People came and went in the emergency room. Despite Luan Nian’s efforts to maintain his dignity, his body remained slightly bent, brows tightly furrowed, truly in severe pain.

“Sit here and don’t move. I’ll go register,” Shang Zhitao instructed before running to the registration counter. The hospital was crowded, with a line for registration. Afraid that Luan Nian might have an emergency or grow anxious, she kept messaging him: ten people left, five people left, it’s my turn now. After registering, she ran back to the waiting area to find him. Luan Nian was rarely vulnerable; Shang Zhitao had always thought he was invincible. She led him to the consultation area to wait. He was exhausted, resting his head on Shang Zhitao’s shoulder, breathing somewhat rapidly.

Shang Zhitao’s heart softened again and again. She reached out to gently pat the back of his hand, saying softly, “It’s okay, I’m here.”

After a while, she added, “I think we should call Dr. Liang.”

Luan Nian responded with a sound of agreement, keeping his eyes closed. But he didn’t call Dr. Liang. When Shang Zhitao asked again, he simply said Dr. Liang was busy. Luan Nian didn’t want to call Dr. Liang; she would make a fuss, find someone she knew to treat him, and create unnecessary alarm. Luan Nian disliked that.

He rarely depended on anyone, and it seemed no one had ever depended on him either. He disliked hospitals, places filled with partings and deaths. In childhood, visiting Dr. Liang, he had witnessed family members embracing her, weeping bitterly.

The last time he came to a hospital was several years ago, bringing Shang Zhitao when she had a high fever and cough.

Shang Zhitao’s hand was warm, patting him just twice before withdrawing, very polite, not overstepping boundaries.

Consultation, blood tests, X-rays—the process dragged into the late night. Finally diagnosed with kidney stones, 0.5 centimeters. The doctor prescribed pain injections and stone-expelling medication, along with medical advice.

While receiving an IV, Luan Nian felt somewhat better. He noticed that even Shang Zhitao’s clean, fresh skin had developed an oily sheen, yet she kept asking him:

“Feeling better?”

“Would you like some water?”

“The doctor said to stand on tiptoes or climb stairs. Remember that.”

After a moment, she continued, “The doctor also said to reduce carbonated drinks in the future. Do you still have cola and soda water in your refrigerator? If so, remember to throw them out.”

“Are you hungry?”

Luan Nian was sick, and she was extremely worried. It was just kidney stones, but in her mind, it was a stubborn, severe illness. She feared his discomfort and suffering.

She kept talking, with Luan Nian occasionally responding. Shang Zhitao’s nagging reminded him greatly of Dr. Liang. He felt a warmth in his heart and comforted her: “It’s just kidney stones, not fatal.”

“But it causes suffering.”

A while later, Shang Zhitao was too tired. Luan Nian patted his leg, and she lay across the long bench, her head resting on his thigh, and fell asleep. Luan Nian’s fingertips touched her earlobe, gently pinching it as he had done before. This was an intimate gesture between them, and although they had ended that relationship long ago, today Shang Zhitao didn’t resist. She slept soundly with her head on him, though occasionally frowning. Luan Nian lowered his head to look at her, smoothing out her worried brows from time to time.

The IV finished by dawn, when the early spring daylight first appeared. Rare red clouds burned across half the sky, causing both of them in the car to marvel slightly. After their amazement, Luan Nian closed his eyes: “I’m placing my life in your hands.” He remembered Shang Zhitao’s terrible driving skills.

Shang Zhitao protested, “Then we can say we’ve been through life and death together.” Her driving had become very steady, steady enough that Luan Nian fell asleep in the passenger seat. Shang Zhitao drove him home, and at the entrance to his community, she saw the security guard.

Five years had passed, and the young man had married and settled down. Last year, the last time Shang Zhitao left Luan Nian’s home at noon, he had greeted her.

Today, seeing Shang Zhitao driving back, he didn’t seem surprised, but smiled as always: “Miss Shang. Long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

“If you need help getting a taxi, just call the security office.”

“Alright, though I can also use a ride-hailing app,” Shang Zhitao told him. She suddenly felt that time had passed too quickly—from the night she delivered documents to Luan Nian and the guard helped her hail a cab, to now when ride-hailing apps had become common. Although they deliberately ignored it, time flew by, never waiting for anyone.

Luan Nian’s home remained the same, cold and empty, without much human presence. Fortunately, the early spring sunlight was good enough to give the house a lively, sun-drenched warmth. She let Luan Nian lie on the couch and asked softly, “Luke, where’s the auntie?”

“The auntie doesn’t come today.”

Luan Nian still disliked having people in his home; he still wasn’t used to it. The person who had visited his home the most was Shang Zhitao. The housekeeper came three times a week when he wasn’t home, cleaning the rooms before leaving. Luan Nian couldn’t even remember what she looked like. Only when paying her salary would she stay a bit longer to wait for him.

“Do you have any friends you can contact?”

Luan Nian didn’t answer. Shang Zhitao wondered if he had cut ties with all his friends.

But with him so ill, Shang Zhitao couldn’t leave him alone at home. The doctor said it would take one or two, maybe three or four days for the stone to pass, and he needed care until then.

“Then should I… take the day off?” Shang Zhitao asked him, since he was her boss after all.

“Submit it online.”

I’m taking care of you, and still need to submit it online? Shang Zhitao widened her eyes, cursing him silently.

“Then what should I put as my reason? Taking care of my sick boss?” Shang Zhitao asked defiantly.

The corners of Luan Nian’s mouth twitched upward, but he didn’t speak.

Shang Zhitao didn’t bother submitting anything. She told Grace, “Sister Grace, I have an emergency today and can’t come to the office.”

Grace was an early riser and replied quickly, “Don’t worry, I’ll contact you if anything comes up.”

Shang Zhitao put away her phone and said to Luan Nian, “You sleep for a while, I’ll make some porridge.” Seeing Luan Nian’s reluctance, she added, “I’m decent at making porridge.” During the New Year’s visit home, Da Zhai was worried she might starve in the future and insisted on teaching her to make porridge, which Shang Zhitao learned.

Da Zhai’s porridge was truly exceptional. Shang Zhitao used Da Zhai’s method to make porridge for Luan Nian, cooking over low heat, not rushing. In Da Zhai’s words: “It’s like living life, can’t rush it. Good porridge is simmered patiently; cooking porridge on high heat easily burns the pot.”

“Isn’t that because there’s too little water?” Shang Zhitao had argued, earning herself two slaps from Da Zhai.

As the pot began bubbling and steaming, Shang Zhitao suddenly recalled that year when she was sick and Luan Nian took care of her. Luan Nian had cared for her much better than she was caring for him now—at least he had prepared four dishes and a soup, while she only knew how to make porridge.

The porridge was ready, but Luan Nian was still sleeping. Shang Zhitao took the eggs from the egg cooker, peeled them, but thought the meal seemed bland. She wasn’t good at stir-frying, but then she suddenly remembered buying preserved vegetables once. She opened the refrigerator’s fresh-keeping compartment and found those two bags of preserved vegetables perfectly intact, still there. Shang Zhitao paused, then took out the preserved vegetables.

Then she went to call Luan Nian for the meal.

Luan Nian took a sip of the porridge, a thick porridge with an indescribable sweetness. Shang Zhitao had learned to make porridge. So now she wouldn’t starve herself. Luan Nian’s expectations for Shang Zhitao’s cooking were so low that it disturbed even himself. After eating her cooking once, he had vowed never to eat it again unless starving to death.

Now, fortunately, he hadn’t starved to death, but a 0.5-centimeter little stone had brought him to his knees. After eating, he went upstairs, endured the pain to shower, then went to bed to catch up on sleep.

Kidney stones truly torment people—not a serious illness, yet the pain feels life-threatening. The stone-expelling medicine tasted awful, making him vomit twice, which put him in a terrible mood.

Shang Zhitao heard him struggling in the bedroom and stood at the door asking twice, “Luke, do you need help?”

“Such as?” Luan Nian was rinsing his mouth, which was filled with the taste of vomit, making him feel nauseated.

“Such as…” Shang Zhitao tried twice to think of how else she could help, but couldn’t come up with anything, so she bluntly imitated his way of speaking: “Such as collecting your corpse if you really can’t make it.” After saying this, she closed the guest room door, not caring if it angered Luan Nian.

Luan Nian had replaced the guest room bedding with new, more comfortable ones than before. Shang Zhitao turned the quilt over and over, thinking that if someone else had slept in it, she would sleep on the living room couch. But the bedding was clean, showing no signs of use. She then opened the wardrobe, which was empty.

Shang Zhitao lay down on the bed and fell asleep in an instant. She was truly exhausted, having worked overtime for two days, then spending nearly the entire night awake. Now she slept deeply, unable to hear any noise.

When she opened her eyes, it was already evening. She scrambled out of bed, remembering that Luke was still at home, not having been walked from morning till night. Sun Yuanzhu was in the northwest, and Sun Yu had gone to Guangzhou for inspection. She felt a bit remorseful, hastily putting on her clothes and opening the door, seeing that Luan Nian’s bedroom door was open but he wasn’t there.

Shang Zhitao went downstairs and heard Luan Nian sitting in the living room, talking on the phone:

“Yes, I’ve walked, run, and stood on tiptoes.”

“It hasn’t come out yet. The doctor who took the X-ray last night said it’s already very low, it should come out in a few days.”

“You don’t need to worry, someone is taking care of me.”

“Who’s taking care of me?” Luan Nian paused for two seconds at this point: “My girlfriend.”

“I don’t need to tell you that I’m dating, do I? How old am I? Can’t I date? Anyway, don’t let Uncle Fang arrange an examination for me. Once this stone passes, I’ll be fine, no problem at all.”

“I’m not in a bad mood.” Luan Nian’s tone softened: “I’m just eager to get back to standing on tiptoes.”

Hearing this, Shang Zhitao couldn’t help covering her mouth and laughing. Luan Nian’s habit of being stubborn would never change; he spoke to Dr. Liang this way too, mixing truth and lies. Luan Nian heard the laughter and turned around, the call still not ended. Dr. Liang asked from the other end, “Is someone at your place?”

“Didn’t I just say so?”

“Can I speak to her?”

“No.” Luan Nian refused.

Dr. Liang was very insistent this time: “I think there’s nothing wrong with me asking your girlfriend about your condition, unless you’re hiding something from me.”

Luan Nian didn’t want to hear her nagging and tossed the phone to Shang Zhitao. Seeing her bewildered face, he said, “Dr. Liang wants to know about my condition. She thinks I have an incurable disease and am afraid to let her friend examine me because I don’t want her to know.”

“Oh, I see.”

Shang Zhitao took a deep breath and answered the phone: “Hello.”

Dr. Liang was silent for a few seconds. During these seconds, she frantically waved at Luan’s father to come to the phone, putting it on speaker.

“Hello, young lady. What should I call you?”

“Dr. Liang, you can call me… Flora.” Shang Zhitao paused, using this name, noticing Luan Nian’s glance but maintaining her composure.

“I want to ask about Luan Nian’s condition. Is it just kidney stones?”

“Yes, I’ll send you the X-rays later. The doctor also mentioned precautions, which Luke just told you about. In a couple of days, after the stone passes, we’ll take another X-ray to check.”

Shang Zhitao reassured Dr. Liang: “Please don’t worry, fortunately it’s not a serious illness.”

Hearing this, Dr. Liang looked at Luan’s father and suddenly asked, “Flora, what’s your surname?”

In Hong Kong, Luan Siyuan had asked Luan Nian the name of the girl he was going to meet, and Luan Nian had said: Shang Zhitao. Luan Siyuan’s loose lips had immediately told the family group chat: My brother likes a girl named Shang Zhitao. Dr. Liang was familiar with the name Shang Zhitao; she had chatted with a girl named Shang Zhitao on a dating app for a long time, even discussing parents’ occupations and plans for children.

Shang Zhitao knew none of this. She was pondering how to avoid the question when Luan Nian grabbed the phone: “Alright. Now you know I won’t die. That’s it, goodbye.”

After hanging up, Shang Zhitao asked him, “Girlfriend?”

“I lied to her; otherwise, she’d have a doctor friend take care of me. That doctor friend has a daughter of marriageable age.”

“Oh. I should go home now. I consulted a medically knowledgeable friend, and apart from pain and vomiting, there shouldn’t be any danger. Call me if you need anything.”

Shang Zhitao took out her phone to call a car, but heard Luan Nian make a slight groaning sound. She put down her phone and saw him leaning on the couch, brows tightly knit, appearing to be in great pain.

“Does it hurt badly?” she asked him.

“It’s nothing. You can go.” Luan Nian said this but groaned again.

Shang Zhitao thought for a moment, put her phone back in her pocket, and extended her hand to him: “Can I borrow your car keys? I’ll drive back to walk Luke, then come back.”

Luan Nian pointed to the door: “Take them yourself. Bring Luke with you, it’ll be convenient to walk him tomorrow morning.”

Shang Zhitao agreed, took the keys, and then took the elevator to the garage. As the elevator doors closed, she saw the corners of Luan Nian’s mouth lift slightly, then quickly return to normal. She thought she might have been mistaken, or perhaps he was grimacing in pain.

Luke hadn’t been here for a very, very long time, but how could a dog’s memory be so good? Shang Zhitao let him out of the underground garage, and he darted out, running to the elevator, barking at Shang Zhitao.

“What’s the rush!” Shang Zhitao scolded him, taking him into the elevator. Then on the first floor, she watched as Luke rushed toward the living room, jumping onto Luan Nian, who was lying on the couch.

Shang Zhitao was stunned, shouting from behind: “Get down! He has a stone inside him!”

Luke didn’t listen; he was frantic, pawing at Luan Nian, desperately needing a hug from him. Luan Nian looked at this silly dog, thinking it wasn’t for nothing that he had fed it meat and taken it to play. He sat up and embraced it.

Luke whimpered, as if suffering a great grievance, making whining sounds in Luan Nian’s arms.

For some inexplicable reason, Shang Zhitao’s eyes suddenly reddened.

So did Luan Nian’s.

Dogs are simpler than humans; they never hide their longing for someone. Longing is just longing, and if they miss you, they must tell you, must be held by you. Like Luke, who truly missed Luan Nian, nestling in his arms, front paws on his shoulders, head resting on his shoulder, occasionally licking him with his tongue.

Luan Nian comforted him for a long time before he finally obediently went to the floor. The reunion over, Luke looked up at Luan Nian and barked.

Luan Nian, of course, knew what he meant, and told him: “Wait a moment.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Luan Nian asked Shang Zhitao to answer it. She opened the door to find what looked like a fresh takeout delivery.

“What’s this?”

“Hello, this is the fresh meat dog food you ordered for your home. As per your request, we reduced the salt and added more meat.”

Shang Zhitao turned to look at Luan Nian, who beckoned to her: “Bring it in for my silly friend to eat.”

Shang Zhitao accepted the fresh meat dog food, seeing premium ingredients arranged beautifully inside, along with a small box containing fruits and dog treats. Since when did dogs need to be fed like this? Since when did such a service exist? After being spoiled like this, how would Luke be raised once he went back?

Luke had already smelled the food and was jumping up and down anxiously until Shang Zhitao put the food bowl on the floor. Luke rushed over, burying his face in the bowl as if he hadn’t eaten for days.

“What kind of service is this? Freshly made dog food delivered to your door?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Luan Nian leaned on the couch, half-dead, making a sound of agreement. Hearing Luke eat with such enthusiasm, his mood inexplicably improved.

“How much is one serving?”

“200.” Luan Nian understated it; it was 250. He thought it didn’t sound good, so he paid 249.

“…”

Shang Zhitao felt a bit distressed about the money and stood in front of Luan Nian, starting to nag: “Money doesn’t grow on trees…”

“For me, it does.” Luan Nian reminded her with two words that he was still quite wealthy.

“…But Luke shouldn’t eat like this. So many children can’t afford meals, yet he eats so extravagantly. If he’s hungry, I can cook for him. Anyway, I’m not letting him eat this.”

“Oh.”

Luan Nian stood up from the couch: “I’m going to climb the stairs. Still want porridge for dinner?”

“No. Stay hungry.” Shang Zhitao showed a bit of temper, seeing Luke shamelessly sitting there licking his lips, clearly enjoying the food. Witnessing such a wealth-loving, poverty-despising dog, she lectured it: “Tastes good? No matter how good it tastes, this is the only time. Back at home, you’ll obediently eat your dog food, and if you don’t eat, you’ll go hungry!”

“Let me tell you, don’t think he’s your friend. He’s tired of you, but you don’t even know it.”

“Stay away from him, he has a stone in his stomach. If you hurt him, selling the meat from ten of you wouldn’t be enough compensation.”

She talked too much, and Luke got annoyed listening to her. He sat there challenging her: “Woof~ Whine~, Woof woof!”

The person and the dog filled Luan Nian’s home with commotion.

Luan Nian climbed the stairs about ten times, then stood on tiptoes for ten minutes. Shang Zhitao still hadn’t finished arguing with Luke, as if her brain wasn’t working properly. What was there to argue about with a dog? Dogs should just be indulged. Why make such a fuss?

But he said nothing. His body seemed somewhat better. He drank a lot of water, which made him urinate frequently, and rushed to the second-floor bathroom.

Urinating was extremely uncomfortable. Looking down, he saw red urine in the toilet with a small stone in it. His body felt as clear as if the main energy channels had been unblocked. Luan Nian flushed the toilet, washed his hands, then went downstairs and leaned on the couch.

Seeing him lie down again, Shang Zhitao urged him to stand on tiptoes.

Luan Nian looked sickly, and after a long while, managed to utter a few words:

“Can’t do it, hurts.”