At the hospital entrance, Tao Kai hurried along.
A blue suit and a black backpack—pretty much the standard gear of soone who has just stepped out of university life and officially entered the workforce.
He stopped at the information desk.
“Zheng Lihong, she was sent in not long ago. Where is she now? I’m her son.”
“Please wait a mont…” The nurse looked up, checked the system, and after a short while said, “Zheng Lihong is now in room 305, bed 20.”
“Thanks!” Tao Kai quickly thanked her and rushed off again.
Following the signs toward the wards, he made a call.
“Hello, sis, I’m at the hospital… Mm, I haven’t seen her yet. I’ll tell you once I do… Yeah, don’t rush. Wait for my update.”
…
When he reached room 305, he went straight inside… and was stunned to find it wasn’t a general ward. Only two beds, each with curtains.
He froze. His sister said soone had found their mother unconscious on the street and brought her here… Thinking back to that call during the eting, a chill ran through him.
He yanked the curtain aside. His mother, Zheng Lihong, was leaning against the bedhead—and beside her sat a blonde woman peeling an apple.
His heart lurched. He rushed over.
“Mom, how are you feeling?”
Seeing her son, she naturally brightened. She grabbed his arm.
“It’s nothing. The doctor said it was low blood sugar. Just need a few days’ rest.”
Only then did he breathe out in relief. He felt both distressed and exasperated.
“I told you not to push that bicycle around selling drinks anymore. You don’t earn much, and it’s tiring… You were lucky soone kind brought you here this ti—what if next ti you collapse where no one can help you?”
Zheng Lihong made a playful face like a child, bringing out the softest part of him. Then she gave him a small signal with her eyes, hinting that soone else was here.
He finally realized and looked properly at the blonde woman peeling apples. For a mont, he was almost dazed… He steadied himself and said sincerely,
“Miss, thank you for bringing my mother to the hospital. Don’t worry—however much you paid, I’ll reimburse you.”
“It’s nothing.” The blonde smiled gently and placed the peeled apple onto a plate, cutting it into small pieces. “The hospital hasn’t even billed anything yet.”
“Still, thank you. If not for you… Sorry, I didn’t even ask your na.”
“Take good care of your mother.” The blonde didn’t seem interested in giving her na. Instead, her smile deepened—a beautiful one—but her eyes weren’t focused on him.
He sensed sothing and turned. Soone had walked in behind him.
“Auntie Zheng, feeling any better?”
“Much better. Thank you so much, young man.”
She tried to sit up; Tao Kai hurried to help. Now he could properly look at the newcor—a young man, probably younger than him, in casual clothes with a gentle deanor.
The young man smiled.
“This is your family, right? I handled the admission paperwork for now. When you have ti, just co fill in the remaining details.”
“Alright.” Tao Kai nodded.
“Then I won’t disturb you.” The young man nodded to Zheng Lihong. As he spoke, the blonde girl stood up and moved to his side.
Seeing that they were about to leave just like that, Zheng Lihong hurried to stop them.
“Wait, young man, can you leave a phone number?”
“No need.” He replied softly. “You’ve already thanked .”
She froze.
He lifted the bags in his hands, smiled, and said,
“Didn’t I already get two yuan off? That’s enough.”
He ant the discounted second row of yogurt drinks.
Zheng Lihong couldn’t say anything. Sothing stuck in her throat… Tao Kai couldn’t understand what they were talking about.
The two left very cleanly, even pulling the curtain closed as they went. Zheng Lihong quickly patted her son’s arm.
He snapped out of it and rushed out—only to find that the corridor outside the ward was already empty. The pair had vanished.
He could only return helplessly. Seeing the apple already peeled, he picked it up, stabbed a piece with a toothpick, and offered it to his mother.
“Such a good young man and such a good girl… Really rare.” She sighed. “Learn from them. Don’t be so rash all the ti.”
“Other people’s kids, huh.” He shook his head. “When they tell you to rest, you listen. When I tell you to stop selling that yogurt drink, it goes in one ear and out the other.”
“What’s wrong with selling it?” She glared. “Didn’t I raise you by pedaling that bike every day?”
He retreated, raising both hands in surrender, then popped another piece of apple into her mouth. Casually he said,
“I’ll call sis and have her co back to see you…”
“No need. It’s nothing serious. I can go ho tonight. It takes a day to go back and forth. Her ti is limited. Forget it.”
His brows knitted.
“Mom, she should co back. Why ‘forget it’? Don’t be stubborn. Last ti she only stayed one night before rushing off again…”
“Stop talking.” She waved him off. “I’m fine. You should go back to work this afternoon. You just started—be diligent. Pick up after you get off.”
“…Fine, but promise one thing.” Tao Kai suddenly grinned.
“Co on, give a smile.”
She rolled her eyes.
But he used his fingers to push her cheeks upward.
“Hey—show so respect!” She slapped at his hand.
Still, she smiled in the end.
“I’ll go handle the paperwork and then head back to the office.” He stood. “Call if anything happens—I promise I’ll pick up imdiately.”
“Alright, alright… go already, you noisy boy!” She scolded with a laugh.
He left, then poked his head back in to remind her again to rest, before finally disappearing. She slowly exhaled, and her smile faded.
— Ms. Zheng, we found a hard mass in your abdon. We suggest you get a CT scan as soon as possible.
— Doctor… am I… am I alright?
— We won’t know until the scan. But don’t worry too much yet. Even if there is a mass, there are many possible explanations. Let’s wait for the results. When would you like to schedule the scan?
— I… I’ll think about it.
She sighed and leaned back against the bed, picking up her phone. She looked at the contact na: Tao Tao.
Her dry, rough fingertips brushed across the screen softly. She sighed again.
— What? You’re not coming back? Why?
— I found a job here. I don’t want to give it up…
— But didn’t you say you’d co back after graduation?
— Let’s stop talking. I’m busy. Take care of yourself.
…
By evening, Tao Kai returned to the ward carrying a cloth bag. His mother was already dressed and waiting.
He grinned,
“Well well, who’s this beautiful lady?”
“Get out.” She pretended to smack him.
He dodged—only for a small owing sound to co from the cloth bag.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Sneakily looking around, he lowered his voice.
“A cat. I bought it for you. Look!”
He carefully pulled out a fluffy little creature—a gray Scottish Fold kitten with half-flopped ears.
“What did you buy this for?” She asked, but the kitten was too adorable. She cradled it lovingly.
They’d kept a pet long ago, but it died, and they never got another.
“This is a Scottish Fold. Really gentle… You always say you’re lonely. So… why not try raising a cat?”
She shot him a look.
“Wasteful spending!”
“Heh.” He supported her as she stood. “Mom, now that I’ve graduated and found a job, and sis sends money every month, you don’t need to pedal that bicycle anymore, okay?”
---
“Brat, you think bringing ho a kitten counts as completing your mission?” Zheng Lihong sighed. “If you really want to make your mom happy, go find a wife and give a grandchild.”
“Soon, soon!” Tao Kai pleaded.
“Really?” Zheng Lihong’s eyes lit up.
“Every year gets sooner than the last. She’s already on the way!” Tao Kai said with a perfectly straight face.
In the end, she still managed to grab his ear.
……
……
In front of the park.
Because of the little Scottish Fold kitten, more children than usual had gathered around the bicycle. They couldn’t resist the adorable little creature, so they lingered longer than normal.
The crate of yogurt drinks was nearly sold out early.
Holding the fold-eared kitten, Zheng Lihong sat in her usual resting spot, took out so food from her lunchbox, and slowly fed it.
“Miss Zheng.”
“Oh my, young man, it’s you again!” Zheng Lihong looked up and instantly recognized the young couple who had brought her to the hospital. She imdiately bead. “Bought so many things again?”
“Yeah.” The young man smiled casually. “I’m going on a trip soon, so I bought a bit more—so things they might not have over there… Why aren’t you resting at ho?”
She shook her head. “Ho is boring. Too quiet. I’m still able to move, so I want to keep busy. If one day I can’t move anymore and can only lie in bed, then even if I wanted to ride the tricycle, I wouldn’t be able to.”
“What a cute little thing.” The blonde girl’s eyes brightened slightly.
Zheng Lihong was clearly pleased by the girl’s reaction. She lifted the kitten toward her. The girl still had bags in her hands, so the young man thoughtfully took them from her.
“Cute, right? My brat of a son brought it ho yesterday… Oh right, you two saw it yesterday too.”
The young man smiled. “Miss Zheng, you ca out today without telling your family, didn’t you? Yesterday the doctor suggested you schedule a check-up. You’re not planning to go?”
Her rare smile instantly disappeared. She shook her head. “I… I’m still thinking about it.”
“Mm… Usually, when elders don’t feel well, it’s best to tell family or get checked as soon as possible. Ignoring your body—if sothing serious happens, you’re the one who suffers.”
“That’s true…” Zheng Lihong sighed softly. “But just thinking about it is terrifying… Let’s not talk about this. I’ll think about it carefully.”
The young man didn’t say more.
“Oh right, young man, let ask you sothing.” Zheng Lihong suddenly asked, “Yesterday, when you called my daughter, what did she say…? Tell ? Everything happened so fast yesterday, I didn’t have ti to ask you.”
The young man looked to the blonde girl.
She gently placed the kitten back into Zheng Lihong’s arms and asked curiously, “Miss Zheng, you didn’t contact your daughter again afterward?”
Zheng Lihong opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.
The young man spoke softly, “You Ye, tell Miss Zheng.”
The blonde girl nodded. “Yesterday, after your daughter got the call, she was very emotional at first, but after hearing the situation, she cald down. She does care about you. She just couldn’t return imdiately, so she reached out to your son Mr. Tao instead—otherwise, we would’ve had to spend more effort finding him… I rember she said she was planning to buy a ticket ho.”
“I’m the one who told her not to co back.” Zheng Lihong lowered her head. “I don’t want her thinking I’m using this every ti… like I’m guilt-tripping her.”
“Every ti?” the young man asked.
Zheng Lihong gave a bitter smile. “To be honest, earlier this year I pretended to be sick several tis… She found out eventually, and then… we weren’t on good terms for a while.”
“I see…” The young man nodded, then said, “But Miss Zheng, maybe you’ve misunderstood. Children showing filial piety to their parents—no matter how many tis, they won’t think it’s too much. Miss Tao probably feels the sa.”
“Maybe…” Zheng Lihong lowered her head, gently scratching the kitten’s chin. “The truth is, our relationship has never been very good… I’m not afraid to admit it—I wasn’t a good mother before.”
The young man and the blonde girl exchanged a look.
Zheng Lihong whispered, “A few years ago she had soone she liked… I tore them apart. The guy really did turn out to be no good, but still…”
She shook her head, staring at the kitten curled up sweetly in her arms. “If only you could talk to properly…”
“Maybe that’s possible,” the young man said softly.
(End of Chapter)
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