Adored by Him: My Blissful Days as the Girl Next Door-Chapter 398 - 397 Parent Meeting

Zhang Xin came over, and the old man’s mood was greatly improved, holding on to her and unwilling to let go.

Zhang Xin sat by the bedside, coaxing the old man with conversation. Mr. Zhang signaled to Qu Chaozong with his eyes, calling him out of the ward, and the two stood in the corridor talking.

In the few months without contact, Mr. Zhang seemed to have accumulated more sorrow and weariness between his brows, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, and he appeared older.

Qu Chaozong had heard from Zhang Xin before that ever since Zhang Zhao went abroad for his studies, Zhang Zhao’s mother followed him, and Zhang Xin mostly stayed in the provincial city. Even when she occasionally returned home, due to Qu Chaozong, she had little communication with Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang, in middle age, had become somewhat of a loner, facing immense work pressure daily, with an increasingly desolate home. The loneliness and worry gradually etched deep lines into his brow, his expression gloomy and irritable.

The two stood face to face, and Qu Chaozong inquired politely: "Uncle, you’ve driven from far away, are you tired? I’ll stay here tonight to watch over the old man, you should go back and rest."

With the old man ill and under Qu Chaozong’s care, Mr. Zhang couldn’t reasonably ask him to leave. However, his tone was still laced with a hint of aggravation: "Enough, you don’t need to act so dutiful. I called you out to ask about the old man’s actual condition."

Qu Chaozong, having been in the ward with the old man, was somewhat downcast himself, and didn’t mind Mr. Zhang’s brusque tone too much.

Qu Chaozong explained the situation to Mr. Zhang: "The doctor said the old man will have to be hospitalized for treatment and care. His condition is quite serious; he previously had lung surgery and recently developed complications. After getting admitted, we can only strive to maintain his condition, hoping for a cure is impossible..."

Upon hearing it’s incurable, Mr. Zhang immediately asked: "Did the doctor mention how long this maintenance could last?"

Qu Chaozong shook his head: "The doctor didn’t give a definite answer, just mentioned it depends on observing the illness."

Mr. Zhang didn’t speak for a while, his complexion worsening. He lowered his gaze pondering for a moment before speaking: "Let’s not tell Zhang Xin about this for now. Her grandfather means a lot to her. Her health just stabilized and I’m afraid knowing the real situation might agitate her, causing a relapse."

Qu Chaozong nodded in agreement: "I understand."

Mr. Zhang maintained a stern look and said no more to Qu Chaozong. They stood in the corridor calming their emotions before re-entering the ward, each with a relaxed demeanor.

The old man began to regain his energy after waking, and by sunset, was able to sit up and converse.

Zhang Xin asked: "Grandpa, weren’t you fine before? Why did you suddenly faint?"

The old man said: "I don’t know either. I just had lunch and thought about going to the study to look at the chess manual. But as soon as I stood up, I knew nothing more."

Zhang Xin turned to ask Qu Chaozong: "Did the doctor say what caused my grandpa to faint suddenly?"

Qu Chaozong fabricated casually: "Insufficient blood supply to the brain, perhaps he got up too quickly after eating, causing to faint and it triggered complications in his lungs. He’ll definitely have to stay in the hospital for a while for proper recovery."

Zhang Xin didn’t suspect anything and turned to admonish the old man: "Grandpa, have you been overeating again? Did you eat meat? Was the food too greasy?"

After replying, Qu Chaozong instinctively glanced at Mr. Zhang on the accompanying bed next to him, noticing Mr. Zhang visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

As dinner time approached, Qu Chaozong stood up: "I’ll go ask the doctor if he can eat now."

As Qu Chaozong left the ward, he casually closed the door behind him.

The old man said to Zhang Xin: "Chaozi is a really attentive child; he’s been taking care of me here, covering all bases." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

If it were any other time, Mr. Zhang would certainly retort a couple of times, but this time, he remained silent, listening to Zhang Xin add: "When I first heard you fainted, I was at a loss. Later, I quickly called Chaozi to come over; otherwise, I would’ve been worried sick."

The old man soothed: "If anything like this happens again, don’t panic too much. It’s already happened, worrying doesn’t help. When one is hurried, it’s easy to make mistakes; haven’t you heard misfortunes never come singly?"

Zhang Xin protested playfully: "Oh, grandpa, don’t lecture me at a time like this, I’m worried only because I care about you."

The old man laughed, and before long, there was a knock on the door from outside. Zhang Xin, sitting by the bedside, thought it was the nurse coming to take her temperature, remained in place, waiting for someone to come in. But it was Mr. Zhang on the accompanying bed who spotted the visitor first.

Mr. Zhang asked: "Who are you looking for?"

The person replied: "Hello, is Zhang Xin’s grandfather staying here?"

Upon hearing this voice, Zhang Xin sprang up from her stool and took two steps forward to greet, seeing the visitor, she exclaimed: "Aunt, why are you here?"

Mrs. Qu, carrying two bags, smiled upon seeing Zhang Xin: "Fortunately, I didn’t find the wrong place. Where’s Chaozi?"

Zhang Xin reached out to take the things, escorting Mrs. Qu into the room, saying as she walked: "Chaozi went to find the doctor. Grandpa, Chaozi’s mother is here, Aunt, this is my dad; this is my grandpa."

Upon learning Mrs. Qu’s identity, the old man and Mr. Zhang reacted promptly, entirely unprepared for her to show up in person.

The old man hurriedly welcomed: "Oh, hello, hello, I’m Zhang Xin’s grandfather."

Mrs. Qu approached the bedside, smiling: "I’m Chaozi’s mother, he told me over the phone that you were ill. I’ve been thinking about it, so I came over to see you. How are you feeling now; better?"

The old man nodded: "Much better, you see, made you come all this way."

Mrs. Qu replied: "You’re being too formal with such words." Then she turned to greet Mr. Zhang: "Hello."

Mr. Zhang promptly replied: "Hello, please have a seat."

Mrs. Qu settled down on the round stool beside the bed and said: "Once I heard you were hospitalized, I figured you all wouldn’t have time to buy food at night, so I made some at home and brought it over."

Mrs. Qu handed the bag: "Old man, I’ve made a pot of pork lung soup for you. The elders always say to eat what nourishes what. We used to have an old neighbor who smoked a lot and had poor lungs, then heard from a doctor that drinking pork lung soup was good, so he drank it for years, and his health has been quite good."

The old man was deeply moved: "Oh my, look at this; you’ve even made soup for me."

Mrs. Qu said: "That’s just something I can do, please don’t mind."