HomeThe Best ThingChapter 3 - Patchouli

Chapter 3 – Patchouli

After dinner, Shen Xifan intended to sleep early, hoping to bury those damned memories under her slumber. However, a supervisor ran over, shouting, “Manager Shen, there’s trouble!”

She immediately jumped up, fully alert. “What’s going on?”

“A guest in Villa 7 of Sector C has complained about Room Service!”

Her temples started throbbing again. “Villa 7, Villa 7, Ling… what’s his name?”

The supervisor nodded.

“Let’s go take a look.”

The winter night was extremely cold, and Shen Xifan wore only ordinary attire. The thin fabric did little to fend off the chill, especially near the water in Sector C where the wind was strong and biting. She shivered, sneezing several times in a row.

Upon arriving at Villa 7, she saw Ling Yufan leaning against the door, with only one button of his shirt done up. He played with his glasses, smiling faintly. Beside him stood a service staff member, hair disheveled, shoulders trembling, tears streaking down their face, and makeup smudged.

Shen Xifan guessed what had happened but had to play dumb in front of this young master. She cautiously asked, “Hello, Mr. Ling, may I ask what you’re unsatisfied with regarding our Room Service?”

Ling Yufan squinted his peach blossom eyes, appraising Shen Xifan slowly. “Your hotel’s Room Service options are quite extensive. I didn’t expect it to include sleeping with guests.”

She felt a surge of anger but maintained a calm tone. “Mr. Ling, perhaps you can clarify. We will rectify any shortcomings.”

He snorted coldly and said, “Can’t you see what’s happened, Manager Shen?” as the wind blew his unbuttoned shirt, revealing his muscular physique.

Shen Xifan patiently explained, “I believe this must be a misunderstanding, Mr. Ling. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please forgive me for not managing my staff properly.”

“Misunderstanding? How can it be a misunderstanding? Heh, Manager Shen, you’re quite the joker. I merely ordered some late-night snacks, and your Room Attendant mistook me for a delicacy. How do you explain that?”

Shen Xifan didn’t believe for a second that the room service staff had thrown themselves at him. Despite her inner conflict, she spoke, “Mr. Ling, we will handle this matter seriously. Tomorrow morning, we will provide you with a satisfactory response. As a gesture of apology, I will personally send you a VIP card. You can also enjoy one round of golf for free and become a member. Please understand that accidents happen due to our negligence!”

Ling Yufan chuckled, a smile that seemed both mocking and disdainful in Shen Xifan’s eyes. Suddenly, he leaned in close to her, his breath ambiguous. “Would Manager Shen be willing to ‘personally’ compensate me?”

Shen Xifan remained unfazed, her expression unchanged. She bowed to him. “If Mr. Ling has no further concerns, I will take my leave. We will inform you of the resolution tomorrow. Goodnight!”

Ling Yufan paused for a moment, put on his glasses, and gave Shen Xifan an amused look. Sensing her unwavering gaze, he felt intrigued. He glanced at the service staff and supervisor, then stepped into the room. Only then did Shen Xifan heave a sigh of relief.

None of them spoke as they left Sector C and walked along the path. Shen Xifan asked, “What exactly happened?”

The young girl sobbed, “Manager, it wasn’t me, I just took the late-night snack in, and then he, he wanted me to… to…”

Shen Xifan raised an eyebrow. “It’s probably not that simple, is it? He made a move, and you fell for it. Then unexpectedly, you got bitten back, didn’t you?”

The young girl remained silent, biting her lip, wanting to argue. “Manager Shen, I…”

Shen Xifan’s expression turned stern. “Do you want to resign voluntarily, or shall we terminate your employment? You decide.”

“Manager Shen!” The girl pleaded tearfully, “Please don’t make me leave, please?”

Shen Xifan rubbed her temples wearily. Her voice sounded weak. “Go settle your salary at the Finance Department tomorrow. I won’t say more. You’ve disappointed me because sometimes, a mistake can be fatal, with no chance for redemption. I won’t mention this incident in your evaluation. It’s better if you resign voluntarily.”

After a pause, she sighed. “Sister Zhang, take her back first. I’ll go check on something else. Don’t let anything else happen.”

She walked along the forest path, her thoughts in disarray. She remembered being dismissed from the student union for a mistake. At that time, she had run to Dai Heng in tears, and Dai Heng had told her that some mistakes don’t have a chance to be corrected, so it’s best never to make them in the first place. She couldn’t understand then. She didn’t understand why, if it wasn’t murder, arson, or robbery, she couldn’t be given another chance. Now, she understood. Dai Heng was right. Fundamental mistakes cannot be forgiven.

Dai Heng, Yan Heng… something stuck in her heart, making her feel stifled. She diverted her thoughts by looking at the moonlight.

Originally, she had planned to go from Sector C to Sector F, then circle back to Sectors A and B. However, she remembered that the man lived in F3, so she stopped at the entrance of Sector F, instructing the supervisor to check and report back to her.

By chance, she glanced at F3 and saw the lights on, a scene she was very familiar with—Dai Heng didn’t like going to the study room or the library. Whenever he studied in the dormitory, he liked to turn on all the lights. He explained it was a habit he had developed over the years. When he was young and his mother wasn’t home, he felt afraid, so he turned on all the lights in the house to feel safe.

At that time, she had felt that Dai Heng was like a light. With him around, she felt safe.

The next day, Shen Xifan felt unwell, experiencing weakness throughout her body. During the morning meeting, Lin Yishen sat next to her and glanced at her from time to time. At the end of the meeting, he asked, “Xiaofan, why is your face so flushed?”

Hearing this, Xu Xiangya also came over to look, touching her forehead and exclaiming, “Oh dear, Xifan, you have a fever!”

Finally, they alarmed Cheng Zong. “Manager Shen, go to the hospital to get checked out. You don’t need to be on duty today.”

She sighed inwardly, feeling unlucky, but she couldn’t afford to neglect it. After returning home, she measured her body temperature. It wasn’t too high, just 37.6 degrees Celsius. Her throat didn’t hurt, and it couldn’t be tonsillitis. She had been a frequent patient since she was young, and the nurses and doctors at the hospital all knew her. Her health had improved a lot as she grew older, but she still caught a cold from time to time.

Obediently, she went to the hospital for a check-up, refraining from mentioning her fever, afraid of being isolated as a suspected SARS patient. She registered at the respiratory department outpatient clinic, luckily finding few people there, and was called in after a while.

She was a little nervous. “Doctor, could it be SARS?”

The chief physician assured her confidently, “Absolutely not. It’s just a chill. Your tonsils aren’t inflamed, and you’re not coughing. You just have a low fever. There’s no need for injections. Just take some cold medicine.”

Hesitantly, she asked, “But will taking medicine be too slow? I’ve been busy with work lately!”

The old doctor kindly suggested, “Traditional Chinese medicine treats colds faster. Why don’t you try seeing a TCM doctor?”

So she went to see a TCM doctor. However, the TCM building was particularly crowded today, with mostly young expectant mothers and elderly people. Shen Xifan could only submit her medical records at the front desk and sit aside, waiting for her turn to be called.

The opposite Chinese medicine shop emitted waves of bitter and astringent smell, mixed with some warmth, which made her, who was already feeling drowsy, even more lethargic. Unconsciously, her body felt heavier. In a daze, she remembered when she was in college and fell ill.

Back then, she was still Dai Heng’s darling. He spoiled her, accommodated her, and worried about her. Whenever she sneezed or coughed, he would fuss over her for a long time. But in the winter of her sophomore year, she caught a bad cold.

She remembered those days when Dai Heng skipped classes to accompany her to the hospital for IV drips. The cold medicine flowing into her veins made her shiver, and Dai Heng held her hand with his own, while she leaned drowsily on his shoulder, half asleep and half awake, silently praying for the medicine to drip slower. She had no appetite, so he cooked vegetable porridge in the dormitory and brought it to her, wrapped in a cotton jacket, feeding her spoonful by spoonful, while he had to settle for cold leftovers from the cafeteria. When he left, he would kiss her, their lips intertwined, not caring at all if the cold virus would infect him.

But later, he didn’t want her anymore. He was with another girl, and she couldn’t hold onto his heart anymore. The day after they broke up, she got caught in the rain all day and ended up in the hospital again. This time, there was no one to accompany her, so she had to pay for the IV drip herself and texted Dai Heng, “I’m sick, can you come to see me?” His reply was only, “Shen Xifan, we have nothing to do with each other now. Why are you still clinging to me?” Tears fell from her eyes onto the IV drip, and she silently repeated to herself, “Yes, I’m all alone now. I have to live well even if I’m alone. But why do I still miss the warmth of being with you when I was sick?”

Shen Xifan felt numb all over, only hearing someone calling her name by her ear. She abruptly opened her eyes, noticing that the corners of her eyes were slightly moist. She turned her head and was startled. “…Doctor He…”

He was somewhat surprised, then gently asked, “The nurse called your name several times, but there was no response. It’s already noon, and there’s no one else here. I just came out and found you here. Are you sick?”

She exaggeratedly sniffled, “I have a fever!”

He Su Ye smiled, “You’re crying because you have a fever? Come in, let me take a look at you.”

Shen Xifan stared at the doctor in a daze, stood up, and followed him. His broad shoulders made her feel very reliable.

“It’s just a simple fever,” He Su Ye reassured her. “It’s not atypical pneumonia. You can relax now. No more crying, okay?”

She felt guilty, “I’m sorry to trouble you, Dr. He.”

“It’s okay, it’s just an external fever. Two doses of Chinese medicine will do the trick.”

Shen Xifan muttered to herself, “External fever? Ephedra and Cinnamon Twig Decoction?”

He Su Ye burst out laughing, “You can’t take that. That medicine is too strong. With your weak body, you definitely can’t handle the sweating it induces.” He paused, “How do you know about this prescription?”

She felt a bit embarrassed. “Back when I was in school, I translated some materials on traditional Chinese medicine. It took me a lot of searching through books to find them, so it left quite an impression on me.”

He Su Ye took out a pen and began to write the prescription, reciting as he wrote, “Honeysuckle, forsythia, fermented black beans, dandelion, bupleurum, astragalus, saposhnikovia, poria, patchouli, Spinelli, ginger, red dates. That should do.”

She pointed to “patchouli” and said, “I particularly like this name!”

He Su Ye nodded. “Patchouli—aromatic, resolves turbidity, promotes appetite, dispels summer heat. It’s used for fever with chills, initial dampness and heat, and chest stuffiness.” Then he added, “Actually, patchouli is also an ornamental plant.”

She didn’t know how to respond, so she just nodded, taking the prescription and preparing to leave.

He Su Ye called out to her, “You’re still running a fever. How about this, you go pay first, and I’ll go prepare the medicine for you. You don’t have to come back this afternoon to pick it up. Can you wait half an hour?”

Shen Xifan was stunned. This doctor was so kind. She mechanically thanked him, “Thank you so much, Dr. He!”

Sure enough, after more than half an hour, He Su Ye came out with a package of medicine. She touched it and found it still warm. The doctor instructed her, “Three times a day, for two consecutive days. Don’t forget again!”

Shen Xifan frowned. “Dr. He, I’m going to be overwhelmed by Chinese medicine!”

He gave her a look like, “Why is this patient so obtuse?” “If you take this one, you can skip the other one. But if you feel it’s not enough, two prescriptions won’t conflict!”

Feeling embarrassed, Shen Xifan smiled awkwardly. She thought to herself that apart from sometimes being brusque, this doctor was pretty good.

Back at home, she immediately took out the medicine, which was still warm. Pouring it into a bowl, she smelled a slight spicy fragrance, unprepared for its bitterness compared to the last one. Despite the unpleasant taste, she forced herself to drink it all in one go, enduring the nausea. After rinsing her mouth several times with water, she finally recovered, sensing a lingering spiciness between her lips and teeth, likely from the patchouli and ginger, yet rich and mellow.

Recalling the saying, “Good medicine tastes bitter,” she acknowledged its effectiveness as sweat soon started beading on her forehead, relieving her fever. Crawling into bed and covering herself with thick blankets, she fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, she touched her forehead and found the temperature normal, feeling relieved by the efficacy of Chinese medicine. With a muttered acknowledgment, “Chinese medicine works,” she turned over and went back to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt refreshed. However, her pajamas were soaked in sweat, so she went to take a shower. Halfway through, her phone rang loudly. She ignored it, but it kept ringing.

After getting dressed and coming out, she saw that it was Xu Xiangya calling. She smiled and didn’t bother to answer. She took out some juice and eggs from the fridge, toasted some bread, and set them on the table. Enjoying the warm sunlight, she began to eat breakfast.

Her phone rang again. She reluctantly answered, and Xu Xiangya’s voice came through, full of complaints. “Xifan, what does Yan Heng want to eat? I’ve asked everyone, but no one has any ideas, so I had to come to you.”

She was taken aback, and the bread she was holding fell. Xu Xiangya was still complaining, “Should I just buy some dog food? The waiter said he frowned when he saw breakfast this morning and only took a few bites.”

Shen Xifan knew Yan Heng was extremely picky. She asked, “What did you prepare for breakfast?”

“Fried eggs, whole wheat bread, milk, ham, and jam.”

She sighed. “The eggs should be 80% cooked, leaving the yolk runny. Replace the whole wheat bread with milk toast. He only eats white cherry rose jam. The milk should be warm, preferably Mengniu or Yili. Replace the ham with mashed potatoes.”

Xu Xiangya sighed, “He’s so damn picky!” Then she was curious, “Xifan, how do you know all this? It’s not in the information.”

Feeling awkward, Shen Xifan evaded, “I just found out yesterday. I’ll remind you during work.”

Xu Xiangya sighed again. “You better come early. This old man is waiting for you to arrange his meals!” Then she hurried away with her notebook, muttering, “Hurry, I’m going!”

Shen Xifan chuckled. How could she be so skilled? After being with Yan Heng for three years, she naturally knew his taste. He was fond of eating but extremely picky. She had once made soup and washed her hands for him. How could she not know his likes and dislikes?

There was a bitter and spicy taste in her mouth, probably from the patchouli. She drank a lot of water but still felt spicy and bitter.

At noon, Yan Heng went to dine and found that the hotel’s meals were to his liking. He praised Xu Xiangya, who felt embarrassed and explained, “Mr. Yan, thanks to Manager Shen of the Guest Services Department. You should thank her!”

Yan Heng paused with his chopsticks in hand. Indeed, besides his mother, who else understood his tastes so well? He was extremely picky with food, yet Shen Xifan patiently cooked for him. Even if he didn’t like it, she never complained. She always said her cooking skills weren’t good enough. But why did he only realize how good she was long after she had left him?

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