Chapter 81 Qu Jing’s Troubles

Luo Jun immediately noticed something unusual about Qin Huai. His expression turned a bit smug, and his tone lifted slightly. “Did you get it?”

Qin Huai: …

Don’t you think that sentence sounds a bit strange?

Qin Huai nodded without saying anything.

“Hurry up and see what it is,” Luo Jun urged.

Qin Huai hesitated and glanced at the surveillance camera in the elevator. Luo Jun also looked up at it and said impatiently, “I didn’t ask you to read it out loud. Just take a look and tell me.”

Alright then.

Qin Huai opened the game panel and checked the newly obtained side quest.

Only the newly acquired task remained in the side quest list.

Side Quest:

[Qu Jing’s Troubles]: The kind-hearted doctor Ms. Qu has recently run into a problem. Some time ago, she bought a batch of Su-style pastries from the Yunzhi Canteen and became addicted to them. But just as she got hooked, the pastry chef returned to Gusu. During this period, Ms. Qu has searched all the pastry shops in the city that sell Su-style desserts, but none match her taste. Please provide Ms. Qu with pastries that suit her taste over a long period, so that she no longer feels troubled.

Task Rewards: [Qu Jing’s Approval], [A Memory of Luo Jun] (Choice: Yes/No)

Qin Huai: ?

What kind of trouble is this? Doctor Qu, isn’t your problem a bit… random?

Do you really love pastries that much?

Doesn’t seem like it.

But… the Su-style pastries that Zheng Siyuan excels at—Qin Huai isn’t very good at them. The only one he’s somewhat skilled at is Ding Sheng Gao. As for things like flaky pastries and fresh meat mooncakes, which Zheng is very good at, or Qiaoguo, water chestnut cake, and lard rice cake, which Zheng is moderately good at—Qin Huai isn’t very proficient in those either.

Does it have to be Su-style pastries?

Wouldn’t things like fermented rice buns, donkey rolls, pea cake, or locust flower buns work?

If not, he could also practice dream-fulfilling sesame cakes and longevity noodles.

“Is it that difficult?” Luo Jun asked.

Qin Huai scratched his chin. “A bit.”

“Doctor Qu wants Su-style pastries, and the task clearly says it’s because she got hooked after buying them from our canteen. But the chef, Master Zheng, has already gone back to Gusu.”

Luo Jun looked at him with disappointment, walked out of the elevator slowly, and lowered his voice. “Then make them yourself! It’s not like you can’t make pastries. Your buns, steamed buns, crab shell pastries, donkey rolls, mung bean cakes—they’re all pretty good, aren’t they?”

It was obvious Luo Jun liked those.

“If you spent less time making those useless soups every day, you’d already be done with the task.”

Qin Huai tried to explain, “Doctor Qu wants Su-style pastries at Master Zheng’s level. His skills are top-tier anywhere, and he specializes in Su-style pastries. If I start learning fresh meat mooncakes, qiaoguo, or lard rice cakes now, I can make them—but they definitely won’t reach his level.”

“Forget it, I’ll just read you the task details.”

Since the hospital staff all avoided Luo Jun anyway, Qin Huai wasn’t worried about being overheard.

He read it out loud.

Luo Jun looked at Qin Huai like, How are you so useless? You can’t even make this kind of pastry? Weren’t you so impressive earlier when you dragged me here for rehab?

“So what now?” Luo Jun asked.

Qin Huai thought for a moment. “I’ll first accompany you for the examination and see what rehab treatments suit you.”

Luo Jun: ?

“Then when Doctor Qu comes back from her break, we’ll stay nearby while you do therapy. I’ll chat with her and try to find out if she has any particular favorite pastries.”

“There are many types of Su-style pastries. It’s unrealistic for me to learn them all. But if she has specific favorites, I can focus on those for a month or two, and maybe even consult Master Zheng remotely. I might be able to recreate the flavor she likes.”

Luo Jun took a deep breath and said as if going to his doom, “Fine. Let’s go.”

“Do that damn examination.”

Qin Huai wondered whether he should tell Luo Jun that the reward for this task included his memory.

This game system seemed quite structured—no matter what task you completed, the memories and dreams you obtained all belonged to the same person, and you had to finish one before moving to the next.

Forget it. Better not tell him. Otherwise, he’d run away immediately.

It wasn’t easy to get Luo Jun out of the house, and getting him to come to the hospital for rehab was even rarer. Rehab was good for his health. For the sake of the old man’s ability to keep scolding people energetically, Qin Huai decided to sacrifice Luo Jun a little.

In the rehabilitation department, Luo Jun sat expressionlessly as the doctor completed a full set of examinations.

The results weren’t particularly good, but not bad either.

For a 92-year-old, this condition was already quite decent.

But Luo Jun’s “92 years old” was questionable—he was actually a Bifang, and even he didn’t know his true physical age.

The doctor suggested treating his legs first—they were indeed in poor condition and already affecting his walking.

Luo Jun refused.

The doctor then suggested working on his lower back, since he spent years lounging on sofas and beanbags, and his back wasn’t in great shape either.

Luo Jun refused again.

No matter how the doctor tried to persuade him, Luo Jun insisted on refusing.

The situation reached a stalemate.

Luo Jun, being in the middle of it, didn’t notice anything, but Qin Huai, watching from the side, felt something was off.

The doctor’s temperament and attitude were just… too good.

Although this private hospital emphasized service, and doctors being polite was normal, this Doctor Zhou…

Gave Qin Huai the feeling that he was caring for a lonely elderly person.

It really felt like a kind volunteer visiting a solitary old man, trying to open his heart and ease his loneliness.

“Qin Huai, why hasn’t Doctor Qu come yet?” Luo Jun was starting to lose patience.

“I’ll message her on WeChat.”

“She doesn’t check her phone. Call her!”

“Alright.”

Qin Huai stepped out to make a call.

In the hallway, before dialing, he overheard two passing nurses whispering while glancing at the consultation room.

“That’s the legendary Luo Jun, right?”

“Yeah, yeah! He registered for hospitalization in our department, paid for all the treatment plans, but no one ever sees him.”

“Wow, that must cost six figures a month.”

“Definitely.”

“No wonder Doctor Zhou is so nice to him.”

“Don’t say it like that. Old Master Luo is actually quite pitiful. I heard from the head nurse in neurology that he’s like this because he’s been living alone for years—lonely, timid, withdrawn, fragile, and sensitive. Patients like him need patience and guidance. Hurry and prepare a fruit plate for him.”

“Oh, okay!”

Qin Huai: …

Timid, withdrawn, fragile, sensitive?

Which of those words has anything to do with Luo Jun?

Who started this rumor?!

After listening to the gossip, Qin Huai took out his phone to call Qu Jing, only to see her walking out of the elevator toward him.

She hurried over with an apologetic expression. “Master Qin, I’m so sorry. A patient came in right before my shift ended, so I’m 20 minutes late. How is Mr. Luo doing? Is his mood stable? Has the therapy started?”

Before Qin Huai could answer, Luo Jun’s voice rang out loudly from the consultation room: “I’m not doing it! I’m not doing any of those messy treatments! Just pick the shortest one—quick, finish it fast!”

“That’s the situation,” Qin Huai said with a smile.

Qu Jing tried to open the door, but the moment she peeked inside, Luo Jun drove her out.

“You two stay outside! Hey, what’s that thing? You’re not trying to electrocute me, are you?!”

“Mr. Luo, the electrode patches can effectively relieve pain. Don’t worry—Master Qin and I are right at the door. Nothing will go wrong,” Doctor Qu reassured loudly.

Then she turned back to Qin Huai, completely relaxed, and started chatting: “I didn’t expect Mr. Luo to actually agree to rehab. I thought he’d turn back the moment he stepped out of the elevator and go straight to the parking lot.”

Qin Huai thought she understood Luo Jun quite well—if not for the task, he’d probably already be home watching TV.

“What time do you get off work today, Doctor Qu?” Qin Huai decided to ease into the topic.

“I finish quite early today—3 PM. The workload in our hospital isn’t heavy, especially in neurology. My focus is Alzheimer’s disease, and I rarely perform surgeries, so I don’t work overtime much. Probably not as busy as you,” she said with a smile. “I heard from Sister Hong that you start work at 4 AM, finish at noon, and spend the afternoon studying pastries. You’re much busier than I am.”

Qin Huai didn’t expect her to bring up pastries herself. His eyes lit up.

“It’s actually not that bad.”

“Doctor Qu, do you have any favorite pastries? If so, let me know. I can make more of them regularly—you can also come support our canteen.”

Qu Jing smiled. “To be honest, I already have.”

“Last time I went to Mr. Luo’s house for a check-up, I bought a lot of pastries from your canteen. There were a few I really loved—like Ding Sheng Gao, lard rice cake, qiaoguo, and white sugar cake. After finishing them, I went back to buy more.”

“But you were probably busy in the kitchen that day, so you didn’t notice me. The staff told me Master Zheng had already returned to Gusu, and those pastries were no longer available.”

“These days, I’ve tried many pastry shops, but none tasted as good.”

Qin Huai felt like he had finally grasped her taste preferences.

She didn’t mention flaky pastries or fresh meat mooncakes—the signature items—but emphasized lard rice cake and white sugar cake.

Doctor Qu…likes soft, chewy, sweet pastries.