Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Chapter 1204 576: Hospice Care (2)

Mr. Luo seems wealthy, with a bad temper, chaotic schedule, living as he pleases, and having a top-notch nanny, enjoying life more than anyone else, but he hasn't even managed to grasp the basic essence of living.

Only at this moment did Qin Huai truly realize that Mr. Luo appears to be living, but in reality, he is not; he is genuinely tormenting himself, living like a walking corpse.

Qin Huai wanted to talk to someone about this matter.

In the past, when faced with similar spirit-related dilemmas, his first choice was undoubtedly to ask Mr. Luo.

Second choice...

No second choice.

Occasionally, he would ask Shi Dadan, but that was because Shi Dadan happened to be beside Qin Huai then. As for Mr. Luo's issue, Qin Huai wasn't keen on asking Shi Dadan; he knew Mr. Luo didn't like Shi Dadan, so he didn't want to upset him further in Bi fang's final days.

After pondering over it, Qin Huai kind of wanted to ask Director Qin.

Although Director Qin is merely an ordinary director at Sanmalu Children's Welfare Institute, having lived a frugal life (the institute didn't have money for her to embezzle, and during New Year, she could at most carry two barrels of oil home, and only rapeseed oil), often fantasizing about a successful graduate handing her a check for five million to spend at will, she has reached retirement age but still holds her position - she is Qin Huai's Mrs. Qin.

If this Mrs. Qin could destroy the paintings Qin Huai created in his childhood, cherished in the director's office, it would be even better.

At 7:42 PM, Qin Huai finally dialed Director Qin's number.

Director Qin answered almost immediately.

Qin Huai hadn't called Director Qin for a long time; the last call was before the New Year, informing Director Qin that he was going to the welfare institute to see her.

"Hello, Huaihuai, why are you calling me at this time? Are you back in Qiu County? Have you eaten dinner yet? There's a new 15 yuan buffet near your home, open until 9 PM. The dishes are quite good, and I've heard they use clean oil. If you haven't eaten yet, you could go to that buffet place, called 'Full-something,' you can find it easily." Director Qin's gentle voice came from the other side of the phone.

"Mrs. Qin, I'm not back in Qiu County."

Director Qin instantly heard the disappointment in Qin Huai's voice and asked, "Huaihuai, what's wrong? Did you have a fight with your mom and dad?"

"No," Qin Huai said softly, "I have a friend... reportedly won't live beyond seven days, and now I don't know..."

Director Qin interrupted Qin Huai: "Did the doctor say that? Are they in that ICU needing a lot of medical fees? Thanks to you, Huaihuai, our welfare institute isn't short of money now. I've saved some money this year, probably around twenty to thirty thousand on hand. If they urgently need medical bills, I'll transfer it to you right now."

"It's not about needing medical bills," Qin Huai hurriedly explained, "it's just... purely dying."

"I want to do something for him, but suddenly I realized, despite knowing him for so long, I don't understand him at all. I don't even know his taste preferences. All I know is he likes staying home watching TV, watching movies, but I don't know any other hobbies."

"I want to do something to make him happy before he dies, but I don't even know what to do."

Director Qin heard the dilemma in Qin Huai's voice, thought for a moment, and consoled him: "Huaihuai, you have always been a very thoughtful person, and smart too, but it's impossible to understand everyone."

"It's normal to want to do something for a friend. It's okay if you can't think of anything; I'll help you brainstorm. How old is this friend of yours?"

"Ninety-two."

"...ninety... ninety-two?" Director Qin was a bit stunned, but quickly accepted, "Did the doctor say there's only seven days left? If that's the case, it might not be very convenient..."

"It was the fortune teller responsible for the funeral planning who said so."

Director Qin's CPU overheated.

Director Qin remained silent for a long time, so long that Qin Huai glanced at his phone to check if Director Qin had hung up.

Eventually, Director Qin chose to be forgiving and understanding, even if she didn't quite understand herself.

"Huaihuai, just do what you want," Director Qin said, "you do what you think your friend needs, I believe no matter whether they like what you do or not, they will be happy."

"Often the result of an affair isn't important, the process isn't either, the cause is very important, because cause represents intent."

"Do what you think should be done, give this friend some hospice care."

After the conversation with Director Qin, Qin Huai sat on the sofa and contemplated for a long time, until Zhou Hu sent a message to Qin Huai.

Zhou Hu cautiously sent a seemingly polite but essentially useless message.

Zhou Hu: Master Qin, are you there?

Qin Huai: Yes.

Zhou Hu called Qin Huai, who answered, and on the other side of the phone, Zhou Hu's voice came across more respectful, less familiar: "Master Qin, did I say something wrong in the underground garage today?"

"I am truly sorry, I have this flaw, once I get familiar with someone, I just say whatever comes to mind."

"Did Mr. Luo visit the hospital recently?"

"I am just a fraud, I tell fortunes purely to cheat money, you mustn't take my words seriously. Mr. Luo's physical condition clearly suggests he could live several more months, certainly not just seven days."

Qin Huai interrupted Zhou Hu: "How far along is the planning of Mr. Luo's funeral?"

Zhou Hu spoke honestly: "In theory, it's 90% complete."

"The more complex parts of Mr. Luo's funeral are on the stage side; Mr. Luo integrated many elements that people enjoy at the stage there."

Qin Huai: ?

"Master Qin, I'll secretly tell you, but you mustn't let Mr. Luo know you already know."

"In the village, we've constructed two performance stages, one for theater and one for drama. We're going to have morning plays, afternoon talking shows, evening opera, with interspersed song and dance performances, and Mr. Luo asked us to buy 880,000 scratch lotto tickets for guests to play the lottery, providing hot dishes, fruits, and snacks all day."

"Of course, there will be mahjong machines beside both the mourning hall and the stage."

"Just the mourning hall's decoration hasn't been finalized, this remaining 10% really depends on Mr. Luo's preference."

"I've pretty much done all the work I can on my side."

Qin Huai: ... No wonder Zhou Hu's progress on his work isn't smooth, actually, Mr. Luo's funeral is quite colorful.

Mr. Luo truly embraced a lot of absurd ideas.

"Then Planner Zhou, are you actually available now?"

"Master Qin, do you have any tasks for me? Feel free to instruct, I actually am not busy now."

"Planner Zhou, you're good at funeral planning, are you good at hospice care?"

Zhou Hu: ?

"Hos... hospice care?"

"In other words, do you feel you understand Mr. Luo? Do you think Mr. Luo will want to do most before he dies?" Qin Huai didn't expect Zhou Hu to give an answer when asking this question.

But Zhou Hu did.

After contemplating for a few minutes, Zhou Hu seriously responded.

"Mr. Luo is a very lonely person, perhaps because he's an empty-nest old man. Every time I visit his house, he's always alone watching TV, the TV volume is loud, but I'm aware he's not hard of hearing."

"He must really like hustle and bustle."

"Mr. Luo actually has one requirement for his funeral, just two words, 'hustle and bustle,' he said many people would come to the funeral, and hustle and bustle are the most important."

"I think if Mr. Luo needs hospice care, it's likely he needs Master Qin, you all to visit him more, watch TV with him, chat with him."

Qin Huai nodded thoughtfully.

This sort of hospice care, huh.

It makes a lot of sense.