Chapter 1610: Joy and Sorrow

After starting work, Er Sha Qiang grew up quickly.

As his family, San Li noticed some abnormalities in Er Sha Qiang.

"My second brother sometimes zones out alone and giggles foolishly; I don't know what's wrong. Wang Yan, do you think he's been possessed by something?"

"No spirits are allowed to form after the founding of the nation; there are no ghosts or monsters. Don't let your mind run wild with nonsense."

"Then what is wrong with him?"

"Perhaps he is simply imagining a beautiful life. I will ask him when I get back."

Because Er Sha Qiang lived at Wang Yan's place, things were fine during summer break since he rarely stayed home and ate out most of the time; but during the school term, Wang Yan basically shared cooking duties with the Da Qiao family. However, he did not charge Er Sha Qiang any money, after all, Er Sha Qiang lived there too, so it was a case of Taiping Taiping Hutong, mutual exchange. Of course, Wang Yan contributed more, mainly because he loved eating meat. Still, he did not indulge every day, only buying some every now and then.

Although Da Qiao Zuwang was shameless, he still bought meat to eat usually. He just bought less of it, but there was always a taste of meat. Da Qiao Yicheng was the same; he did not want Wang Yan to spend so much, so he also bought some meat every now and then to cook at home, which counted as a treat for him. After all, he was quite frugal while at school.

After dinner, Wang Yan and Er Sha Qiang walked back to Wang Yan's home together. At this time, the setting sun was gradually sinking; the two were heading west, where a round red sun seemed to hang at the end of the street, large and circular, casting people's shadows extremely long.

"I heard you've been distracted lately, your mind elsewhere, often zoning out and giggling foolishly by yourself."

"Who told you that? Why would you need to hear it from someone else? We two brothers live together; haven't you noticed?"

Er Sha Qiang turned his head to see Wang Yan, who had grown several centimeters taller, hands in his pockets, his facial features sharp and distinct, possessing quite a bit of resoluteness.

"I noticed long ago; one look tells me you are longing for spring."

"Go on, go on, always talking nonsense." Er Sha Qiang waved his hands repeatedly. "San Li told you, right? She is meticulous and overthinks everything. Who doesn't zone out occasionally? Why does it become 'I have something going on' just because she says so?"

It was a clumsy attempt to change the subject; Wang Yan attacked without defending: "There is nothing wrong with liking a Miss; you don't need to be embarrassed. You must have seen it; don't any of your classmates have relationships?"

At any time, there are those who fall in love early; as boys and girls develop, they naturally become curious about and attracted to each other.

"Aiya, I really don't; I can't explain it clearly to you. But my eldest brother, he might truly have something going on..."

"What happened to him?"

"He is the one truly zoning out and giggling foolishly; I saw it just two days ago. Do you think he has someone he likes? He is a university student, meets many people, and they are all educated; after all this time, perhaps he has found someone he fancies."

Wang Yan knew that right now, Da Qiao Yicheng was working as a tutor, exchanging lingering glances and engaging in ambiguous, hazy flirtation with Wen Ju'an...

"That is indeed hard to say." Wang Yan affirmed, "But Eldest Brother Yicheng will graduate soon; he is at the right age."

"Isn't he still preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam?"

"Preparing for postgraduate studies does not hinder other matters."

"I must work hard to earn more money."

"Why?"

Er Sha Qiang let out a long sigh: "If my eldest brother really gets married, we cannot be without money. The few of us have already held Eldest Brother back; we cannot further affect his marriage."

"Don't think of yourselves as burdens; reality is just as it is, and no one can change it. You feel that the few of you are holding Eldest Brother Yicheng back, yet Eldest Brother Yicheng feels that you make him strong and give him the strength to strive. You are all biological siblings; who is burdening whom? Sometimes, I even envy your large family; unlike me, I am the only one in my family, which is very boring."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"But why do I feel like you are just comforting me?" Er Sha Qiang said suspiciously. "We have known each other for several years; I have never seen you being bored. During holidays, you wander all over the streets; usually, you lie in the courtyard watching the stars and look perfectly happy. When have you ever been bored?"

"Do you think watching stars is interesting?"

"Not interesting."

"Then that settles it."

"Then what are you happy about?"

"Just thinking about wonderful things, of course." Wang Yan smiled cheerfully. "If I weren't thinking about wonderful things, would I be happy?"

"Then tell me about these wonderful things."

"Getting rich, eating delicacies and drinking fine wine; just thinking about it makes me feel wonderful."

"You are teasing me again; nothing is stopping you from eating delicacies and drinking fine wine right now? I don't even know where your money comes from; why does it seem like you can never spend it all?"

"I receive one person's formal salary; that is certainly enough to spend. You see me spending a lot, but in reality, I truly spend very little; the sellers even give me discounts."

Wang Yan said, "If you really like someone, seize the opportunity quickly and take the initiative; as a young man, you must absolutely not be embarrassed."

"No, why are you bringing this up again? I really don't." Er Sha Qiang's face looked as if he wanted to die.

"Could it be that you like someone older? Someone who is already married?"

Er Sha Qiang's pupils contracted sharply; he forced a smile and waved his hand: "How could that be possible? Don't talk nonsense."

"Hey, that might actually be true. A new female teacher came to our school; many male students have secret crushes on her, unable to take their eyes off her. In my opinion, age doesn't matter much; as long as you figure it out yourself. Of course, she must be willing too."

"Enough already; stop spouting nonsense. You are ruining my reputation; how will I get married in the future?"

Er Sha Qiang said one thing but meant another; the power of love at first sight was simply too great; he could not fall asleep at all...

That night, while Wang Yan was still reading in the study on the west side, he heard the creaking sounds of the bed in the side room caused by tossing and turning. Every little while, there would be a creak, fully demonstrating the fiery anxiety in Er Sha Qiang's heart after his feelings were 'accidentally' exposed by Wang Yan.

He thought of many things, from little drops of happiness shared together, all the way to growing old together.

People are always like this; as soon as something begins, they unconsciously start thinking about what happens after success.

For instance, someone who has just taken the civil service exam is already imagining becoming a high-ranking regional governor, calmly telling others, 'Someone at your level cannot interrogate me.' Or perhaps a struggling writer who has just begun a story is already imagining becoming a god with one book and achieving financial freedom...

This was the dilemma Er Sha Qiang faced...

The next day was a holiday; there was no need to attend school.

Er Sha Qiang was woken up by the chatter of San Li and Si Mei; he yawned, put on his clothes, and upon going outside, saw the three of them sitting around a small square table eating breakfast.

"Second Brother, what is wrong with you? Your dark circles are so severe?" Si Mei asked while munching on a large steamed bun.

"Dark circles?"

Er Sha Qiang rubbed the sleep from his eyes and went to look in the mirror. "It's nothing, right? Are my eye circles really that dark?" He looked toward San Li.

"They are acceptable, I suppose; definitely darker than normal, and your eye bags have grown considerably larger too. Right, Wang Yan?"

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow at Er Sha Qiang: "Probably didn't rest well."

Seeing Wang Yan's mockery, Er Sha Qiang changed the subject: "Why have you two come?"

"Are you still sleepy and confused, Second Brother? Today Wang Yan is going to Second Aunt's house to treat Second Uncle's illness, and we two are going along to see as well." Si Mei let out a sigh of sorrow. "Tell me, what a good person Second Uncle is; how could he have gotten cancer?"

San Li sighed along with them, while Er Sha Qiang stood motionless.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable in life; who can predict such things?" Wang Yan waved his hand. "Just make the most of every day while you're still whole and intact. Come on, it's early morning; don't make things so heavy. The man is still alive. Brother Sha Qiang, if you dawdle any longer, you'll be late for work."

Er Sha Qiang snapped out of it, quickly gulped down his breakfast, washed up, and headed out to work.

"Did you ask?" San Li looked at Wang Yan.

"I asked. He said nothing's wrong."

Wang Yan stirred his tofu pudding with one hand while demonstrating his unique skill of peeling a boiled egg single-handedly with the other. Si Mei puffed out her cheeks and tried to imitate the one-handed egg peeling. Clearly, Si Mei couldn't eat while peeling the egg, and she didn't peel it well either; the shell cracked apart.

"Oh, look at you! Stop making a mess; just peel it and eat," San Li chided Si Mei, then turned to Wang Yan. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, no matter how I ask, he says nothing's wrong. What else can be done?"

With a whole egg stuffed in her mouth, Si Mei mumbled, "There must be something wrong. Look at his dark circles under his eyes. It's because Brother Yan questioned him so deeply yesterday that he couldn't sleep."

"Just eat; it's dripping out," Wang Yan said with a look of disgust.

Si Mei shot him a glare, then tightly closed her mouth and swallowed hard...

San Li still wouldn't give up: "Then what do you suppose is wrong?"

"I can't guess. Anyway, nothing serious seems to be happening; he looks fine, so it's no big deal. If he couldn't handle it, he would have said so long ago. Stop investigating; let him worry less. Making things up is exhausting."

"Everyone's being so secretive. Yesterday I noticed my eldest brother was also..."

"Also what?" Si Mei interjected; she wanted to know everything.

"Hurry up and eat; can't you see we're waiting for you?"

This was breakfast Wang Yan had bought on his way back from his morning exercise run, packed from a street-side breakfast stall. By now, individual businesses had blossomed everywhere, and shops of all kinds lined the streets. In this mighty tide of history, the diligent and clever Chinese people had found their place and earned their money. At this time, anyone opening a decent shop could hardly fail to make a profit.

The Da Qiao family no longer stood on ceremony with Wang Yan; they had practically become one family, getting along quite well. Of course, the old Da Qiao family members were good people; even Da Qiao Zuwang got along nicely with Wang Yan, joking and laughing without any formal pretense...

After finishing their meal, the virtuous San Li cleared away the leftovers. Wang Yan and Si Mei finished their card game of "Matching Wang Ba," and the three of them headed together to the Qi household.

On the way, they ran into Qi Weimin coming toward them.

"Brother Min, where are you going?" Si Mei skipped forward to meet him.

"I was just coming to find Wang Yan. What are you two doing here?" Qi Weimin asked.

San Li said, "We haven't visited Second Uncle in a while, so we're going over today to see him."

"That's you, Sister. I go there all the time."

After a few jokes, Qi Weimin said to Wang Yan, "Today's time is different from what you usually keep. I thought you might have forgotten something, so I hurried over to find you."

Without Wang Yan needing to say a word, San Li blamed him: "It's all Si Mei's fault; she dawdled over her meal."

Chatting as they walked, the group soon arrived at Qi Weimin's home.

"Second Aunt."

Wang Yan joined San Li and Si Mei in greeting her, using the same terms of address as the old Da Qiao family.

"You're here. You've really gone to so much trouble." Second Aunt took Wang Yan's hand.

"No trouble at all. I can't cure this illness anyway; I can only help Second Uncle feel less pain."

"Oh, if the disease can't be cured, then reducing pain and suffering is the best we can hope for. You've worked so hard for us these past few years."

Wang Yan patted Second Aunt's hand, offering a few comforting polite words, then went into the bedroom. "Second Uncle."

Qi Tu Zhiqiang was the number-one good person in this story. Whenever the old Da Qiao family had any trouble, he was always busy helping out, treating the Da Qiao children extremely well. When Qi Qi had no one to raise her, Second Aunt brought the child home without a single word of complaint. Truly, he bore burdens and worked tirelessly, contributing both money and effort. It was only after Qi Weimin got into university that he fell ill and was diagnosed with liver cancer...

"You've come." Qi Tu Zhiqiang sat on the bed, his voice lacking strength.

"Have you been feeling relatively well lately?"

"Not bad, except the pain here..."

Wang Yan communicated with Qi Tu Zhiqiang, understanding his subjective sensations, then performed various physical examinations and checked his pulse. Finally, based on the situation, he adjusted the medication for this new stage. As the condition changed, the medicine naturally had to be adjusted too. He came once a week, prescribed a new formula each week, and had been doing so for several years.

After spending some time undergoing examinations at the hospital and thoroughly understanding his condition, Qi Tu Zhiqiang learned that there was truly no cure left and he could only wait for death, so he returned home to wait. One day, Second Aunt came to ask Wang Yan to treat Qi Qi for diarrhea and lamented the family's misfortune. Afterwards, Wang Yan said he could relieve the pain. He went to examine Qi Tu Zhiqiang, prescribed a formula that proved effective, and thus this arrangement continued.

The torment and agony of many illnesses lie in the pain. When it strikes, it feels as though veins are bursting, as if every nerve has been tied into hundreds or thousands of knots, causing bone-deep agony, subjecting one to torture every single day.

After writing the prescription, Wang Yan didn't accept any money. They were all acquaintances; judging by his connection to the old Da Qiao family, he wasn't distant from Qi Weimin, and besides, he and Qi Weimin got along quite well.

Facing Wang Yan's seemingly displeased expression, Qi Weimin took back the money. "Whether you accept it or not is your choice, but I still must give it. I know you love meat; in a couple of days, I'll get you some beef bones. The beef noodles you make are so delicious; just thinking about them makes me crave them. I'll bring Qi Qi to eat with me then."

His Second Uncle worked at the slaughterhouse and could obtain bones with tendons and meat attached; this wasn't the first time he'd brought some. As for whether he actually got them from his Second Uncle, that was another story.

However, even if he had to buy them with money, it would still be worth it. Because if one were to buy painkillers, they wouldn't be cheap, they contained addictive components, and they were hard to obtain. But the formulas Wang Yan prescribed contained no expensive medicines; they were completely affordable.

Of course, more importantly, alleviating the pain with inexpensive medicine also lessened the torment for the entire Qi family. Otherwise, if Qi Tu Zhiqiang claimed he wasn't in pain and stubbornly endured it while waiting to die, his family would feel even worse watching him.

This kind of "relief" shared by both parties was Wang Yan's greatest kindness to the old Qi family...

"How is my father's condition?" he asked.

Wang Yan shook his head. "The disease is progressing quickly. Surviving until now far exceeds the hospital's expectations. Didn't I tell you before it would be one or two years? It's been over three years now."

"Then how much longer do you estimate my father has?"

"You ask every time. How can I predict this accurately? You've long since prepared yourself mentally. Now, just see him more often, spend more time with him, and leave no regrets."

Qi Weimin let out a sigh and gave Wang Yan a forced smile...

"Brother Yan, what were you and Brother Min whispering about just now?" Si Mei asked curiously.

"He said he'd get me some more beef so I can make bone-broth beef noodles. He'll bring Qi Qi to eat with him then."

"Yay! I haven't had that in ages," Si Mei cheered joyfully.

People's joys and sorrows are not interconnected...

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