A Forum for Patients of Fourth Hospital
Chapter 4: All the patients are brave

“…”

The hospital room was enveloped in an eerie silence, and Zhou Xiao Zhen couldn’t hold back her tears as she covered her mouth.

“Why are you crying?” scolded Yu Xiao, before turning towards the door and saying, “Thank you, but no thank you.”

There was a moment of silence outside, followed by a voice that said, “Are you sure? I have a variety of delectable dishes here: braised liar’s tongue, boneless children’s feet, cold mixed shredded widow…”

With each dish mentioned, the faces of the three individuals in the hospital room turned pale, and Zhao Lan couldn’t bear it any longer as she exclaimed, “No, no, please leave immediately!”

“What a pity, so much mouthwatering food,” the voice outside lamented while loudly salivating, “Hehe~ The only ones not eating here is the food.”

“…”

The sound of a cart being pushed outside resumed, causing Yu Xiao and the other two to exchange glances.

Zhou Xiao Zhen, who was timid, observed the serious expressions on her two fellow hospital sisters’ faces and cautiously inquired, “What did those words mean?”

Yu Xiao turned her gaze towards Zhou Xiao Zhen and gently reached out to touch her head, which was full with prickly little hairs. Affectionately, she remarked, “You’re still in high school, aren’t you? Your reading comprehension needs improvement.”

Zhou Xiao Zhen pouted and felt the urge to cry again, but Zhao Lan intervened by pushing away Yu Xiao’s hand and admonishing, “What are you doing? Don’t tease Precious.”

‘Zhao Lan is always the best!’ Zhou Xiao Zhen gazed at Zhao Lan in awe as she gently explained, “It means that those who do not eat will be eaten by ghosts.”

“…”

“Waaah~…”

“Shh.” Yu Xiao pressed a finger against her lips, signalling for both of them to stay silent. “Here they come again.”

The sound of the cart being pushed outside grew louder and louder. Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face was soaked with tears as she glanced at Zhao Lan.

Zhao Lan suddenly felt a sense of responsibility as the eldest sister. She reached out and comforted the younger girl, saying, “Don’t be afraid. At least now we know how to differentiate between a person and a ghost outside.”

After speaking, she leaned against the door, straining to listen to the sounds outside.

The noise of the cart quickly faded away, and a rather pleasant male voice spoke softly, “Would you like to buy some food?”

Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face brightened. “The voice sounds so nice. It must be a human, right?”

Zhao Lan motioned for her to be quiet, then inquired of the person at the door, “What dishes do you have?”

The voice responded, “We have steamed eggs, shredded potatoes, braised chicken, stir-fried cabbage, and egg drop soup with seaweed…”

“All of these dishes are for humans!” Zhou Xiao Zhen exclaimed excitedly. “We should definitely order something!”

Zhao Lan furrowed her eyebrows briefly, but then relaxed. There was nothing suspicious about the delivery person this time.

“Alright,” the person outside responded. “What dishes would you like?”

“I’m actually quite hungry. I think I’ll order the braised chicken,” Zhou Xiao Zhen suggested, seeking their opinions. “I’m craving some meat.”

Zhao Lan leaned against the door, a smile appearing on her pale face. “I don’t have much of an appetite, so I’ll just have the steamed eggs. Smiley, what would you like to eat?”

Yu Xiao coughed softly, feeling exhausted and lacking appetite. She simply wanted something to go with rice. She inquired, “What flavour is the shredded potato?”

There was a brief silence outside, before a voice replied, “It’s salty.”

Although Yu Xiao initially wanted to order spicy and sour shredded potato, she also enjoyed the regular version. Hence, she decided, “In that case, I’ll have an order of shredded potato.”

The three of them placed their orders, and the sound of food being packed into containers could be heard from outside. Shortly after, a gentle knock on the door followed. “Alright, open the door to receive your food.”

Zhao Lan took a step back, and Zhou Xiao Zhen unlocked the door. Just as she was about to open it, there was a click. Yu Xiao grabbed Zhou Xiao Zhen’s hand and locked the door with her other hand..

Zhou Xiao Zhen: “?”

Yu Xiao asked from outside, “Are you Lil’ Chen (陈: “to lay out” or “to display”), right? Usually, you and your mother deliver the food together. Why are you alone today?”

“My mother is sick,” the same low but pleasant voice said. “So I came by myself.”

After a moment of silence, Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, “Is the tanned Uncle who sells food every day called Lil’ Chen?”

Yu Xiao appeared frightened and responded, “I don’t know.”

“Oh dear, we’ve been discovered!” The voice from outside suddenly grew louder. “Open the door!”

The door was forcefully struck, producing a jarring noise.

“Ah!!” Zhou Xiao Zhen trembled, and Yu Xiao promptly rescued the door.

“I nearly let him in just now. I almost killed you all…” Zhou Xiao Zhen’s complexion turned pale.

Bang! The door continued to be pounded.

Just when Yu Xiao was feeling lost, Zhou Xiao Zhen suddenly stood up straight and slapped the door with her palm, creating a loud bang.

With shocked expressions, Yu Xiao and Zhao Lan watched as she yelled, “Why are you making noise? You dead thing! If you dare to hit the door again, I’ll fight you! I haven’t taken a shit in five days, you dare to mess with me, I’ll make you eat a shit biscuit… “

Ever since entering this dreadful game, Zhou Xiao Zhen had been living in constant fear. Now, she let out a stream of insults, finally finding some relief. After finishing her outburst, she listened for any sounds outside and realised it had gone quiet. Whatever had been hitting the door seemed to have vanished.

“Phew, finally gone,” Zhou Xiao Zhen exclaimed in relief as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She then turned to see Zhao Lan and Yu Xiao, but noticed their peculiar expressions. “Misty, I… huh? Why are you both giving me that look?”

“…”

Zhao Lan remained silent, leaving Zhou Xiao Zhen puzzled.

“Very good,” Yu Xiao praised, giving Zhou Xiao Zhen a pat on the shoulder. “Keep up this momentum.”

Blushing, Zhou Xiao Zhen shyly admitted, “Actually, I’m not usually like this.”

“We know,” Zhao Lan smiled at her and then pressed her ear against the door. She turned to Yu Xiao and said, “It was really dangerous just now. Thankfully, you were alert. What should we do now? Even ghosts can pretend to be regular food delivery guys.”

“I’m considering,” Yu Xiao furrowed her brow.

Her biggest concern at the moment was the difficulty of distinguishing between the real food delivery guys and the imposters. She was also worried about how frequently the food deliveries would occur. If they missed the genuine delivery person, they would go hungry. Based on their speculation, if the patients didn’t eat, they would become food for the ghosts.

There was no time for deep contemplation, as the sound of a cart could be heard outside.

“Do you want to buy food?”

Yu Xiao decided to alter her strategy and responded, “Yes, we would like to buy some food, but we are unsure of the best options here. By the way, what is your favourite dish? Could you recommend something to us?”

“Ah…” it seemed as though the person outside was thinking or reminiscing. “Without a doubt, it would be the barbecue cheater’s heart.”

Yu Xiao shut her eyes and replied with a cold tone, “Move along, next one!”

…

“Wanna buy food?”

“Buy.”

Yu Xiao asked, “Recommend me your favourite dish.”

“Sour and spicy fish.”

Hmm? The three of them exchanged glances, puzzled. Zhou Xiao Zhen whispered, “Could this person be the real delivery guy?”

“Perhaps,” Zhao Lan said. “Let’s give it another try.”

Zhou Xiao Zhen cleared her throat and said, “Are you Lil’ Chen? You used to come with your mom to deliver food, but today you’re alone?”

The person outside seemed to be in a bad mood. “I’m not named Chen. My mom passed away years ago. I’ve been delivering food by myself for many years!”

The three of them were delighted to hear this response. Zhao Lan asked, “So, what dishes do you have?”

“I have radish soup, shredded potatoes, steamed eggs, and celery and pork stir-fry…”

“The dishes appear to be normal,” Zhao Lan carefully considered and found no issues. “I do recall that the delivery uncle who comes every day has a bad temper.”

“Are you sure?” Zhou Xiao Zhen placed her hand on the doorknob. “Alright, let’s place the order then.”

At this point, they didn’t really care about what to eat. They were not picky anymore.

Just as they were about to order, Yu Xiao suddenly remarked, “The cafeteria food tastes really good. By the way, what other ingredients do they use besides salt, soy sauce, human brains, and MSG?”

“Huh?” The person outside seemed incredibly perplexed. “Just adding human brains is enough to make it delicious. Do I need to add anything else?”

“…”

Zhou Xiao Zhen, feeling exhausted, suggested, “Should we just have potato chips for dinner tonight?”

An impatient voice from outside interrupted, “Are you buying or not?”

“Get lost!!”

Yu Xiao, physically and emotionally drained, leaned against the door, her ears ringing. She weakly admitted, “I can’t handle this anymore. It feels like my intermittent hearing loss is flaring up again.”

“Oh no! What should we do?” Zhou Xiao Zhen looked at her with concern.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine after getting some sleep.”

“No, that’s not the issue,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, almost in tears. “If you can’t hear, how will we be able to tell if it’s a person or a ghost outside? We’re stupid. Without you, what can we do?”

Veins throbbed on Zhao Lan’s forehead as she held back her emotions for a moment. Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, she placed her palm on Zhou Xiao Zhen’s head and gently stroked it. “Your little head is so beautiful and you speak so well.”

“What?” Yu Xiao looked at the two of them in confusion, unable to hear their conversation. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s over! She can’t hear us,” Zhou Xiao Zhen suddenly felt hopeless about life. Then, she turned to Zhao Lan and said with determination, “Misty, if the ghost comes in, let me be the first to die. As a ghost, I will protect all of you.”

Faced with this serious request, Zhao Lan didn’t know how to respond. Fortunately, the sound of a cart outside the door saved her.

Yu Xiao regretted accepting the nickname ‘Deaf Descendant’. She didn’t expect that she really wouldn’t be able to hear at this critical moment. The two in front of her were moving their mouths, but her world remained silent.

“Do you want to buy some food?” a seemingly ordinary male voice asked.

Zhou Xiao Zhen looked at Yu Xiao seeking reassurance before responding, “The food in the cafeteria is really good. By the way, besides salt, soy sauce, MSG, and human brains, what other seasonings does your cafeteria use?”

There was silence outside the door.

Zhao Lan let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was just another ghost.

However, the person outside the door grew angry. “Are you nuts? Who eats human brains? I don’t have time to waste with you…”

With that, the sound of the cart slowly faded away from their ward.

Zhao Lan’s mind exploded. She impulsively slapped the door and yelled, “Wait! We were just joking. Please come back! If you don’t, we’ll starve!”

Yu Xiao, standing beside them, grew concerned. She observed the sudden outburst from both of them, banging on the door and shouting at something outside. She recalled Zhou Xiao Zhen’s earlier display of shooting outside and felt reassured. Despite their lack of survival skills in their ward, their mouth’s offensive power was formidable.

As they continued to curse vehemently at the door, it looked like they were determined to forcefully open the door and confront the person on the other side.