Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 424: Nothing Too Strange

"Mmmph! Mmm? Mmmph mmph mmph!!!"

The man with a lightbulb in his mouth clung to the doctor's shoulder, making these noises.

Liu Changqing and his daughter stood nearby, quietly observing the scene.

The doctor turned to look at him.

Adjusting his glasses with a push, he then sighed deeply.

"Stop mumbling. Let me treat this little girl first, then I'll remove the bulb from your mouth."

"Mmmph! Mmmph mmph!!"

"What's the hurry? A grown man like you can't be more important than a little girl. This isn't your first time anyway."

"Mmmph mmph mmph mmph mmph!"

"Suffering a bit will do you good. Maybe you'll think twice before doing such brainless things next time."

"......"

"......"

Father and daughter fell silent. Liu Xiazhi stared wide-eyed at the ongoing "conversation" between doctor and patient.

At her young age, she momentarily forgot about the pain in her finger.

Tilting her head up, she looked at her father.

Complete confusion now dominated her young mind.

"Daddy..." she sniffled.

"What... what are they saying?"

"No idea," Liu Changqing replied, watching the bizarre exchange with furrowed brows.

"Actually... how can the doctor understand all that 'mmph mmph'?"

"He does this stupid stuff regularly," the doctor explained, shifting his gaze from the lightbulb man to the father-daughter pair.

"Today's actually mild - just a lightbulb in his mouth. Last week he glued his lips together with superglue for fun... I'd just fixed that less than a week ago when he shoved this bulb in."

"Huh?" Liu Changqing was visibly stunned, casting bewildered looks at the lightbulb man.

Is this guy... mentally challenged?

Hearing the doctor's description, the man clearly took offense. His eyes bulged wider as he began flailing his arms wildly - pointing at the sky, then the ground - seemingly trying to convey something. But Liu Changqing's intellect apparently hadn't reached the level required to comprehend these gestures.

Completely baffled, Liu could only watch the man's erratic movements that resembled a psychiatric patient's.

The doctor, however, seemed perfectly attuned to this wavelength.

Not only did he understand, he calmly offered advice:

"Next time you want to experiment, consider safety first. Even as friends, I'll have to send you to the mental hospital if this continues."

"Mmmph mmph!!"

"Alright, stay put for now."

With that, the doctor turned to the father-daughter pair. "Follow me," he said, heading toward the inner room.

Liu Changqing guided his daughter around the clearly unstable man, following the doctor.

The treatment didn't take long. To prevent infection, the doctor thoughtfully applied a band-aid to Xiazhi's wound.

The injury was minor - though her wails during the trip here had suggested mortal agony. Most people would've just rinsed it with water and moved on. But as a father, Liu Changqing considered more possibilities.

For safety's sake, he insisted on a tetanus shot.

At Xiazhi's age, children universally feared injections. Upon hearing "shot," she clung to her father like a koala, screaming protests.

Initially patient, Liu's gentle coaxing proved ineffective - if anything, she became more resistant.

Finally, Liu had to physically restrain her so the doctor could proceed.

Payment completed, father and daughter prepared to leave.

At the exit, they encountered the lightbulb man again.

Strangely calmer now, he stood motionless by the window, staring at something unseen.

The pair studied his silhouette.

For some reason... Liu Changqing felt something unusual about this man.

Once this suspicion took root, it wouldn't leave.

Holding his daughter's hand at the doorway, Liu pondered deeply.

Then it hit him.

Could this guy actually be... mentally ill?

Alarmed, Liu abruptly dragged his daughter out without even bidding the doctor farewell.

As the door closed behind them, the doctor emerged from the inner room to stand beside the lightbulb man.

Both gazed silently at whatever held the man's attention outside.

Time seemed frozen.

Finally, the doctor spoke:

"What are you looking at?"

"Mmmph..."

"Leaves?"

"Mmmph mmph mmph mmph mmph..."

"You're counting how many leaves are on that tree?"

The doctor's expression shifted dramatically upon this revelation.

His gaze at his friend grew complex.

After a long stare, he made a decision.

Turning to his desk, he picked up the phone and dialed the psychiatric hospital.

"Hello? Mental hospital? I have a patient here."

"Mmmph mmph mmph mmph!!!!"

————————————————

Back home, the father-daughter pair rode the elevator.

Inside, Liu watched his daughter blowing repeatedly on her bandaged finger.

Puzzled by this behavior, he asked:

"What are you doing?"

"Blowing makes it hurt less... someone told me."

"Who spouts such nonsense—"

"Ding." The elevator arrived.

They exited to their apartment door. Liu unlocked it.

Hearing the door, An Yuanyao rushed from the bedroom.

Relief washed over her as she saw just a band-aid on Xiazhi's finger.

"Thank goodness... I was so worried..."

Cupping her daughter's face, she looked at her husband.

"We can't keep the turtle anymore. Too dangerous..."

"Yeah, definitely dangerous."

Changing into slippers, Liu walked past them toward the bathroom.

Moments later, he emerged holding the turtle by its shell, heading to the kitchen.

"As punishment for biting my precious girl..." he mused,

"Let's eat it today."

Smiling, he asked his daughter:

"Xiazhi, any objections?"

"I..."

The girl hesitated, looking at the turtle in her father's hand.

Several days of companionship had quietly built a bond between them.

Though it bit her...

Memories of playing with the turtle flashed through her mind like movie clips.

Her heart softened.

"Daddy... he's my fri—"

"Braised style."

"Okay!!"

Liu Xiazhi loved braised turtle.

It really...

Goes well with rice.