89 Waterfall (1/2)

Zhang Fan didn't drive too quickly, so there was a light breeze coming through the open car windows. It was now sunset, and golden light was reflected on the river. Zhang Fan kept thinking to himself on how to start a conversation. 'Should I ask if she's been busy with work? No, this isn't special at all. What about asking her if she ate to her full? That sounds rather foolish. Ask her if her mother is alright? I've already asked her that.'

”You're already being invited to other hospitals to perform surgery just two years after you graduated? You must have been an excellent student before.” Shao Hua started the conversation instead as the atmosphere was getting a little awkward in the car. She had waited for quite a while with Zhang Fan saying nothing for all this time.

No matter how shameless Zhang Fan was, he still wouldn't dare to call himself an excellent student. In the past, his studies were only barely passable due to always being busy trying to earn tuition money. With his current knowledge, perhaps he counted as an excellent student, but Shao Hua was asking about before. ”No, I'm not an excellent student. It's just that I previously went to Bluebird City for a study program at their hospital. The hospital there was really large and well-equipped, and I got many chances to practice and improve.”

”Ah, is Bluebird City beautiful? I've never been there before.” Shao Hua was currently gazing at Chasu River, which was right outside the car window. Zhang Fan snuck a look at her, and felt that Shao Hua looked especially beautiful with a faint glow from the sunset illuminating her face.

”Beautiful, really beautiful.”

Shao Hua turned around and slightly glared at Zhang Fan. He hurriedly and awkwardly returned to looking in front of him. Then, he hurriedly said, ”Still, the ocean over there isn't quite blue. Maybe it's because of the Yellow River entering the ocean there. It's not deep blue at all. Thank you for today.” Zhang Fan finally said what he really wanted to the most at the end.

”No need for thanks. Do you often go out to perform surgeries elsewhere? Are you really busy?”

”Not really. It's just on occasion. I'm not super busy. It's just that some days are busier than others. It's not like patients can notify us beforehand that they're going to get sick. Patients might also arrive at any hour of the day.” Zhang Fan slowly drove the car down a riverside road.

”Why did you come to this border province? Where are you originally from?”

”Sigh! My college loosened their recruitment restrictions, so we had too many undergraduate students. The local area was unable to provide enough jobs, since there were about three times as many students as usual. Thus, my college signed the extra students up for the government's western rural area support program. That's how I came here. I'm originally from a small city in S Province.”

”How long have you been away from home? You don't intend to try and get sent back there?”

”I've been gone for two years. I'm preparing to visit home this May as my younger sister is taking her college entrance examination. I want to go see her, otherwise I won't feel reassured. Since hospital employees don't count as government employees, I can't just get myself sent anywhere I please. Besides, I don't intend to leave here just yet.”

”What about the future?”

”The future? Maybe I'll go check out some bigger hospitals once I get promoted to the rank of attending physician, and see if they have better medical treatments. Who knows?” Zhang Fan felt like exclaiming over his limited options. Right now, he couldn't leave here even if he wanted to. His younger sister was going to college soon, and his income here was pretty good. He needed to financially support her.

”Do you think that this place is too small? Are you unwilling to stay here? Actually, I really like it here. It's not overpopulated, and there are four distinct seasons. There's also not that much pressure. I can still do whatever I like after getting off from work. It's not like being super busy every day in a big city. Although people in bigger cities make more money, it's too suffocating there.”

”Yeah, Chasu City is a nice place. I was rather unsatisfied when I first graduated. I felt that my tuition money had been wasted as I wasn't able to get a good job right after graduation. But, over the past two years, I've learned that my decision to come here was correct. It's bad for young people to be too relaxed. Our parents are getting older, and we'll be having children in a few years. No matter who you are or where you are, pressure will always come uninvited. My family's financial situation isn't very good, as both of my parents are blue-collar workers. Not only that, my younger sister is going to college soon. Her grades are excellent.”

Shao Hua, who had been looking out the car window, suddenly turned her head and faced Zhang Fan directly for the first time since getting on his car. ”I really couldn't tell that you were the type to think about things so far in the future. I heard from Jia Suyue that you're particularly popular at the hospital? You also don't look like someone whose family has a poor financial situation. You already have a car and a house. You count as someone successful!”

Women of the same age would typically be more mature than men, both physically and mentally. Understanding someone would be about more than just what was on the surface. You would also need to understand his way of thinking, as well as worldview.