Good Luck in the Year of the Pig - Chapter 22

“Qin Zhuopu!”

Lu Ying was horrified to catch Qin Zhuopu who suddenly fainted. Only then did he realise that something was very wrong with the man. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, his veins were bursting, and even though he had fainted he was still tense and trembling slightly, as if he was desperately fighting against something.

Lu Ying panicked and hastily carried him to the bed, then quickly took out his mobile phone to call Dr. Hu. It was an emergency but Dr. Hu didn’t answer the phone. Lu Ying was so anxious that he turned around and listened to Qin Zhuopu’s chest. His heartbeat was chaotic and fast, beating like a drum. Lu Ying shivered and continued to call Ji Xiaofeng. Thank God, the call got through.

“Brother Ji, help! Qin Zhuopu suddenly fainted at my place, please ask Dr. Hu to help me! Will he die?” Lu Ying remembered the delicate and vulnerable Qin Zhuopu, and grief struck him. He was very angry, very angry, but even if Qin Zhuopu was a treacherous scum, he didn’t want him to lose his life at a young age.

Ji Xiaofeng, who was shopping on the street, was stunned and lowered his voice subconsciously, “You’re too horny, take it easy. He is not as strong as you.”

“You #%%$, life is at stake, Brother Ji!” Lu Ying roared in shame and anger.

“You fool, call 120 first! I’ll contact him immediately.”

“Understood, Brother Ji, hurry up!”

Lu Ying clutched one of Qin Zhuopu’s hands, clearly feeling how tense the other party was. He made himself control his emotions and continued to seek help. He called 120 and now it depended on whether the ambulance or Brother Ji and the others would come first.

Lu Ying was suddenly quiet, staring at the unconscious Qin Zhuopu in a daze. This person was not very old. Was there really any major hidden disease? He heard that five or six times of in vitro fertilisation hadn’t been able to get a child… There must’ve been something wrong, but the hospital couldn’t find out. Could Dr. Hu also not see? Qin Zhuopu’s father had a sudden cerebral thrombosis when he was only about fifty and died after two months in the hospital. Could this disease be hereditary?

Lu Ying panicked.

Ji Xiaofeng was the first to arrive.

“Where is Dr. Hu?” Lu Ying asked anxiously.

Ji Xiaofeng shook his head, “I can’t get in touch with him, even Elder Xu doesn’t answer his phone. They’re probably operating on someone. Don’t worry, I’ll take a look first, I’ve learnt a bit from Lao Hu.”

Ji Xiaofeng checked Qin Zhuopu’s pulse and tried to look at his eyes and tongue, but Qin Zhuopu clenched his teeth and refused to open his mouth. Ji Xiaofeng hurriedly asked, “Why did you irritate him? He’s unconscious and still has a grimace on his face.”

Lu Ying replied gloomily, “…we just quarrelled a little…”

“Just a quarrel? Did you hit him? Hit him on the head or something like that?” Ji Xiaofeng pursued.

“Of course, not.” Although he was super pissed off and wanted to punch someone, he didn’t do it.

Ji Xiaofeng shook his head, “I can’t see what’s wrong with him. Let’s try the first aid pill.” With these words, he took out the pill he carried with him and gestured at Qin Zhuopu’s mouth.

“Will it work? Is it a medicine made by Dr. Hu?”

Ji Xiaofeng grinned, “What? Afraid I’ll poison him?”

Lu Ying blushed, “No.”

“This medicine won’t work on you, but it works on ordinary people, as long as they don’t lose their breath.” Ji Xiaofeng frowned: “Wait, how can he take the medicine if he doesn’t open his mouth?”

“How about… I’ll try.” Lu Ying suggested in a small voice.

“How will you try…” Ji Xiaofeng was speechless as he watched Lu Ying lower his head and suck on Qin Zhuopu’s mouth, prying it open with his tongue. Lu Ying quickly stuffed the pill in and clasped Qin Zhuopu’s jaw, watching the man’s throat move for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief.

“Quite a trick.” Ji Xiaofeng looked at his little buddy with a smirk.

Lu Ying muttered, “They did it like this on TV. I’ve tried it before…” It was weird to think about it; just for fun he had fed cherries with his mouth. It was really… the past was unbearable.

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Ji Xiaofeng didn’t say anything more and kept carefully observing Qin Zhuopu’s condition. Less than five minutes after the pill went down, Qin Zhuopu’s heartbeat and pulse slowly began to calm down. When Lu Ying brought a towel to dry the sweat from his forehead, Qin Zhuopu opened his eyes unhurriedly, his gaze gradually focusing as he looked fixedly at Lu Ying in front of him.

“I went to look for you.” These were the first words he said.

Lu Ying exhaled, “It’s good that you’re awake.”

“I really did go to look for you, Lu Ying.” Qin Zhuopu repeated.

Lu Ying lowered his head and tried to smile, “Fine, fine, let’s not argue like kids, you’re not right and I’m not right. Now you need to calm down. The ambulance will be here soon. Go to the hospital to recuperate well and have a detailed examination.”

“You don’t believe me…” Qin Zhuopu tried to gather all his strength. His body felt like it had been hollowed out. He was anxious and desperate to remember more, yet his body disagreed. He couldn’t find any energy. It was hard to concentrate. Every time he tried hard to focus, somehow there was a distraction. There seemed to be too much in his brain yet something was missing.

Lu Ying used to petulantly talk to him about the famous Dr. Hu in Qixia Town, and Qin Zhuopu clearly remembered it and had never forgotten it. But when he heard his mother mention this name, why didn’t he make any connection? Had he lost his memory? No, he hadn’t. He hadn’t forgotten anything, he remembered everything clearly. When Lu Ying was angry with him for not coming to look for him, Qin Zhuopu subconsciously wanted to retort that he had come to look for him. But when he thought about it, he hadn’t come, had he? He chased Lu Ying to the airport and took his phone home… and actually went home?

That was something he’d done?

Unless he was sick!

Qin Zhuopu stared at Lu Ying in silence with his eyes red, full of anger that he wanted to vent.

“I must have gone to look for you.”

Lu Ying said tiredly, “I believe you.” Finding the airport and going back counted as looking for him. Probably Qin Zhuopu was still mad at him for running away so suddenly. But he didn’t want to run away! Had he wanted to break up, he would have said so face to face. He wasn’t that much of a scumbag!

The sound of the ambulance was getting closer and closer. Lu Ying helped Qin Zhuopu up: “Don’t think too much about it. I’ll take you to the hospital. Whatever it is, it is not as important as good health.”

Qin Zhuopu grabbed his hand and gasped, “Look me in the eye, don’t dodge.”

“……” Lu Ying was helpless and looked at him calmly.

“In your eyes, am I still a star in the sky?”

Qin Zhuopu’s weak smile gradually faded to nothing.

Of course… right, ah.

The sky is full of stars, some far away and some right in front of you. And the human heart is narrow and can hold just one. When you see it, sometimes it shines brightly in your eyes, and sometimes it quietly dims in the mist.

The silent Lu Ying with his eyes lowered would no longer hook his neck and point to the sky with a smile and say ‘In my eyes, you shine as brightly as the star in the sky.’

“There are many stars, what’s so great about that?” He thought his young lover was childish and cute, unable to even compliment someone properly.

“But the only one I see at a glance is the brightest one. I see more people than stars, don’t I, but I only like you.”

How can one not love a little lover who is as dazzling as a little sun when he is talking so sweetly and seriously?

The medical staff soon came. Qin Zhuopu refused the stretcher and was helped to walk out. Lu Ying followed behind, holding Qin Zhuopu’s mobile phone. Ji Xiaofeng thought for a moment and did not follow.

In the ambulance, Qin Zhuopu was lying quietly while the doctors and nurses were giving him a preliminary examination. They asked a lot of questions and Qin Zhuopu answered them simply and methodically.

When they arrived at the hospital, Lu Ying used Qin Zhuopu’s mobile phone to notify the driver. The driver came to go through the formalities. Lu Ying hesitated a little and left.

After a series of head examinations, Qin Zhuopu looked at the empty corridor. He closed his eyes and said to the driver, “Book me a ticket to the capital, the sooner the better.” Even if he was mentally ill and had memory lapses, everyone around him wasn’t sick, right? Since he had encountered a problem, he would fight to the end.

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“Do you want to take a day off?”

In the bakery, Lu Ying, who had rushed back to work, was busy. He didn’t know how long Yang Sigu had been watching him; when he suddenly heard the voice, he couldn’t help but get startled. He shook his head, “Why should I take a day off?”

Yang Sigu smiled: “It’s not like I can’t tell if you’re in a good shape or not.”

“…thanks, but I can work.” Lu Ying continued to knead the dough.

Yang Sigu lazily leaned against the workbench, “That guy yesterday was Zaizai’s…?” He came back and purposely watched the security footage just to see that brat.

Lu Ying nodded slightly. Everyone knew the story. It was a beautiful day when Zaizai was born, and everyone came that day, the child’s loud cries accompanied by the good-natured laughter of the group. The mountain hadn’t been that lively for a long time.

Yang Sigu crossed his arms and said thoughtfully, “I don’t see anything special about him.”

Lu Ying looked down in embarrassment and muttered, “Ahem, Brother Yang must have a higher vision than me.”

“Pfft…” Yang Sigu laughed shakily, holding his forehead, “Who are you trying to diss? Silly boy.”

When Lu Ying thought about it, Brother Yang wasn’t wrong.

“When I said he wasn’t special, I meant…” Yang Sigu frowned trying to think of how to describe it, “After all, you have Zaizai, and I was very curious. I thought it was because he was extraordinary.”

Lu Ying scratched his head and explained, “Grandpa said it was not strange… it’s just that you haven’t tried…” He was embarrassed to go on. When he had come down the mountain, he didn’t know that he liked men. It just so happened that the Qin Zhuopu he liked was a man. But his brothers were different. Only Sister Tu was married and had children. She was very gentle by nature and always wanted to be a mother, and when she met someone she liked, it was just a matter of time. The rest of them, as far as Lu YIng knew, were all single, except for Brother Ji. But Brother Ji and Dr. Hu were different. If these two had a baby, it would be a shock. When everyone got together, they used to joke about their ‘deservedly single’ race.

When Lu Ying had Zaizai, he was so scared he couldn’t sleep at night. Grandpa told him it wasn’t strange, it was a natural ability. They were all unique beings, unable to find a second ‘self’; but they were ‘born to be human’ and it was normal for them to choose someone they liked to give birth and continue their bloodline.

About Zaizai, everyone felt it was Lu Ying’s good fortune.

Yang Sigu stroked his chin and whispered: “Right, I haven’t tried. Who knows…” So Lu Ying, this child, is really a newborn calf not afraid of the tiger. As soon as he came down the mountain, he played a big game, completely breaking the quietness of the mountain forest. Some guys, it seems, found it quite unbearable.

“En en en.” Lu Ying nodded while kneading the dough. Grandpa was right about everything. 

Yang Sigu looked at him teasingly, “Then do you have plans to have a second child?”

“Ahem ahem…” Lu Ying coughed earth-shatteringly, shaking his head wildly.

What did you say? The wind is too strong, I can’t hear you!

***

Mini-theatre:

Mr. Qin: What should I call your brothers and sisters?

Lu Ying: Well, it’s too much trouble to call them individually, so I’ll think of something.

Mr. Qin: Have you thought of something?

Lu Ying: Call them collectively ‘Chinese Zodiac Eleven’

Zodiac Eleven: ……

Mini-theatre-2:

Mr. Qin: You have so many brothers and sisters.

Zodiac Eleven: Kid, you dare to bully our little brother, huh?

Mr. Qin: …don’t dare, don’t dare!

Mini-theatre-3:

Mr. Qin: Those brothers of yours are hanging around on the mountain all day long, snatching my son away every day to play. Don’t they have a date themselves?

Lu Ying: Oh, they are all deservedly single.

Mr. Qin: (applause)

Everyone: ……