Chapter 92
Chapter 92
During lunch this time, Tu Nan did not join He Ling. Instead, she went to the Dining Room to eat alone.
She had no idea where He Ling had gone; after seeing her once at the nurse station that morning, the woman had vanished.
Fairy Tale Hospital had a large staff, and the cafeteria was always crowded during mealtimes. Tu Nan carried her tray around for a while before she finally spotted a single empty seat.
There were plenty of people nearby looking for a place to sit, but they all tacitly ignored that particular spot.
Tu Nan looked at the familiar back of the person sitting there. She paused for a moment, then walked straight over.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked with a smile as she came to a stop beside the person. “There are no other seats available, Head Nurse.”
The Head Nurse’s tentacles, which were currently holding a knife and fork, paused slightly. She looked up at her.
“Sit,” she said coldly.
The Head Nurse was not human, after all. Her appearance was quite peculiar, and combined with her rigid, humorless personality, many people in the hospital kept a respectful distance from her.
A nurse like Tu Nan, who dared to sit directly across from her, immediately drew the attention of those nearby.
“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before,” the Head Nurse said, glancing at her. “Which ward are you assigned to?”
“I’m new,” Tu Nan replied smoothly. “You probably have so many things to deal with that you simply forgot me.”
“Is that so?” The Head Nurse was very confident in her own memory. Hearing this, she looked at Tu Nan with a hint of suspicion. “I never forget a single nurse.”
Fortunately, He Ling had remembered to bring Tu Nan’s ID badge along when she entered the dream.
Tu Nan showed her badge to the Head Nurse and said with a grin, “The badge doesn’t lie. I really am a new nurse.”
The Head Nurse blinked.
Was her memory truly failing her?
She began to doubt her own mind, but she didn’t let it show. She simply nodded and went back to her meal.
Lunch at the Fairy Tale Hospital cafeteria was quite sumptuous, offering not only Western cuisine but even Chinese dishes.
Supposedly, the Dean had specifically instructed the cafeteria to provide them.
The popularity of the Chinese food was mediocre; most people tried it occasionally, but the majority still preferred the Western options.
Priestley’s intention in opening this specific window was quite intriguing.
Tu Nan ordered a bowl of clay pot soup.
Compared to Western food, she still preferred Chinese cuisine.
She had a habit of drinking soup before her meal. As Tu Nan moved the clay pot in front of her, she suddenly noticed the Head Nurse looking her way.
To be precise, she was looking at the clay pot in her hands.
Tu Nan was slightly taken aback. She instinctively moved the pot, and the Head Nurse’s gaze followed it.
How could she describe that look? It was like a cat watching a feather wand.
However, the Head Nurse was clearly much more composed than a cat. She withdrew her gaze and gave a restrained cough, trying to cover up her previous stare and pretend it was just an accidental glance.
“Head Nurse, would you like some soup?” Tu Nan tentatively pushed the clay pot forward. “I haven’t touched it yet. If you want it, you can have it.”
The Head Nurse’s gaze fell upon the unidentified liquid in the pot, and a look of disgust crossed her face.
Tu Nan had ordered century egg and meatball soup. For a foreign octopus like the Head Nurse, it was likely very difficult to stomach.
“My apologies, but I have no interest in your…” She paused, seemingly searching for the right word, “…let’s call it ‘soup’ for now.”
If she wasn’t interested in the soup, then what was she looking at just now?
Something flashed through Tu Nan’s mind.
How could she have forgotten that? This was a pleasant surprise.
“My mistake for not being more thoughtful.”
Tu Nan didn’t mind the Head Nurse’s obvious disdain. Instead, she looked quite pleased as she pulled the clay pot soup back and began to enjoy it herself.
Back in university, Tu Nan had once watched a documentary-one specifically about the Octopus.
An Octopus is a truly peculiar creature. It possesses three hearts, nine brains, self-healing abilities, and a very clever mind.
Going head-to-head with the Head Nurse had never been an option for her.
Tu Nan had originally been quite troubled over how exactly she was supposed to subdue the Head Nurse. However, a single look from the Head Nurse during lunch today had given her inspiration.
An Octopus has a very specific obsession.
They are addicted to various vessels, harboring a deep desire to hide inside hollow containers. It isn’t just jars and pots; as long as it is a container, they love to crawl inside and make it their home.
Because of this, people utilize this unique obsession when fishing for an Octopus.
The Head Nurse’s behavior in the Dining Room at noon made it clear: although she possessed a humanoid form, she had not abandoned the innate instincts of her species.
She had been utterly disgusted by the soup; what had truly interested her was the jar.
Because of this, Tu Nan had finally found a way to subdue the Head Nurse without breaking a sweat.
All she needed to do was find a jar large enough to accommodate the Head Nurse, sneak it into her office when no one was looking, and then wait for the prey to fall into the trap.
In the afternoons at the hospital, the patients were let out for fresh air. Most of the nurses would follow the patients. As the Third Floor consisted of offices, there was usually very little foot traffic there to begin with. She only needed to time the Head Nurse’s departure, quickly move the jar into her office, and then hide inside. With luck, she could easily trap the Head Nurse inside the jar.
Finding a jar wasn’t hard, but finding one large enough to fit the Head Nurse wasn’t exactly easy.
Tu Nan searched many places before finally finding a plastic jar about half the height of a person in the cafeteria’s back kitchen. It was likely used to store some kind of ingredient.
It was opaque and had a lid. Once the Head Nurse crawled inside, Tu Nan just had to find the right moment to Lock her in.
It perfectly met her needs.
The person in charge of the cafeteria was initially unwilling to lend it to her. Tu Nan had to do some fast-talking, convincing them that one of her patients had made this ridiculous request and that she had no choice but to look for a jar everywhere.
Most of the patients at Fairy Tale Hospital were a bit mentally unstable. After seeing her ID badge, the cafeteria manager finally generously lent her the jar.
As for whether this lie would eventually be exposed, that was completely outside the scope of Tu Nan’s concerns.
Regardless, once she solved the mystery and woke from the dream, no one would know what had happened inside it.
Could people in reality actually know what happened in a dream?
She found a secluded path and transported the jar through the hospital’s back door. Whenever she encountered someone who asked out of curiosity, she used the same excuse she had given the cafeteria manager.
To her surprise, not a single person raised an objection to such an absurd request.
In their eyes, any request made by a patient was normal, and the nurses simply had to satisfy them as much as possible.
Some even enthusiastically offered to help her carry it upstairs, but Tu Nan declined them with a gentle yet polite smile.
“I’m truly sorry, but the patient insisted that I must carry it up with my own two hands,” she lied without even blinking.
“You poor thing.” A fellow nurse, understanding her plight, patted Tu Nan on the shoulder to encourage her. “Every nurse goes through this. Hang in there. I hope you can handle that difficult patient.”
Difficult. She was indeed very difficult.
Tu Nan smiled and nodded her thanks.
She had to handle this, and she definitely would.