Chapter 314: A Condition

"Then I want a promise from you." An Yinan looked at the old man, her expression serious.

Upon hearing this, the old man narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on An Yinan with a look of appraisal, before he spoke in a deep voice, "Tell me."

"During the treatment, your daily routine and diet must follow my instructions," An Yinan said.

Feng Zhong had not expected this to be the condition An Yinan would put forward.

He had already prepared himself for the gentleman to refuse, as there were simply too many people wanting to show their faces before the gentleman.

Yet, there were too few who could truly catch the gentleman's eye.

"Are you sure? Just one condition!" The old man did not relax, still staring at An Yinan.

Any change in her expression would be perfectly clear to him.

Seeing the old man's demeanor, An Yinan shook her head with a helpless smile.

"You have perhaps seen too much, leading to suspicion; in your high position, this is unavoidable."

"What I ask for is simple: you follow the medical advice, and I can proceed with my work conveniently."

"Once the treatment is complete, you and I shall act as if we have never met; that would be quite good."

Everything An Yinan said was exactly what she thought in her heart.

This old man had experienced too much—hardship and suffering, even coming close to not returning—so his reaction was only human nature.

An Yinan understood, and she grasped it.

But what she sought was indeed very simple: to look at each other and remain strangers.

She only wanted to live a plain and simple life, climbing step by step, walking step by step, relying on her own strength.

"I agree." The old man nodded.

An Yinan smiled and took a sip of tea, "Shall we begin then?"

Only Feng Zhong was accompanying the old man; An Yinan first took out her Golden Needle and handed it to Feng Zhong, "Do you need to inspect it?"

Feng Zhong smiled and shook his head, "The gentleman said that Comrade An may do as she pleases."

This represented An Yinan's free status, and also the degree to which she was accepted.

They had only met in passing before; who would have thought the result would be like this?

An Yinan nodded, "Very well."

She first applied the needles to the old man, gently twisting the Golden Needle during the process.

"Have you not been sleeping well lately?" An Yinan asked softly, her voice gentle yet devoid of emotion.

The old man gave a muffled "Hmm."

Feng Zhong stood guard nearby; seeing steam rising from the gentleman's back, he remained unmoved.

He had seen this situation before and would not be overly surprised.

"Would you like some chicken soup later? Or vegetable soup?" The things An Yinan said were just like everyday small talk.

But the questions she kept throwing out were both simple and easy to answer; although they required thought, they would not waste too much mental energy.

She was afraid the old man would repeatedly dwell on national affairs, and if his mind could not rest during the acupuncture, it would affect the speed of his recovery later.

"Vegetable soup, I suppose," the old man said.

An Yinan just smiled, "Alright, do you prefer not to eat food that is too oily?"

Every question was a back-and-forth.

It was An Yinan's first time performing acupuncture, and it only took half an hour.

By the time she withdrew the needles, the old man had already fallen asleep; he did not even answer her last two questions.

After pulling out the Golden Needle, she put them away one by one.

"Gentleman..." Feng Zhong was just about to speak.

An Yinan quickly waved her hand, "He's asleep. He's been too tired lately; let him take this time to get some good rest."

Feng Zhong nodded in understanding, stepped forward to cover the gentleman with a blanket, and then led An Yinan out of the room.

Although it was only half an hour, An Yinan's fingers were already a bit numb; in truth, while she looked casual and indifferent during the acupuncture, the accuracy of every acupoint allowed for no mistakes.

"Comrade An, have some tea." Seeing the gentleman fast asleep, Feng Zhong felt a secret sense of relief.

In the past, let alone covering him with a blanket, the gentleman would wake up instantly at the slightest sound nearby.

"What would you like to eat for lunch? Or is there any snack you'd like?" Feng Zhong asked kindly.

Feng Zhong was already over forty; if he had married early, his child would be as old as Nan Nan.

Especially since Comrade An was able to make the gentleman fall asleep, he felt even more fondness for An Yinan.

"Anything is fine, I'm hungry," An Yinan said helplessly.

This set of acupuncture techniques was quite physically draining.

"Alright, I'll see what's in the back and serve that first. Next time you want something, tell Uncle Feng in advance, and Uncle Feng will have the kitchen prepare it," Feng Zhong said with a chuckle.

Afterward, he walked to the side, and after giving instructions, Uncle Feng remained on guard there, his eyes fixed on the gentleman's bedroom door.

An Yinan ate some snacks and drank tea, then practiced a set of Eight Brocades in the courtyard until beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

It was a full hour later before there was any movement from inside the room.

Feng Zhong hurriedly pushed the door open and went in, "Gentleman, you're awake."

The old man rubbed his brow, "What time is it?"

Feng Zhong quickly replied, "It's nine-thirty."

"Nine-thirty?" The old man turned his head to look at Feng Zhong instantly.

It was currently morning, and even at night, he would never sleep for more than an hour.

"Gentleman, it is nine-thirty; you slept for over an hour," Feng Zhong answered with a chuckle while helping the gentleman put on his clothes.

The old man smiled helplessly, "This little comrade really has some skills."

Sleep is the number one priority for an old man.

His mind was constantly calculating major affairs, and his sleep quality was getting worse and worse.

Sometimes, even while asleep, he would suddenly wake up in a start.

This time, however, he had a good sleep, and he felt refreshed all over.

"Yes," Feng Zhong nodded.

The old man walked out of the room, saw An Yinan quietly reading a book, and walked over to the seat on the side to sit down.

An Yinan looked up at the same time, "Here, drink a cup of warm water."

"Although tea can refresh the mind, your body is not suitable for drinking it."

The old man, whose hand had reached out to take the teacup, immediately changed the angle and took the warm water handed over by An Yinan.

"Warm water is also quite good," the old man nodded, drinking the warm water sip by sip.

The water temperature was just right; it was clearly left out to cool in advance.

She had even anticipated the time he would wake up, which was why it was neither cold nor hot, just the right temperature.

"The kitchen made vegetable soup; are you hungry now?" An Yinan looked at the old man's complexion before asking.

Only then did the old man remember the issue from when the needles were applied.

"I thought you were weakening my focus; I didn't expect you to have actually prepared vegetable soup?" the old man asked.

Feng Zhong spoke up at this moment, "Sir, after the acupuncture, Comrade An had me instruct the kitchen to prepare vegetable soup for you."

Moreover, the ratio of ingredients in the vegetable soup was also instructed by Comrade An; it contained not only vegetables but also some mild traditional Chinese medicine.

"That's great, I really have a craving for this," the old man laughed heartily.

Seeing the smile on the gentleman's face, Feng Zhong felt happy as well.

Only An Yinan, having finished saying what needed to be said, began to read her book calmly.