How could grabbing Cen Bai’s hand suddenly let her hear his thoughts? Su Xuezhen was shocked by this discovery. Before she could react, Cen Bai’s voice rang out again in her mind—still his inner voice:
[Looks like she really got burned silly by the fever.]
This time, the two of them were facing each other, eye to eye. Su Xuezhen didn’t even blink, staring at him intently, completely sure that Cen Bai hadn’t spoken out loud. She hesitated for a moment and asked, “Were you just thinking that I got fever-burned and lost my mind?”
Cen Bai looked stunned and visibly surprised. “How did you know that?”
“I said it out loud just now?”
Su Xuezhen felt like she might have stumbled onto something and slowly let go of his hand.
She could actually hear people’s thoughts? This was way too bizarre.
Cen Bai noticed her expression turning serious and somewhat grim. He was worried and urged again, “You can’t ignore being sick. Let’s eat breakfast at home and then go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Su Xuezhen felt this sudden new “ability” was strange and couldn’t say for sure why it had appeared. After thinking it over, she decided to wait a few days and observe, brushing him off quickly. “I’m perfectly fine now, really. No need to go. Besides, I’m a doctor myself—don’t you trust my medical skills?”
“Of course I do.”
“But last night really scared me.”
Cen Bai recalled what had happened the night before—how it had felt like Su Xuezhen might vanish at any moment beside him. He was still shaken. He’d never been that scared, not even when facing vicious criminals in the line of duty.
Su Xuezhen smiled, patted his shoulder comfortingly, said a few soothing words, then told him to go out and get breakfast. After he left, she got out of bed, changed her clothes, and went outside to brush her teeth and wash her face. The sink was outside the house, and directly above it, Cen Bai had stuck a mirror.
Su Xuezhen brushed her teeth as she looked up at her reflection in the mirror, still thinking about the fact that she could hear people’s thoughts. Her hand movements gradually slowed down.
A loud and cheerful voice broke her wandering thoughts. “Doctor Su, just waking up?”
There were six families living in the courtyard. The one speaking was their neighbor, Xu Qingqing, who was holding a bowl of rice porridge and feeding her two-year-old daughter, Yu Beini.
Electricity was expensive, and no one could afford to keep the fan on all the time. It felt stuffy eating inside the house, so everyone in the courtyard often set up tables outside their doors to eat.
Su Xuezhen gave a brief “Mm,” quickly rinsed her mouth, turned her head and asked, “Are you guys just starting to eat?”
“Not yet. Gotta serve this little ancestor first.”
Xu Qingqing scraped the rice porridge from the corners of her daughter Yu Beini’s mouth with a spoon. The toddler twisted her head, refusing to eat, whining and fussing. Xu Qingqing was quick and caught the moment when her mouth opened to slip in another spoonful.
Only after feeding the child half a bowl of porridge did Xu Qingqing start eating her own breakfast. She bit into a cornbread bun and glanced at Su Xuezhen, who had finished washing her face and was wiping it dry with a towel. Her long black hair was casually tied at the back, her skin smooth as cream, eyes still slightly misty from sleep, as if veiled in a fine layer of dew—utterly endearing. Her cheeks were like ripe peaches, rosy and tender, and even her arms were slender and delicate, the kind that had clearly never done hard labor.
This kind of blessed life really wasn’t something most people could envy, and no wonder folks always said: those who work hard die from it. If you’re diligent before marriage, don’t expect to rest after it either. If you want to be pampered, you probably won’t be.
Just as she was thinking this, Cen Bai returned with breakfast. He gave Xu Qingqing a curt nod, expressionless, then wrapped an arm around Su Xuezhen and led her back inside.
Xu Qingqing thought to herself, ever since this couple moved in, she really hadn’t seen them cook. But just as she got distracted, Yu Beini reached out her little hand toward her cold cucumber salad.
Xu Qingqing hissed and quickly pulled the child’s highchair back, saying to her daughter, “Spicy, you can’t eat that.”
Yu Beini pouted.
Cen Bai had bought breakfast from the state-run restaurant nearby. Today, aside from eggs and buns, he had swapped the usual soy milk for milk. It was still warm in his hands. “You’re eating for two now. You need to get more nutrition.”
Su Xuezhen thought he was finally getting the hang of it and took a bite of her bun. “When should we tell our parents about the pregnancy?”
“Isn’t it bad luck to say too early?”
Cen Bai had a big appetite and finished a bun in two bites. “I heard it’s better for the baby if you tell them later.”
“Where’d you hear that superstition?”
“I was thinking of having my mom make a blessing sachet for you and the baby next month.”
Cen Bai, along with his younger siblings, all had one too. It wasn’t really superstition—it was tradition, passed down through generations, not for anything else but wishing peace and safety.
“Let’s wait until after the next ultrasound, when we can see the heartbeat and fetal pole, then tell them.”
This week was already busy at the hospital. Telling them too early might just make the elders overly anxious. Just thinking about it gave Su Xuezhen a headache. “I don’t even know how over-the-top their reaction will be.”
“If nothing else, my mom will be the most dramatic. She might even leave Xiaomei with my dad and come over just to take care of you.”
Cen Bai quickly finished four big buns and began peeling eggs. Thinking about how indulgent his mom, Lou Guilan, had been with her kids while he was growing up, he was all the more sure of his prediction.
Su Xuezhen took the egg he had peeled. Maybe her mind was more sensitive now that she was pregnant, but she suddenly thought of another concern. “When the baby’s born, if they find out how terrible we are at cooking and that we survive on the cafeteria every day, will they regret choosing our family?”
Cen Bai paused in the middle of sipping his soy milk, licked his lips, and clearly realized the seriousness of the issue. He glanced over at their bright and barely-used kitchen and began to feel anxious—but quickly shifted into a more optimistic mindset.
“It’s fine. When the baby’s small, they won’t know the difference.”
He had skimmed a few pages of the handbook Su Xuezhen brought back last night before bed, and learned that babies mainly consume milk in the early stages. Before one year old, most of the complementary foods are bland—just need to be cooked and mashed. Feeling quite proud of himself, he smiled smugly. “When they’re a bit older, they can just eat at the cafeteria with us.”
Su Xuezhen couldn’t help laughing at his optimism. After they finished eating, the two of them tidied up and got ready for work.
Her bicycle had been left at the hospital the night before, so Cen Bai was taking her to work today. They locked up the door, and before they even exited the courtyard, a light blue “turtle car” (a small, slow vehicle) slowly drove in. There were so many things packed inside that the trunk wouldn’t even close properly, rattling as it moved.
Su Xuezhen looked surprised. “Is someone moving into the compound?”
“Haven’t noticed. I’ll ask around when I get back from work tonight.”
Cen Bai took a closer look at the license plate, then patted the backseat and said, “Get on. Don’t be late.”
Su Xuezhen didn’t dwell on it, got on the bike, and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Cen Bai rode steadily out of the compound and soon dropped her off at the hospital.
A new day had begun, and it was also the day Director Ling Yurong was returning from training.
Lu Ziyue had arrived the earliest that morning. She greeted Su Xuezhen with a smile, “Good morning, Dr. Su.”
Thinking about her strange new ability, Su Xuezhen had a sudden idea to test it. She stepped forward, took Lu Ziyue’s hand gently, and said softly, “Good morning.”
Lu Ziyue looked puzzled but still shook her hand.
Immediately, a thought echoed in Su Xuezhen’s mind:
[That’s weird. Why is Dr. Su suddenly being so polite?]
Test complete, Su Xuezhen let go of her hand. “The director’s coming back today, right?”
Lu Ziyue nodded and added, “I heard from my uncle after work yesterday that the hospital’s hiring a lot of new staff this year. I wonder how many will be assigned to Pediatrics.”
Lu Ziyue’s uncle, Lu Yahua, worked in the hospital’s PR department, so he tended to have insider info.
It was unlikely they’d get many. Pediatrics had always been a weaker department in the hospital. Most of the new hires would probably go to the emergency department. Still, it was likely they’d get at least one or two, which would help lighten their workload a bit.
As they chatted, Wei Juan came rushing in. Her hair was a mess from the wind, and she was trying to smooth it out with her hands as she walked. “Oh my god, one more minute and I would’ve been late.”
“I even tripped on the way. So unlucky.”
While handing her a cup of water, Su Xuezhen deliberately let her fingers brush against her hand—another test.
[That damn nuisance wouldn’t let me go.]
Now Su Xuezhen was sure—she really had this ability. But she also realized the downside. Just touching someone’s hand could let her hear their thoughts. That felt way too intrusive. It wasn’t decent behavior. Nobody liked having their inner thoughts exposed so easily. It felt even more underhanded than eavesdropping.
And it didn’t matter whether she wanted to hear it or not—just one touch and she’d know someone’s true feelings. That was seriously annoying. She figured she’d better avoid physical contact with others from now on.
It wasn’t too busy in the morning. Most of the patients were mild cases—mothers bringing in their children. But just before eleven o’clock, a large family suddenly arrived, instantly crowding the entire consultation room.
The scene was quite overwhelming. Su Xuezhen’s heart tightened—she feared it might be a serious case. With so many people crammed in the room, it would seriously affect her ability to conduct the consultation. She stood up and gently said, “I understand how concerned you all are, but the room can’t accommodate this many people. Please, could I ask all the other family members to wait outside? Just one person who knows the child’s condition best should stay.”
The boy’s mother stepped forward first and ushered the rest of the family out. “You all go out first, I’ll stay here with Xiaofei.”
The other family members reluctantly exited, and the room immediately felt more spacious.
Su Xuezhen looked at the boy and roughly estimated his age to be around six or seven. At that age, there was generally no need to distract them with toys to ease nervousness. She began by introducing herself to the boy’s mother.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Su Xuezhen.”
Yu Sibei gave a perfunctory smile. “Hello, hello. This is my son, Li Junfei.”
Su Xuezhen turned to the boy named Li Junfei and spoke in a soft tone, “Hello Junfei, I’m Dr. Su.”
Li Junfei didn’t respond—not even lifting his head. He just stared at his toes, and on closer inspection, seemed to be trembling.
Su Xuezhen’s heart sank. She formally began the consultation, directly asking the boy’s mother, “What symptoms is your child experiencing?”
Yu Sibei hesitated, her brow furrowed tightly. She clenched and unclenched her hands, glancing up at the doctor, then back at her son. She looked incredibly embarrassed. “It’s just… how should I put this… it’s really not normal.”
Su Xuezhen remained patient and encouraged her, “Take your time.”
“It’s okay. We’re doctors—we won’t disclose any patient’s private information.”
Yu Sibei shifted uncomfortably in the chair, as if even the seat was poking her. She hesitated a moment longer and then stood up, as though ready to say something but still unsure how to begin.
Noticing her struggle, Su Xuezhen kept her voice gentle. “Junfei’s mom, you know his condition best. If you don’t tell us anything, it’ll be hard for us to help.”
“It’s just really embarrassing to talk about. This kid’s already six years old—well past the age where bedwetting is normal—but he still wets the bed every night. Sometimes twice a night. When it’s a lot, it soaks the entire sheet. We’ve basically had to change his sheets daily. Even when we wake him up midway through the night to use the bathroom, he still wets the bed after falling back asleep. It’s been going on for years—our whole family is at their wits’ end.”
Yu Sibei gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind to speak. Just saying it out loud felt humiliating. She hadn’t heard of any six-year-old who still soaked their bed like a toddler. She was so angry that she was practically panting as she spoke. “We’ve tried every home remedy we could find, spent a good amount of money too—but nothing helps.”
“A child this big, still wetting the bed like a one- or two-year-old. What are we supposed to do? Is he going to be like this for the rest of his life?”
As she went on, Su Xuezhen kept glancing at Li Junfei. He was small and thin, and he couldn’t even look her in the eye. As his mother detailed everything, it seemed like he wished he could bury his head in the ground where no one could see him.
