Translator: CinderTL
Initially, Jiang Cheng thought it would take some effort to persuade the old man, but to his surprise, as soon as he opened the Gate, the old man's gaze was immediately drawn to the liquor bottle.
After a brief moment of hesitation, the old man invited them in.
The three of them sat around a small table, under the dim yellow light of an old-fashioned bulb hanging from the ceiling.
The room was cluttered, with hardly any space to move around.
The layout of the room was also problematic—there were no windows, and a bed with a dirty, discolored sheet was piled in the corner, with a black leather jacket thrown on top.
The cuffs and sleeves of the leather jacket were cracked and worn, showing signs of heavy use.
It was clear that the old man lived in dire straits.
After sitting down, the old man naturally pulled out a few cups from under the table, his eyes fixated on the liquor Jiang Cheng had brought.
Jiang Cheng, being perceptive, opened the bottle and poured the old man a full cup.
Cao Yang wasn't idle either; he opened the snacks they had brought and arranged them conveniently within the old man's reach.
At first, the old man tried to maintain some decorum, looking at Jiang Cheng with a serious expression and saying, "Drinking is fine, but if you're here to pry for information, I suggest you give up now."
"My lips are famously sealed," the old man declared solemnly. "I'll say what needs to be said, but not a word more. Everyone at the hospital knows I'm the most reliable."
"Of course, of course," Jiang Cheng put down the bottle and flattered, "We simply admire your character and wanted to chat with you, to learn from your wisdom."
Seeing the liquor in his cup, the old man didn't wait for an invitation and eagerly took a sip.
Given his circumstances, he usually drank only cheap, unpackaged liquor.
It had been a long time since he had tasted bottled liquor like this.
Especially since... his eyes glanced at the side of Jiang Cheng, where several more bottles were placed.
The old man's surname was Zheng.
While working at the boiler, a piece of slag had flown into one of his eyes, causing vision problems. Years of heavy drinking had nearly blinded that eye.
Some people at the hospital called him Blind Zheng.
"Mr. Zheng," Jiang Cheng raised his glass and said with a smile, "Shall we have a drink?"
"Let's drink, let's drink!" Blind Zheng was in good spirits and downed his glass in one go. Cao Yang, ever attentive, quickly refilled it.
The 70-proof liquor burned like boiling water as it went down his throat, searing all the way to his stomach.
Cao Yang nearly gagged.
Fortunately, he managed to suppress it and quickly took a big bite of food, his complexion gradually returning to normal.
In contrast, Jiang Cheng seemed completely unfazed.
He chatted with Blind Zheng, and soon the two became quite familiar. Cao Yang couldn't get a word in and simply listened to their conversation, occasionally joining in with a drink.
"Brother Jiang!" Blind Zheng looked at Jiang Cheng, feeling more and more that they had a connection. After several rounds of drinks, his one good eye began to blur.
He grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing loudly and mumbling, "If you have something to ask, just..." Blind Zheng let out a long burp, "Just ask your big brother here!"
"Nothing," Jiang Cheng slowly savored a duck wing and replied with a smile, "I came today just to make friends with you, Brother Zheng."
"Nonsense!" Blind Zheng could see Jiang Cheng's figure blurring, but he insisted, "You must have something on your mind! If you don't, then you're treating your big brother as an outsider!"
Squinting, Jiang Cheng spat out the duck wing in his mouth and smiled at Blind Zheng, "Then... can I ask a question?"
"Ask! You must ask!"
Blind Zheng's wine cup was already empty, but he seemed unaware, still lifting it to mimic a drinking motion, then smacking his lips.
In fact, Jiang Cheng had been taking care of him, pouring him mineral water for the last few cups.
Blind Zheng's alcohol tolerance was even worse than his drinking manners.
This left Jiang Cheng, who had been somewhat expectant, feeling disappointed.
Pulling out a tissue, Jiang Cheng wiped his hands, "I live on the 6th floor, but the rooms in another nearby corridor have been sealed off."
Before Jiang Cheng could finish, Blind Zheng let out a long sigh, and his cup clanged heavily on the table, "Ah—it's all because of that incident!"
Cao Yang, who had been dozing off, immediately perked up upon hearing there was a lead.
But Jiang Cheng shot him a look, and Cao Yang, who had slightly opened his mouth, slowly closed it again.
Blind Zheng paused for a long while.
Jiang Cheng didn't rush him, just sipped his drink slowly while waiting.
Blind Zheng's one good eye began to blur, and his whole demeanor changed, as if the alcohol had plunged him into memories of the past.
"That incident happened about 10 years ago," Blind Zheng said, "Time flies. Back then, I still had some strength, not like now."
"18 years," Blind Zheng confirmed.
"What happened?" Jiang Cheng asked naturally, casually opening another bottle of beer for himself, "Was it sealed off 18 years ago?"
"This matter has to be told from the beginning," Blind Zheng's voice carried a strange sense of weariness, "That corridor on the 6th floor was the psychiatric ward of the hospital 18 years ago."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's hand holding the cup paused, then he took a small sip.
Psychiatric ward... it sounded full of stories.
"Actually, before that incident, the hospital's business was quite good. Many patients from outside would choose to come here for treatment, especially for some difficult cases. Many of our doctors had studied abroad," Blind Zheng, who had little education, seemed to think studying abroad was the pinnacle of achievement.
"One day, I was delivering hot water bottles to the wards when chaos broke out upstairs. There were screams, running sounds, and it seemed... it seemed like people were fighting."
"I was standing in the corridor when someone ran down from upstairs. I remember it was a female nurse, her hands and body covered in blood, shouting as she ran that someone had been killed!"
"Before I could react, I heard a thud outside the window, a soft, muffled sound. My first thought was that someone had jumped."
"Later, I found out it was a man who had jumped. He had killed someone, his own wife, and then jumped."
"It was in Room 624."
"624?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Mm." By this point, Blind Zheng's drunkenness had mostly dissipated. It seemed this matter had affected him deeply. "His wife is staying in Room 624, the special care ward in the psychiatric department."
"His wife," Blind Zheng said, his cloudy eyes turning to Jiang Cheng. He tapped his own head with one finger, "His wife has something wrong up here."
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(End of the Chapter)
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