Ruan Mian laughed. “When are you trying dresses?”
“End of this month. Can you make it back?”
“Not sure.”
Just the training itself was 10 days. And that wasn’t even accounting for any other random things that might come up after, so Ruan Mian didn’t dare confirm too strongly.
Meng Xinglan sighed. “Alright then, I’ll send you photos when the time comes.”
“Okay.”
“Take care of yourself out there.”
Meng Xinglan had also squeezed out time from work to call her, so they couldn’t chat long.
After hanging up, Ruan Mian pulled the towel draped around her neck down and stood outside for a few minutes, lost in thought, before going back into the room.
The 10 days of training passed in a flash. On the day they were leaving, the organizers of the training session this time arranged a farewell banquet at the hotel.
Considering their occupations, no alcohol was provided at the dinner. Later when everyone thought back to this day, they were especially grateful for this arrangement.
Ruan Mian remembered it was March 6th, 2019. Awakening of Insects1. The previous days in Luolin had been gloomy with steady drizzles, but this day was stiflingly hot, leaving people strangely restless and irritable for no reason.
Once at the hotel, Ruan Mian barely ate anything, feeling stifled. She got up to go to the lobby for some air and overheard passing servers discussing something strange happening with the ornamental fish tank in the front hall. They said the fish inside were jumping around wildly as if hopped up on stimulants, splashing water all over the floor of the tank.
At the time, no one paid it any attention, only thinking some guest had haphazardly overfed them.
At noon, the hotel was open for business with many coming and going guests. The farewell banquet was arranged in the Bamboo Courtyard Hall on the second floor, and the three halls next to it were also packed. Outside, the roads were filled with traffic, the busiest time.
After getting some air, Ruan Mian came back in. Her flats sunk into the soft carpeting on the ground. In a daze, she felt the floor seemed to tremble for a moment, but it quickly settled again.
She thought it was her imagination and didn’t think anything of it. But when she reached the entrance of the Bamboo Courtyard Hall, the previous trembling became more pronounced and increasingly stronger. The chandeliers hanging on the walls also began swaying. Everything she could see was shaking.
Earthquake!
The next second after this thought surfaced in Ruan Mian’s mind, the entire building plunged into violent tremors. The ceiling started crumbling dust and debris.
It was practically an instant. The six story building collapsed from the foundation up. The entire corridor was crammed with people.
Some were wailing, some screaming, some sobbing. The entire earth and sky was like doomsday descending, fear and panic threatening to crush everyone.
The Bamboo Courtyard Hall was near an emergency exit, but Ruan Mian and all the medical staff were the last to evacuate. Right after they ran out, the building collapsed behind them.
Ruan Mian even saw some people jump down from the sixth floor, then get buried in an instant beneath the rubble, their fates unknown.
The intense earthquake only lasted a dozen or so seconds, but brought devastating catastrophe. Continuous sobbing sounded from the streets.
The gloomy, ash-laden sky, the intermittent aftershocks, the atmosphere of life perishing all around. Ruan Mian suddenly thought of something. She took out her phone from her pocket and wrote down messages for Ruan Mingke and Fang Ruqing in her notes app.
In these circumstances, thoughts were disorganized. She didn’t even know how to start, only managing to hastily leave one or two brief sentences.
In case she couldn’t make it back, even if these fragmented words were insufficient to comfort departure from each other, at least it could provide them some sustaining thoughts to make it through the grief.
After ensuring the notes were saved, right as Ruan Mian turned off her phone, she heard Lin Jiahui crying as she left a voice message for her boyfriend.
That fiercely heated argument from before now seemed like just a fleeting scene in a drama, backdrop for her incoherent “I love you” – the true emotional climax revealed.
At this inopportune moment, Ruan Mian suddenly thought of Chen Yi.
- ?? (Jingzhe) – literally translated to Awakening of Insects, refers to the traditional East Asian solar term and the awakening of hibernating insects. It marks the beginning of spring. There are a total of 24 solar terms in Chinese culture based on the sun’s position. ↩︎
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