9: Chapter 9 Protecting Happiness

Chapter 9 Guarding Happiness

"I worked overtime on the weekend, so I'm taking a day off today."

Fang Cheng took the mop, and while energetically mopping the floor, he explained:

"I knew Mom didn't eat properly again, so I specifically came over to urge her."

Li Biyun watched her son's much more energetic drive than usual, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably.

Yet she still habitually nagged a few words:

"When you have a holiday, you should sleep in more at home. With such a long way, the round trip by bus takes two hours. Aren't you tired?"

"Besides, the hospital cafeteria is always open in the afternoon..."

"Those fast foods are expensive and unpalatable; how can they compare to what I make?"

Fang Cheng had mastered the Cleaning skill, and with nimble movements, he finished mopping the floor in just a few strokes.

Then he pulled Li Biyun to sit on the chair in the patient rest area and opened the lids of the insulated lunch boxes one by one.

Today's meal consisted of three dishes and one soup.

Lotus root and pork rib soup, pan-fried small yellow croaker, baby bok choy with fresh mushrooms, and fried spring rolls.

"Come, taste your son's culinary skills."

Seeing these carefully prepared dishes, the fine crow's feet at the corners of Li Biyun's eyes smoothed out, seeming to bloom like a flower in her smile.

"My Chengcheng has really grown up, and now he even knows how to care for Mom..."

Fang Cheng knew these were all dishes his mother loved to eat.

Watching her pick up her chopsticks, take a piece of fish, and put it into her mouth, he couldn't help anticipating:

"How is it? Is there any improvement?"

Li Biyun nodded and savored it carefully:

"The fish is fried crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the broth is flavorful. It's almost catching up to your mom's level."

"Honest words?"

"Really, when has Mom ever lied to you?"

Li Biyun wiped the corner of her eye and gently patted her son's arm: "I can't possibly finish all these dishes. Hurry up and sit down to eat together."

Fang Cheng shook his head and said:

"I came over after finishing lunch. The large portions can be saved for tonight and reheated using the microwave at the nurse's station."

Then he didn't continue speaking, only quietly watching his mother eating leisurely.

A pointy chin and emaciated cheeks.

When she was young, she must have been even more glamorous than those stars, but the toil of life made her, barely in her forties, look excessively haggard.

Because his grandfather suffered from stomach cancer, experiencing long-term vomiting and pain with a lack of medical care in the countryside.

Taking advantage of her convenience as a caregiver, his mother pulled strings to arrange a hospital bed, allowing his grandfather to be admitted smoothly for treatment.

Furthermore, to take care of the old man while trying not to delay her work as much as possible.

She specially requested her supervisor to transfer her to the dirtier and more tiring oncology department.

For this past month, she even ate, lived, and slept in the hospital; it was truly too exhausting.

Li Biyun felt a bit embarrassed from being stared at and gave her precious son an annoyed glance.

Then she personally picked up a piece of pork rib and shoved it into Fang Cheng's mouth.

Ordering him to finish the soup together, supplement his nutrition, and continue growing taller.

Fang Cheng could only agree helplessly and pretended to take a few bites.

A simple meal seemed to carry a double portion of happiness.

Golden sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling window behind them, gradually moving onto the rows of seats in the rest area.

Gilding the bowls, chopsticks, dishes, and figures with a golden edge.

Looking at his mother's long-absent smile, the tightly wound string in Fang Cheng's body over the past few days seemed to be smoothed out.

Until she swallowed the last mouthful of rice, he continued to ask:

"Mom, how is Grandfather's condition now?"

Hearing this, Li Biyun's hand holding the chopsticks stiffened for a moment, and she replied softly:

"He is still intubated now. The doctor said he needs two months of quiet recuperation before trying the next treatment plan."

Fang Cheng nodded.

Previously, Grandfather had undergone continuous radiotherapy and lesion resection surgery, but it hadn't gone very smoothly.

He spent a week in the ICU intensive care unit before escaping the danger zone, and was just transferred to a general ward three days ago.

Li Biyun packed up the leftovers, closed the lunch boxes, and then added another sentence:

"Your uncle just went downstairs to pay the remaining fees. He said that money should be considered a loan from him, and he will pay you back later."

Fang Cheng furrowed his brows slightly and immediately refused:

"We're all family, why be so polite? Am I not Grandfather's relative?"

Li Biyun opened her mouth, stopping herself from speaking further.

At this moment, a call of "Aunt Li" came from the nurse's station.

Li Biyun hurriedly acknowledged and stood up, instructing her son to go see Grandfather alone first.

Then she strode away to plunge into her new work.

Watching his mother's back, Fang Cheng also stood up and walked alone toward the ward where Grandfather was.

The door was half-open.

Upon entering, he saw the beeping monitoring equipment and an old man intubated with drainage tubes and a respirator.

There should be another patient inside, separated by a blue curtain. The specific condition couldn't be clearly seen, only slight groans could be heard.

Fang Cheng sat on the chair by the bed, looking at the old man in a slumber.

Grandfather had lost a lot of hair, and his face was so thin it was practically skin and bones, clearly heavily tortured by the illness.

Seeing his current weak appearance, Fang Cheng felt heavy-hearted, unable to help recalling those wonderful times spent living in the countryside during his childhood summers.

Grandfather and Grandmother only gave birth to one son and one daughter.

The uncle was a rascal and hoodlum when he was young, and even past forty, he had neither settled down nor established a career.

Most of the family's heavy burden fell on the eldest daughter, his mother.

Fang Cheng knew what his mother was worrying about.

The surgery expenses raised previously had almost hollowed out their family savings.

The hospitalization fees for the next two months, plus the costs of further surgery and chemotherapy afterwards.

For a family that was already not well-off, this was adding frost to snow.

Moreover, Grandfather had a rural household registration, and the reimbursement ratio was far inferior to that of urban workers.

Although no one placed pressure on Fang Cheng.

But in reality, this heavy burden also fell squarely on him, the only grandson.

Fang Cheng pressed his lips tightly together, secretly pondering.

He had to find a way to make some extra money.

He couldn't pull out a lot of money, but at least he had to help share some pressure for his mother.

"A-Cheng, you came too?"

Amidst his thoughts, with a creak, the ward door was pushed open once again.

A slightly unrestrained voice subsequently sounded.

Fang Cheng turned back to look.

He saw a middle-aged man wearing a Flight leather jacket popular among young people, with a tuft of mustache on his upper lip, walking through the door.

His thin, sallow face exuded a hint of fatigue, and from two meters away, one could smell the thick scent of smoke on him.

"Uncle."

Fang Cheng immediately stood up and greeted him.

The two exchanged pleasantries and, to avoid disturbing Grandfather's rest, went outside to talk.

In the drying area at the end of the corridor, every single piece of patients' changing clothes and underwear swayed in the wind.

Uncle took out a cigarette case, flicked out a cigarette, and handed it to Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng waved his hand in polite refusal.

Looking at the scenery outside the window, he casually chatted with him about daily life and Grandfather's condition.

Behind the inpatient building was Xishan, a famous tourist scenic spot in Dongdu.

From here, one could see the dark, pitch-black mountain ranges and forests.

Under the washed-clean blue sky, flocks of birds flew up.

Faintly, there was also a black dot suspected to be a helicopter moving slowly.

According to news reports, the city's archaeological team was excavating the underground palace ruins of an ancient temple dating back a thousand years, continuously yielding precious cultural relics.

The two chatted desultorily.

Suddenly, a slightly muffled beeping sound rang out.

Fang Cheng immediately reached into his bag.

But he saw Uncle pulling out a compact mobile phone from his pants pocket almost simultaneously.

"I already said it wasn't me, can't you understand human speech?"

"Let me tell you, I run with a syndicate, a single call and dozens of subordinates will be on standby. If you dare make harassing calls again, I'll find someone to hack you to pieces!"

Uncle raised his eyebrows and glared, spitting flying as he lashed out in fury at the phone's microphone.

Afterwards, he hung up the phone, and seeing Fang Cheng looking at him with some surprise, he smiled derisively and explained:

"Given by a friend. Business is quite busy, using this gadget makes contacting easier."

Shifting his gaze, he caught sight of the similarly styled phone in Fang Cheng's hand, and thus added:

"I heard from my sister that you rented a mobile phone. Let's add numbers?"

Fang Cheng nodded in agreement, and after mutually adding communication methods, he went on to ask:

"Uncle, you've been running around outside lately, have the surgery fees been raised enough?"

As soon as these words came out, Uncle's expression instantly turned very ugly, muttering under his breath.

Saying things like "snobbish little brats" and "ungrateful, heartless wolves" and other cursing words.

Obviously, the progress was not quite ideal.

Fang Cheng sighed inwardly.

However, he hadn't held much hope to begin with anyway.

Toward this elder who was only twenty years older than himself, Fang Cheng had actually always held a scoffing and disgusted attitude.

The uncle's name was Li Dingjian. Despite being tall and thin, his appearance was quite decent.

His greatest skill, however, was relying on a glib tongue, playing tricks, shirking work, and swindling people.

Six years ago, he claimed he would work hard to improve himself and ran off to do business at the southern border, only to return limping and spend a few years recovering from injuries.

Now he was still idling around all day, reduced to living off an old grand-aunt's financial support.

"Whew..."

Li Dingjian exhaled a long smoke ring, his gaze looking out the window slightly decadent, as if reminiscing about the glorious years of the past.

"If your father were still here, that would be great. Who wouldn't address me as Master Jian upon meeting me?"

"As for you, you could still be a Young Master, playing around with girl group stars when nothing else to do..."

Fang Cheng's mouth twitched slightly, having no interest in discussing this topic.

Li Dingjian didn't continue either, pinching out the remaining cigarette butt and throwing it into the nearby trash can.

Then he moved his arms, putting on an energetic appearance.

"A-Cheng, you don't need to worry about the money matter, I've already found a noble benefactor to help."

"That's good."

Fang Cheng didn't probe into the bottom of it.

Although Uncle liked taking the Evil Path, he had associated with all sorts of shady characters for years and had wide connections.

Perhaps by hooking up with some wealthy woman, he really might be able to borrow a large sum of money.

Just as the two were about to return to the ward to look after Grandfather.

Suddenly, the sound of a group of people speaking like a broken gong rang out, passing through the corridor and entering their ears.

"Damn it, I remembered the address wrong, no wonder I couldn't find that little brat!"

"Yingjun, go over and ask the nurse Young Miss, and be polite when you talk."

"Alright, bro."

Fang Cheng looked in the direction of the voice.

He saw three slightly familiar figures turning out from the elevator lobby and walking toward the nurse's station.

Looking like pretentious, high-spirited young fellows, they were abruptly those guys suspected of being syndicate members.

"Holy crap, are these guys born in the year of the dog..."

Li Dingjian let out a low cry at the sight and instantly turned his head away.