Chapter 257 - Mutton and tapeworms (2/2)

“Sure, there’s a reason, but I’m the host today. If I say it, I’m afraid that you’ll say that I’m stingy.”

“You really are stingy to begin with,” commented Wang Yanan, whose mouth was really greasy from how fast she was eating. Still, she didn’t forget to make fun of Zhang Fan for his famous stinginess. She even asked for backup from a helper. “Isn’t that right, Li Liang?”

“Yeah!” Li Liang glanced at Zhang Fan, but gritted his teeth and agreed with Wang Yanan!

“Haha, we should all forget it for now. I’ll tell everyone after the meal.”

“You might as well tell us now,” insisted Jia Suyue.

“Doctor Zhang, help us all to learn more knowledge,” Lu Renjia chimed in as well.

“Alright, since you all insist, then I’ll explain things right now. Shao Hua, hurry and take a few extra bites and drink something while you can!” Zhang Fan told Shao Hua. He then wiped his mouth, sat up straight, and started explaining. “This is all actually a matter of probability.”

“Hurry and say it already! Stop making us wait!” Jia Suyue urged him.

“For this matter, I think that Li Liang, Doctor Lu, and Yanan have all forgotten as well. By the way, where we currently live counts as the nomadic district, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Tang Jingjing answered. She knew the government’s classifications quite clearly.

“The livestock in the nomadic district are different from livestock raised in captivity. Nomadic livestock will eat natural grass, and their meat will taste better and fresher than farm-raised livestock,” Zhang Fan explained after drinking some tea. “Although the meat tastes better, it will also have more parasites!”

“So what? Most parasites will directly be killed off by stomach acid and eosinophils. Don’t you try to fool us!” Wang Yanan exclaimed, although her stomach was already beginning to feel uncomfortable from this topic.

Lu Shuyan’s face was beginning turn slightly pale.

“Then I won’t say anymore!”

“Say it, say it, say it! You must say it! We’re planning on having a child, so we must pay attention to our health. It’s not just for our sakes, but also for the sake of our unborn child,” Zhu Bing hurriedly declared.

“Hey! Why are you saying everything?” Lu Renjia was slightly embarrassed!

“Alright, haha, then I’ll say it. Everyone’s just about finished eating anyways. Shao Hua, go pay for the meal!” Zhang Fan found a way to make Shao Hua leave so that she wouldn’t hear what he was about to say next.

“Why are you in such a hurry? I’ll pay for the meal.” Zhu Bing got up while insisting on paying. The others also started insisting on paying for the meal 1.

“Alright, it’s just a meal. Does it really matter who pays? All of you sit down and finish listening to my story!” Zhang Fan made them all sit down as he continued explaining things. “As for parasites, stomach acid can’t actually kill them. Only high temperature will kill them. For example, tapeworms can only be destroyed completely after being boiled for three minutes. After a tapeworm dies, it’s nothing more than extra protein. It might even taste better than the mutton!”

“What’s a tapeworm?” Lu Renjia asked naively out of curiosity—she truly didn’t know.

At this moment, Lu Shuyan hurriedly said, “I need to go to the bathroom. Zhang Fan, wait to say it only after I leave!”

Lu Shuyan hurriedly left. Lu Renjia still naively believed that the prior really needed to go to the bathroom! Meanwhile, Wang Yanan didn’t react at all. She had a steelier stomach due to all the surgery she had performed!

“Have you ever seen the zombie movie ——— before?” Zhang Fan asked Lu Renjia.

“Yeah.”

“In that zombie movie, there was a scene where many white and long sticky worms crawled out of the zombie’s eyes. Those are tapeworms! If there’s any white spots in the meat, they’re probably tapeworm eggs!”

“Urgh!” Jia Suyue felt really unpleasant. She stood up, slapped Zhang Fan on the shoulder, and headed to the bathroom!

“Is this for real? How should we watch out for this? Will it affect a pregnancy?” Although Lu Renjia also felt uncomfortable, she still forced herself to withstand it as she hurriedly checked the meat in her plate. Tang Jingjing was chuckling as she listened to Zhang Fan’s explanation.

“Yes, it will affect a pregnancy because tapeworms can be destructive towards a person’s immune system. Still, parasites like tapeworms are really afraid of high temperatures!”

“Oh, alright, I’ll definitely pay attention in the future!” Lu Renjia glanced at the mutton still on her plate and felt a bit disgusted. She no longer wanted to eat any more!

“Why did everyone stop eating?” Shao Hua came back from paying the bill. Apart from a few of the men who were still eating, all of the women had stopped eating.

“Your Zhang Fan started telling something disgusting in order to save on how much money he would have to pay for food today!” Wang Yanan chuckled while saying this.

“Hey! You all forced me to tell you!”

“He’s annoying like that. Let me tell you all, back when I first became acquainted with Zhang Fan, he made me vomit with a description of what he did at work. Doctors really do have it difficult! Don’t you agree, Yanan?” Shao Hua asked.

“There’s no helping it. It’s the nature of the job.” Wang Yanan sighed. She truly was exhausted from working hard over the past year. For a woman to succeed in an orthopedic surgery department, she would need to work far harder than any man!

“When are you going to get yourself permanently assigned to an apartment?” Wang Yanan then asked Zhang Fan. She then added, “Could it be that you’re not interested in coming to the orthopedic surgery department anymore?”

“Me? Probably soon!” Zhang Fan answered vaguely as he ate his mutton which had been boiled fully for three minutes.

In the past, everyone would have gone to something like karaoke after the meal. But now, they were getting older, and everyone was busier with their own affairs. They simply chatted a while longer before everyone went back to their own homes.

“Do you think that Yanan and Li Liang have any hope of being together with each other?” Shao Hua held onto Zhang Fan’s arm as the two of them slowly walked back home.

“How should I know?”

“I don’t think that their chances are good!”

“That might not be the case! Women are really soft-hearted. Maybe Yanan will agree if Li Liang says some nice words!”

“What? Is this what you also thought about me back then?!” Shao Hua glared while tickling Zhang Fan.

“You! You’re different! You’re really smart, virtuous, beautiful, and reasonable!”

“Then I’ll show you how reasonable I can be!” Shao Hua went over to squeeze the soft flesh on Zhang Fan’s arm, so he immediately ran off.

“Haha!” Both of them laughed together!