Miss Forensics – Chapter 89.1

Dentist

On a rare weekend off from work, Ji Jingxing got up early, made breakfast, and called her daughter to get up.

“Xiaowei, hurry up and get out of bed for breakfast. Don’t forget that we have a dentist appointment today, and we need to go early to line up.”

Xiaowei, rubbing her eyes and still groggy, got up to wash up. She came back to the table where the television was broadcasting the morning news.

“Since the start of the Spring Festival, the police have received numerous reports of children getting lost at train stations. With the year-end surge in travelers, parents are reminded to keep a close eye on their children in public places. If you find that your child is missing, please report to the nearest police station as soon as possible.”

She reached out to open the sugar jar, scooped a spoonful of sugar into her porridge, and was about to grab the remote to switch to an animated show, when Ji Jingxing came out of the kitchen and turned off the TV with a trace of seriousness on her face.

“Eating sugar with a cavity already? No sugar for you, drink the plain porridge, try the spinach Mom made.”

Ji Weiyi let out a reluctant “Oh,” but obediently pushed the sugar-filled porridge towards her mother and picked up the spinach to put on her plate.

A smile finally appeared on Ji Jingxing’s face, and she ruffled her daughter’s hair: “Good girl, once your cavity is healed, Mom will make you syrup-coated apples.”

Love Teeth Dental Clinic.

The mother and daughter sat in the corridor on chairs, waiting for the nurse to call their number.

Not sure if it was the cold or something else, Ji Weiyi clung tightly to her mother, wrapping her arms around hers.

Ji Jingxing gently patted her back, and in a soft voice coaxed, “Scared? Xiaowei is the bravest, not even scared of getting a shot. Are you scared of having a tooth pulled?”

Xiaowei huddled up, mumbling, with her eyes turning red: “Mom, can you come in with me? If you are with me, then I won’t be scared.”

Ji Jingxing’s face showed a hint of difficulty: “Well… it depends on whether the doctor allows Mom to come in.”

Right after she finished speaking, the nurse called their number. Ji Jingxing quickly stood up and handed over the slip.

“Hello, number 59.”

Yet Xiaowei still clung to her mother’s thigh, unwilling to move.

The nurse chuckled, “Little friend, you are grown up now. This is the examination room, and Mom can’t come in here.”

It was the last appointment of the morning. Lin Ge stood up, stretching his body. He twisted his neck and, before the patient came in, there was a faint sound of a child’s crying from outside the door.

He curiously poked his head out and asked, “What’s going on?”

A familiar voice came through, and Ji Jingxing turned her head to see him. Their eyes met, both a bit surprised.

Lin Ge smiled: “Lawyer Ji, it’s fine. Come on in. Xiao Zhou, get her some shoe covers.”

The items were quickly handed to her, and only then did Ji Jingxing walk in with her daughter.

Xiaowei stopped crying and shook her mother’s finger, looking at him curiously.

“Mommy, who is he?”

“Don’t be rude, call him Uncle Lin.”

Xiaowei smiled sweetly, “Hello, Uncle Lin.”

“Hello,” Lin Ge put on his mask, turned around from his chair, and gestured to the nurse to give her a piece of candy.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Ji Weiyi~”

Xiaowei drew out her words clearly and crisply, which made it seem like there shouldn’t be any big problems.

Ji Jingxing looked at the candy pushed into her daughter’s hand, “Eh—”

Lin Ge raised his eyebrows and smiled, winking at her to convey there was no need to worry.

The nurse pulled her aside and whispered, “It’s okay, that’s our hospital’s special medicinal pill, it doesn’t contain sugar and has a mild numbing effect, it will make pulling teeth easier later.”

Only then did Ji Jingxing’s worry slightly ease.

“Ah—like this with Uncle, let’s see who can open their mouth the widest.”

In the early morning sunlight, the doctor wearing a white lab coat made silly faces with the child, successfully making Ji Jingxing laugh.

“Never expected Doctor Lin to be quite skillful at this.”

Speaking of this, the young nurse also showed a hint of pride: “Definitely, when I was at the public hospital I never saw a hospital director as approachable as him, and he still runs the outpatient clinic every day. The kids who come here for dental visits all like him a lot.”

Ji Jingxing nodded her head, agreeing with her statement.

If Lin Yan is the type that doesn’t endear herself to people at first glance, then Lin Ge is probably the kind that, no matter where he is, with his way of speaking, his demeanor, his humor, and his gentlemanly conduct, always makes people feel fondly towards him.

“Really? Then how come he…”

Women chatting together mostly indulge in gossip—judging by age, Lin Ge is a few years older than Song Yuhang and must be almost forty by now, right? Hasn’t he settled down yet?

The nurse shook her head: “Nope, Doctor Lin is famous for his integrity and self-discipline. There was a colleague who harassed him a few times, openly and covertly, who was sternly warned and then directly dismissed. After that, no one dared to bring it up again.”

Ji Jingxing looked at him thoughtfully. Such a man, cheerful and vivacious, with a sense of humor and generosity, diligent and serious in his work, and also upholding personal integrity, is indeed rare.

After an examination, Lin Ge put down the instrument in his hand and called her over: “The decay is not serious; there’s no need to pull it out. A cleaning and filling with medicine will do.”

“But this—” Lin Ge smiled and gently pinched the child’s chin: “Xiaowei, let Mommy have a look.”

“Ah—” It’s strange to say, it wasn’t their first time taking Xiaowei to see a dentist, but it was their first time at this hospital.

Xiaowei’s eyes widened, curiously watching this kind uncle, willing to do whatever he said.

Lin Ge pointed it out to her: “See? The baby teeth are retained, the old teeth haven’t fallen out, and the new teeth are already growing in.”

Ji Jingxing let out an “Ah”: “I really didn’t pay attention to that—”

Lin Ge laughed: “It’s okay, this position is normally not noticed unless deliberately looked for. I suggest conservative treatment for the tooth decay, but this tooth needs to be extracted; otherwise, it could affect the growth and development of the adjacent teeth.”

He spoke with expertise about his professional knowledge.

Ji Jingxing’s expression grew serious: “Okay, extract it. Thank you, Dr. Lin.”

When it came to tooth extraction, Xiaowei opened her mouth again, her eyes reddening, not wanting to upset Mommy so she held back her tears, but still dawdling and reluctant to lie down on the treatment chair.

A nurse came over to pick her up, but Lin Ge stopped her.

The man squatted down to be at her eye level, his gaze always warm and kind.

“What’s wrong, Xiaowei, are you scared?”

Xiaowei shook her head and then nodded: “Will it… will it hurt? Uncle Lin…”

Lin Ge smiled behind his mask, his eyes crinkling like crescent moons. He didn’t deceive the child but communicated with her as an equal.

“It will be a little uncomfortable, like the feeling of a mosquito bite. However, how it feels can be different for everyone. Some people think a mosquito bite is painful, others don’t feel much. I promise you, if you feel pain, I’ll stop right away. How does that sound?”

“Xiaowei, be good and go ahead. Uncle has been seeing patients all morning; don’t delay his mealtime. Mommy will stay here with you.”

Ji Weiyi looked at her mom and then at Lin Ge’s gentle smile, nodded, and climbed onto the treatment chair by herself. Her foot slipped, but Lin Ge caught her and lifted her up.

The operating light switched on.

Xiaowei clenched her eyes shut tightly.

Lin Ge couldn’t help but chuckle: “Xiaowei, what do you see here?”

Xiaowei opened her eyes wide and let out a gasp. At his suggestion, the nurse sister brought over a computer that was playing her favorite cartoon.

Lin Ge held her in place: “Alright, Xiaowei, watch the cartoon. Uncle is going to start working now. You must keep your mouth open and stay still, okay? If you move, the nurse sister will turn off the cartoon.”

With all her attention captured by the cartoon, the child hardly minded the pain. She clenched her little fists and nodded her head with her baby voice.

“Okay, I won’t move. Thank you, Uncle.”

“You’re welcome.” Lin Ge gave a slight smile, picked up his tools, and began to work.

In no time at all, before Xiaowei even realized, the whole tooth had been extracted and placed on a tray.

Lin Ge took off his gloves and wrapped the milk tooth in a tissue, handing it to Ji Jingxing.

“Are you keeping it as a memento?”

Ji Jingxing’s face turned slightly red: “How did you know that?”

Lin Ge smiled, “Throw the bottom teeth onto the roof and the top teeth under the bed, that’s what my mom used to do when I was little.”

Ji Jingxing carefully took it with both hands and bowed with the child.

“We’ve troubled you today, Xiaowei, thank our Uncle Lin.”

Because of the tooth extraction and the medication stuffed in her mouth, Xiaowei’s speech was somewhat muffled and she was drooling.

“Tha… thank you, Uncle.” She covered her mouth with her hand, halfway through speaking, feeling a bit shy.

Lin Ge took off his mask and walked them out of the consultation room.

“It’s okay, Xiaowei, it’s normal to drool after the anesthesia, just spit it out and you’ll be fine.”

He turned his head, but it was to Ji Jingxing that he said, “Change the filling material every two days, make sure to supervise the child’s correct brushing of teeth, control the intake of sugar, and maintain a healthy diet.”

Ji Jingxing nodded slightly embarrassed.

“Alright, got it.”

“Xiaowei, say goodbye to Uncle.””Goodbye, Uncle Lin.”Lin Ge stood in the hallway watching them leave, softly sighing in admiration.”She really is an adorable and well-behaved child.”

LP: What is this… it’s… wholesome?! Was I mistaken? Or is the author throwing everyone off?!