Bai Ci watched as the figures of Evan, Chen Mo, and Lin Wan quickly vanished around the street corner, only slowly withdrawing her gaze once they were completely out of sight.
She had already done everything she could; the rest was to trust her teammates.
Bai Ci turned and went back inside, quickly tidying up the mess in the living room. Then, she took some fresh ingredients she had bought beforehand out of the cupboard, packed them into a wicker basket, and walked briskly to Aunt Martha's house next door.
Under Aunt Martha's guidance, she successfully prepared a decent pot of chicken and vegetable porridge. It looked a bit unappealing, but as long as one didn't get too creative, porridge was hard to mess up.
After thanking Aunt Martha, Bai Ci grabbed the insulated lunchbox, grabbed a few quick bites of the lunch Aunt Martha had saved for her, and hurried toward the hospital.
Along the way, the atmosphere on the streets was noticeably more oppressive than when Bai Ci had first arrived. The occasional pedestrians she saw hurried past, their faces mostly clouded with exhaustion and anxiety.
Arriving at the hospital, Bai Ci quickly made her way to the third floor and headed straight for Hugo's ward, gently pushing the door open for fear of disturbing anyone inside.
It was lunchtime. Unlike her last visit, most of the other patients in the ward were awake, and several of their family members stood nearby, almost all of them having brought porridge as well.
Hugo was leaning against the headboard. His face was still pale, but he looked more energetic than he had that morning. The moment Bai Ci stepped inside, she met his bright eyes and smiling lips.
Bai Ci realized that before she had even walked in, he had been staring at the door.
It made sense; Hugo's bed was next to the window, allowing him to see people entering the hospital. But unless he had been keeping a constant eye out, how could he have known the exact moment she arrived?
“Lora, you're here,” Hugo said, his voice still weak but laced with warmth.
Bai Ci quickly walked over to the bedside, set down the lunchbox, and opened it with a smile. “Look, I learned how to make chicken and vegetable porridge from Aunt Martha. Give it a try.”
The moment she opened the lunchbox, the aroma of hot porridge filled the air. Hugo picked up a spoon, slowly scooped a mouthful, and ate it. “It's delicious, Lora.”
Watching Hugo eat the porridge bite by bite, Bai Ci felt a sense of relief. Having an appetite meant he was doing relatively well.
“Eat slowly, don't rush. You need to eat more to recover quickly so we can go home together.”
Hugo nodded, looking at her with gentle eyes that gradually grew misty, his rims turning red.
Bai Ci simply smiled, considerately pretending not to notice.
“Miss Lora? You're here.”
Just as Bai Ci was waiting for Hugo to finish his meal, she suddenly heard someone calling her name. Turning around, she saw a familiar figure.
It was Old Tom. He was wearing his post office uniform, his hair was a bit disheveled, and his face showed signs of fatigue. He was carrying a wrapped lunchbox, having clearly rushed over the moment he finished work.
“Mr. Tom,” Bai Ci greeted him with a smile. “I came to bring Hugo lunch. He's just started eating.”
Old Tom nodded and walked over to the bedside, placing his lunchbox on the nightstand. His gaze fell on the unrefined-looking porridge in Bai Ci's open lunchbox, and then on the tiny shred of vegetable leaf stuck to her sleeve that she hadn't noticed. He understood instantly.
He couldn't help but chuckle, his tone carrying a hint of good-natured teasing. “Hugo, Hugo, you lucky rascal. To have such a wonderful fiancée like Miss Lora, who even went out of her way to learn how to cook for you.”
Teased by Old Tom, Hugo's cheeks flushed slightly. He lowered his head in embarrassment, but his lips couldn't help but curl upward, his eyes brimming with sweetness and happiness. “Yes, I am very lucky.”
Bai Ci had felt quite composed initially, but seeing Hugo's reaction made her feel a bit self-conscious too. She smiled gently and remained silent.
Seeing how in love the two were, Old Tom's smile widened.
With concern in his voice, he looked at Bai Ci. “Miss Lora, what brings you to the hospital? The post office was so chaotic and busy this morning. I wanted to take some time to let you know about Hugo's condition, but I couldn't free myself up at all.”
Bai Ci knew Old Tom genuinely cared for Hugo, but she couldn't tell him the truth, so she fell back on the same excuse she had given Ella.
She assumed an expression that was slightly bewildered yet laced with certainty. “I don't know why, but while I was at home this morning, I suddenly felt a wave of panic and restlessness. I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened, and my mind kept drifting to Hugo.”
“I suppose it's just destiny working in mysterious ways. No matter how far apart we are, we can always sense if the other is safe.”
Hearing this, Old Tom nodded in deep agreement. “Indeed, that's how couples are—connected by heart. Since you care so deeply for Hugo, he will surely recover in no time.”
Bai Ci seized the opportunity to steer the conversation. “By the way, Mr. Tom, you mentioned the post office was very busy this morning. Has everyone fallen ill? Why is it so chaotic?”
She knew very well why. How many mail carriers did the post office even have? One was lying in the hospital, two had committed suicide, and another two had gone to buy weapons. That left Old Tom doing the work of six people by himself. Of course he was swamped.
Still, she pretended to be completely in the dark, hoping to fish for some new information.
At the mention of the post office, Old Tom's face twisted into an expression of sheer disgust. “Don't even get me started. It's just a headache. I don't know what kind of bad luck we're having. Hugo suddenly caught the plague and ended up in the hospital, and those other two new mail carriers, Zhao Yu and Zhou Kai... Sigh...”
Old Tom sighed heavily, skipping the part about their suicides. “And the other two new mail carriers who joined around the same time as them didn't even show their faces this morning. I have no idea where they ran off to; they're nowhere to be found.”
He paused, then continued, “We only have a handful of mail carriers to begin with, and now all the work has piled onto me. I haven't even had a single sip of water since this morning. I've been running around like crazy, and I'm really at my limit.”
“Mr. Tom, that must be incredibly tough. You still have to work this afternoon, yet you made a special trip to bring Hugo lunch. Thank you so much.” Bai Ci expressed her sincere gratitude. As a colleague, Old Tom had truly gone above and beyond.
“Ah, don't mention it. It's nothing,” Old Tom waved his hand, his tone softening. “Hugo and I have worked together at the post office for so many years. He's like a nephew to me. It's only right that I look out for him.”
“He usually looks after me too, often helping me carry the load. Now that he's sick, how could I ignore him? Besides, I don't have any work this afternoon anyway, so coming over to check on him gives me peace of mind.”
“You don't have to deliver mail this afternoon?” Bai Ci asked, puzzled.
“No,” Old Tom said, a look of doubt crossing his face as he recalled the event. “Actually, Ella was supposed to bring this lunch. She and I were in the lobby when we ran into Postmaster Byrne on his way out.”
“He looked in a real hurry, as if some major crisis had occurred. I jokingly told him that I was exhausted from the morning and wanted the afternoon off, and to my surprise, he agreed without a second thought.”
“It's highly unusual. While Postmaster Byrne isn't a bad boss, he has always been extremely stingy about time off, especially lately. Ella even suggested that the post office might be on the verge of shutting down, and told us to start looking for other options.”
Hearing this, Bai Ci felt a sudden jolt of unease. Postmaster Byrne rushing out in such a hurry and uncharacteristically granting Old Tom time off... Could he have realized that someone was investigating Isabella?
Rate on N.U.
