Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 239: All Accidents

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" In a daze, Zhou Yuan saw many people running towards him. He tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry and he saw double images. He could clearly feel that his left hand, which was supporting him on the ground, was wet, while his right hand was soft and felt like a book. His face was pressed against the ground and felt wet as well. He heard some voices calling him, and then his head lolled to the side and he lost consciousness.

In the blankness, a snoring sound came. Zhou Yuan struggled to open his eyes, feeling the light was blinding. He closed his eyes and opened them again. In front of him was a bottle hanging from a white stand. His left hand was warm and soft. Zhou Yuan forced himself to stay awake and looked down carefully. A middle-aged woman with short hair was asleep on the edge of the bed, and an IV was inserted into his left hand. The snoring sound was his mother's snoring.

Zhou Yuan felt a throbbing pain in his head and couldn't help but move his hand to touch his head. This movement startled his mother awake. "Son, you're finally awake!" The woman got up and quickly walked to the ward door, shouting three times, "Dr. Cao, Dr. Cao, Dr. Cao."

After shouting, he came back and looked at Zhou Yuan excitedly, with tears still on his face. Soon, a man in a white coat and a group of nurses came in. The man in the white coat first looked at the monitor, then pried open Zhou Yuan's eyelids, shone a small flashlight on him, and then listened to his heart with a stethoscope.

After conducting some examinations, Dr. Cao turned to a pretty, tall nurse and said, "Xiao Mei, conduct five tests on Xiao Zhou tomorrow."

"Yes, Dr. Cao," a female nurse replied.

"Is my son alright?"

"Sister, your son is out of danger, but let me tell you first, a severe concussion will have some impact on his future life and work."

"Ok, I know."

Zhou Yuan was stunned by the severe concussion.

"Mom, what's wrong with me?"

"Son, the roads were slippery because of the rain, and you fell on your way to school."

This reminder made Zhou Yuan vaguely recall that there seemed to be such a thing, but it was only a vague recollection.

"Sister, it's still late at night. Give your son some warm water and let him rest."

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Cao. Xiaomei, thank you."

"Auntie, don't mention it, it's my pleasure."

Dr. Cao glanced at Zhou Yuan, then left the ward with a group of nurses.

"Son, have some water, your lips are so chapped."

His mother handed him a water cup with a bent water pipe inserted into it. Zhou Yuan sucked water from the end of the pipe, but accidentally choked and started coughing violently.

"Son, drink slowly." She said, helping Zhou Yuan sit up and gently patting his back with her right hand.

After taking a few deep breaths, Zhou Yuan gently sucked in the water, finding it sweet and refreshing.

"Mom, what day is it today?"

"Son, let me think." After saying that, he lowered his head and pondered, counting on his fingers a few times. "Son, today is July 4th, 1982, and it's late at night now."

How long have I been here?

"You were admitted to the hospital on June 30th."

"Mom, I'm fine. You should get some sleep; look, your eyes are bloodshot."

"Son, I can't sleep."

"Mom, can you tell me a children's story?"

"Look at you, you're a college graduate, but you still act like a child."

"Mom, just tell me one story. I love listening to your stories."

"Ok."

His mother gently patted Zhou Yuan's hand, "In the past..."

"Mom, why is it always the past?"

"Don't all stories start from the past?"

"Ok."

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of dwarves. In this kingdom lived many little dwarves, but their king was a giant. Under their giant king's leadership, the dwarf kingdom defeated many enemies, such as the crocodile kingdom, the scorpion kingdom, and the orc kingdom.

One day, the clever giant king of the dwarf kingdom discovered that all kingdoms were merely animals kept by hunters. So the giant led all the dwarves to escape, but they fell into a trap leading to a bottomless cave inhabited by a group of powerful monsters. These monsters constantly tricked them, but instead of devouring them, they ensured the dwarves of the kingdom lived a good life, free from want. The giant king, meanwhile, was turned into an idiot by the monsters, living a life of utter confusion and despair.

The huge cave was almost entirely dark, with only a sliver of light leaking in from where the dwarves lived, making their lives easier.

Although they now live a life free from want, some dwarves are still curious about what else might be in the cave and whether they can escape this dark cave.

However, the dwarves discovered that their home was a maze-like place, and they could not find their way out no matter how they tried to mark the path. They always ended up back where they started.

So the dwarves gave up on the idea of ​​going out and continued living their old lives.

As the days went by, one day, a dwarf suddenly discovered that their former king, the giant, would always be staring at the spot where a sliver of light shone through, smiling foolishly.

The dwarf looked at the sliver of light shining through, then at the giant, and shook his head. The light was so incredibly high up; the dwarf wished he could transform into a butterfly, a bee, or something similar.

"A little bee?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Mom, please continue."

How the dwarf wished he could transform into a butterfly or a bee, fluttering his wings and slipping through the crack in the light.

Days passed, and the same dwarf noticed the giant pointing and gesturing wildly at the source of the light. The dwarf gathered his companions, and the dwarves discussed the matter. Some dwarves said the giant was mad; how could he possibly get out from such a height unless he had wings?

Suddenly, the giant stood up, looked at the spot where the light was coming from, then squatted down, patted his shoulder, and then patted his bent thigh. The dwarf seemed to understand and immediately directed the other dwarves to form a human ladder.

Although the dwarves trained and worked hard for many days and the human ladder no longer collapsed, the height was simply too great, and there were not enough dwarves to go around.

So the dwarves gave up, and the giant returned to his foolish state.

"Son, if you are a dwarf, how will you get out?"

Zhou Yuan was listening with great interest when suddenly his mother asked him a question.

"Let's fly out like a little bee!"

"Son, you don't have wings."

"If nothing works, then I'm out of ideas."

"There is a way."

Zhou Yuan stared at his mother without blinking, "Mom, you're amazing! What's your idea?"

"Have more children."

Zhou Yuan suddenly wanted to laugh but couldn't. "Mom, I know what you're thinking. I just graduated. I'll start dating after I've established myself in my career. Please don't rush me."

"Okay, your mom is old now, and your dad passed away early. All I want is to have a grandson."

When Zhou Yuan heard his mother mention his father, his eyes welled up with tears and his heart softened.

"Mom, don't worry, it will be here soon."

"Really? You brat, don't try to fool me."

"Mom, I'm not lying to you, let's pinky swear."

"it is good."

The two hooked their thumbs and little fingers together.

"Pinky promise, for a hundred years, no take-backs!"

"Mom, look at you, you're so tired, you should get some sleep."

"how about you?"

"I've slept long enough," Zhou Yuan said with a slight smile.

"Okay, son, call me if you need anything, or call the nurse. That Xiaomei is pretty good."

"That pretty nurse?"

"Yes, I'm so glad that Xiaomei took such good care of you these past few days and helped me run errands. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do on my own, since I can't read."

“Oh,” Zhou Yuan knew that it was a real problem if the family members caring for the patient were illiterate in the hospital.

Zhou Yuan watched his mother lying on the edge of the bed and immediately heard her faint snoring. His mother was tired and probably hadn't slept for the past few days.

At that moment, a nurse in a white coat pushed open the door and entered.

"Xiao Mei?"

"Shh," Xiao Mei pointed to Zhou Yuan's sleeping mother, signaling Zhou Yuan to keep his voice down.

"Zhou Yuan, I'm here to make my rounds and check on the patients. How are you feeling now?"

"Hmm, my head feels a bit throbbing right now. Xiaomei, thank you."

"Thank me?"

"My mom said you've been a lot of help."

"As medical staff, that's what we should do. A throbbing headache is a symptom after waking up; it will be fine after three or four days of rest."

"You're still busy so late at night, you must be working so hard."

"There's no way around it, it's a job requirement. By the way, I heard from your aunt that you just graduated from university. You were among the first batch of top students to graduate after the resumption of examinations. Where will you be working in the future?"

"Go to the National Astronomical Observatory."

"The observatory? That's closer to my house."

"Xiaomei, where do you live?"

“My home is right on the campus of Qing Teng University.”

"Qing Teng University? No way, I just graduated from there."

"Oh, really? Looks like we're really destined to meet." After saying that, Xiao Mei glanced at Zhou Yuan.

What did you study?

"I studied astrophysics."

"Astrophysics? I don't understand. Does it involve studying stars?"

"Yes, that's right. How come your family lives near Qing Teng University? Are your uncle and aunt teachers?"

"My dad is a physics teacher and my mom is a computer teacher. My dad and mom were classmates and stayed on to teach at the school after graduation."

"Wow, that's impressive." Zhou Yuan thought of his parents. His mother had told him that his father had died in an accident while doing business in a southern city when he was about two and a half years old. Fortunately, his father had made some money in business, and the family had some savings. Otherwise, how could his illiterate mother have survived?

Zhou Yuan looked at his mother; her rough hands resembled the grain of wood.

"Xiaomei, could you please put my coat on my mom? Thank you."

Zhou Yuan pointed to the black trench coat on the bedside table. Although the weather was quite hot, his mother, worried about the hospital's air conditioning making him cold, had brought his coat along. Despite her hard work, Zhou Yuan's mother was very generous to him, providing him with the best food, drink, and clothing. He remembered last autumn when she bought him an expensive black trench coat, saying, "Son, you're about to graduate and start working. You need to pay attention to your appearance; don't dress like you did in school." After putting the coat on him, she said, "Son, you really look like your dad—tall, handsome, and smart." Zhou Yuan clearly noticed his mother's eyes were moist. He hugged her and said, "Mom, you've worked so hard." His mother replied, "Son, you must be successful in the future." Zhou Yuan firmly said, "Mom, I will."

Zhou Yuan watched as Xiao Mei slowly draped the trench coat over Zhou Yuan's mother.

"Xiao Mei, I don't know your name yet."

Xiao Mei blushed slightly. "My name is Ye Xiao Mei."

"You don't mind me calling you Xiaomei, do you?"

"Oh no."

"I'll visit you sometime to thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

Xiao Mei's eyes lit up. "You're too kind. This is just our job."

"Actually, I would also like to have a chat with my uncle. I have some physics questions that I would like to ask him for advice."

"Oh, really? Then I'll go home and tell him tomorrow." Xiao Mei seemed very happy, her face beaming with a smile. Only then did Zhou Yuan notice that although Xiao Mei was wearing a white coat, she was still very pretty, with a good figure and a tall stature.

"Besides your parents, do you have any siblings?"

“I also have an older brother who is studying in the Western Kingdom.”

"Oh, the Western Turks are more technologically advanced than our country; many talented people from all over the world flock there. To be honest, their research conditions are better than ours. By the way, which university does your brother attend? What's his major?"

"He is a graduate student at Harp University, studying genetic engineering."

"Genetic engineering?" Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up. This was an emerging discipline, and Zhou Yuan was very interested in it.

"Zhou... Brother Zhou, you also know about genetic engineering?"

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I just have some hobbies. To be honest, I have quite a few hobbies, but I'm not good at any of them."

"Oh, who has all the talents? I admire people who know a lot, even though I'm simple-minded."

Xiao Mei glanced at her watch. "Brother Zhou, it's only three o'clock. Why don't you get some more sleep? I'll rest tomorrow morning and come back to work tomorrow afternoon."

"okay, thank you."

"You're welcome."

After saying that, Xiao Mei glanced at Zhou Yuan, waved to him, then turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.

Zhou Yuan also felt sleepy, so he lay down and fell asleep soon after.