Translator: CinderTL
What was even more peculiar was that the woman seemed to have lost her ability to sense the outside world. She showed no reaction to their arrival.
Zhao Ru, however, appeared to be accustomed to this. She carried a medical tray to the bedside, then reached under the bed and pulled out something resembling a stand.
The stand was retractable and assembled beneath the bed.
It could be pulled out when needed and retracted when not in use, making it very convenient.
Jiang Cheng had been to hospitals many times, but he had never seen such a setup before.
Zhao Ru first placed the medical tray on the stand, then took the woman's arm out from under the blanket and disinfected it with an alcohol swab.
After adjusting the syringe, she inserted the needle.
Then, she proceeded to wipe the woman's face and checked her eyes.
All her movements were smooth and practiced.
Clearly, this wasn't her first time here.
Jiang Cheng felt a great deal of curiosity about the woman on the bed. The room was arranged in a very peculiar way. The bed was a blue iron bed, with some parts already showing signs of rust.
However, unlike a typical bed, the edges and corners of this iron bed were wrapped in gauze, as were the raised railings at the head of the bed. It seemed as though they were worried the woman might struggle and hurt herself.
But no matter how Jiang Cheng looked at it, he couldn't imagine the woman being able to move.
She seemed like a vegetable.
After finishing her examination, Zhao Ru came over to Jiang Cheng, and the two of them chatted idly. The sight of such a pitiful woman had affected both of their moods.
"What happened to her?" Jiang Cheng asked. "It looks like she's been here for a long time."
Zhao Ru nodded. "They say she went mad after some kind of shock. You're right, she's been here for a long time—almost 10 years now."
Jiang Cheng hadn't expected it to be that long, but what caught his interest even more was the mention of 10 years.
If he remembered correctly, Zhao Ru had just mentioned that the rooms on the 6th floor had been sealed for at least 10 years as well. Could there be some connection between the two?
Though he thought this, Jiang Cheng's face only showed pity for the woman. He glanced at the woman on the bed, her eyes empty, and turned to ask, "What could have shocked her so much?"
"I don't know," Zhao Ru shook her head.
"What about her family?" Jiang Cheng's eyes scanned the room. It didn't look like anyone came here often to take care of her.
"I've never heard of her having any family. The hospital has always arranged for someone to take care of her," Zhao Ru said. "The nurse who was previously in charge took some time off, so I've been handling it recently."
"I'm responsible for giving her injections. In the morning and evening, a caregiver comes to help clean her body and such."
Some of the heavier tasks were better suited for male caregivers, as Zhao Ru couldn't handle them.
The hospital had always been responsible for her... As soon as Jiang Cheng heard this, he found it strange.
This was a hospital, not a welfare institution.
If it were out of humanitarian considerations, Jiang Cheng could understand the hospital taking care of her for a few months, or even a year or two.
But 10 years... Such a long time seemed excessive. Was the hospital really that generous? When something seemed abnormal, there was usually a reason. Jiang Cheng's first thought was that perhaps some kind of medical accident had occurred during the woman's treatment, leading to her current condition.
In order to protect its reputation, the hospital had privately signed a confidentiality agreement with the patient's family. The patient would receive free treatment, but the incident had to be kept secret.
In addition, a substantial sum of hush money was likely provided.
Seemingly noticing Jiang Cheng's confusion, Zhao Ru lowered her voice and explained, "This woman isn't a patient of the hospital."
Jiang Cheng frowned, "Not a patient?"
"No," Zhao Ru whispered mysteriously. "According to the previous nurse, this woman used to be a nurse at the hospital."
"And she's not as old as she looks. She's only around 35 years old now."
"Which department was she in charge of?" Jiang Cheng immediately asked.
"I'm not sure about that," Zhao Ru replied, glancing at the woman on the bed.
It was understandable that she didn't know everything, having just arrived, but her words provided Jiang Cheng with a new perspective.
He instinctively felt that the woman was connected to the matter he was investigating.
Although there was no direct evidence yet.
The IV drip contained very little medication, and after about half an hour, it was empty. Zhao Ru walked over, removed the needle, and tidied it up on the tray.
Then she began to help the woman adjust her clothes.
Jiang Cheng naturally stepped forward to assist. As he gently placed the woman's arm back, he spoke in a tone full of pity for her situation, "Keeping this position for such a long time is very bad for her body."
He mentioned that he knew a bit about massage and, without waiting for Zhao Ru's consent, began to gently massage the woman.
He focused mainly on her limbs.
Starting with her arms, then her legs.
As he massaged, Jiang Cheng softly comforted the woman, as if she could understand him.
Zhao Ru hadn't expected this man to be so kind.
Her favorable impression of Jiang Cheng increased significantly.
Through the massage, Jiang Cheng's expression gradually became peculiar.
Patients who are bedridden for long periods often experience varying degrees of muscle atrophy due to lack of movement, which was particularly evident in the woman's legs.
But strangely, the muscles in her arms, especially her forearms, were quite full.
Her upper arms were even about as thick as her calves.
Was it because she could still move her upper body? For now, Jiang Cheng wasn't sure.
Additionally, Jiang Cheng noticed that there weren't many needle marks on the backs of her hands.
And the wounds were all quite fresh.
The injections must have started only recently.
Given the patient's poor health, wound healing would be relatively slow. Jiang Cheng estimated that it shouldn't have been more than a month.
This one-month timeframe almost coincided with the period Director Qi mentioned about the ghost sightings. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, feeling that things were getting more and more interesting.
After checking the basic situation, Jiang Cheng gently placed the woman's arm back under the blanket and slowly stood up, looking at her with eyes full of compassion.
"You've worked hard," Zhao Ru said, genuinely feeling that Jiang Cheng was a good person, more meticulous than the hospital's caregivers.
"It's nothing. I just feel sorry for her. Helping her makes me feel better," Jiang Cheng said sincerely.
After tidying up the tray, Zhao Ru checked to make sure nothing was left behind and prepared to leave with Jiang Cheng, "Let's go."
Seemingly moved by Jiang Cheng's kindness, Zhao Ru took a different route on the way back, saying she wanted to visit the caregivers and remind them to be more attentive.
This time, she noticed that the woman's clothes were somewhat dirty, as if they hadn't been changed in a long time.
For such a pitiful woman, there was a severe lack of patient people like the man beside her.
(End of the Chapter)
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