Chapter 236: Ziheng is your child

In the afternoon, Guan He returned to the company to work, having only taken half a day off.

When Guan He went to the CEO's office to deliver the contract, Xu Yanfeng still remembered the reason for his leave; after signing the contract, he asked concernedly, "How is your mother's illness?"

"The test results are out; it's a benign tumor." Guan He said, "I accompanied her this morning to complete the admission procedures; if all goes well, we can schedule the surgery the day after tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow is Sunday, and he won't need to take leave again—just right.

Xu Yanfeng capped his pen, closed the document, and handed it over: "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, General Manager Xu."

Guan He took the contract, turned and left, gripping the door handle and pulling it open, suddenly recalling that he had seen Xia Xi at the hospital that morning.

"Anything else?" Seeing Guan He lingering at the doorway, Xu Yanfeng asked.

Guan He turned back, considering that Xia Xi was a special person to Xu Yanfeng, and related what he had seen and heard: "General Manager Xu, I accompanied my mother to the inpatient department this morning and ran into Miss Xia there." He added, "I mean Miss Xia Xi."

Upon hearing Xia Xi's name, Xu Yanfeng startled, first wondering whether the wound on her head had not healed or had left sequelae after healing.

"You say you ran into her in the inpatient department?" Xu Yanfeng asked urgently.

Guan He then knew telling Xu Yanfeng was right; he cared deeply for Xia Xi, as evidenced by his earlier request that she renovate his villa.

"It was in the inpatient department, but the sick person wasn't her; it should be a family member. A middle-aged woman later came running out of the ward, handed her some documents, and I overheard something about a grandmother."

Xu Yanfeng's anxious heart eased a little, yet he also worried whether her grandmother's condition was serious.

Seeing him frown slightly, Guan He immediately understood and told him the hospital's name and the inpatient floor.

After work, there was originally a dinner gathering in the evening, but Xu Yanfeng declined, as Guan He had expected.

The driver who drove Xu Yanfeng glanced at the rearview mirror and asked where he was headed.

Xu Yanfeng held a cigarette between his fingers, unlit, turning it back and forth a few times, crumpling the roll into a soft lump.

The boss said nothing, the driver had no idea, and the car remained stationary.

After two or three minutes, Xu Yanfeng opened his lips and spoke the name of a hospital.

The driver drove the car toward the hospital, passing a supermarket where he stopped briefly; following General Manager Xu's instructions, he went out to buy a fruit gift basket and some nutritional supplements suitable for middle-aged and elderly people.

Xu Yanfeng did not know what illness Xia Xi's grandmother had, so he had the driver buy the most basic nutritional supplements that any patient could consume.

Su Jinru went to the kindergarten to pick up the two children after school, stayed home to cook for them, Xia Xi hired a caregiver to help look after her grandmother, and she herself went to the supermarket near the hospital to buy daily necessities for the hospital stay.

In the ward were only the grandmother and the caregiver, chatting intermittently.

"Your granddaughter is truly filial, busy before and after, and she's also good-looking." The caregiver sat on a chair peeling an apple, a plump woman in her forties; smiling, her eyes narrowed into slits, she said, "Seeing how finely she's dressed, her job must be decent too—really nice."

The hospital bed rose, and the grandmother half-reclined upon it, smiling broadly on her face yet showing anguish in her eyes: "She is my granddaughter, no different from a granddaughter. I have three granddaughters, each with her own difficulties. The one you see has, in her twenties, held up the whole family. I don't want to trouble her, but people grow old and there's nothing to be done."

"You must never say this in front of the child; she looks after you willingly, and saying this would make her feel uncomfortable."

Someone knocked on the door; the caregiver put down the fruit knife and apple, rose, and went to open it.

Outside the door stood a tall young man in a black overcoat that was long and straight; underneath he wore a suit, no tie, yet still appeared stern and aloof, unapproachable; the man's visage was handsome, full of noble bearing, and he carried a gift basket for visiting the patient.

The caregiver had never seen anyone like this; intimidated by his aura, she stammered, "Who, who are you looking for?"

The man spoke, his voice surprisingly warm and not distant: "May I ask if Madam Jiangpeishan resides in this ward?"

The old lady's field of vision was limited; she couldn't see the person outside the door, felt curious who would come to see her, and found the voice quite unfamiliar.

"Yes, yes." The caregiver hurriedly stepped aside, invited him in, and notified the grandmother: "Madam, a visitor has arrived."

The grandmother sat up slightly, her gaze turning outward; footsteps drew near, and Xu Yanfeng appeared in her line of sight. The grandmother was greatly surprised, her eyes widening.

Xu Yanfeng explained his purpose: "My assistant happened to run into Xia Xi at the hospital this morning, unexpectedly heard you were hospitalized, and I came to check on you."

The grandmother stared at him blankly, her thoughts slow; she almost thought he and Xia Xi had reconciled, but then recalled that Xia Xi had repeatedly told her and Su Jinru that she and Xu Yanfeng could never be together in this lifetime.

Having collected herself, the grandmother lifted her hand, pointed to the chair beside the bed, and said to him, "Please have a seat."

The caregiver took both of Xu Yanfeng's hands, received the items he was holding, set them down properly, and asked if he wanted water.

"I don't drink, thank you." Xu Yanfeng sat down, lifted the hem of his long coat that dangled to the floor, smoothed it, and draped it over his legs.

The grandmother glanced at the idle caregiver and instructed her: "Xiao Fang, go sit outside and rest awhile; I'll call you if needed."

"Eh." The caregiver exhaled relief, opened the door and went out; not going far, she sat on the public plastic chair to the left of the doorway.

Xu Yanfeng looked around, but did not see Xia Xi in the ward.

The grandmother said, "Xi Xi went to the supermarket to buy things."

Xu Yanfeng pursed his lips in a faint smile; he had not come here to see Xia Xi, and her absence was preferable, lest he create an awkward atmosphere before the elder: "What illness do you have, if you don't mind saying?"

The grandmother sighed, pointing to her right leg covered by the blanket: "This morning I got up carelessly and fell, twisted it, and heard a 'crack'—the bone broke. If this had happened when I was young, I'd have pushed myself up with a hand after hitting the ground and been fine; that's why people must submit to old age, or they can't."

"What did the doctor say?"

"After the surgery, just rest for a period."

The grandmother's eyes, having witnessed too much worldly turmoil, could tell that this young man's concern for her came from the heart. After all, they had only met once, that summer when he came to Qianlin to see Xia Xi, exchanged a few hurried words in the hotel—what feeling could there be? His visit today is merely out of affection for the house and its occupants, done for Xia Xi's sake.

Thinking this, the grandmother couldn't help feeling regret for Xia Xi.

Such a fine person—once missed, where would one meet again?

Had it not been for those family incidents back then, how could the two have parted?

Xu Yanfeng lowered his gaze to glance at his watch, rose, indicating he was about to leave: "Rest easy, pay more attention from now on. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll go first; I'll come see you again next time."

The grandmother watched Xu Yanfeng depart, her eyes blinking slowly; she had dreamed again last night of her late partner, and upon waking this morning she had fallen—perhaps an omen, maybe one day she'll close her eyes and never open them again.

What she couldn't set her mind at ease about was this whole family.

Xia Xi alone has upheld this family—but who could give her support?

Seeing Xu Yanfeng about to disappear from her sight, the grandmother grew anxious and called out, "Xiao Xu!"

Xu Yanfeng heard him, stopped, turned around, walked back to the bedside, and leaned in slightly, asking, "What do you want to tell me?"

The grandmother seized his hand; Xu Yanfeng was puzzled, yet he still grasped the old woman's dry, rough, wrinkled palm and said, "Tell me what you need me to do, and I will certainly see it through."

The grandmother's eyes reddened in an instant, tears filling her sockets; she had not mistaken him—this youth's conduct was upright, though he and Xia Xi had separated, he still wished to extend a helping hand.

In the future, after she passes, if he can look after Xia Xi a little, easing her burden, she will be able to close her eyes in peace.

"Zi Heng..." Grandma hesitated for a moment, pressed her lips together, and finally, holding her breath, she blurted out the rest of what she wanted to say, "Zi Heng is your child."

She went against Xi Xi's wishes, told this secret to Xu Yanfeng, hoping that Xi Xi wouldn't blame her, this old lady, for meddling.