Masterful Miracle Doctor

Chapter 968 - 932: Dumplings for Departure, Noodles for Arrival

"Expert Lin, wake up, the plane is preparing to land..."Lin Jie slowly opened his eyes and found Lei Jun, sitting next to him, calling him.

He covered his mouth, yawned, adjusted the angle of his seat, and turned to look through the porthole at the distant gray-yellow sunlight, feeling bewildered.

Lin Jie, a bit disoriented, asked, "We should have flown for twelve or thirteen hours, but why is it still daytime here?"

Lei Jun chuckled lightly and said, "Expert Lin, Frankfurt has a time difference with our Binhai, seven time zones apart."

"It's midnight in Binhai, but here it's five in the afternoon local time."

While he explained, Lin Jie was slowly recovering his senses from the grogginess of deep sleep.

He was aware of the concept of time zones.

It's just that Lin Jie couldn't quite figure out whether to add or subtract time.

Looking at the sunset outside the porthole, he couldn't shake the feeling that the scene felt surreal and unsettling.

Perhaps this is the reason for the time zone adjustment discomfort.

Lin Jie no longer looked at the outside view, closed his eyes, and leaned back, waiting for the plane to land.

During the more than ten hours of flight, Lin Jie spent most of it sleeping.

Firstly, because he was really exhausted from last night and this morning.

Secondly, the enclosed space of long-distance travel seems to have a hypnotic effect, so most people opt to sleep to pass the boring flight time.

After twenty minutes or so, Lin Jie and the others finally got off the plane and arrived at the luggage area to wait for their belongings.

Lin Jie sent a text message to An Kexin and Lin Miao to inform them of his safe arrival in Germany, and received their replies immediately.

Wei Haiyuan introduced nearby, "Everyone, Heidelberg University Hospital will send a car to pick us up, it will take about an hour and a half to reach the Panorama Hotel we've booked in Heidelberg."

"After arriving at the hotel, we'll have a simple meal and then return to our rooms to rest and adjust to the time difference."

"The official itinerary, exchange activities, will start tomorrow morning."

He highly emphasized, "After sleeping a lot on the plane, you might want to go out for a walk at night."

"I strongly suggest not leaving the hotel at night; you can spend some time in the hotel bar, gym, or entertainment room."

"Although Germany generally has good security, the influx of refugees over the past couple of years has increased various security incidents quite a bit. Activities of extreme nationalists have also gone up significantly."

"In short, when traveling abroad, it's better to be cautious and avoid troubles whenever possible."

Thinking about his potential disaster-prone nature, Lin Jie assured, "Director Wei, don't worry, without a local companion, I won't leave the hotel at night; I'll stay in my room..."

"Oh, here comes our luggage."

"Expert Lin, don't move, I'll help you!"

Wei Haiyuan quickly stepped forward to grab a silver-gray suitcase that was twice the size of those nearby, struggling to move it off the conveyor belt.

Under the careful concern of Lin Miao and An Kexin, they unanimously chose a large suitcase for Lin Jie and packed it full without regard for whether he could use everything.

On this matter, Lin Miao and An Kexin had surprisingly consistent views.

That is, even if the items are not used, it's better to carry them there and back in their original form than to be missing them when needed.

If it weren't for Lin Jie's strong insistence, under their principle of being well-prepared, the items could fill two large suitcases.

"Thank you, Director Wei!"

Lin Jie expressed his thanks, and once everyone had collected their luggage, he pushed his waist-high suitcase, moving with them towards the exit.

Ten meters from the exit, Lin Jie saw someone outside the railing holding a sign with "Binhai Lin Jie" and "Binhai University Affiliated Hospital" written in Chinese.

At the same time, he recognized a familiar face near the sign.

When hired by Limin Hospital for translation work, he met Dr. Wolfgang von Goebbels.

Compared to two years ago, the tall Goebbels still sported his full beard, large nose, and head of gray short hair, with almost no changes.

Beside him stood a balding middle-aged white male.

On one side, a young white person held a sign reading "Binhai University Affiliated Hospital" in Chinese.

Lin Jie also noticed that the "Binhai Lin Jie" sign was held by a Chinese man.

Next to the man stood another slightly younger Chinese man.

Cheng Xingguang pointed towards the sign and laughed, "Expert Lin, see it? They even specially made a sign for you."

"Eh..."

He suddenly exclaimed in surprise, saying, "Even the dean of Heidelberg University Hospital, Kurt Heineich, came personally."

Feeling a bit envious, Cheng Xingguang remarked, "Expert Lin, Mr. Heineich should be here for you."

He explained, "You may not know, even for the grandest first exchange activities, they only sent a vice-dean to the airport."

"Other times, it's just an assistant to the dean who came to pick someone up."

Lin Jie laughed and said, "I'm now part of the Bin University Affiliated Hospital exchange group, and you, Dean, are the team leader. Even if his actual purpose is me, officially he's here to greet the Dean..."

During the conversation, they had already passed through the exit railing, meeting their welcoming party.

While Cheng Xingguang embraced the balding white man, Lin Jie reached out to shake the hand that Goebbels extended upon his approach.

"Dr. Lin Jie, you have truly surprised me time and again."

Goebbels shook Lin Jie's hand, exclaiming, "If I hadn't been following your news, unless God himself came to tell me, I wouldn't have believed..."

"That the distinguished doctor who successfully led the conjoined twins' cranial separation surgery was the young interpreter I met in June last year."

"To be honest, I also find it hard to believe that I've come this far."

Lin Jie responded with a nod and asked with a smile, "Dr. Goebbels, since your side invited me, was it on your recommendation?"

Goebbels admitted, "Indeed, it was on my recommendation, but primarily it's due to your exceptional skills, Dr. Lin Jie. There's another important reason which we'll discuss later."

He pointed to the bald foreigner alongside Cheng Xingguang, "Dr. Lin Jie, let me introduce you to Dr. Kurt Heineich, the dean of our hospital."

"Dr. Heineich, hello!"

"Dr. Lin Jie, hello!"

Heineich warmly expressed, "On behalf of Heidelberg University Hospital, I warmly welcome you, Dr. Lin Jie, and wish you a wonderful week with us."

"I also hope our hospital can gain your friendship and a chance for further collaboration."

Lin Jie politely replied, "I share the same hope!"

While Cheng Xingguang introduced Jiang Hao, Lei Jun, and others to Heineich and Goebbels, two Chinese gentlemen who had been standing by approached.

The leading person was a square-faced man in his forties.

He came directly to Lin Jie, extended his right hand, and said in Chinese, "Hello, Dr. Lin!"

"I'm Dr. Yuan Puzhen from the Chinese Embassy in Berlin. Your reputation has indeed become internationally renowned."

"This time, I'm here half officially and half personally, having specially applied to come to receive you and, incidentally, to seek your medical advice up-close."

When this person introduced himself as a staff member from the Chinese Embassy, Cheng Xingguang briefly glanced over with a surprised look, scrutinizing him.

Lin Jie understood that the embassy sending someone to receive the delegation was unusual and likely related to the secret assigned by Water Buffalo.

Lin Jie hadn't expected them to connect so openly.

He had imagined meeting the contact at an unexpected location, during an accidental encounter, followed by a complex exchange of secret signals to verify each other's identities.

Then, disguised with changing appearances, swapping vehicles, and navigating through secret tunnels and mechanisms, they would finally reach the ultimate destination.

The reality now proved that Lin Jie overthought it.

With Yuan Puzhen's introduction, Lin Jie learned that the other Chinese gentleman, Han Chen, was also a staff member at the embassy and served as a German interpreter.

After brief exchanges, everyone, including Yuan Puzhen and Han Chen, took a luxury Mercedes minibus, leaving Frankfurt Airport.

Heineich warmly said, "Dean Cheng, Dr. Lin Jie, and everyone, since you've traveled from afar, feeling tired, and adjusting to the time difference, the formal welcome dinner is scheduled for tomorrow night."

"Tonight..."

He glanced at Yuan Puzhen.

Yuan Puzhen stood and said, "Tonight, I represent the embassy to host a dinner for all of you."

He added, "A reminder that you shouldn't expect too much from tonight's dinner; I've prepared just some hometown noodles, following my hometown's tradition."

Cheng Xingguang laughed, "Eating hometown-style noodles thousands of miles away is the best delight. I must say, airplane food doesn't taste great."

Lin Jie thought that even the finest delicacies tasted just okay when eaten on a plane.

While flying, one's sensitivity to sweetness and saltiness decreases by thirty percent, whereas sensitivity to sour, bitter, and spicy flavors remains the same.

Furthermore, the dry air in the cabin affects the olfactory cells in the nasal cavity.

Olfactory cells perform better in moist environments; in dry settings, one's sense of smell dulls, decreasing sensitivity to aromas.

Adding the biological clock disruption from jet lag further reduces taste perception.

All these reasons lead many to find airline meals bland.

Near 6:30 PM, they arrived at Heidelberg Panorama Hotel.

After settling Lin Jie and others in their rooms, Lin Jie, Cheng Xingguang, Heineich, and Goebbels accompanied Yuan Puzhen to a nearby family apartment.

According to Yuan Puzhen, it's an apartment rented by his friend's friend, where he's temporarily staying.

Once here, Lin Jie and others found that Yuan Puzhen wasn't exaggerating; he had truly only prepared noodles.

However, he personally cooked these noodles.

Everyone could choose from varieties like fried sauce noodles, vegetable soup noodles, or beef noodles.

Lin Jie, with a poor appetite, chose vegetable soup noodles.

Heineich and Goebbels loved the fried sauce noodles and each ate a large plate.

After the meal, everyone relaxed in the living room, drinking tea and chatting.

Heineich took a sip of oriental tea and gently placed the cup down, saying to Lin Jie, "Dr. Lin Jie, aside from mutual exchange and mutual enhancement, we have a patient we'd like you to consult on..."

PS.

Thanks to book buddy "Joywong421" for the 50,000 reward. Thank you for your continuous strong support!!