The examination was over. Fortunately, the checkup revealed that Lu’s father’s internal organs were not injured.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lu Yao decided to have her father undergo a complete physical examination. She originally wanted to drag her mother along as well, but there wasn’t enough time.
Aside from the injury on his hand, everything else was very healthy; it was no wonder he still had the strength to seize those two young men.
Depending on an individual’s recovery ability, it would take about one or two months to heal completely.
During this period, it was best not to let the wound touch water, to strictly control his diet, and to be careful not to make any large movements or lift heavy objects to avoid tearing the wound…
Lu Yao noted down every precaution one by one. Now, she would inevitably have to carve out time to take care of her father.
Unfortunately, her room on the second floor was too small, and it wasn’t ideal to keep her father sleeping on the sofa.
In the end, Li Jing’s parents arrived. They had already heard the whole story from Li Jing. After apologizing, they warmly invited Lu Yao’s parents to stay at their home. Lu Yao remained silent; she wasn’t good at refusing others and waited to see what her parents intended to do.
After some hesitation, Lu Yao’s mother readily agreed: “It’s really a bother to you then. Just tidying up any room will do.”
Seeing Lu Yao’s confusion, her mother gently tugged at her sleeve.
Only when Li Jing was talking to her parents did Lu Yao’s mother say: “You are Li Jing’s boss now. At worst, we can pay her the rent along with her salary. It’s really not easy to find a place to rent right now, and besides, your dad and I won’t be staying for long anyway.”
“It’ll be one or two months,” Lu Yao agreed that this was a solution, but she frowned.
In a month, they would definitely have to return to the hospital for a follow-up checkup to ensure the wound was fully healed before they could go back to the county town.
By then, it would be close to the New Year. Thinking about it this way, it might be better to go back after the New Year, which would extend the time further.
Staying at someone else’s house for so long didn’t seem right.
Lu Yao still wanted to think of other options, but her mother sighed: “I know you don’t like owing people. We’ll only stay for a month. During this month, I’ll find time to look for a place to rent.”
Hearing this, Lu Yao nodded.
Over there, Li Jing had finished discussing with her parents and ran over happily, grabbing Lu Yao’s arm.
Such a sudden, intimate gesture made Lu Yao’s eyes widen slightly. After seeing the clear, innocent gaze in Li Jing’s eyes, she suppressed her surprise.
However, Lu Yao’s mother, witnessing this movement, showed a very obvious look of astonishment, and even a hint of fear in her eyes. This caused Li Jing’s mother to tilt her head and ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Nothing…” Seeing that Li Jing’s mother reacted normally, Lu Yao’s mother calmed herself down.
Since everyone had reached a decision, it was better to move the parents’ luggage to Li Jing’s house as soon as possible.
Lu Yao’s father couldn’t carry luggage, and her mother had to take care of him, so the two followed behind.
Lu’s father said: “Don’t overthink it, they are just ordinary friends.”
His wife glared at him: “What do you know!”
Did he know who she had just seen? Luo Yueming!
Before learning about Luo Yueming, how could she have known her daughter would fall for someone else’s daughter?
Now, seeing her daughter being so intimate with another girl again, it was hard not to overthink it.
Later, she also felt she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Many girls hug and hold onto each other like that. Looking at Li Jing, she didn’t seem like someone who had those kinds of thoughts toward women.
She was simply too guarded against Luo Yueming—guarded to the point of paranoia.
Recalling that eerie smile she had just seen.
Lu Yao’s mother felt that person would find an opportunity to retaliate against her, blaming her for not agreeing to Lu Yao being with her back then, which eventually led to Lu Yao’s divorce.
Even if it was overthinking, it was hard not to be afraid.
So, what did her husband know! He was useless.
On the other side, Li Jing whispered in Lu Yao’s ear: “My mom just asked if we should invite you over for a meal. I told her that the shop hasn’t hired new staff yet and you can’t get away, so she dropped the idea.”
Lu Yao was deeply grateful; she found it difficult to imagine the scene of eating at someone else’s house.
Li Jing smiled happily: “Then my mom said she’ll help you keep an eye out for new employees!”
Lu Yao’s eyes brightened slightly, though she said: “Won’t that be too much trouble?”
“No, no~” Li Jing looked proud, patted her chest, and began to say, “My mom has lived here for over forty years. Her connections are great; she just needs to ask around a bit.”
It really helps to rely on locals, Lu Yao thought with some emotion.
Then she felt that going to Li Jing’s house for a meal wouldn’t be such a big deal after all; Li Jing’s family members were all very kind.
They weren’t much different from her relatives in the county town, making Lu Yao understand the saying about “relying on relatives at home and friends when away.”
To have met Li Jing was truly a stroke of luck.
Lu Yao stole a glance at Li Jing’s mother—she looked very capable, someone who could make decisions quickly.
And she was thoughtful in every aspect.
Because Lu Yao didn’t like to talk, she would invest a lot of attention into trivial matters. She thought she was careful enough, but seeing Li Jing’s mother, she realized the gap in experience.
It wasn’t that Lu Yao couldn’t notice things, but she lacked experience and understanding. Li Jing’s mother would soon help her bridge that gap.
It was no wonder Li Jing was raised so well.
Lu Yao’s eyes warmed. She forgot about those unhappy things—that is, until Shen Qing called. If she hadn’t, Lu Yao might have truly “forgotten.”
Lu Yao held her phone. She had been running around all day; her tied-up hair was a bit messy, her face was plain, and her expression was the same as always.
Even the voice she used when speaking to people was soft and gentle; just listening to it would calm a restless heart.
It was just that the events of today made her tone sound exhausted.
Because of her powerlessness, those two young men, who still felt defiant in their hearts, did not receive much punishment.
Lu Yao didn’t know what to do either. She was just angry inside, looking at her father with eyes full of guilt, as if she had been the one to do something wrong.
Lu Yao lowered her head. She couldn’t share these feelings with her parents or Li Jing.
Especially Li Jing.
Li Jing already felt guilty about what happened today; wouldn’t talking about it sound like blaming her? There was nothing wrong with asking her father to look for a short-term rental in that area; it was just that her father was careless and tried to show off.
Of course, the biggest fault lay with those two people!
Yet they were the ones who hadn’t been punished. Just being locked up for a while was nowhere near enough!
Lu Yao didn’t like to chatter. Shen Qing sensed something was wrong from her tone. After asking several times, Lu Yao finally opened up and explained the whole situation.
Shen Qing: “…”
“Where are you now? I’ll come pick you up,” Shen Qing said.
Lu Yao refused her: “The luggage is already in the car. We’ll be at Li Jing’s house soon. There’s no need to make a trip.”
The silence on Shen Qing’s end grew deeper.
A few seconds later: “I’ll handle this matter. Take your parents and get some good rest. I’ll come to visit in a while.”
Lu Yao was stunned.
She wanted to say that Shen Qing seemed to have no reason to visit, nor any necessity to help her resolve this matter.
Before she could say the words, the call was disconnected.
She lowered her head to look at the darkened phone screen, tilted her head, and looked at her parents outside the flower shop.
Her father only had an injured hand; his legs were fine, and he could move on his own. It was just that he couldn’t stand staying still, always wanting to step in and help, only to be slapped lightly by his wife.
The force wasn’t much, just a light tap, which made Li Jing’s mother laugh along.
Lu Yao watched them. As she watched, she lowered her head and sighed.
She picked up the things in her hand and walked out, handing them to Li Jing: “These are some dried flowers I made earlier. There might be a heavy smell of medicine later; using flowers to get rid of the odor is just right.”
Li Jing took them with a smile: “Then I won’t be polite! I’ll definitely put them nicely in my room!”
Lu Yao: “…Actually, putting them in the living room… is also fine.”
Now that the things were given, where they were placed to remove the smell was Li Jing’s personal preference.
The belongings were all loaded into the car.
Coming back from the hospital and then tossing and turning for a while, it was already very late. Since Lu Yao had to deliver goods tomorrow, they didn’t let her follow them.
She could only stand at the door of the flower shop, watching the car drive further and further away until the surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Lu Yao stood there for a while longer as if swallowed by the surrounding silence.
She went back to the second floor and turned on the light. The room still held traces of her parents’ presence. She walked to the bedside table, her brow furrowed tightly.
Due to her dislike for talking, her eyes were always observing her surroundings.
Even though her mother didn’t say it, she had noticed.
At that time, her mother’s expression was too strange, so she followed her mother’s gaze and looked down from the hospital building.