Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 15

It was the weekend, and Zhang Sitan was simmering soup in the kitchen.

Pork, pre-soaked, along with ginger and cooking wine, was blanched in a pot. Once done, it was tossed into the rice cooker, and the mode was set to porridge.

After setting the time, Zhang Sitan pulled out a mat and did yoga in the living room. She wasn’t a very slender person; regular running simply kept her skin firmer and her body free of flab.

Sitting in an office all year, the body, especially the neck and shoulders, inevitably became stiff. Yoga was excellent for relieving muscle fatigue. However, yoga was time consuming, so Zhang Sitan didn’t do it often.

Her body struggled to contort into the shapes shown in the video. Zhang Sitan felt a “snap,” and all her joints seemed to open up.

Music flowed into her ear canals through headphones. Since the apartment was small, Zhang Sitan tried to slow her movements, careful not to bump into the TV cabinet or coffee table.

The soup in the kitchen was finally ready. Zhang Sitan got up and turned off the button on the rice cooker that was currently steaming.

She then added corn and carrot chunks, and set the mode to cooking again.

When the steam erupted once more, Zhang Sitan lifted the lid, added a little salt and a handful of chopped green onions.

The soup was for a child, so she sprinkled a bit of MSG to make the flavor sweeter.

There were oil droplets floating in the soup. She skimmed the foam from the surface with a spoon, then took out a thermos. She picked out a few large pieces of meat and poured the soup inside.

Smelling the aroma, Qi’an also woke up.

She shuffled out of the bedroom in her slippers, her pink-strawberry-printed dress bobbing as she ran.

“Wow,” Qi’an leaned against the doorframe, looking at the tempting soup in the bowl, and couldn’t help but drool.

“You’re awake? I made soup. Do you want to drink it now or later?” Zhang Sitan asked as she ladled the soup.

“Now, now.”

Qi’an couldn’t wait to drink it, but Zhang Sitan ordered her to go wash her hands.

The fried flatbread bought this morning was placed on a plate by Zhang Sitan. She unscrewed the thermos and served two separate bowls of soup, carrying them to the living room.

“Do you want to come with me to the hospital later to see a child?” Zhang Sitan looked at Qi’an, who was ravenously eating in front of the sofa, “Eat slower.”

“It’s too delicious,” Qi’an took a big gulp from the bowl, her lips greasy.

“A child?”

“Mhm, he also has spinal muscular atrophy. I helped organize a fundraiser for him before, and we got to know each other.”

Qi’an was stunned when she heard the other person had spinal muscular atrophy, and her hand holding the chopsticks paused.

Her younger cousin also had this illness. She had personally seen her cousin’s legs swell to several times thicker than an adult’s, with localized tissue edema. Her aunt constantly massaged him until her fingers cramped and sometimes couldn’t straighten immediately.

“Okay,” Qi’an mumbled in response.

After the meal, Zhang Sitan opened the door, carrying a bag of picture books. Seeing her struggling to hold it, Qi’an volunteered to take the thermos.

The roads were jammed with cars. Although it was the weekend, quite a few people were out and about.

The hot exhaust fumes from the car tails constantly gathered. The sun overhead was scorching and dazzling, and the temperature was quite high.

Zhang Sitan, familiar with the route, led Qi’an into a hospital room.

The person in the room called out, “Come in,” after the knock. Seeing it was Zhang Sitan, the little boy’s mother stood up from the bed and greeted her warmly.

“Sitan, you’re here!”

“Yes, I brought some picture books for Xiaobao. Last time, I saw he was quite interested in dinosaurs, so I picked out a few more this time.”

Xiaobao’s mother took the bag. A child about seven or eight years old on the bed raised his torso slightly. There was a smile on his face, but because he was so thin, the smile seemed stretched over his skin.

“This is the new child in our group, her name is Qi’an,” Zhang Sitan gently pushed Qi’an forward and introduced her.

“Hello, I’m Chen Yongmei, and this is my son, Zhao Canbao.” The woman named Yongmei introduced herself, patting her son, “Say hello to Jiejie (older sister).”

Xiaobao had seen Zhang Sitan many times and familiarly called her “Sitan Jiejie.”

When he saw Qi’an, his mouth opened, unsure what to call her.

Chen Yongmei prompted him, “Call her An’an Jiejie.”

“An’an Jiejie,” Xiaobao repeated after her.

Zhang Sitan took the thermos and opened it for Xiaobao to see, “Xiaobao, do you smell how good the soup I made is? Will you eat more for lunch, okay?”

“Okay.” Xiaobao liked Zhang Sitan very much and agreed to all her requests.

A few days ago, Chen Yongmei had complained to Zhang Sitan on WeChat that Xiaobao wasn’t eating well again, so Zhang Sitan made soup and came to see him.

“Do your legs hurt lately?”

“No, they don’t.”

“I brought you lots of picture books. Do you still want to see dinosaurs?”

“Yes!”

As soon as Xiaobao heard “dinosaurs,” he tried to sit up from the bed. He couldn’t sit up by himself, so Chen Yongmei tucked a few pillows behind his back to support him.

“I want to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex!”

“Tyrannosaurus Rex? Xiaobao likes Tyrannosaurus Rex?” Zhang Sitan took out a picture book with a Tyrannosaurus Rex on it from the bag and gave it to him.

“The Tyrannosaurus Rex is like me. Its arms are tiny, and its legs are very thick,” Xiaobao took the picture book, pointed at the dinosaur on it, and showed off to Zhang Sitan.

On the picture book, a brown line-drawn dragon stood steadily on the ground, with two short arms hanging at its sides.

Zhang Sitan looked at Xiaobao with a pang of heartache and said, “The Tyrannosaurus Rex’s little arms help keep its body balanced. Xiaobao can also use his little arms to write lots and lots of beautiful words, okay?”

“Okay!”

Qi’an quietly accompanied them on the side, watching Zhang Sitan and Xiaobao point at the dinosaurs in the book and invent stories.

After a while, Xiaobao’s father, Zhao Xinrong, walked in through the door carrying a large bag of fruit, sweating profusely from the heat.

“Why did you take so long?” Chen Yongmei scolded, handing Zhao Xinrong a towel to wipe his sweat.

“As soon as you said Sitan was coming, I went to buy some more fruit,” Zhao Xinrong smiled sheepishly while wiping his sweat and greeted Sitan.

“This is Qi’an.” The two greeted each other again.

“Eat bananas, they help with digestion,” Zhao Xinrong took out a few bananas from his bag for Zhang Sitan and Qi’an. He peeled two for himself, gave one to Chen Yongmei, broke one in half for the child, and ate the remaining half.

Zhang Sitan did not politely refuse but accepted a banana, peeled, and ate it. Seeing Zhang Sitan take one, Qi’an also accepted a banana.

The sweet smell of the banana, as the yellow skin was peeled away, masked the smell of disinfectant in the hospital room.

When it was time to leave, Zhao Xinrong tried to give the entire bag of fruit to Zhang Sitan. After some back-and-forth, Zhang Sitan only took two apples before leaving.

Outside the hospital, the surrounding temperature heated up again, sticking to their bodies suffocatingly.

Qi’an turned her head to look at Zhang Sitan, seeing her entirely bathed in the light and shadow. A huge halo passed through the azure sky, pausing between the towering, bustling skyscrapers.

Before, just looking at a few reports made her feel life was too difficult and she wanted to give up. But there were so many people even harder than her still persisting, desperately reaching for the sunshine in places unseen.

The end of July brought two major events.

The first was payday. The second was the end of Qi’an’s internship.

Looking at the extra digits in her bank account and the pay stub in her hand, Qi’an felt an urge to jump up and hug Sitan Jie.

Why hug Sitan Jie? Probably because she was sitting right across from her.

Qi’an savored a dried apricot. It was so sour her mouth kept salivating, yet she couldn’t stop.

She glued her pay stub to the side of her computer screen, showing off that she was now a person who needed to pay taxes.

Zhang Sitan walked past and saw a white slip plastered on the computer. She was utterly disgusted: “Why don’t you just stick it on your forehead and go wander around Prince Gong’s Mansion? It’s packed with people there; more people will be able to see it.”

Zhang Sitan’s sarcasm made Qi’an laugh. She smiled sheepishly, looked up at Zhang Sitan, “Sitan Jie, how much is your salary?”

“Do you know it’s a huge taboo in the workplace to discuss salary?” Zhang Sitan leaned down, one hand resting on the desk edge and the other on the chair, half enveloping Qi’an.

“I know, but I’m only discussing it with you,” Qi’an chuckled. Zhang Sitan’s face was very close to hers, just a little further and their noses would touch.

“You’ve clearly posted it out in the open, so do you still need to discuss it with others?” Zhang Sitan straightened up and returned to her own desk.

“Sitan Jie, let’s go drinking tonight. My treat!” Qi’an leaned forward and spoke to Zhang Sitan across the office desk.

“You just got paid and you want to squander it away already?” Zhang Sitan eyed her.

“Hehehe, I’ve been living and eating for free at your place, and you won’t charge me rent. If I don’t treat you, I’ll feel too embarrassed.”

“True, I even cook for you every day.”

“Exactly, exactly! Sitan Jie is the best.” Qi’an took the opportunity to butter her up.

Zhang Sitan smiled. Just one month of work had turned this workplace rookie into a smooth-talking workplace weasel.

“Is the report finished?”

“Finished, finished!” Qi’an said, eager for praise, “I’m super proactive about making reports now.”

She knew all sorts of formulas now. Before, she always spaced out and couldn’t understand the pie charts her computer teacher taught. Now, she grasped them immediately after one operation.

After work, Qi’an followed behind Zhang Sitan, skipping as they walked out.

The people in the office didn’t know they lived together. Since Zhang Sitan was friendly to everyone, they assumed it was a mentor-apprentice relationship. No one asked when they saw them taking the subway together every day.

The bar they went to was in a very narrow alley. The walls were wrapped with many string lights, illuminating the alley brightly.

As they entered, someone at the door was using a roller to stamp their arms—a form of ticket, though optional.

Qi’an stuck out her arm, and the person firmly stamped a circular mark on it.

Zhang Sitan mocked her as childish but offered her arm for a stamp too.

Both their arms were stamped with a large circle, shaped like a small car. The spotlights on the bar ceiling shone down, casting a blue-purple light on the stamps.

Qi’an put their arms together and took a picture.

Inside, it was a blur of neon lights, but there was no chaotic crowd; it wasn’t busy yet.

Qi’an found a booth and asked Zhang Sitan what she wanted to drink.

“Uh.” Zhang Sitan seriously pondered for a moment.

She hadn’t expected Qi’an’s idea of drinking to be coming here.

“Can we order food?”

“Of course,” Qi’an sat next to Zhang Sitan and showed her the menu, “Sitan Jie, are you hungry?”

“Uh…” Zhang Sitan was speechless. If she hadn’t eaten, how could she not be hungry?

She looked at the menu and ordered things that sounded like they would fill her stomach: popcorn chicken, a platter, cold-cooked beef, fries…

Qi’an, meanwhile, ordered a bunch of colorful drinks.

The waiter brought them over on a tray. The packaging was beautiful, and the presentation looked deliberate.

But… Zhang Sitan forked a piece of popcorn chicken. It was cold.

“You ordered so many drinks,” Zhang Sitan swallowed the popcorn chicken dryly and said faintly.

“These aren’t very strong, and they’re sweet. Try this one.”

Qi’an picked up a blue drink and offered it to Zhang Sitan’s lips.

Zhang Sitan leaned down and took a sip. It indeed didn’t taste much like alcohol.

So, she was going to sit here, enduring the ear-splitting shouting, eating fried food that was God-knows-how-old and already cold, and drinking sugar water?

She turned her head to look at the little person next to her, who was enthusiastically taking photos. Zhang Sitan sighed inwardly.

Forget it. As long as she was happy.

Zhang Sitan didn’t know why her tolerance for Qi’an was so high.

She didn’t charge her rent and willingly cooked for her. It was partly because Qi’an said she was scared to live alone, but also partly because she felt it was nice to have an extra person at home.

One more light was on, one more set of bowls and chopsticks was out, and there was someone chattering and joking in her ear.

Just as Zhang Sitan was contemplating this, she saw Qi’an climb over the booth and run onto the T-stage to dance with a man whose makeup was whiter than flour.

There weren’t many people in the bar to begin with, and the range of their movements was large, making them instantly noticeable.

The music in her ears was extremely loud, with bursts of static. Zhang Sitan watched the person on the stage sing with great effort, his eyes squeezed shut, making it hard to tell if he was lip-syncing or actually singing.

After dancing for a while, Qi’an was likely tired and rushed back to the booth.

“Si Tan Jie”

The little person who tumbled over was slightly flushed, leaning against Zhang Sitan.

“This one is especially good. Try this.”

Zhang Sitan pushed away the drink she offered, “You should drink less. These drinks have a heavy after-effect, and it’s easy to get drunk if you have too many.”

“I’m already drunk, hehehe.”

Her misty eyes stared at Zhang Sitan and asked her, “Sitan Jie, do you think I’m pretty?”

A truly drunk person wouldn’t say they’re drunk, but Qi’an’s rogue-like appearance suggested she might actually be tipsy.

“Didn’t you say you like girls? Why are you dancing such a provocative dance with a guy?”

The smell of alcohol lingered around Zhang Sitan’s ears. Coupled with the music that sounded like a short circuit, her forehead was throbbing. Qi’an was leaning too close, prompting Zhang Sitan to ask a thoughtless question.

Qi’an was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, “He’s a, hahaha.”

Zhang Sitan didn’t know why she instantly understood the number. A moment of awkwardness passed, and she took a badge out of her bag and handed it to Qi’an.

The golden badge was the same style as the original, but it had two more characters added to the back: Qi’an.

Perhaps the light was too dim, and Qi’an was too dizzy from the alcohol. She didn’t clearly see what Sitan was holding, only knowing she was about to hand her something.

She held her hand palm up, extending it toward Zhang Sitan.

Zhang Sitan had no choice but to place the name badge in Qi’an’s hand.

Her fingertips brushed Qi’an’s palm a very hot temperature. Zhang Sitan immediately withdrew her hand.

“Drink less.”

After the admonition, she added, “Congratulations on your official employment.”

Qi’an gripped the name badge in her hand, feeling a surge of warmth rush through her chest.

“Thank you, Sitan Jie,” she said softly, not caring if the music drowned out her voice or if Zhang Sitan heard her.

Looking down and examining the badge with her name on it, she once again felt a huge force embracing her.