Forty-five

The next morning, Huang Qi requested half a day off from her advisor and moved her bedding and belongings to the new dormitory on her own. The dorm for the Department of Engineering Physics was on the fifth floor, not far from her previous one, but accessed through a different entrance. As a senior, she no longer had classes; all her time was devoted to her thesis and graduation project, so she spent her days in the lab. Her meetings with Tian Yujia and the others became infrequent, which explained why Liu Tong was so eager to live with her classmates.

When Huang Qi arrived, there was only one person in the room—a girl of unremarkable appearance, with slightly dark skin and a slender figure, immersed in reading a paper on her laptop. She helped Huang Qi set down her overfilled bags, pointed to the empty bed by the window and said, "This spot has been vacant, just used for some storage. The dorm manager came by yesterday, and we've already cleaned it. If you want, you can wipe it down again. There's also a storage locker in the hall, already cleared out."

Huang Qi glanced at the empty desk—not a speck of dust. It was spotless; they could have just moved their things, ignoring the cleanliness, yet they hadn't. She felt an immediate fondness for her three new roommates. "Thank you, you've saved me a lot of trouble. By the way, my name is Huang Qi, like the medicinal herb. I'm from Class Four of the Environmental Science Department. Are you all seniors too?"

The girl nodded. "I'm Ruan Jing—'Ruan' with the ear radical, 'Jing' as in quiet. I'm from Class Three; the other two are from Class Four, both in the last specialty of Engineering Physics. They're busy with their graduation projects in the lab and will be back in the evening."

Huang Qi asked curiously, "Are there only three girls in your major?"

Ruan Jing replied, "There were four, but one transferred to Software Engineering."

The full name of their department was the Department of Engineering Physics. The name sounded unremarkable, but it was where nuclear physics and particle accelerators were studied. The department offered two majors, the latter being Nuclear Engineering and Technology. In these times, when students chose majors based on job prospects and earning potential, few were willing to study nuclear physics, and even fewer women. Mention of nuclear physics called to Huang Qi's mind the venerable scientists—Qian Xuesen, Deng Jiaxian—who had developed the atomic and hydrogen bombs, filling her with respect.

Ruan Jing explained a few things about the dorm and returned to her seat to read. Huang Qi asked, "You study in the dorm? Don’t you find it inefficient?"

Dorms were living spaces; while everyone had a desk, many felt there was no atmosphere for study and preferred to go to labs, libraries, or classrooms for self-study.

Ruan Jing replied, "Not at all, it's quite quiet. My graduation project is basically done, just the paper left. Studying in the dorm gives my labmates more space."

"I won't disturb you while I unpack, will I?"

"It's fine, I can concentrate anywhere."

Later, Huang Qi observed that even when she made considerable noise by accident, Ruan Jing remained unaffected—eyes fixed on the screen, deep in thought, occasionally jotting calculations on a scrap of paper. Huang Qi thought she must be the very sort of research-focused, quietly diligent scientist Professor Fang had described.

That evening, the other two roommates returned and told Huang Qi that Ruan Jing had already secured a direct PhD placement in their department—just as Huang Qi had suspected.

Huang Qi got along well with her new roommates. Life regained its calm rhythm: days spent in the lab on her project and thesis, evenings spent texting and calling Xiao Ying.

Xiao Ying was still struggling to collect the final payment for his construction site, which had already been shut down. The workers were restless, and he was under a lot of pressure. Huang Qi couldn’t offer much advice; all she could do was chat with him when he was free to lighten his mood.

Perhaps distance truly does make the heart grow fonder. After moving dorms, her classmates treated her more kindly. Liu Tong, Tian Yujia, and Feng Xidi were, as always, concerned—each meeting was like a homecoming, with them fussing over her well-being. Even Yun Lei’s attitude softened. She would trail after Tian Yujia and the others, silent, with a conflicted expression as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t bring herself to break the ice.

Several weeks passed in this fashion, and just as Huang Qi thought her senior year would end quietly, an unexpected phone call shattered the calm.

The call was from an unfamiliar girl. Amidst a noisy background, her voice trembled, "Hello, is this... Huang... Huang Shi?"

Huang Qi was used to people mispronouncing her name. "Yes, this is Huang Qi. Who is this?"

The girl’s voice was a mix of relief, joy, and distress, and she began to cry over the phone. "I’m so glad I found you! Finally, someone I know! I-I’m Xiao Juan, I work with Tongfu."

Her Mandarin bore a hometown accent—she must be the friend from the provincial capital that Tongfu had mentioned. Huang Qi quickly asked, "What happened?"

Through sobs, Xiao Juan explained, "Tongfu suddenly fainted at work today and lost a lot of blood... We don’t know anyone here. She mentioned you, and I found your number in her notebook... Please, sister, you have to help us!"

Her words were unclear, and the phone line was noisy; Huang Qi didn’t quite understand. "Fainted and bleeding? What happened? Has she been taken to the hospital?"

"The manager called 120, she’s at the hospital now, but the doctors took her in and we don’t know anything yet..."

"Don’t worry, I’ll come right away. Which hospital? Is this your mobile?"

Xiao Juan was a bit confused. "Which hospital? The ambulance brought us, I don’t know... This phone belongs to a nurse I borrowed..."

A nurse nearby answered, "The emergency department at People’s Hospital. Have her family come over right away."

Huang Qi, who was in the lab, immediately asked her professor for leave and hurried over. People’s Hospital wasn’t close, and traffic was bad. It took her an hour to get there.

The emergency hall was crowded. Huang Qi went straight to the nurse’s station. "Excuse me, was a patient named Zheng Tongfu brought in about an hour ago by ambulance?"

The nurse said she’d check. Another nurse overheard and turned around, "Zheng Tongfu? The two girls who came together?"

Recognizing her voice from the call, Huang Qi nodded, "Yes, that’s her."

Seeing that Huang Qi was also a young woman, the nurse frowned, "You’re not family, are you? Shouldn’t the family be here for something this important?"

An older nurse said, "She’s not even twenty. Where would her family be? Her parents probably don’t even know yet."

Huang Qi replied, "Her family is out of town, they can’t get here quickly. I’m a friend from her hometown. How is she now? Where is she?"

The nurse sighed, "She’s stable, already transferred to the obstetrics ward. Go out, turn right, Building 5, third floor."

Huang Qi was stunned, "Obstetrics?"

The nurse said, "You didn’t know? She’s twenty weeks pregnant. She’s physically weak and overworked, showing signs of threatened miscarriage. She needs to be hospitalized for observation."

Huang Qi had just started dating, living in a rather conservative environment, and had never encountered a peer who was pregnant, let alone someone two or three years younger than herself. The news left her reeling. On the way to the obstetrics ward, she gradually pieced things together—the child must be Li Mingzhi’s. That was why Tongfu had come all this way to find him. And that scoundrel Li Mingzhi had gotten the girl pregnant and simply abandoned her.

People’s Hospital was overcrowded. The maternity ward was already full, with two rows of temporary beds added in the hallway. Tongfu was assigned an extra bed in the corridor, right next to the restroom, with people coming and going, and the air was poor.

When Huang Qi found her, Tongfu was already asleep, receiving an IV drip. A girl in a hair salon uniform—presumably Xiao Juan—sat nearby, her eyes red from crying. On seeing Huang Qi, she looked like she was about to cry again. Huang Qi gestured for her to be quiet and pulled her aside to ask in a low voice, "How is she? Is it serious?"

Xiao Juan wiped her tears. "The doctor says she’ll be fine. It was just exhaustion; she’s always been weak. They want her to stay in the hospital for a week, and when she gets out, she’ll need bed rest. It’s all my fault. I’ve been living with her and never realized she was pregnant... Tongfu used to be so skinny—she’s five foot four and not even ninety pounds. After New Year, she gained weight, and I thought it was because that Li guy got into grad school, and she was finally doing well. Who’d have thought it was this..."

At that moment, a nurse came over. "Are you family of the patient in Bed 6? If you’re here, please pay the hospitalization deposit."

Xiao Juan looked at Huang Qi with embarrassment. "Sis, um... do you have any money?"

Huang Qi had anticipated that, as newcomers to the city, the two girls wouldn’t have much saved. She’d brought all her cash and bank cards. "How much is the deposit?"

Xiao Juan replied, "Three thousand for a week’s stay. It’s calculated daily, and you can’t stay without settling up. Tongfu and I just got our first paycheck, and we scraped together five hundred to pay. I told them family would be here soon, so they let her stay for now..."

Huang Qi was a student herself, pinching pennies for her relationship and living off cheap meals. She didn’t have that much money either. After thinking it over, she said, "Don’t worry, I’ll find a way."

Two thousand five hundred yuan was no small sum for a student; few had that much in savings, and borrowing from classmates was awkward. Huang Qi could only turn to Xiao Ying, who at least had a job and better finances.

She stepped into the stairwell and called Xiao Ying. He seemed busy and didn’t answer at first; it took two calls before he picked up. "Why are you calling now? Is something wrong?"

"Xiao Ying, something happened on my end. Could you... lend me some money?"

He immediately asked, "What’s going on? Are you alright?"

"I’m fine, it’s not me. It’s a girl from my hometown—the village next to ours, Xiba. You know it? She suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized, and we don’t have enough for the deposit..."

Sha Zhouyin said, "A fellow townsman? Of course we should help each other—so far from home, you never know when you might need a hand. How much do you need? I only have five thousand in cash; the rest is in a fixed deposit. Is that enough?"

"More than enough, just send me two thousand."

"You need it now? Hold on, there’s a bank nearby. I’ll transfer it immediately so you get it right away. Text me your account info."

After all the commotion, they managed to pay the hospital fees before closing time. Both Huang Qi and Xiao Juan breathed a sigh of relief.