Chapter 82: The Shortest Vacation in History

“You enjoy strolling in parks?” Meng Qiaoyuan asked.

Shen Mushi smiled and admitted, “Yes, parks have animals, plants, old folks and children, fresh air, and flowing rivers. They’re the best places for a stable atmosphere and self-cultivation.”

Meng Qiaoyuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Dr. Shen, what an insightful view. I’m impressed.”

Shen Mushi glanced at her. “I didn’t expect you to joke.”

Meng Qiaoyuan replied, “Of course, I’m not dead, am I? Why wouldn’t I joke?”

Shen Mushi nodded. “That’s good. Hey, did you know? On the other side of the rockery, there’s a matchmaking corner. Every weekend, lots of aunties and uncles gather there to find partners for their children. It’s bustling with voices, lively as can be.”

Meng Qiaoyuan raised an eyebrow. “So, Dr. Shen, after a breakup, are you considering matchmaking?”

Shen Mushi looked at Zhou Jiayan, speechless. “I’ve realized my own shallowness. Dr. Meng, please be merciful and spare me.”

Meng Qiaoyuan made no comment and strode toward the matchmaking corner.

She had only seen the sea of personal ads online, never in real life, and was quite curious.

The new year had just passed, and most families hadn’t had time to venture out. The matchmaking corner was less lively than usual, with only a few groups chatting over the ads, nothing like the crowded scenes on television.

Shen Mushi followed behind Meng Qiaoyuan.

“Is Dr. Meng hoping to find a suitable young man?”

Meng Qiaoyuan glanced at him without answering. Young talents—she had a living definition right beside her. When it came to that term, who could surpass Shen Mushi?

Descended from a prominent family, he forsook politics for medicine, became the youngest neurosurgery professor at the medical school, authored countless acclaimed papers, and saved lives with his surgical skills.

A true child of destiny, indeed.

Shen Mushi, unaware of Meng Qiaoyuan’s thoughts, shivered under her gaze and feigned reading the words on the matchmaking ads.

“Male, thirty-two, freelancer, family owns two supermarkets, no house or car, lives with parents, marital home can be purchased anytime. Seeking a virtuous partner to struggle and start a business together. Requirements: height above 165 cm, weight below 100 pounds, intact original family, decent appearance, kind and generous, preferably working in a public institution.”

Shen Mushi’s voice abruptly stopped and he couldn’t help but remark, “Is he looking for a wife or a slave? Any girl marrying him must be blind.”

Meng Qiaoyuan replied with a blank expression, “That’s the only downside of modern women’s independence.”

Shen Mushi shook his head. “I don’t get it, elaborate.”

Meng Qiaoyuan shrugged. “A woman’s social value in the workplace becomes one of the objects of exploitation in marriage. This guy obviously wants someone who brings a dowry, lets him use her unconditionally, supports his family, cares for his parents, and suffers alongside him as he starts a business. He’s calculated every aspect of her life, all under the guise of marriage, falsely claiming ‘at least I give you a home.’”

Shen Mushi said, “But nobody’s a fool. No one would marry someone like that, let alone the kind of woman he wants.”

Meng Qiaoyuan continued, “That’s why it’s the only downside. Precisely because women have their own voice in society, they won’t fall into such a trap.”

Shen Mushi clapped his hands, applauding her brilliant statement. “An insightful perspective! Dr. Meng, are you being forced to go on blind dates by your family? Is this opinion heartfelt?”

Meng Qiaoyuan folded her arms and continued browsing the long line of matchmaking ads, slowly replying, “I haven’t gone on any blind dates. Before the New Year, a college friend messaged me. She went on a date with a match in her hometown, passed by the matchmaking corner, browsed for a bit, and the two who had been getting along split up.”

“Why?” Shen Mushi asked.

Meng Qiaoyuan sneered, “My friend’s parents are divorced, she has tattoos, smokes, and can drink. She’s straightforward and fiery. But these are exactly the qualities men at the matchmaking corner would immediately eliminate when choosing a partner. The man was an engineer at a foreign firm, with a promising future, a stable family, both parents with generous pensions, and stood six foot three. Not only did he avoid all the traits women at the matchmaking corner would weed out, he even had bonus points.”

Shen Mushi understood. “So the man thought he had a bright future and could find someone better, and your friend didn’t fit the image of a ‘good wife,’ right?”

Meng Qiaoyuan nodded. “My friend is a great woman—righteous, dependable, methodical, logical in speech, adept at navigating hospital relationships, and excellent at her job. She was never the docile wife and mother type. But it’s for the best; she discovered who he was early and cut her losses in time.”

Shen Mushi said, “Men’s inherent flaw is greed. They want everyone to orbit around them, are self-satisfied, and never realize their own issues.”

Meng Qiaoyuan looked back at him. “You’re a man yourself. Are you trying to be a traitor?”

Shen Mushi smiled. “After being scolded by you, I should have gained some wisdom.”

Meng Qiaoyuan turned away in satisfaction, raising her head to continue reading the matchmaking ads.

Suddenly! A child’s scream pierced their lively conversation, followed by a heavy thud, as if something had crashed to the ground.

Immediately, a parent’s voice rang out, “Oh my god! My child! How is there so much blood? Somebody! Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!”

Meng Qiaoyuan and Shen Mushi exchanged a glance and sprinted toward the source of the sound.

It was by the rockery.

They pushed through the crowd and saw two boys, about eight or nine years old, lying on the ground. One was clutching his leg, crying and rolling, while the other was unconscious, blood streaming from his head.

They hurried forward and addressed the panicked mother nearby, “We’re doctors—I’m a neurosurgeon at the affiliated hospital. Please don’t panic, let me take a look, alright?”

Shen Mushi turned to Meng Qiaoyuan. “Can you handle trauma?”

Meng Qiaoyuan crouched beside him, anxious. “Basic training, hurry, don’t waste time.”

Shen Mushi nodded. “Call the hospital. It’s closest to here. The ambulance should arrive quickly. Who’s on emergency duty today?”

Meng Qiaoyuan thought for a moment. “Old Liu, he’s on shift today.”

Shen Mushi nodded. “Call him and have him prepare equipment and beds, arrange for a CT scan.”

Meng Qiaoyuan stood up, took out her phone, and dialed the emergency department director’s number.

Shen Mushi crouched next to the unconscious boy, checked his pupils with his phone’s flashlight, and gently lifted the child’s head to inspect the wound.

Meng Qiaoyuan connected the call, spoke a few words, then placed the phone at Shen Mushi’s ear and said, “Old Liu wants details about the situation to know what to prepare.”

Shen Mushi spoke loudly into the phone, “One child with a fractured lower leg, one with a head injury, large wound area, heavy bleeding, have the blood bank ready, the child is unconscious on the scene, cannot rule out intracranial bleeding. Get the CT ready—once we have the scan, go straight to surgery!”

“Got it, understood.”

The line disconnected, and the team began preparing emergency supplies.