Holding the medical report and the medicine as she walked out of the hospital, Tong Yuexin finally let out a breath of relief.
After these past two events, although she was immensely grateful that Zhou Qianshan’s condition hadn’t progressed to stomach cancer, it also confirmed another undeniable reality. What she had experienced wasn’t just a dream—she really had been reborn.
At the same time, Tong Yuexin felt as though she had narrowly escaped a disaster. Fortunately, her mother only had gastritis at this stage, leaving room for remedy rather than the hopeless late-stage stomach cancer she had discovered only too late in her previous life.
Her eyes stung with sudden warmth. As she clutched the medical report tightly in her hand, she knew she couldn’t afford to let her guard down just yet. Her mother’s health was already showing signs of strain; if left unchecked, it would inevitably develop into stomach cancer down the road. If she didn’t start paying attention now, it would be far too late to deal with once things turned truly serious.
That evening, as soon as Zhou Qianshan came home, she noticed that Tong Yuexin’s expression looked rather heavy. Puzzled, she turned to Tong Zhitian and asked, ‘What’s wrong with her?’
Tong Zhitian shook his head, equally perplexed.
‘Mom, your checkup results are out. Have a look,’ Tong Yuexin said.
Zhou Qianshan was somewhat unsettled by her daughter’s serious expression. Could it be something serious?
‘Let me see…’
Before Zhou Qianshan could even grab the paper, Tong Zhitian hurried over to peer at it alongside her.
The report was filled with medical terminology they didn’t quite understand, but it was clear at a glance that the outcome wasn’t particularly optimistic.
Zhou Qishan tentatively asked, ‘Xinxin, what’s going on? Is something wrong with my health?’
‘The doctor said today that you’ve already developed gastritis, and it’s all because you haven’t been eating properly!’
Pointing at the data on the page, Tong Yuexin explained what the numbers meant. Then, putting on a stern face, she looked straight at Zhou Qianshan and warned, ‘Mom, you really have to watch your diet from now on. If you keep going like this, it could easily develop into stomach cancer!’
Zhou Qianshan’s expression turned somewhat surprised, and she muttered under her breath, ‘No wonder my stomach always acts up sometimes. I just thought it was hunger pains from skipping meals.’
Hearing that, Tong Zhitian immediately frowned, clearly displeased. ‘Honey, how could you let yourself starve? You’re the backbone of this family. If you were to collapse, what would Yuexin and I do? You can’t let yourself get worked to the bone just because of the restaurant. You’ve got to eat properly.’
Tong Zhitian wasn’t exaggerating at all. He ran an appliance shop; because he was honest and his prices fair, he had a steady stream of customers. Even so, it was 1980, and only a minority of households could afford appliances. While the profits were decent, they were still limited.
On the other hand, Zhou Qianshan’s restaurant pulled in a massive crowd every single day, generating a hefty profit month after month. Calling her the backbone of the family was no exaggeration.
Tong Yuexin nodded repeatedly in agreement. ‘Exactly. Once your health breaks down, how much money would it take to buy it back?’
With that, Tong Yuexin shot a meaningful glance at Lu Mingkai.
Little Kaikai was a sharp kid; he immediately scampered over, wrapped his arms around Zhou Qianshan’s leg, and looked up at her with chubby cheeks and a milky, pleading voice. ‘Grandma, you have to eat your meals on time, okay? You can’t let your tummy hurt anymore, or Kaikai will worry!’
Knowing they were only acting out of concern for her, Zhou Qianshan felt a warm glow in her heart. She smiled and nodded, ‘Alright, I’ll eat. I’ll listen to you all and take good care of myself. Don’t worry.’
Despite those words, Tong Yuexin didn’t believe a single bit of it.
*Nobody knows a mother better than her daughter.*
Once Zhou Qianshan got busy, she would completely lose track of everything else. Forget about eating—sometimes she wouldn’t even notice her own physical discomfort until it was too late.
Therefore, Tong Yuexin decided to approach the problem from a different angle.
With a completely serious air, Tong Yuexin broached the subject. ‘Mom, remember when we talked about having you train the restaurant chefs to make our signature dishes, and you weren’t willing?’
Bringing this up now made Zhou Qianshan’s expression turn conflicted. She sighed and said, ‘I know you kids are doing this for my own good, but those signature dishes are a family secret…’
Before Zhou Qianshan could finish, Tong Yuexin shook her head and spoke gently, ‘I understand. The recipes have been passed down through generations in our family; they’re entirely unique to us.’
This had indeed been Zhou Qianshan’s deepest reservation all along. Hearing her daughter voice it, she didn’t deny it, simply sighing with helpless resignation. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be more mindful from now on and I promise I won’t get so busy that I forget to eat. As for teaching the chefs… let’s just drop it.’
‘Well then, Mom, what do you think of me?’ Tong Yuexin pointed at herself and explained, ‘You’re afraid of outsiders learning the recipes, but you aren’t worried about me, right? What if I come help you out at the restaurant? From now on, the two of us can manage things together. How does that sound?’
Zhou Qianshan’s eyes widened in utter shock. She asked in disbelief, ‘You want to come help at the restaurant?’
Tong Yuexin nodded earnestly. ‘I don’t know how to make a lot of the family dishes yet, but I’ll study hard. So Mom, can I come help you?’
‘That would be wonderful!’
Beaming with joy, Zhou Qishan nodded eagerly. ‘If you’re willing to come, of course Mom is happy! Why wouldn’t that be okay?’
Before Tong Yuexin could respond, little Lu Mingkai raised his chubby little hand high into the air and piped up loudly, ‘Kaikai wants to help too! Kaikai wants to help Mommy and Grandma!’
‘Good boy,’ Tong Yuexin said, affectionately messing up Lu Mingkai’s hair as she smiled softly. ‘When Kaikai grows up, we’ll pass the recipes down to you, too.’
Zhou Qianshan looked even happier. ‘Our Kaikai is going to be a master chef one day!’
The smile on Zhou Qianshan’s face was completely uncontrollable. She felt as though today was an indescribably wonderful day.
In the past, although her daughter was a decent cook, she had always disliked the greasy kitchen fumes and rarely stepped foot in the kitchen. Zhou Qianshan had occasionally entertained the thought, but since her daughter wasn’t fond of it, she had let it go.
Now, however, Tong Yuexin was actively offering to cook and pitch in. With such a fantastic turn of events, how could she possibly say no?
‘Then, Mom, give me the recipe book so I can get familiar with it first.’
That evening, after Tong Yuexin spent a while looking over the recipe book, bedtime rolled around. She gave Kaikai a bath and settled in to tell him a bedtime story to lull him to sleep.
Kaikai listened intently with wide, round eyes.
When the story finished, Tong Yuexin gently pinched his chubby cheek. ‘All right, storytime is over. Time for bed.’
Kaikai obediently closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Tong Yuexin softly hummed a lullaby beside him. Once his breathing grew steady and deep, she pressed a gentle kiss onto his smooth forehead and tiptoed quietly out of the room.
The moment she stepped into the hallway, she bumped straight into Zhou Qianshan, who seemed to have been waiting outside the door.
Startled, Tong Yuexin pressed a hand to her chest and whispered, ‘Mom, what are you doing out here? You scared me.’
‘Hush, hush,’ Zhou Qianshan soothed, gently patting Tong Yuexin’s hair just like she would a child, before asking in a hushed tone, ‘Is Kaikai asleep? Did he make a fuss about sleeping with you?’
Tong Yuexin shook her head, her gaze softening as she glanced back at the bedroom door. ‘Mhm, he fell right asleep. Mom, were you looking for me?’
Zhou Qianshan nodded, but instead of talking right there, she pulled Tong Yuexin into her own bedroom.
Once the mother and daughter were seated side by side on the bed, Zhou Qishan took Tong Yuexin’s hand. ‘Xinxin, Mom has something to discuss with you. Have a good think about it.’
A strange premonition flickered through Tong Yuexin’s mind. ‘Okay, go ahead.’
‘Well… Mom knows a matchmaker who is well aware of your situation and wants to set you up on a blind date. Do you want to go take a look?’