DSMIS CH42

Chapter 42: Captain Jiang Gives Clothes

When Jiang Lin got home that night, he felt a bit of a headache looking at the large bags of clothes in his bedroom. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve. How should he give these clothes to Shen Xing without making it seem awkward or deliberate? Suddenly, he noticed a few other bags sitting nearby—the items they bought during their “cloud-shopping” session, which he hadn’t had a chance to give to Shen Xing in yesterday’s rush.

He took out his phone: “Doctor Shen, you forgot to take the things you bought last time.” He immediately attached photos of the items.

“Wait for me, I’m almost home.”

After returning that afternoon, Shen Xing had taken a nap. When he woke up, he started looking up recipes, then grabbed his keys and went out shopping. Since he didn’t usually cook at home, he didn’t even have flour for dumpling wrappers, let alone dumpling filling. He literally fought his way through the sea of people in the supermarket just days before the New Year.

Less than ten minutes later, Jiang Lin heard footsteps in the hallway. Opening the door, he saw Director Shen looking like a refugee fleeing a famine, draped from head to toe in large and small bags. He hurried out and took several bags from Shen Xing’s hands: “You bought this much stuff?”

Shen Xing’s forehead was slick with sweat: “I originally just wanted to buy some groceries for tomorrow’s dinner. But when I got to the supermarket, I realized I didn’t even have all the basic seasonings at home. Buying bits and pieces of this and that added up to all this. My god, there were so many people in the supermarket today, it looked like everything was free.”

Jiang Lin saw him inside and helped him put the groceries in the fridge. Turning around, he saw Doctor Shen pop open a can of Cola and chug half of it down. While drinking, Shen Xing pulled something out of a shopping bag: “Here, I bought two pairs of spring couplets. Remember to put them up tomorrow.”

After finishing his Cola, Shen Xing went over to Jiang Lin’s apartment to retrieve his things. The white furball followed closely behind. The moment Jiang Lin opened the door, Qianjin darted inside with the familiarity of a regular, his four legs scrambling in different directions as he wagged his large tail and pounced on Heibao, who was walking out from a room.

Unable to bear watching his useless dog, Shen Xing turned his attention to the items he had bought via video call. There were two quill pens, one blue and one green. The feathers had a much better sheen in person than on video. He tested them on a piece of paper; the ink flowed very smoothly. Holding up the two pens, he turned to Jiang Lin: “Pick one.”

Jiang Lin, who had been staring at the clothes nearby and wondering how to bring them up, snapped back to attention: “Ah, either is fine. Which one do you like?” “I’m telling you to pick.” “Then the blue one.” “Alright, this one is for you.”

A quill pen was shoved into Jiang Lin’s hand. Shen Xing then turned to the scarves. Both featured Tibetan-style patterns and similar color schemes, primarily red and blue, though one was predominantly blue and the other predominantly red. Seeing that Jiang Lin had chosen the blue pen, he took out the predominantly blue scarf: “Try putting this on.”

Jiang Lin rarely wore scarves. He took it and draped it around his neck. Unable to stand his clumsy attempt, Shen Xing walked over and helped him arrange it. Jiang Lin had a strong, three-dimensional, and sharply defined bone structure. This red-and-blue Tibetan-style scarf accentuated the sharp contours of his face. Combined with the simple off-white loungewear he wore underneath, the overall look exuded a rugged handsomeness.

Shen Xing knew he was good-looking, but clothes make the man. He took a step back, nodded in extreme satisfaction, and said with a beaming smile: “Not bad. Captain Jiang definitely has the capital to rely on his looks. You can wear this one.”

Jiang Lin’s ears turned a little red. Without noticing, Shen Xing turned around to admire the tableware set he had bought, holding a bowl carefully in his hands: “It’s a pity you’re on duty tomorrow. I’ll have to use lunchboxes to bring you food; otherwise, we could have used such beautiful tableware.”

Jiang Lin fiddled with the soft scarf and finally summoned the courage to speak: “By the way, a relative who runs a clothing business mailed me a few pieces of clothing, but they’re a size too small for me. See if they fit you?”

Shen Xing turned around: “Hmm?”

Afraid Shen Xing might recognize the store logo on the bag, Jiang Lin had already thrown away the outer packaging. He took the clothes directly out of the closet: “It’s a windbreaker set, size 180 (Large). It should fit you perfectly. Want to try it on?”

The brick-red windbreaker was very striking. Jiang Lin shook the jacket open, waiting for him to put it on. Shen Xing instinctively slipped his arms into the sleeves. The moment he put it on, Jiang Lin’s eyes lit up. Just as he had thought, Doctor Shen suited this color perfectly: “It fits you perfectly. You can take it back and wear it.”

Shen Xing looked down at the clothes he was wearing. It really did look nice. Although it wasn’t a super expensive luxury brand, it wasn’t cheap either: “Our sizes shouldn’t be that different, right? Can’t you wear this? You should just keep it for yourself.” “I prefer wearing looser clothes, and the sleeves on this one are a bit short on me. Besides, I rarely wear such bright colors. It fits you perfectly, and the bright color makes you easy to spot if you get lost.”

This single sentence instantly gave Shen Xing a sense of déjà vu, reminding him of when his mom bought him clothes. He couldn’t help but laugh: “How prone to getting lost do you think I am?”

Jiang Lin was still holding a pair of pants: “These are part of the set. Try them on together.”

Shen Xing looked at the white windbreaker pants in front of him: “My mom has refused to buy me white clothes since I was little.”

Actually, the sales assistant had recommended the black version of these pants, but Jiang Lin felt that Doctor Shen might look even better in white, like a white fluffy cat, so he selfishly bought the white ones: “This material should be easy to wash. It’s fine, try them on.”

Shen Xing laughed: “Hero, right now you look exactly like a store associate.”

Jiang Lin slightly lowered his head and rubbed his nose: “Do I?”

Shen Xing nodded but still obligingly took off his pants and put on the white ones, acting completely natural, unlike Jiang Lin’s coyness from before. “Does it look good?”

The white pants paired with the brick-red jacket instantly exuded a youthful vibe. Wearing them, Shen Xing didn’t look like a young and accomplished deputy director of a hospital at all; he looked like a college student fresh out of school. Jiang Lin also put the hat recommended by the sales associate on him. He felt Doctor Shen looked even better in these clothes than he had imagined: “It looks great, it suits you perfectly. Doctor Shen also has the capital to rely on his looks.”

Shen Xing met Jiang Lin’s gaze in the mirror. His clear, bright eyes were so radiant that just looking at them put Jiang Lin in a good mood: “If we ever can’t make it in our respective fields, we can just debut together in the entertainment industry.”

Remembering something, Shen Xing grabbed his phone and transferred the money Jiang Lin hadn’t accepted the other day back to him: “You never accepted the money I sent you that day. Hurry up and accept it now, otherwise, I won’t accept your clothes, and I won’t take you haggling with me ever again.” “It wasn’t that much money.” “No way, hurry up and accept it. If you don’t take the money, how can I ever ask you to buy things for me in the future?”

Unable to win the argument, Jiang Lin finally tapped accept, terrified Shen Xing actually wouldn’t take him shopping anymore. Seeing that he had accepted the money, Shen Xing finally headed home, laden with bags.

The next day, Captain Jiang was the unlucky soul scheduled for duty, while Shen Xing stayed home studying recipes for the New Year’s Eve dinner. He planned to make six dishes and wrap some dumplings.

His family usually had their main New Year’s meal around 2 PM. His mom video-called him right around that time. Shen Xing was busy in the kitchen. Seeing him wearing an apron and looking like he knew what he was doing, Mother Shen laughed: “Is my lazy egg actually cooking for himself? Be careful when using the stove. Don’t let water get into the oil when you’re frying, it’ll splatter.”

Shen Xing laughed: “Mom, I’m not stupid.” “You don’t look very smart to me. Seriously, you should have found an excuse to take leave and come back, even just for one meal. Spending the New Year all alone out there, you look so pitiful.”

Shen Xing listened to his mom’s nagging with a smile: “I’m not alone. My neighbor is a police officer supporting the border region here. We’re celebrating together.” “Oh, the boy you mentioned last time who made you guobaorou? Where is he?” “He’s on duty today. When I’m done cooking, I’ll bring some over to him.”

Mother Shen held the phone and had Shen Xing exchange New Year’s greetings with his maternal grandparents before hanging up.

Jiang Lin wasn’t having an easy day either. This small county town didn’t ban fireworks, and a centralized fireworks display was scheduled for 8 PM at the civic square. Public areas with high foot traffic were prone to drunken brawls, and with people still rushing home for the New Year on the highways, police resources were always stretched thin during this time. Jiang Lin had already responded to two call-outs today.

Shen Xing ate lunch by himself. Feeling bored in the afternoon, he messaged Jiang Lin: “Hero, where are you?” “Just got back to the county bureau after a call-out. I might have to go out on patrol duty tonight.”

Shen Xing frowned at the message: “Patrol duty? Your leg can’t handle standing for a long time, and it can’t handle the cold. Can’t someone else go?” “There’s a fireworks display at the civic square tonight, and the crowd will be huge. I won’t be standing; I’ll be sitting in the mobile command vehicle. Do you want to come see the fireworks?”

Shen Xing had spent most of his recent New Years in Tianjin City, where fireworks were banned. Although some people secretly set them off, it couldn’t compare to the satisfaction of a centralized display. He was tempted: “Then I’ll come find you around 7 PM and bring you dinner. I prepared six dishes!” Little bear proudly puffing out its chest jpg.

Seeing the confident little bear emoji, Jiang Lin wanted to laugh. He had never seen Shen Xing cook. Oh, wait, he had eaten Director Shen’s Supreme Edition Braised Beef Noodles: “Just be careful not to burn yourself with the oil.” “I know, my mom said the same thing. Don’t worry, I always got perfect scores in my lab classes when I was in school.”

Only Director Shen would compare cooking to a lab experiment.

Shen Xing entered the kitchen early in the afternoon. First, he mixed the filling and rolled out the dough, pre-making the dumplings intended for the midnight meal and freezing them. That way, he only needed to boil them later tonight before bringing them to Jiang Lin. Once the dumplings were done, the real cooking began. The entire kitchen was filled with Doctor Shen’s frantic movements. Preparing ingredients and seasonings while simultaneously watching video tutorials, he struggled for over three hours to finally produce six dishes. Then, he began transferring them into the extra-large insulated lunchbox he had bought yesterday.

He took out his phone: “I’m getting ready to head out now. Is parking difficult over there? Should I park a bit further away? Send me your location.”

Jiang Lin saw the message and sent two locations: “The first is the county committee compound. I’ve already spoken to the guard there; he knows my car. Just drive straight in. When you walk out, my command vehicle is about 300 meters away.” “That’s great. Finding a parking spot is what I hate the most.”

Shen Xing had forgotten to switch car keys since coming back, so Jiang Lin had been driving his little orange A6 to work these past two days. Jingling the Land Cruiser’s keys, Shen Xing went downstairs. The roads weren’t too congested at first, but traffic ground to a halt as he neared the civic square. Both sides of the road were packed with cars and people. Fortunately, he didn’t need to navigate the most congested section or hunt for parking here. After sitting through two red lights, he turned into the county committee compound. As the car rolled in, he was filled with admiration for Captain Jiang’s problem-solving skills.

Carrying the lunchbox in one hand and following the navigation on his phone with the other, Shen Xing walked forward. His ears were bombarded by car horns, shouts, and the calls of street vendors. People surrounded him, occasionally bumping into him. He quickly hugged the lunchbox to his chest and began scanning for flashing police lights. However, there were several police cars nearby, all close to the pinned location. Just as he was about to check them one by one, a figure in a police overcoat walked toward him against the flow of the crowd.

Jiang Lin spotted Shen Xing in the crowd almost instantly because Doctor Shen was wearing the exact brick-red windbreaker he had bought for him. Carefully shielding the lunchbox in his arms, his eyes darting around as he searched, he looked like a lost, anxious kitten. The sight made Jiang Lin’s heart soften: “Doctor Shen.”

Seeing him, Shen Xing quickly hurried over: “Oh my god, I almost got squished into a meat pie.”

Jiang Lin took the lunchbox from his hands and led him to the command vehicle. He was the only one in the vehicle. Looking at the police officers outside directing traffic and managing the crowd, Shen Xing felt a bit embarrassed: “Am I interrupting your work? Is it really okay for us to eat here?” “It’s fine. We have scheduled meal breaks tonight anyway. A lot of the officers have family members bringing them food.”

Shen Xing had no reaction to the term “family members.” Hearing they could eat, he hurriedly opened the lunchbox and handed Jiang Lin a pair of chopsticks: “Behold my handiwork! Six dishes: braised prawns, stuffed green peppers, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised fish, cold mixed salad, and braised chicken feet. What do you think?”

Although the names sounded impressive, honestly, Director Shen’s dishes looked rather average. The sweet and sour pork ribs, braised fish, and braised chicken feet clearly had too much dark soy sauce and were almost black. The fish was slightly mangled. But in Jiang Lin’s eyes, the fact that Doctor Shen managed to complete the dishes was a success in itself: “It’s excellent. As expected of Director Shen, who gets perfect scores in lab classes.” “Right? Even though it doesn’t look like much, the taste isn’t bad. You especially have to gnaw on one of these braised chicken feet.”

Jiang Lin instinctively asked: “Why?”

Shen Xing blinked: “To scratch your way up! Eating chicken feet today will get you a promotion!”

Jiang Lin couldn’t hold back a laugh: “Then I definitely have to eat one.”

Shen Xing took all six chicken feet out and was happily gnawing on one with his gloves on when his phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Lobsang. He quickly pulled off his gloves and answered: “Director Shen, we just got a call from the ambulance at Deqing Town Health Center. A 9-year-old boy in a village under their jurisdiction had his arm severed by a car wheel. They performed emergency hemostasis at the health center an hour ago and want to send him to Baoshan Hospital for limb replantation surgery. Baoshan Hospital says they likely won’t make it in time and can only take a gamble. But the child’s wound just started bleeding more heavily; they’re afraid he won’t survive the trip to Baoshan, and the accompanying doctor can’t handle it. They are rushing to our hospital right now. They’re asking if our hospital can perform this surgery.”

Deqing Town was the westernmost town in Fulan County. Driving from the town took three to four hours, assuming there was no traffic. Going to Baoshan City would take another four hours or so. This didn’t even factor in the time it took to transport the child from the village to the town and control the bleeding. Calculated in full, it would likely be over ten hours before the child reached Baoshan Hospital. The optimal time window for severed limb replantation is within six hours. Every minute beyond that exponentially increases the risk of surgical failure, especially with the wound’s condition deteriorating.

In the past, their county hospital definitely wouldn’t have possessed the capability for this surgery. However, they had received a batch of microsurgical equipment from Yuetan Hospital last year, so they had the necessary instruments for replantation. The only thing missing was the surgeon. Previously, no one would have been confident enough, but with Shen Xing here, it was a different story. This call was essentially asking if Shen Xing could perform the surgery.

Shen Xing pursed his lips, his voice crisp and decisive: “Tell them to come straight here. Call me every fifteen minutes to report on the patient’s condition. I’m heading back to the hospital right now.”

Hanging up the phone, Shen Xing looked up. The foodie glint in his eyes was gone, replaced by the calm and composed Director Shen from the hospital: “Hero, I’m afraid you won’t get to eat those New Year’s Eve dumplings. You have to take me back to the hospital right now.”

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Author’s Note:

Foodie Doctor Shen Cat transforms into calm and composed Director Shen in one second. He’s going to completely mesmerize Captain Jiang again.