PTGWD Chapter 70: Snurgle

When Fang Xingzhou awoke, he felt his body light as a feather, brimming with unprecedented vitality.

Beside him lay a familiar large monster, pressing its brain matter tightly against his head, emitting strange low tones from its vocal cords, its tentacles coiled around him in loops.

Fang Xingzhou stretched and asked, “What time is it?”

The tentacles wriggled, tightening their grip around him: “Good morning, darling. It’s 7:30 AM. You slept so soundly last night.”

Fang Xingzhou was momentarily stunned.

Had he really slept straight through to the next morning? He needed to find a chance to talk with Yan Xin to see what the Institute had given him; perhaps they could collaborate with a pharmaceutical company for development.

Thinking this, he kissed the brain matter and said, “Morning. What did you and the baby do yesterday?”

The vocal cord wrapped around his wrist, buzzing cheerfully: “Workers came to replace our bathtub, and the new bed arrived. I wanted to wait for you to wake up before changing the bed, but you were sleeping so soundly, so I coiled you in two tentacles and used the others to switch the bed.”

With that, Lu Jianchuan slapped the new bed twice: “I like it. It’s sturdy and has bedposts.”

Fang Xingzhou glanced at the bedposts.

Lu Jianchuan had wrapped the less convenient extra tentacles around the bedposts, resembling an unconventional relief sculpture.

He smiled, cupping his bulging pregnant belly, and asked, “What about the bathtub?”

“I like the bathtub too,” the crimson eyes all gazed at Fang Xingzhou, looking exceptionally tender, “Next time, we can soak in it together and scrub each other.”

Fang Xingzhou planted a morning kiss on the pregnant sac, feeling refreshed as he sat up, about to invite the big and little monsters for a bath when the alarm on his bedside phone beeped.

It was Monday.

The alarm dutifully reminded him it was time to get up for work.

Only then did Fang Xingzhou have a moment to pick up his phone and deal with the messages that had accumulated over the week.

The air in the room inexplicably grew thick, the tentacles tightened further, and the brain matter also leaned in, staring at his phone.

Fang Xingzhou instinctively wrapped an arm around the monster beside him, gently stroking the massive brain matter while handling messages, saying, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a long vacation.”

Lu Jianchuan saw him reply to the dean: “I’m fine now, thank you for your concern.” Then he selected this message and sent it to all his colleagues who had inquired, without opening each chat box.

He had just been happy for two seconds.

Fang Xingzhou directly searched for “Qin Hongbo’s” name and opened their chat box.

The tentacles began to writhe frantically, swiftly snatching the phone and unceremoniously carrying Fang Xingzhou away, stuffing him into the bathroom: “Look at our new bathtub!”

Fang Xingzhou: “?”

He examined the bathtub, so clean it could reflect his image, and praised, “It’s so clean, and installed perfectly. Deer, I’ll take a bath later; I need to go to the hospital today.”

The crimson eyes quickly gathered, staring intently at Fang Xingzhou.

“No,” the vocal cord said.

Fang Xingzhou: “It’s not work. I left my briefcase in the office and didn’t bring it back; it has my car keys inside.”

“No.” Lu Jianchuan’s brain matter quickly approached, pressing against Fang Xingzhou’s forehead, dozens of eyes reflecting his image simultaneously, “Wife, I don’t want to stay home alone, and neither does the baby.”

Fang Xingzhou was silent for two seconds.

Lu Jianchuan restrained the urge to peek into his thoughts, firmly binding him with tentacles and then carrying him to the kitchen.

“Since you don’t want to bathe, let’s make breakfast. How about noodles today? You need carbs.” The tentacles busied themselves, “Let’s just stay home like this, having our own world, isn’t it wonderful?”

Fang Xingzhou: “Alright, but after eating noodles, I need to go get the car and stop by the supermarket for some groceries.”

The kitchen’s temperature dropped sharply. Lu Jianchuan turned its brain matter, its crevices showing displeasure, the pregnant sac swinging below.

“Then I’m coming with you,” it said, “I’m not comfortable with you going out alone.”

Fang Xingzhou touched the pregnant sac: “Can you transform into a human now? Or make yourself smaller. The car might not fit both of you.”

Lu Jianchuan: “…”

The baby was in a rapid growth phase, and it could only maintain its true form.

“I can cling to the car,” it came up with another idea, “and help you watch the road.”

Fang Xingzhou laughed, taking out some stewed beef from the fridge, saying, “Deer, you’re really imaginative.”

The big monster was clearly unhappy, its vocal cord curling up like cooked duck intestine, and all the windows in the house, affected by the dropping air pressure, slammed shut automatically.

Fang Xingzhou stuffed a piece of beef into the nearest mouth and added, “I don’t want random people to see your true form. This is a secret just for me.”

The eyes blinked.

The air warmed slightly, and the tentacles snatched his knife and beef, starting to chop vigorously.

The man and the monster couldn’t reach an agreement, both deciding to eat noodles first. Lu Jianchuan’s dozen tentacles efficiently cooked two bowls of beef noodles, slurping them up in just two seconds, then spent the rest of the time watching Fang Xingzhou eat from the floor.

His wife had a good appetite.

Its mood improved, and the temperature continued to rise.

However, just as Fang Xingzhou put down his bowl, the doorbell rang.

Lu Jianchuan quickly stood up, darting to the front door so fast Fang Xingzhou only saw a huge afterimage.

One of the crimson eyes pressed against the peephole, Fang Xingzhou followed closely, asking, “Who is it?”

The tentacles began to flail, the big monster clearly panicking, gripping the doorknob tightly, refusing to open the door, the vocal cord whispering, “It’s a flyer distributor. I don’t want him to see me. Let’s not open the door.”

Fang Xingzhou: “Flyer distributor?”

As soon as he spoke, the person outside said, “Professor, are you home? I think I heard your voice. How are you feeling?”

It was Qin Hongbo.

Fang Xingzhou glanced at the wildly writhing monster beside him, somehow sensing deep guilt from the brain matter.

His heart skipped a beat, immediately issuing a warning: “Don’t touch my memories, and don’t touch his.”

The brain matter paused for a few seconds, reluctantly nodding.

Fang Xingzhou opened the door, hiding the big monster behind it.

Qin Hongbo stood at the door, two fruit baskets in his left hand, a bag of supplements in his right, a banner from the hospital draped over him, shivering in the cold air that greeted him, his first words being, “It’s so cold, why is your air conditioning on? Aren’t you cold?”

Fang Xingzhou patted the “air conditioner” behind the door, the “air conditioner” gloomily crawled up the ceiling.

Only then did he fully open the door, saying, “The air conditioning isn’t on; it’s just a cold breeze. Why are you here? Come in.”

Qin Hongbo looked him up and down, focusing on his neck. To prevent his only graduate student from doubting medicine, Fang Xingzhou turned slightly, taking a scarf from the rack to wrap around his neck.

“The scar is too ugly,” he proactively said, “I was afraid it would scare you.”

Qin Hongbo’s eyes quickly reddened.

He stepped into the foyer, placing the gifts on the shoe cabinet, looking like he was about to start crying, whispering, “These are from the hospital. Originally, Director Li and Xiao Le wanted to come too, but the dean said too many people would disturb your rest, so he sent me to check on you first.”

With that, he took off the banner draped over him, which read:

To the Master Surgeon, Director Fang Xingzhou: Selflessly saving others, bravely doing what’s right; eternally grateful, forever remembering your kindness.

Qin Hongbo: “This banner was made by Xiao Le’s husband. Xiao Le has been crying so much these days, coming to work every day with two big red buns for eyes.”

Fang Xingzhou couldn’t immediately recall who Xiao Le was. Qin Hongbo added, “If you hadn’t shielded the patient that day, she would have been the one in trouble. Her baby at home hasn’t even been weaned yet, and her husband has been wanting to thank you in person but couldn’t find you…”

Fang Xingzhou was stunned for a few seconds before realizing Xiao Le was the female colleague he had shielded that day.

He smiled, “Thank you, I didn’t think much of it at the time.”

Qin Hongbo, eyes red, circled around him, looking him over, “Are you really okay?”

Fang Xingzhou handed him slippers, poured tea, and said, “I’m really fine.”

Qin Hongbo sat on the sofa, grabbing his hand, “Brother Zhou, I was so scared. Seeing you covered in blood that day, I couldn’t sleep at night, even started questioning why I became a doctor, wuwuwuwuwwu…”

Qin Hongbo began to cry profusely.

Fang Xingzhou fetched tissues, patiently comforting his weeping student, accompanying him through a whole pack of tissues. During this, he sneakily glanced at the ceiling, where the big monster was also moved by the sad tale, dozens of eyes misty, looking at him with grievance.

Fang Xingzhou coughed lightly.

Qin Hongbo, blowing his nose, sobbed, “I’ve already taken leave for you. The dean approved two months off without hesitation, with pay.”

Fang Xingzhou: “?”

Qin Hongbo didn’t notice the confusion on his mentor’s face, looking around with swollen eyes, asking, “Why haven’t I seen your wife? Last time at the hospital, I saw her with a huge belly, pale from shock. Is she about to give birth? Professor, why don’t you take paternity leave too, stay home and accompany her.”

Lu Jianchuan nodded repeatedly on the ceiling, looking at Qin Hongbo with relief, wishing it could lower a tentacle to share its grievances with the senior.

Fang Xingzhou was good at focusing on the key point: “Why did you take such a long leave for me out of the blue?”

Qin Hongbo: “Huh?”

The two looked at each other, both confused.

Fang Xingzhou looked up at the ceiling again, and Lu Jianchuan’s eyes instantly darted away.

He raised an eyebrow, picked up his phone, searched for Qin Hongbo’s name again, and saw a strange message he had “sent” while asleep.

Qin Hongbo cautiously asked, “Are you really okay? Didn’t you message me yesterday to take leave?”

Fang Xingzhou nonchalantly put his phone down, calmly saying, “I see, thank you.  My wife was quite shaken last time, hasn’t been feeling well these past few days, and is sleeping upstairs.”

Qin Hongbo’s face turned slightly pale, “Ah? Is she okay! Should I call Dr. An to come up and check on her?”

For the sake of his colleagues’ mental health, Fang Xingzhou earnestly said, “No need, I’ll take care of her.”

Qin Hongbo begins to sob again: “But you’re a patient too, and your wife is heavily pregnant. How can we not worry…”

Fang Xingzhou comforted him for a while, firmly refusing to let him call any more colleagues over.

Qin Hongbo, being a chatterbox, finally seeing his professor after a week, wanted to tell him everything from the kitchen auntie’s new dishes to the latest gossip, crying and talking until almost eleven before hurriedly getting up to return to duty.

Fang Xingzhou saw him to the door, and just as he had finished changing his shoes, Qin Hongbo suddenly remembered something, turning back indignantly, “By the way, teacher, Xiao Wang is absolutely unbelievable! Even when you were lying in the hospital bed, you were thinking of him, and he hasn’t shown up or even called to ask how you are!”

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

Lu Jianchuan: “…”

Qin Hongbo opened his mouth to say more, but Fang Xingzhou pushed him to the door, smiling, “Hurry along, don’t worry about me. Focus on your internship and getting certified soon.”

Qin Hongbo looked back repeatedly, “Take care of yourself.”

Fang Xingzhou nodded, standing at the door for a long time, finally seeing Qin Hongbo slowly get into his car.

He closed the door, turned to look at the monster still clinging to the ceiling, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Lu Jianchuan plopped down from the ceiling, then flipped over, eighteen tentacles pointing upwards, brain matter facing down, the vocal cord emitting uncomfortable and eerie groans, eyes peeking through the gaps in the tentacles, watching his lover’s movements.

Soon, Fang Xingzhou walked over, his hand touching the pregnant sac, his voice calm, asking softly, “Uncomfortable?”

“My… my stomach hurts, it hurts so much,” Lu Jianchuan cautiously feigned, “Wife, am I about to give birth?”

Fang Xingzhou glanced at the pregnant sac.

The egg inside was peacefully asleep, showing no signs of hatching.

His smile deepened, looking at the big monster pretending to be sick, enunciating each word softly, “Is that so?”

Lu Jianchuan: “Mhm… mhm.”