Chapter Seventy-Seven: Waiting

The Borderless Ghost Doctor

Kang Ning saw that his two girlfriends showed no sign of getting up, so he simply drove out and bought two prepaid SIM cards that didn’t require an ID, a compact metal-cased Motorola V998 phone, and two bags of pastries for Yu Sheng and his girlfriends before returning to the factory.

Entering the dormitory, Kang Ning found Lu Jing and Qu Mengmeng still lying in bed, whispering to each other. He placed the pastries on the desk and went to the socket by the wall to charge the phone.

Qu Mengmeng heard footsteps and knew Kang Ning had come in. She expected him to say something, but when nothing happened after a while, she sat up to look for him. Seeing Kang Ning leisurely reading a book on the reclining chair, she grew annoyed, about to get out of bed and scold him, when Kang Ning spoke at just the right moment:

“There are some pastries on the desk. You two make do with those.”

Qu Mengmeng, who hadn’t had a proper breakfast and was already hungry, hurried over to open the bags. When she saw they were her favorite pine nut cakes and egg rolls, her mood brightened. “You do have a conscience after all! Jing, come and eat… Hey, Wu Xiaohua, I’m talking to you! What are you staring at, you lazy thing? Go pour two glasses of water and serve your lady!”

Kang Ning smiled wryly, put down his book, went to Yu Sheng’s little room, scooped up two bowls of millet porridge, and brought them back to the dorm, placing them on the desk. Seeing the two women snatch them up and eat with gusto, he felt pleased.

After they finished eating and Kang Ning tidied up, the three of them piled into the car and went to the market to buy bags and bags of groceries, then returned to Lu Jing’s home.

Lu Jing originally wanted to invite Zheng Yi for lunch. When she called, she learned that Zheng Yi was accompanying her mother to Chengdu for medical treatment and wouldn’t be back for three or five days. Naturally, Kang Ning became Lu Jing’s helper. Qu Mengmeng, who usually refused to enter the kitchen, tied on an apron and busied herself, but her clumsy efforts resulted in more chaos than help—she nearly chopped her own hand and boiled it. Dinner wasn’t ready until eight o’clock that night.

After their laughter-filled meal, Kang Ning saw that Qu Mengmeng was staying there and made up his mind to return to the factory dormitory. Before he could say anything, he caught Lu Jing’s hopeful gaze. Warmth flooded his heart, and he abandoned the idea of leaving, briskly clearing the table.

The three of them sat on the living room sofa, sipping tea and discussing factory matters. Kang Ning relayed the opinions of Du Jianwu and Gao Qinghua to Lu Jing, then said, “It would be best if the factory could be transferred to Sister Yi’s name. Everyone has seen the surroundings today; selling it to anyone else would be unwise and could lead to trouble in the future, benefiting neither us nor others. I suspect Sister Yi doesn’t know about this yet, but once she does, I believe she’ll help.”

Qu Mengmeng asked, “Jing, how much is the factory worth?”

Lu Jing thought for a moment. “When I bought it, it was quite basic; the land cost one point two million. I tore down the old tile houses and sheds, built the workshop, warehouse, and an office building, plus the gates and walls. With the machinery and other additions, it all cost five hundred sixty thousand, totaling one point seven six million. By the end of last year, we’d earned back about eight hundred fifty thousand; if not for the damage, it would have been nearly a million. Most profits came from the last three months of last year, especially November—after taxes, we had about three hundred thousand in profit. If we could have run for another half year, that would have been ideal!”

“That’s a pity! So, how much do you plan to sell it to Sister Yi for?” Qu Mengmeng pressed.

Lu Jing replied, “What’s money between sisters? I doubt Xiao Yi even knows about this yet.”

Hearing this, Qu Mengmeng didn’t press further. She hesitated, then turned to Kang Ning. “Hey, what do you think Jing should do after selling the factory?”

Kang Ning hadn’t given this much thought. To avoid risk, he had only suggested selling the factory. Now, faced with Qu Mengmeng’s question, he had to consider it—he couldn’t let Lu Jing idle at home, living off her savings.

After a moment’s reflection, Kang Ning calmly voiced his idea. “If the factory can be sold smoothly, I suggest Jing take a break for a while. What to do next is secondary and can be considered at leisure. But given the current chaos in Lei River and Jing’s situation, I think whatever she does in the future should be elsewhere—maybe Chengdu, or some scenic coastal city. A change of environment might be more beneficial.”

Listening, Lu Jing felt moved, recognizing Kang Ning’s concern for her. Sweetness blossomed in her heart. But Qu Mengmeng was unhappy. As an elementary school teacher, she couldn’t bear the thought of Lu Jing leaving Lei River, much less her beloved Kang Ning. Yet, considering Kang Ning’s current situation and the tangled emotions among the three of them, Qu Mengmeng’s mood sank, her head bowed as if pondering something. Kang Ning knew she was upset.

“We don’t need to plan so far ahead. Let’s wait for Sister Yi to return before making any decisions. The factory workers will be back in five days, and Sister Yi should be back by then. Everything will be resolved then. For now, all we can do is wait.” Kang Ning’s words pulled Lu Jing and Qu Mengmeng back to reality.

Lu Jing glanced at the clock on the wall. “Ning, go take a shower. Tonight, sleep in the guest room next door.”

Kang Ning agreed and got up to leave. Qu Mengmeng, hearing Lu Jing call him “Ning” for the first time—rather than “Little Wu” or “Xiaohua,” as his name Wu Xiaohua would suggest—felt puzzled. Once Kang Ning entered the bathroom and closed the door, she asked Lu Jing,

“Jing, why did you call him Ning?”

Lu Jing smiled sweetly. “Ning is his childhood name. He said his family always called him that, so I got used to it.”

Qu Mengmeng grumbled, “That infuriating guy! I feel like he’s still hiding something from us. Think about it: when we first met him, we thought he could only fix cars. But the more we saw of him, the more remarkable he seemed—his manners and conversation were extraordinary. Earlier this month, he even diagnosed Wang Zihan’s rare illness. When we questioned him together, we only learned he knew some traditional medicine. Today, in his dorm, I saw an English technical dictionary and a notebook as big as a lesson plan. I flipped through it; the English was excellent, lots I didn’t even recognize. I didn’t think much at the time, but now it seems strange. A car mechanic who knows traditional medicine—and English? Isn’t that odd? Oh, and when he saved someone and injured his arm, you said he knew martial arts. Such a leisurely fellow hanging around under our noses—aren’t we overlooking something?”

Lu Jing was stunned, reflecting on it. She had spent the most time with Kang Ning and knew him best, but her deep affection and contentment had made her overlook many details. Now, hearing Qu Mengmeng’s suspicions, she recalled many experiences with Kang Ning and realized he was far more complex than the image she’d always held.

Lu Jing sat up straight, saying, “You’re right! I hadn’t thought about it before. When Uncle Wang had stomach pain, I went with him to buy medicine. Kang Ning ignored the clerk’s recommendations and immediately named two medicines I didn’t understand. The next day, Uncle Wang’s chronic stomach ailment improved. I noticed one of the medicines was labeled entirely in English—if Kang Ning couldn’t read it, how could he advise on dosage? Also, the mechanics on our street all jokingly call him ‘the surgeon.’ I always thought it was because he was a skilled mechanic, but now it feels off. The others toss their tools around, but his are always neatly arranged, almost like a doctor preparing for surgery. Even Fang Xiong, who spends his days in high society, praised Kang Ning’s poise and self-control. No way! Who knows what else he’s hiding? Today, we must get to the bottom of it; otherwise, if we let him sell the factory, we might foolishly help him count the money!”

Qu Mengmeng, delighted by this line of thought, immediately leaned in to whisper her mischievous plan to Lu Jing...