52: Chapter 52 Grandma Zhang's Abrasions and the Nurse

In the slightly cramped ward of the Community Hospital, warm sunlight slanted in from outside, passing through the window lattice and casting the shadow of the window frame onto the yellowing wallpaper, much like what Grandma Zhang often said, resembling unevenly cut paper-cuts.

At this moment, Grandma Zhang was half-reclined against the headboard, the leg of her blue cloth trousers rolled up to her knee, revealing an abrasion the size of a copper coin. The dark red scab, intertwined with dirt, looked particularly jarring amidst the folds of her loose skin.

"Little Chen is here?" Grandma Zhang caught sight of Chen Jie pushing the door open, and a glimmer of light instantly flashed in her previously somewhat cloudy eyes. Her withered, stick-thin hand fumbled on the bedsheet, as if wanting to lift the blanket.

"Nurse Lin just applied medicine for me. That medicine is cool, even more refreshing than the mint in Wang Lei's braised dishes!" Although Grandma Zhang's voice was a bit hoarse, it revealed a feeling that put people at ease.

Chen Jie placed the medicine box on the bedside table, the strap of his canvas backpack tapping lightly against the edge of the bed. He caught a glimpse of Lin Wanqiu crouching by the bed mixing iodine, her white coat sleeves rolled up, revealing the light blue veins on her forearms, and the cotton ball held by her tweezers soaking up a ring of yellow in the enamel tray. "Uncle Zhou said you fell while taking a walk this morning?" He crouched down, his gaze falling on Grandma Zhang's knee—the skin around the edge of the abrasion was a bit swollen, like braised dried tofu that had been soaked for too long.

"Isn't that so!" Grandma Zhang said, glancing nonchalantly out the window. The shadow of the old locust tree swayed gently in the breeze, as if mocking her misfortune.

Grandma Zhang continued, "It was that bench you repaired. I had intended to sit on it to rest my feet, but when I got up, I was actually tripped by a grass root in the brick cracks! Don't you think that's strange? Those chair legs were clearly repaired to be even sturdier than new ones!"

Listening to Grandma Zhang's complaints, Lin Wanqiu's hand holding the cotton ball paused slightly. She looked up, her long eyelashes casting a shallow shadow under her eyes, making her eyes appear even deeper.

"An elderly person's skin heals relatively slowly, so even though this abrasion looks small, it still needs to be dressed every day." Lin Wanqiu's voice was soft and gentle, as if it could soothe Grandma Zhang's pain.

Her tweezers were as light as if holding a feather, carefully wiping the scab on Grandma Zhang's wound. However, despite being so gentle, when the tweezers brushed over the scab, Grandma Zhang still couldn't help but let out a "hiss."

Lin Wanqiu quickly comforted her, "It hurts a little, just bear with it for a moment." Then, she turned her head to Master Chen and said, "Master Chen, if you are free tomorrow morning, could you help bring Grandma Zhang here to change her dressing?"

Chen Jie's fingertips rubbed back and forth on the backpack strap, the thin calluses on the web of his hand making the canvas rustle. "I'm looking at the freezer for Wang Lei tomorrow morning," he stared at the abrasion, suddenly reaching out to steady Grandma Zhang's lower leg, "It's on the way." The moment his fingertips touched her skin, a wisp of spiritual power quietly spread over, like a drop of cold water into hot oil, and the swelling at the edge of the abrasion subsided a little, almost imperceptibly to the naked eye.

Lin Wanqiu was looking down, twisting the bottle cap, and caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that the skin on Grandma Zhang's knee seemed a bit brighter, like dusty bronze ware that had been wiped clean. When she looked up, Chen Jie had already withdrawn his hand and was throwing the empty medicine blister pack into the enamel tray, his movements so fast it was like he was hiding something. "This medicine needs to be taken after meals," she stuffed the ointment into Grandma Zhang's hand, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible inquiry, "I looked at the braised dish recipe Master Chen gave last night; putting in less star anise is indeed better for the stomach."

Grandma Zhang laughed while patting her thigh from the side, "Are you two chatting about recipes now? Little Chen, don't hide your skills; show Nurse Lin sometime. She always eats the wontons from the cafeteria, which are as bland as dishwater."

The roots of Chen Jie's ears turned red, and he grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, "I'm heading back first. The wheelchair is in the bike shed; I'll push it over for you in a bit." When he turned around, he bumped into the doorknob, the coldness of the metal seeping through his work pants, like the temperature of that jade stone in his backpack.

Lin Wanqiu walked him to the corridor, the wheels of the treatment cart rolling with a faint sound on the floor. "Grandma Zhang's abrasion," she suddenly spoke, her gaze falling on his hand gripping the backpack strap, "is recovering faster than the average person's."

Chen Jie's footsteps paused for half a second, as if someone had tugged at him. "She's in good health for her age," he walked toward the stairwell without looking back, his voice mixing with the humming of the corridor's ceiling lights, "even tougher than Wang Lei's iron cabinet."

Lin Wanqiu stood quietly in place, her gaze fixed on the figure gradually disappearing around the corner, until it was completely out of sight. She slowly lowered her head, staring at the enamel tray in her hand. The cotton ball in the tray had originally been stained with blood, but at this moment, those bloodstains seemed to have faded somewhat unknowingly, as if they had been washed clean by some mysterious power.

A scene suddenly flashed through Lin Wanqiu's mind: it was the scene when Chen Jie was repairing the bench. At that time, she had noticed that for some reason, an extra steel bar had appeared on the broken leg, and now, the bloodstains on this cotton ball had disappeared inexplicably. Was there some kind of connection between the two? She couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth lift slightly, revealing an imperceptible smile.

Afterwards, Lin Wanqiu turned and returned to the ward. As soon as she pushed the door open, she heard Grandma Zhang's surprised voice, "Huh? Why doesn't this abrasion look red anymore? Nurse Lin's medicine is truly miraculous, even more effective than the safety talisman I prayed for at the temple!"

Lin Wanqiu walked quickly to Grandma Zhang's side, only to see Grandma Zhang holding up the ointment, observing it carefully against the sunlight. The sunlight shone through the medicine bottle, casting circles of bright light spots on Grandma Zhang's knee, resembling a piece of melting gold, emitting a warm and soft glow.