Dragged away by Xu Qiguang, Xu Changqing followed him for a few steps before she couldn’t resist looking back at Bai Xiulian, who was still standing in the same spot, finally quiet.
‘Dad said some things just now that I understood.
But some of it just confused me.
What did he mean by, *if she dares to lay a hand on our family again*?
Does that mean she’s made a mistake before and was let off easy?’
‘Before…
before…
what exactly happened before?
What could have made Dad say something that would bring dishonor to Mom’s side of the family, and that Great-Uncle would be happy to hear about?’
Xu Changqing looked at her father, who was walking quickly.
She hurried to keep up, sneaking glances at his face.
Seeing that he showed no intention of speaking, she grew even more confused.
Normally, if something like this happened, her father would be the first to explain it to her—why he’d said what he did, and what his purpose was.
‘Unless?’
“Hurry up.
People will be getting off work soon.”
Huh?
“Oh.” ‘I’m not even walking slowly.’ Xu Changqing looked ahead and was startled.
‘Didn’t he say he was just taking me somewhere to drop off our things?’
As the hospital loomed closer, Xu Changqing’s heart suddenly began to pound uncontrollably.
The palpitations were so bad she couldn’t spare a thought for anything else.
‘I should have known.
Whether it was for Mom, who’s about to give birth, or for my heatstroke yesterday, there was no way we could come to the county seat and avoid this godforsaken place.’
Xu Qiguang, walking straight ahead, hadn’t heard his daughter’s voice for a while.
He instinctively turned to look, but he didn’t notice anything wrong with her expression as she stared at the ground.
Noticing she was slowing down, he mistakenly thought she had figured out his real reason for coaxing her into town.
“Worried about the cost again?
Once you’re checked out, Dad can be at ease while I’m away at work.”
“No.” ‘I’m really not worried about the money right now, I’m just panicking.’ Xu Changqing suppressed her discomfort, bit her lip, then pressed them together firmly before looking up and smiling at her father.
Seeing his daughter smile, Xu Qiguang couldn’t help but smile back.
Though her father’s smile vanished the moment he turned away, for some reason it made Xu Changqing’s nose sting, a feeling that quickly spread to her eyes.
She blinked hard, clearing the moisture from her eyes, and forced her lips into a grin.
Taking two quick steps to catch up to her father’s side, she mumbled, “Dad~”
‘And you say you’re not worried about the cost?’ Xu Qiguang, who was about to turn into the left corridor, shook his head in amusement.
“Don’t worry, it’s an elder of mine.
It’ll be good for her to meet you.”
“Is her surname Tian?”
“Did your mother tell you?”
‘No!’
‘If I told you I saw it in a dream, would you believe me?’ Having been trying her best not to glance in a certain direction since entering the hospital, Xu Changqing just gave a noncommittal hum.
‘Am I finally going to meet someone from my dream ahead of schedule?
If Grandma Tian is here, does that mean some things from the dream really did happen?’
‘It’s just that because of the dream, I woke up early, caught Fang Jun early, and as a result, Dad stayed home all yesterday afternoon and avoided the danger?’
‘If that’s true, then what about the person Dad saved?
The one who just tossed down some money and was never seen again…
is he even still alive?’
Xu Changqing fought the urge to give in to her restless feet—she wanted to run and ask a nurse right then if any drivers had been brought in for emergency treatment after a car accident between last night and today.
Standing at the door of an office, Xu Qiguang glanced at the open doorway.
Not wanting to be rude, he first raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on the door three times before calling out, “Aunt Tian.”
Tian Dongmei, a woman in her fifties, looked up from behind her desk, a smile instantly appearing on her face.
“It’s you.
Finally willing to take a vacation?
I was just about to call your work unit this afternoon.”
‘It’s her!’
“Not at all.
I got back early yesterday morning.
I heard you went to the Provincial City for a meeting and hadn’t returned, so I didn’t come looking for you right away.
This is my third child, Changqing.”
As he spoke, Xu Qiguang casually placed the net bag he was carrying on a nearby chair and told his daughter, who was a few steps behind, to put down her back basket and greet the doctor.
The back basket wasn’t heavy; it was mostly filled with yarn and fabric.
But at this moment, it felt as heavy as a mountain.
Lost in a thousand thoughts, Xu Changqing reacted quickly, bowing and offering a greeting.
Surprised, Tian Dongmei glanced at Xu Qiguang, then couldn’t help but wave Xu Changqing over.
As she stood up, she motioned for Xu Changqing to sit in a chair near her.
Seeing his daughter seated, Xu Qiguang knew Doctor Tian would be checking her pulse.
He turned, left the office, and pulled the door closed behind him to stand guard outside.
This would prevent anyone from barging in and causing trouble by seeing Doctor Tian practicing traditional Chinese medicine.
Also, his daughter was growing up, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be present.
Inside the room, Doctor Tian first took Xu Changqing’s pulse, checking her left wrist and then her right.
She then had Xu Changqing stick out her tongue before asking about some private, womanly matters.
Xu Changqing, who had gotten a shade darker over the summer, was so flustered by Doctor Tian’s successive questions that even her little tanned face couldn’t hide her bright red blush.
Tian Dongmei was quite amused to finally see the tomboy who had walked in showing a girl’s bashfulness.
But she also knew that no matter how mature the child was, she was still sensitive.
“There are no major issues.
It’s mainly a qi and blood deficiency caused by a lack of nutrition.
Try to eat more blood-enriching foods, and don’t touch cold water during your period.”
‘Her tone felt so familiar.’ In the dream, this same white-haired Grandma Tian had patted her hand just like this, and her first gentle words were also that there were no major issues.
Then, every month, she would rush to Baizigou with supplies, regardless of whether it was snowing heavily, just to treat her and her younger siblings, just to give her encouragement.
“…Okay.”
“You have red dates at home, right?” Tian Dongmei knew that not every family kept red dates on hand, but Baizigou, being near the mountains, wouldn’t lack for them.
And with a pregnant woman in the house, the Xu family was even less likely to be without.
“Yes.”
“You know what?
I’ll just write it down for you so you can pay more attention to it.
I won’t prescribe any medicine.
All medicine has its side effects; dietary therapy is best.”
“…Okay.”
Tian Dongmei picked up her pen and started writing, glancing up at her once before looking back down.
“Overthinking at such a young age doesn’t suit you,” she remarked as she wrote.
‘Is she saying I’m bottling things up again?’ Whether Doctor Tian saw it or not, Xu Changqing nodded emphatically and replied earnestly, “I’ll be careful.”
“It’s not just about being careful; you have to learn to regulate your emotions.
If you’re angry, you don’t have to control it.
Always holding it in and not letting it out is bad for your health.”
“Okay.”
‘She agreed so quickly this time.
You can tell she has the same personality as her father.’ Tian Dongmei shook her head inwardly.
“Go on and call your dad in.
I’m finished here.”
“Grandma Tian, thank you.” ‘Whether it’s today or the you from that dream, you are a respected elder.’ “I’ll go get my dad now.”
Tian Dongmei thought the child was thanking her for the discreet traditional Chinese medicine consultation and laughed out loud.
“What’s there to get?
Your dad is definitely waiting right outside the door.”
‘Right.’
“How did it go?”