Chapter 4: How Much Longer?

“Yuan Yuan, I have classes this afternoon and won’t be at the hospital. I’ve already brought the snacks to the department. The clothes are washed but unworn, and I bought the mousse cake on the way. Hope you like it. ^^”

Classes this afternoon?

Fu Yuan thought for a moment and recalled seeing him around this time last week, seemingly talking to a patient in the courtyard.

Perhaps the school’s schedule alternates between odd and even weeks.

Fu Yuan sat back down and finished reading the note, then crumpled the paper irritably and tossed it into the trash. Although the latter half of the note was like a sweet dream, she still felt somewhat listless.

The chrysanthemum and goji berry tea from the morning had gone cold. She got up, poured it out, and replaced it with some warm water.

Strangely, after the dream last night, she felt a hollow emptiness in her stomach. She had to eat through half a week’s worth of bread from the fridge just to quell the hunger, and that morning she had devoured three baskets of soup dumplings before coming to work.

She woke up only to feel hungry again.

Sitting at her desk, Fu Yuan took a sip of the hot tea and carefully opened the box of mousse cake along the creases on the packaging. The triangular cake was exposed to the air, releasing a sweet fragrance. She cut it into three pieces with a plastic knife and swallowed the whole cake in three bites, like a starving noble fallen on hard times.

Only then did she feel a little better.

She had remembered that using her abilities drained her energy, but forgot about it by noon.

With that in mind, Fu Yuan no longer lingered idly at her desk. She grabbed her keys and headed out.

Before leaving, she thoughtfully flipped the wooden sign hanging on the door to read “Out, please call if needed.”

The hospital’s internal cafeteria was closed, and there was no convenience store. This was said to be partly because patients needed to control their diets and partly for easier management.

She graduated from Z University, which was not far from here. Just two turns and three traffic lights away, she could see the school gate.

The campus was open, featuring a famous snack street renowned throughout Jiang City. It was always bustling with people no matter the time.

At this moment, on the snack street.

Fu Yuan struggled to look around while pushing her small scooter through the crowd. Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar bright red color and quickened her pace toward it.

“Meng Jie, twenty skewers of lamb, five grilled gluten sticks, five chicken wings, five squid, plus five sausages!”

Before the woman arrived, her voice called out weakly.

People nearby made way for her as Fu Yuan stopped the scooter in front of a bright red sign reading “XJ Skewers and Barbecue” in white letters, surrounded by auspicious cloud motifs.

It was a barbecue shop with two stalls outside. Inside was the raw material; the owner prepared skewers and arranged them neatly in a freezer. Customers could pick their own skewers inside or have the owner choose for them.

On the grill were neatly arranged fresh lamb skewers, potato skewers, and various other types. They sizzled as the charcoal licked them, juices dripping and orange-red flames flaring beneath.

The woman wore a blue mask and her exposed face glowed red in the firelight. She picked up neatly arranged jars and gently tapped them, sprinkling cumin and chili powder that coated the lamb skewers in an enticing reddish-brown layer, releasing a rich spicy aroma.

Fu Yuan set the scooter’s brake and repeated her order.

Only then did the woman realize and glance up at her, casually chatting without pausing her work. “Oh, it’s you. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

She then called inside, “Old man, wake up! Bring out twenty lamb skewers, five grilled gluten sticks, chicken wings, squid, and sausages.”

A voice inside responded, sounding groggy.

Soon after, a man wearing a headscarf came out, carrying items to another grill and lighting the fire.

The woman shot him a glare. “You handle that one; I’ll do this.”

The man was about forty, medium build, with bronzed skin, short neat hair, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose bridge, and faint stubble above his lips—a typical Kazakh man and the woman’s husband. They had run this barbecue business in Jiang City for over twenty years.

“Graduated, not on the way anymore,” Fu Yuan whispered in reply.

“No worries. If you want to eat, just come by. You can also order online,” the woman said, since the fire was still low and didn’t need attention, she went inside and brought out a small red wooden stool for Fu Yuan to sit on. “Sit for a bit. It’ll be more than ten minutes.”

“No problem,” Fu Yuan waved her off, sitting on the scooter and quietly asking, “Why did you move?”

“Our lease expired, and the higher-ups organized us, grouping by category. Coffee and milk tea are in one area, pastries in another, and barbecue stalls like ours have been gradually moved here. Just recently,” explained Meng Jie, a local of Jiang City.

Fu Yuan nodded in understanding.

No wonder she hadn’t seen any familiar shops this time. She had planned to buy some chocolate from the snack cabin for the office but only found rows of “xxx Barbecue” and “xxx Grilled Meat” shops.

“Business is tough.”

The young university graduate glanced around, feeling this was more of a sigh than a complaint, and Meng Jie laughed, saying, “It’s actually not bad. Don’t be fooled by the quiet now. It only gets busy around seven or eight in the evening, and it stays packed until two or three in the morning. We don’t open in the morning; that’s our rest time. You’re lucky—I just opened, and most places over there are still closed.”

Students heading to class weren’t customers, so it seemed Fu Yuan was the only one here besides a possible delivery order at another stall.

She tiptoed to look where Meng Jie pointed, confirming only a few had opened.

Years of experience gave Meng Jie deft hands that flipped the skewers through occasional yellow flames. She asked about Fu Yuan’s recent situation, “What about you? Still studying or working now? I remember you mentioned you were in the psychology department?”

Fu Yuan vaguely replied, “I work in the psychology department of a hospital.”

“That’s good! Great benefits and treatment. No wonder you’re a top graduate from Z University,” Meng Jie smiled approvingly. To them, civil servants, hospital workers, and teachers were the ideal jobs—stable through thick and thin.

Fu Yuan nodded absently, her head starting to feel dizzy, and ghostly shadows flickered before her eyes.

As she waited, hunger grew stronger, urging her to consume a large amount of high-calorie food as soon as possible.

“What’s wrong with you?” Meng Jie suddenly noticed Fu Yuan’s lips turning pale. She waved her hands in front of her eyes but got no response, then wiped her face hard and steadied her by the shoulders.

Fu Yuan shook her head, closed her eyes, and softly said, “How much longer… I’m so hungry.”