Chapter 507 - 445: Can’t Stop Worrying
Chapter 507: Chapter 445: Can’t Stop Worrying
Tang Qingyun promised Hao Hao that he would at least ensure Wu Xiaowen was safe and provided for before he returned.
As Tang Haocheng was about to go abroad, his mother, Wu Xiaowen, was the only person he couldn’t stop worrying about.
In the past, he saw his mother as someone who, while not particularly shrewd, was at least thorough in her dealings. But after the incident with his sister, and everything that followed, he was completely at a loss for words when it came to Wu Xiaowen.
But no matter what, Wu Xiaowen was their birth mother. Between his sister and their mother, there was only resentment, no affection. His sister had already repaid Wu Xiaowen for raising her; she had used extraordinary herbs to cure their maternal grandfather’s many ailments and even prepared a full course of life-extending tonics for their maternal grandparents. This was tantamount to fulfilling Wu Xiaowen’s filial duties for her. His sister didn’t owe them a thing!
Tang Haocheng lacked his sister’s Divine Skills. The only thing he could do was try his best to fulfill his filial duties—the kind a son owes his mother—which necessarily included her protection and support.
Tang Qingyun was at his wit’s end. Wu Xiaowen claimed she was so distraught over her son going abroad that she would periodically collapse into unconsciousness. Whenever she was admitted to the hospital, she insisted on seeing Tang Qingyun, trapping him there for three to five days at a time. Tang Qingyun flatly refused Wu Xiaowen’s demand for Xiao Man to keep her company, as well as his mother-in-law’s suggestion that Xiao Man could simply prescribe some medicine to cure Xiao Wen. Having seen how Manman interacted with Ai Wenli, he understood what kind of motherly love truly suited Manman. Wu Xiaowen could dote on Xuanxuan, but she would never be as considerate or doting toward Manman as Ai Wenli was. So what was the point? ’Wu Xiaowen has Xuanxuan, that’s enough. She shouldn’t bother Manman!’
As for anything involving Manman’s medical skills and prescriptions, there was no way Tang Qingyun would agree.
His father had spoken with him several times, each conversation more serious and solemn than the last. When Tang Qingyun learned that Wu Xiaowen had tricked Hao Hao and Manman out of their herbs just for that man from the Bai Family, he felt nothing but immense hatred and shame.
’Bai Lihua, in this life, you are destined to be my enemy!’
Xiao Man didn’t get involved in the drama triggered by Tang Haocheng going abroad, nor did she ask about it. The family also treated the matter as if it had nothing to do with her. His luggage was already packed, and all the necessary advice had been given. Tang Haocheng didn’t ask his sister to see him off, because Grandma Tang was constantly wiping away tears and Grandpa Tang, looking sorrowful, was also very reluctant to see him go. He asked his sister to stay home and keep their grandparents company. He himself got into Gu Shaojun’s car and was taken to the airport by the Gu brothers and a few other friends, with Tang Qingyun and Gu Qifan following behind.
Starting on the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Xiao Man began visiting De Ren Hospital once a day to perform acupuncture on Elder Jun, as she had promised Jun Rui.
De Ren Hospital was the first private hospital opened by the Sun Family in Beijing. Its fees were correspondingly higher, but its environment and facilities were many times better than the state-run hospitals. In the beginning, not many patients came, but all the hospital’s departments still ran normally, with the medical staff diligently and meticulously carrying out their duties. In the future, De Ren Hospital would open more than a dozen branches in various districts of Beijing, so there was no need to worry about the lack of patients at this time.
Elder Jun had been transferred here before the New Year and was staying in a premium ward on the fourth floor. When Xiao Man agreed to personally administer acupuncture to Elder Jun, the entire Jun Family breathed a collective sigh of relief and had been waiting patiently ever since.
Xiao Man came every day to perform acupuncture on Elder Jun and also wrote him a prescription. Because she was still a student, she was supervised by a senior traditional Chinese medicine doctor specially hired by the hospital. The prescription was also reviewed and signed by this senior doctor, and all the herbs used were from De Ren Hospital’s own pharmacy. A week later, Elder Jun was cured and discharged from the hospital.
Of course, Xiao Man could have restored Elder Jun to health in a single day, just as she had with Mr. Gu and Grandma Tang. But such miracles were reserved only for her closest relatives, and the elders had long forbidden her from doing so.
In the eyes of doctors at other hospitals, Elder Jun’s condition was already a death sentence. He was being kept alive by the best and most expensive imported drugs, regardless of cost, just to maintain the faintest breath in his chest.
Xiao Man was no Holy Daughter, but she knew how to distinguish right from wrong. Jun Ran had plotted to slander her, and Elder Jun had promised to send Jun Ran abroad within three days. Following Grandpa Tang’s request, he had also endured heart-wrenching pain to compensate Xiao Man with three chests of fine jade that the Jun Family had painstakingly preserved for over a century. Elder Jun was a master strategist; men like him were full of schemes and rarely possessed great benevolence. But in this matter, at least, he had kept his word and demonstrated sincerity. As a senior, he was still worthy of respect.
As for Jun Rui, based on Xiao Man’s initial impression, she felt he was at least an upright young man.
Therefore, while treating Elder Jun, Xiao Man still used some special techniques. On the very first day, she relieved him of his suffering, allowing him to sleep peacefully and recuperate his energy.
The special techniques were confined to her acupuncture; everything else strictly followed De Ren Hospital’s procedures. This was all in line with what Xiao Man had told Jun Rui: because she was studying Sun’s medical skills, she was at De Ren Hospital as an intern. Assisting her mentor and following his guidance to serve patients was simply part of the job, so Jun Rui didn’t need to feel indebted to her.
When Elder Jun was discharged, he wasn’t in a wheelchair. Supported by his son and grandson, he walked out of the hospital one step at a time. He had previously been lying in another hospital for nearly a month, on the verge of death, feeling as though his end had come. To be able to walk out of the hospital on his own two feet now was remarkable. On the surface, he might have still looked frail, but only Elder Jun himself knew the truth: the despair-inducing pain was completely gone. His whole body felt light and warm, his Divine Sense was clear, and his spirits and mood were excellent!
Once inside the car, Elder Jun rolled down the window and waved to Xiao Man, who was standing on the roadside seeing him off. He told her she must come and visit their home when she had time.
During those seven days, every time Xiao Man performed acupuncture on Elder Jun, she would stay and chat with him for a good while. It was truly idle chatter, with topics ranging far and wide, from the novel to the bizarre. When she told him some anecdotes from the countryside, Elder Jun found them eye-opening and would laugh heartily. He had now grown genuinely fond of this little girl who looked sweet and innocent but was in fact clever and spirited. A trace of regret lingered in his heart, and he couldn’t help but secretly envy the Gu family’s immense good fortune.
The Gu family’s Cultivation was done in secret, unknown to outsiders, so their social obligations during the New Year holiday continued without interruption. Gu Shaojun was busy with family affairs, and with old friends visiting and inviting him to gatherings, he didn’t have a moment to spare. Compared to all that, he of course wished he could be with Xiao Man every day, inseparable. But Xiao Man had her own things to do, and the Tang family was also very busy during the holidays. It was impossible for the two of them to be together all the time.
Whenever Gu Shaojun had a free moment, he would go see Xiao Man, and when Xiao Man had time, she would come find him. Even so, there were still entire days when they couldn’t see each other and could only talk for hours on the phone.
Every time Gu Shaojun counted the dwindling days of his vacation, his heart ached as if pierced by a needle. He felt like a balloon about to burst, frantic with anguish. ’Soon we’ll be separated. I’ll have to leave my little girl behind in Beijing and head off to some distant place, with no idea when we’ll see each other again!’