She listed the surgeries she had performed and then thought for a moment, "However, in neurosurgery, I have never been the chief surgeon, just an assistant. I consider myself very lucky."
He had been listening quietly until she finished speaking, and he did not voice his opinion.
She felt there was nothing more to say, and as she looked down to eat her cookies, he suddenly asked, "Are you afraid of being on stage?"
She recalled her first time on stage, "Not at all! The teacher said I was very calm. Actually, I was a little nervous before the first time, but once I stood up there, I was fully immersed."
"Choosing neurosurgery as a specialty? You and Ding Yiyuan are both very courageous," he said, and then added, "I haven't yet had a female student, and there are no female doctors in the department."
She knew this, as female surgeons were rare, and female neurosurgeons were even rarer. However, she was never afraid of a challenge, just like when she had married him. Knowing the difficulty ahead, she still aimed high, driven by a solitary courage that allowed her to move forward without looking back. But marriage was different from work; the deep love of one person couldn't warm the marriage of two, yet the same passion when applied to work could yield the appropriate rewards.
She smiled, "I know it's hard, but since I've chosen this, I won't regret it. For me, the biggest challenge is physical stamina, and I know what to do."
He nodded, "Okay, I'll do my best, and you keep pushing."
She tilted her chin up slightly, "What do you mean you'll do your best and I'll keep pushing? Maybe a few years from now, I'll be stronger than you!"
He was taken aback, then nodded again, "I'm waiting for that, and hoping for it."
She took out a box of yogurt, inserted a straw, and handed it to him, "Here."
Although he didn't know what she was up to, he took it.
She raised her own yogurt and clinked it against his. All that had transpired today was unlike any reunion should be, so at that moment, they started anew, "Hi, Senior Brother Ning, it's great to see you again, please take good care of me in the days to come."
This was the reunion she had initially envisioned.
He silently watched her, saying nothing.
The rain outside the window had lessened, she leaned against the window, biting her straw, "It looks like the rain will stop soon."
She saw that people were already wading through the water, not deep enough to reach the thighs, and cars wouldn't be able to pass for a while.
He also saw and said, "Let's wait for the rain to stop and wade through it, then you can take a ride home."
"Okay, sounds good." She suddenly remembered something she hadn't had a chance to mention all day, "Your bank account number hasn't changed, has it?"
He was a perceptive person, and immediately understood her intention, "No need..."
"No!" She interrupted him before he could finish; he should know how stubborn she was.
He was silent for a while, then nodded, "Alright." He took out his card from his wallet and showed it to her.
She transferred money to him with her phone, "Thanks for helping with Ruan Lang." The day Ruan Lang went to shoot, she had given him the money to pay him back, but Ruan Lang had called her telling her that the brother-in-law didn't want it. So, she had been looking for a chance to give the money back to him.
The rain outside had eased even further, now just an occasional drop hitting the car window.
She looked out for a while, "We can probably go now, I'll get out and walk." She got out of the car.
He also got out of the car and walked with her to the waterlogged area.
She began rolling up her pant legs, but he crouched in front of her, "Let me carry you across."
The familiar shoulders, though thinner than before, were still broad. But whether it was Senior Brother Ning who carried her home, or Liu Zheng who liked to lie on his back, neither were in the same place anymore.