Chapter 863: A Million Times for You (225)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Rong Yan.”
“How old are you?”
“Four this year.”
An Xiaoning felt a strong sense of sympathy for Rong Yan, who was far more sensible than other children his age.
“Your grandfather wants you to go back with me to my nation and call me ‘Mommy.’ Are you willing to do so?”
Rong Yan was surprised to hear that she was seeking his opinion.
“I’m willing to. That’s the only way I can put Grandpa’s mind at ease.”
“Such an obedient child,” An Xiaoning praised, caressing his frizzy hair.
She stood up and held his hand while walking toward the elderly man’s room.
Gu Beicheng was lying on an empty bed, which was beside a window.
The window was open, allowing the light from outside to illuminate the room up.
The elderly man stroked Gu Beicheng’s wounds and told An Xiaoning ambitiously, “He will recover, but it’ll take a longer time to treat him. His wounds are going to take a great deal of effort to heal.”
“It doesn’t matter, so long as he can come to,” said An Xiaoning, who was already happy to hear that there was hope for his condition.
The elderly man headed to the medicine supply room to get some medicinal herbs, which he then brewed into a broth. He demonstrated the brewing process and guided them through it step by step.
While No. 8 was looking at the bottle of medicine, the elderly man prescribed another twenty-odd medications and said, “He should be fine after finis.h.i.+ng these.”
After handing out the instructions, the elderly man called An Xiaoning into an empty room where they were left alone. Clearly, he had something to tell her in private.
“Don’t let Rong Yan come back again after he leaves with you,” said the elderly man.
“Could you tell me why?”
After some thought, the elderly man said, “Our family’s downfall is inevitable. A sudden plague had wiped out my family members, leaving just the two of us behind. This is just fate. Things wouldn’t have come to this if I had managed to treat their conditions after the plague. It’s all my fault for lacking in medical expertise. Rong Yan is an avid fan of medical books. Please bring the ones I’ve left for him back with you. I hope he’ll be able to do his part for others in this world and save lives. I hope you’ll support him.”
“That goes without saying. I’ll fully support him if he’s keen on practicing medicine.”
Isn’t it great to have a doctor at home? There’s no reason for me to say no.
“That’s great. I can tell that you’ll treat him well…” said the elderly man, who began coughing vigorously all of a sudden.
He covered his mouth with a handkerchief. After he took it away from his mouth, An Xiaoning discovered that the handkerchief was stained with bright, red blood.
“Uncle, you…”
“It’s just the aftereffects of the plague infection. I won’t have much longer to live.”
“Rong Yan…”
“He’s fine, he wasn’t infected. Actually, he was lucky to have been staying with his maternal grandmother during the time when the plague was widespread. The plague initially started spreading from our side but did not reach his maternal grandmother because she was living somewhere faraway.”
“Uncle, pardon me for my bluntness, but why don’t you place him under the care of his maternal grandmother instead of an outsider like me? Won’t you be more at ease that way?”
“I’ve thought of that before. After the plague, his maternal grandmother sent him back here and she didn’t even attend her daughter’s funeral. Not only did they not dote on their grandson, they even said harsh and callous things to him. Rong Yan is a very sensible child, and he never commits any mistakes. I only decided to have someone else adopt him because his maternal grandmother and her family refuse to take him in.”
“Didn’t you say that he once stayed with his maternal grandmother for a short period of time…?”
The elderly man nodded and said, “My daughter-in-law initially brought Rong Yan back to her mother’s house. However, she grew worried when she heard about the plague outbreak and came back alone. In the end, she got infected too.”
“His maternal grandmother must be suffering from poverty, right?” An Xiaoning speculated.
“No, she’s the richest tyc.o.o.n in the nation.”
“She should be very affluent, then…” An Xiaoning said in puzzlement.
“Back then, my daughter-in-law and my son got into a relations.h.i.+p out of their own will. However, my daughter-in-law’s parents were strongly against their marriage and even looked down on my family. We’ve charged the patients we treat only for the cost of the medicinal herbs. It’s only enough to make ends meet, and we’re just an average family. Things had just gotten better between my daughter-in-law and her mother when she brought Rong Yan home, so…”
“Oh, I see,” said An Xiaoning, who had a great amount of respect for the elderly man because of his commendable work ethic.
“Hence, you mustn’t let him come back here again if you can, Miss.”
“He’ll definitely want to come and visit you and his parents at your graves when he’s older. That’s only understandable. I’ll respect his decisions. Don’t worry, Uncle, Rong Yan will live well with me,” An Xiaoning said rea.s.suringly.
“Thank you so much, Miss.”
“Don’t mention it, I should be the one thanking you for being willing to save my brother.”
“…”
An Xiaoning and her bodyguards stayed in the house temporarily.
Rong Yan was initially still rather distant from An Xiaoning at the start. However, after they’d been interacting with each other for a few days, he began to open up to her and even clung onto her all day. The elderly man was heartened to see how well they got along with each other and personally held a brief acknowledgment ceremony for the both of them.
From then on, An Xiaoning had one more son.
She was rather pleased with the new member of her family, for she was no longer able to conceive due to her deteriorating health.
She thought that Rong Yan would definitely be grateful to her for raising him.
To An Xiaoning’s surprise, Gu Beicheng regained his consciousness after being administered with a daily dose of medication for ten days straight.
In that moment, An Xiaoning felt as if her world was complete again.
She grabbed his arm agitatedly and exclaimed, “Beicheng, you’ve finally come to!”
Gu Beicheng opened his eyes slightly and murmured, “Xiaoning…”
“I’m here, I’m here. Beicheng, how are you feeling?”
“It hurts…” he said with a frown on his head.
An Xiaoning looked down and said gently, “Bear with it. We’ll be returning to S Nation after staying here for a while longer.”
“Where are we now?”
An Xiaoning explained, “R Nation. You slipped into a coma after you were sent to the hospital, and you stayed unconscious for several days. The doctors were at a complete loss. Qingyan found out about this place so I brought you here.”
“How are Father, Mother, and Mingxi?”
“Focus on recuperating for now. I’ll tell you more after you’ve recovered,” said An Xiaoning.
“Xiaoning… tell me now… I want to know,” Gu Beicheng insisted.
Seeing how insistent he was, An Xiaoning decided not to hide the truth and told him everything.
After hearing her description, Gu Beicheng teared up and took a deep breath without uttering a single word.
“Are you hungry? I’ll make you some porridge.”
He nodded.
An Xiaoning exited and broke the good news to everyone. Realizing that they were about to enter the room gleefully, she stopped them and said, “Let him have some quiet time by himself. I’ll go make him some porridge.”
“Um, Sis, let me do it. Go chat with Mr. Gu,” said No. 8.
An Xiaoning conceded at the thought of her poor culinary skills.
She returned inside the room, only to discover that he was tearing up with his eyes shut.