Novice Forensic Doctor

Chapter 343: Chapter 332 Enjoying the Good Life with My Grandson_1

The next day at noon.

Zhou Ning was playing chess with the old man before lunch when his phone started ringing. He put down the chess piece and stared at the board for quite a while, leaving the old man with a puzzled face.

"Hurry up and answer the phone. What are you looking at the board for?"

Zhou Ning was on guard.

"I have to make sure I remember the positions; otherwise, Grandpa might swap them, and I wouldn’t even know how I lost. You’ve cheated more than once or twice, so I need to be cautious."

The old man was speechless, then picked up a cushion and threw it at Zhou Ning.

"Stop your jabbering and answer the phone, you brat."

Zhou Ning took out his phone, glanced at the name on the screen, and begrudgingly answered the call.

"What’s up, Doctor Lu?"

Seeing the old man raise his hand, Zhou Ning instinctively dodged further away, escaping the old man’s striking range before he paid close attention to Doctor Lu’s voice coming from the receiver.

"Hehe, when I call you, it should tell you it’s about the exam. Aside from the multiple-choice questions, the short-answer ones are all varied. Mr. Xia and I have been looking at them for a long time, and we can’t determine if they are right or wrong."

Zhou Ning was startled.

"Isn’t there a teacher specialized in forensics?"

Doctor Lu sighed.

"I was fine until you mentioned that. Now it just makes me angry, almost to the point where I want to fire them all. They’re all like crooked melons and cracked dates. I had them answer in advance, and clearly, they all perfectly avoided the standard answer you provided. They didn’t even touch on the question stem. The first one even thought it was a traffic accident."

Zhou Ning was stunned. Had he not explained it clearly, or had they all overlooked the stab wounds under the edges of the ribs?

"Did anyone get it right?"

Doctor Lu sounded very cheerful.

"Hehe, believe it or not, a few got it right. But the one with the most standard answer was that student, Cui Liwen. I even suspect you might have leaked the answers to her, but I trust your integrity, especially since she calls you ’uncle’. I bet you definitely wouldn’t contact her on your own, hahaha!"

Zhou Ning was at a loss for words. This old coot was truly excited. It was a rule-breaking, excellence-selecting screening, and it made him so happy. Zhou Ning found it hard to continue the conversation and after thinking for a moment, he said.

"How many papers are there in total? I can only help you take a look. Mark how many points each question is worth. I can help you review the papers, but as for the final score, you guys can tally it up, right?"

Doctor Lu laughed again.

"Not too many. How about this? Have you eaten yet? I’ve already sent someone to your house, directly delivering the papers. Just move your lips and take a look. As for recording and organizing the scores, I’ll leave that to them. How does that sound?"

"It’s not someone from the forensic department, is it?"

Zhou Ning was somewhat intimidated, as his own postgraduate graduation had involved some indescribable events with his supervisor, making him somewhat resistant to teachers from that discipline.

"Mr. Xia and Mr. Qu are heading over together since you’re more familiar with them. After you’ve looked at them, they can just bring them back." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Zhou Ning was about to say something when the old man kicked him and pointed toward the dining table; he had already gotten up and was calling out to the kitchen. Today, his second aunt was out, so it was a cook who was responsible for preparing the meals. The old man asked her to prepare additional food.

Hearing this, Zhou Ning couldn’t say much else.

"Alright, then ask them to eat at my place. Since the cook is already there, she’s made quite a lot of dishes."

"Okay, that’s settled then. Also, I want to let you know that the property deed will be ready next week. Should I have it couriered to your office or sent to your hometown?"

Zhou Ning was surprised.

"Send it to the office. Even if I’m not there, someone will help me receive it. Thanks, Doctor Lu."

"What’s there to thank me for? I’ve got another call; it’s from Mr. Qu. I think they’ve arrived."

After hanging up, Zhou Ning walked over to the north side window. The old man followed, and together they looked down, sure enough, Xia Momo and Mr. Qu were quickly getting out of a car. Mr. Qu was holding a pile of papers, and seeing the quantity, Zhou Ning was shocked. Weren’t there hundreds of papers?

Seeing Zhou Ning stunned, the old man patted him and went ahead to open the window, waving to Xia Momo.

"Xia Momo, you’ve arrived. Hurry up and come in. I’ll ask Zhou Ning to come down to meet you."

Xia Momo looked up when she heard the voice and flashed a sweet smile upon seeing the old man. They interacted for a bit, and soon they were coming upstairs. When Zhou Ning opened the door, they had already arrived, and he put down two pairs of disposable slippered booties.

"Change into these shoes. Both pairs are disinfected. Just set the papers aside for now. We’ll look at them after we go to my place—let’s eat first. What time did you guys leave?"

The old man ran over, took Xia Momo by the arm without waiting for Zhou Ning, and sat down in the living room. The two chatted merrily while Zhou Ning felt a bit awkward. Mr. Qu put down the papers and sniffed the delicious aroma permeating the air.

"What delicious food have we got here? It smells so good, my stomach started growling at the scent."

"The cook made beef ribs and a chicken. You’re in for a treat. Hurry and wash your hands so we can eat." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Once everyone was seated, the cook was quite efficient. The old man’s hints were not lost on her; in addition to the four dishes already prepared, she added a Babao sticky rice and a fruit salad. The taste and presentation were impeccable.

Without any formalities, they dug in, as they had been busy all morning. They quickly finished lunch, and during the meal, the old man took such good care of Xia Momo that she felt quite embarrassed, only being let off the hook by the old man after she truly couldn’t eat anymore.

"Alright, after you finish eating, hurry over to Xiao Ning’s place to discuss business. If you want to eat something another day, just tell Grandpa, and I’ll have your Aunt make it and send it over to you. By the way, I forgot to ask, Xia, are you still neighbors with Xiao Ning?"

Xia Momo smiled shyly and glanced at Zhou Ning.

"Yeah, I still live in Building No. 7 behind Qin University. Grandpa, don’t bother, I can cook too. If Zhou Ning wants to eat something later, I can make it for him."

The old man beamed with joy upon hearing this and nodded continuously.

"You can’t spoil the boy. It doesn’t matter what he wants to eat; it’s what you like that’s important. Later, just let me handle it; I’ll have your Aunt prepare it."

Zhou Ning knew that if he didn’t end this conversation, the next part would be about urging him to marry.

"Grandpa, you should rest. We need to work on these exam papers. There are so many, we probably won’t finish reviewing them all this afternoon."

The old man gave Zhou Ning a knowing look, fully aware of his grandson’s character, and patted Xia Momo’s hand.

"Go on then, don’t just focus on work. Boil some hot water to drink. Xia is a girl; she can’t catch a cold. You young man just don’t know how to take care of others."

Zhou Ning, almost as if escaping, dragged both of them back to his place. They kept laughing, but no one pointed out Zhou Ning’s urgency. After putting down the papers, Zhou Ning took a glance and felt overwhelmed.

"Isn’t this just an internal selection? How come so many people have signed up all at once?"

Xia Momo shook her head.

"I don’t know either. Originally, when the announcement was made last night, there were only about thirty applicants. Later, perhaps seeing that the institute was serious and that you all had gone to the research center, people thought it was reliable, with the promise of directed placement and a degree, so they all became interested. However, some of these writings are really good."

Zhou Ning was somewhat speechless, but since things had reached this point, he couldn’t just throw in the towel. Glancing over the exam papers, he saw the first one covered standard topics on both sides, touching on a bit of knowledge in various areas, even forensic knowledge, which was definitely beyond the scope. Nonetheless, some students managed to answer them, impressing him with their intense study habits.

On the second sheet of paper were three cases that Zhou Ning had set up, each worth 20 points, featuring a mix of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions. They were quite diverse and even more meticulous than the ones Zhou Ning had written before. He glanced at Xia Momo.

"Who revised these questions? They are really well done."

Mr. Qu leaned in to take a look and immediately laughed.

"Mr. Xia thought the questions were too simple, so he increased the difficulty and broadened the scope. Like Mr. Zhao, his hobby is various vehicles. Mr. Xia said we could look among these students to see if any have similar strengths. After all, we still need to establish the discipline of trace evidence examination for the graduate students in June."

Zhou Ning nodded, admitting that their approach was more thoughtful than his own.

Without further contemplation, Zhou Ning began to check the answers. Seeing their responses, he was somewhat amused and frustrated.

Some were just answering for the sake of answering. The questions had stated that based on the case, they should find detailed characteristics, something that could be discovered upon careful analysis. However, some went completely off on a tangent, writing hundreds of words of self-indulgence, not even touching on the actual points.

Time ticked by, and as the sky outside darkened, Zhou Ning finally finished the last paper. Mr. Qu quickly entered the scores while Xia Momo took photographs to upload the results. Their collaboration was not slow.

Rubbing his sore neck, Zhou Ning looked at the two of them, who were also quite tired. While he could rest, they had to keep pace with the research center, even coming out on a Saturday to take care of things.

"Finally done."

They both sighed with relief. Mr. Qu held the papers and quickly packed them up, taking a glance at the upload progress on Xia Momo’s end.

"Let’s go back now. Doctor Lu and the others are all waiting for the papers. They need to select some and check their regular performance for comparison."

Zhou Ning looked out the window.

"It’s already this late. Why not eat before we go?"

Xia Momo waved her hand.

"Doctor Lu and Director Xu are equally impatient. They want quick results to publish, so no one takes advantage of loopholes. After all, we genuinely want to cultivate talent and don’t want others to use it as a tool just to get a degree."

Zhou Ning couldn’t argue with that. Just then, a knock on the door interrupted them. Zhou Ning hurried to open it, and as the two were already prepped to leave, they moved toward the door. The old man greeted them at the door with a smile.

"I knew you’d be in a hurry to leave. Xia, take this with you. It’s dumplings with Spanish mackerel filling and wontons, all homemade. You young folks don’t have time to cook; just boil these, and they’re ready to eat, convenient."

Zhou Ning thought Xia Momo would refuse, since she still had to return to Qin University, but she accepted them with a big smile.

"Thank you, Grandpa. I love the filling Auntie makes."

"This girl, always considerate. Go on then, be careful on the road. Xiao Ning, go downstairs and see them off."

Zhou Ning saw them off downstairs; Mr. Qu drove off hastily, obviously eager.

Back in his room, the old man sat on the sofa and gestured to Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning felt a headache coming; he knew the old man probably wanted to talk about his marriage prospects again.

"Xiao Ning, from today onward, I won’t rush you about getting married. But Mr. Xia is a good person, and I hope you’ll treasure that. Don’t talk about family, and don’t force yourself to dwell on your parents’ issues. I hope you can let go. That’s not what they would want to see.

Your happiness and joy are what’s most important. I can tell you’re very happy with your current job and have a sense of accomplishment. So, commit to it seriously, but remember, life isn’t just about work. Slow down and enjoy what young people should. I’m not an old fogy; I don’t mind if you don’t get married, did you hear me?"

The old man’s words left Zhou Ning a bit at a loss, but he slowly nodded and smiled at the old man.

"Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’m not fixated, nor do I insist on anything. Besides, after I’m through with this busy period, I will buy another house. I have spare cash on hand, and with housing prices rising so quickly, it’s better to invest in property. Aunt’s retiring in a few months; you and I could move there. Let Uncle eat in the cafeteria. Moreover, this way, we can take care of Xiaoyu."

It was rare for the old man not to argue but to nod and smile instead.

"Great, I’ll go live it up with my grandson, stay in a big house for a change. It’d be nice to have Xiaoyu look after the kids. My life would then be complete."