Chapter 1 The Old Man's Story

Originally, they thought they would have to waste some words, but unexpectedly, as soon as they opened the door, the old man's eyes were attracted to the bottle of wine.

Then, after a brief hesitation, he invited them in.

The three of them sat around a small table, above which hung an old-fashioned light bulb emitting a dim yellow light.

The room was messy, with hardly any space to put their feet.

The layout of the entire room was also problematic. There were no windows, and a dirty bed sheet of indistinguishable color was piled in the corner, with a black leather jacket thrown on top.

The cuffs and arms of the leather jacket were already cracked and looked very worn.

It was easy to imagine the old man's difficult life.

After sitting down, the old man naturally pulled out a few cups from under the table, his eyes fixed on the wine Jiang Cheng had brought.

Jiang Cheng, with great perception, opened the wine and poured the old man a full cup.

Cao Yang was also not idle, opening and arranging the snacks he had brought, placing them all in a very convenient position for the old man.

At first, the old man wanted to be reserved, looking at Jiang Cheng with a very serious expression and saying, "Drinking is fine, but if you want to find out any information, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible."

"Old Zheng's mouth is known for being tight," the old man said righteously. "What should be said will be said, and what shouldn't be said, not a word will be uttered. Everyone in the hospital knows that Old Zheng is the most reliable."

"That's right, that's right," Jiang Cheng said, putting down the wine bottle and flattering him. "We simply admire your character and want to chat with you and broaden our horizons."

Seeing the wine in the cup, the old man didn't need an invitation and immediately took a sip impatiently.

According to his conditions, he usually drank some low-grade bulk wine.

He hadn't had bottled liquor like this in a long time.

Especially... his eyes glanced at the position beside Jiang Cheng, where there were still several bottles.

The old man's surname was Zheng.

Because furnace slag had splashed into one of his eyes while he was tending the boiler, his vision had deteriorated. Prolonged alcoholism had almost blinded his already problematic eye.

Some people in the hospital called him Blind Zheng.

"Old Mr. Zheng," Jiang Cheng said with a smile, raising his glass. "Let's... have one?"

"Have one, have one!" Blind Zheng was in a good mood, picked up his glass and drained it. Cao Yang, with great perception, quickly refilled it.

The 70-proof liquor went down his throat like a burst of boiling water poured directly into his throat, then all the way down, finally burning into his stomach.

Cao Yang almost threw up.

Fortunately, he managed to suppress it. He quickly grabbed a large mouthful of food, and then his face eased up a bit.

In contrast, Jiang Cheng seemed unaffected.

He chatted with Blind Zheng about everything under the sun. Before long, the two of them became familiar. Cao Yang couldn't get a word in edgewise, just listening to them talk.

At the same time, he drank along whenever they raised their glasses.

"Brother Jiang!" Zheng Blind looked at Jiang Cheng, feeling more and more that the two of them were destined. He had drunk a lot back and forth, and his only good eye was beginning to blur.

He grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing loudly, and said vaguely, "If you have anything to ask, just ask..." Zheng Blind burped loudly, "Just ask your big brother!"

"No, I don't," Jiang Cheng said, slowly savoring a duck wing in his hand, answering with a smile. "I came here today just to make friends with Brother Zheng."

"Nonsense!" Zheng Blind saw double images of Jiang Cheng, but still insisted, "You must have something! If you don't have anything... if you don't have anything, you're treating your big brother like an outsider!"

Squinting, Jiang Cheng spat out the duck wing in his mouth and looked at Zheng Blind with a smile, "Then... can I ask a question?"

"Ask! You must ask!"

Zheng Blind's glass was already empty, but he seemed unaware, still picking it up and making a drinking motion, then smacking his lips.

Actually, Jiang Cheng had been taking care of him later on, pouring him mineral water from the bottles he brought for the last few cups.

This Zheng Blind's drinking capacity was not as good as his drinking manners.

This disappointed Jiang Cheng, who had originally had some expectations.

Pulling out a tissue, Jiang Cheng wiped his hands, "I live on the 6th floor, but the rooms in the other corridor nearby are all sealed off..."

Before Jiang Cheng could finish speaking, he heard Zheng Blind sigh deeply, and the wine glass clattered onto the table. "Alas—, it's all because of that incident!"

Cao Yang, who had been drowsy, immediately perked up when he heard there was a clue.

But Jiang Cheng gave him a look, and Cao Yang's slightly opened mouth slowly closed again.

Zheng Blind paused for a long time.

Jiang Cheng didn't rush him, just slowly drinking and waiting.

His only good eye began to blur slowly, and Zheng Blind's whole demeanor changed, as if, fueled by the alcohol, he had fallen into the memories of the past.

"That incident... it's been about 10 years, right?" Zheng Blind said. "Time really flies. Back then, I still had a lot of strength, unlike now."

"18 years," Zheng Blind said, as if confirming.

"What happened?" Jiang Cheng asked very naturally, and conveniently opened another bottle of beer for himself. "Was that place closed off 18 years ago?"

"This matter has to be told from the beginning." Zheng Blind's voice was different from before, with a strange sense of vicissitudes. "That corridor on the 6th floor, 18 years ago... was the hospital's psychiatric department."

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's hand holding the glass paused for a moment, then he took a small sip of wine.

Psychiatric department...

It sounded full of stories.

"Actually, before that incident happened, the hospital's business was still very good. Many patients from outside would choose to come here to see a doctor, especially for some difficult and complicated cases. Many of our doctors here had studied abroad." Zheng Blind didn't have much knowledge, and it seemed that studying abroad was the most impressive thing in his eyes.

"One day, I was helping to deliver hot water bottles to the wards when things started to get chaotic upstairs. There was screaming, running sounds, and it sounded like... it sounded 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 were covered in blood. As she ran, she shouted that someone had been murdered!"

"Then, before I could react, I heard a soft thud outside the window, the kind of soft sound, very muffled. My first reaction was that someone had fallen from the building."

"Later, I found out that the person who fell from the building was a man. He had killed someone, killed his wife, and then jumped off the building."

"It happened in ward 624."

"624?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Yes." Speaking of this, Zheng Blind's drunkenness dissipated a lot. It seemed that this incident had touched him deeply. "His wife lived in ward 624, which was a special care ward in the neurology department."

"His wife..." Zheng Blind looked at Jiang Cheng with his turbid eyes, pointed to his head with one hand and said, "His wife had a problem here."