Chapter 235: Chapter 235

The Emergency Department was quite calm today. That young lady was probably the most seriously ill patient they had. Liu Banxia had to scrape together his daily tasks.

Wei Yuan slept all day and, reinvigorated, came to relieve Liu Banxia for his night shift. He knew that Liu Banxia had been genuinely hardworking recently, not resting for almost a month.

"Brother Wei, thanks for your hard work," Liu Banxia said gratefully.

"Why the politeness! Just make it up to me when you have time," Wei Yuan replied with a laugh.

"Don't worry. After the day after tomorrow, you can rest for a whole 36 hours. I'll take care of everything here," Liu Banxia said ambitiously.

"Can't you be more generous? Why not give me three days off?" Wei Yuan teased.

"That would be impossible. The Emergency Department would be in chaos; it all depends on you to maintain order. No more chit-chat, I'm off. I'll arrange for someone to bring lunch for you guys tomorrow." After saying this, Liu Banxia headed out.

Qiaoqiao's messages were like a barrage, each one more urgent than the last. If he didn't leave soon, she would probably barge in.

Tang Dou was still lying in her designated spot in the back seat, chewing on her beloved toy bone. When she saw Liu Banxia, she hummed continuously in her throat.

"Can't we just pick up the dirty clothes from their house? Do we need to go somewhere else?" Qiaoqiao asked.

"Qiaoqiao, we need to change our clothes too. We have to tag along and see what's happening tomorrow," Liang Xiaolin said with a smile.

"Why bother looking? We can just buy new ones there," Qiaoqiao said offhandedly.

"Don't let your capitalist ideas corrupt our good comrade," Liu Banxia said seriously.

Qiaoqiao shot him a look, then glared at Tang Dou. This dog is such a traitor! Why is she so chummy with Liu Banxia?

Liu Banxia did have a lot of clothes that needed washing, not just from his recent time in the operating room; he had accumulated a backlog. If he went another two days, he would genuinely run out of clean clothes.

Seeing him walk out with a large bag, Qiaoqiao was speechless. Are we just going to do laundry all night?

Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa didn't have this problem. As doctors, they were used to it. They just changed into casual clothes, didn't even bother with makeup, and headed straight for Linyu Villa.

"Ah... the effort I went through for this dinner," Qiu Huaili sighed, waiting at the door as Liu Banxia and the others got out of the car.

"Uncle Qiu, I'm going to drop Tang Dou off at home first, then I'll come over to mooch off your food," Qiaoqiao said, laughing.

"No need to send her off; just bring her in. She's practically family now," Qiu Huaili said with a smile.

"Actually, Tang Dou is no trouble at all; she's quite well-behaved. I also brought a couple more people to mooch a meal. We've already arranged to hang out with Qiaoqiao tomorrow," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"What are you talking about? You take such good care of Ming Yuan at the hospital. Even though he hasn't been working there long, he's making remarkable progress every day," Qiu Huaili remarked thoughtfully.

"Oh, by the way, Qiaoqiao, don't you have two good friends? Invite them over too. The more, the merrier! It's just a matter of adding a few more bowls and chopsticks; Xian has made plenty of food," Qiu Huaili said.

"I'll thank Uncle Qiu on their behalf, but they're still at the yoga studio and haven't come back yet," Qiaoqiao said, her hand still tight on Tang Dou's collar.

The Qiu family was a prominent, traditional household and had never kept pets. Inviting Tang Dou inside was already a significant gesture.

Tang Dou followed them indoors, curious, still tiptoeing slightly, her head darting around as she took everything in. Doudou, who was playing on the carpet, perked up with interest upon seeing this strange creature, Tang Dou.

Previously, Liu Banxia had been her favorite big toy; she would always demand a hug and some playtime whenever she saw him. Today, however, Liu Banxia was cast aside. Doudou scrambled and stumbled towards Tang Dou with excitement.

Tang Dou, having never encountered a creature like Doudou, was terrified and immediately flopped to the ground, tucking her head onto her paws, her eyes nervously scanning her surroundings.

"Both of them have 'Dou' in their names; they seem to hit it off. You guys go ahead and get settled; I'll play with them here for a bit," Liu Banxia said cheerfully.

Only he would say something like that. Doudou had quite the stubborn streak; she wouldn't be satisfied until she had thoroughly played with the fluffy dog.

This pink and delicate little thing isn't even a mouthful for Tang Dou! Qiaoqiao was petrified watching from the side.

"Dad, Sister Qiaoqiao said that when Tang Dou has puppies, she'll give me one," Qiu Mingyuan chimed in, moving closer.

"As long as you can take good care of it, that's fine. Your aunt and I have to look after Doudou. Banxia, you shouldn't stay here either; go get some rest," Qiu Huaili said.

"Brother Qiu, as long as I'm not on the operating table, I consider it resting. It's nice to play with them for a while. Actually, I quite like small pets, but I'm just too busy to have one," Liu Banxia said.

"You've nearly charmed my Tang Dou away," Qiaoqiao muttered.

"President Qiu, Qing Kewa and I can help your wife. Although we can't cook, we can certainly help serve the dishes and set the table," Liang Xiaolin suggested.

"Haha, no need to be formal in our home. And I must say, having you all here makes the house much livelier. Don't stand on ceremony; if you want to help, please do," Qiu Huaili said with a laugh.

"Nonsense, I can manage on my own. I just didn't start stir-frying the dishes because I wasn't sure when Banxia would arrive," Wang Jingxian chimed in.

This relaxed beginning helped Liang Xiaolin and Qiaoqiao unwind considerably. Among the four guests, only Liu Banxia and Qing Kewa seemed truly carefree.

Doudou had a wonderful time playing with Tang Dou. Of course, this involved Doudou enthusiastically grabbing and studying Tang Dou's ears, nose, and lips.

Perhaps small animals have a special tolerance for babies. Despite Doudou's rough play, Tang Dou remained remarkably patient, a model of good behavior.

Good behavior deserves a reward. Wang Jingxian had even prepared two large, meaty bones for Tang Dou. These bones were originally for a dish of deboned meat served with garlic dip, but she gave two to Tang Dou as a reward for being so good with the child.

"Ming Yuan mentioned you ran into some trouble recently too? Is that Director Qin from your hospital really so awful?" Qiu Huaili asked.

"Ah... you can't entirely blame him. The main issue is that our pay doesn't always match the effort we put in," Liu Banxia sighed.

"But things will gradually get better. The hospital is paying serious attention to this issue now. They're further refining the salary assessment, and in the future, salaries could increase by about 5% to 8%."

Qiu Huaili nodded. "This is an eternal conflict. I'm a businessman; ideally, I'd want my employees to work like tireless oxen without asking for pay. But that's unrealistic, so we have to make gradual improvements."

"Oh right, doesn't one of your colleagues want to buy a house? I have connections with a few property developments. He can go there directly. I can't offer a huge discount, but an additional 10% off their already discounted price should be doable. How does that sound?"

"My goodness, Brother Qiu, isn't that too generous?" Liu Banxia asked. Latest content published on N0velFire.ɴet

"You're not buying the whole building. This is just an internal discount margin they have; it's all controllable," Qiu Huaili waved his hand dismissively.

"When you plan to buy a house in the future, we'll need to discuss it thoroughly. Instead of buying a ready-made one, we can design the interior while it's being built. That would be less hassle."

Liu Banxia gave a wry smile. "For now, I still need to work harder. Otherwise, it'll be tough to keep up with current housing prices. Everyone says prices will drop, but I haven't seen it happen."

"Haha, it all depends on your perspective," Qiu Huaili laughed.

"No matter the era, there will always be wealthy people, and those who pursue a high-quality lifestyle. Take Linyu Villa here, for instance. It was once considered the most luxurious villa complex in Binhai City, but now it's merely upper-middle tier."

"We prefer living in quieter places now. Younger people, like Ming Yuan, prefer areas that are more technologically advanced and lively."

"As for buying a house, it's better to buy sooner rather than later if you can. Just pick a location you like, and don't overthink the rest. All this talk about a place being too remote or too far out—that's just how it looks now. What about in a few years? Everywhere will become bustling."

"If I save up for a year, I'll definitely consider it," Liu Banxia said, nodding.

"You saved three members of our family. I originally planned to advance you the money for a house. After all, you'd need a loan anyway, whether from a bank or from me—and I wouldn't charge interest. But my wife said you definitely wouldn't accept."

"When you're ready to buy a house, if you don't come to me, it means you're not treating me as a friend. I insist on getting you the best possible deal; otherwise, I'll feel like I'm forever in your debt."

"Alright, rest assured. When the time comes, I won't hesitate to take you up on that," Liu Banxia agreed readily.

Qiu Huaili was very pleased. As he said, he truly disliked being overly indebted to others, because favors are much harder to repay than money.

When you're in dire need and a friend helps you out with money, it's not just about the money itself—a significant favor is involved. Liu Banxia had helped three of the four members of their family, so the weight of this favor was immense.

As they chatted comfortably, Wang Jingxian finished preparing the meal. Qiu Huaili hadn't fully recovered and had dietary restrictions, including no alcohol. So, Liu Banxia got his wish and tasted what a large glass of Feitian Moutai was like.

Truthfully, he couldn't discern its supposed fine quality. He wasn't a connoisseur of alcohol and knew little about it, other than it was incredibly expensive. To him, it just tasted like any other strong liquor.

Wang Jingxian's cooking skills were truly excellent. Although there weren't many dishes, each one was delicious. Liu Banxia felt he was dining like royalty.

The pile of bones and shrimp shells in front of him was the largest. In terms of appetite, perhaps only Tang Dou could compete.

And Tang Dou? She was perfectly content too.

After finishing her meal, Doudou had no interest in staying with the adults. She grabbed a bowl of meat, picked up pieces with her little hand, and stuffed them into Tang Dou's mouth, completely ignoring Liu Banxia now.