Chapter 9: Protecting Happiness

“Working overtime on the weekend, so I’m taking a compensatory day off today.”

Fang Cheng took the mop and explained while scrubbing the floor vigorously

“I know Mom hasn’t been eating properly, so I came over specifically to keep an eye on her.”

Seeing her son in such high spirits, far more energetic than usual, Li Biyun couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward.

Yet, she still habitually nagged

“If you’re on break, you should sleep in at home. It’s such a long way; the round trip takes two hours by bus. Aren’t you tired?”

“Besides, the hospital cafeteria is open all afternoon…”

“Those fast-food meals are expensive and taste terrible. They’re nothing compared to my cooking.”

Fang Cheng, having mastered the cleaning skill, moved with efficiency and finished mopping in a few quick strokes.

He then pulled Li Biyun to a chair in the patient waiting area and opened the lids of the insulated lunch box one by one.

Today, he had prepared three dishes and a soup.

Lotus root and pork rib soup, pan-fried yellow croaker, sautéed mushrooms with greens, and fried spring rolls.

“Come on, taste your son’s handiwork.”

Seeing these carefully prepared dishes, the fine crow’s feet at the corners of Li Biyun’s eyes smoothed out, her smile blossoming like a flower.

“My Chengcheng has really grown up; he even knows how to care for his mom now…”

Fang Cheng knew these were all his mother’s favorite dishes.

Watching her pick up her chopsticks and place a piece of fish into her mouth, he couldn’t help but ask expectantly

“How is it? Any improvement?”

Li Biyun nodded, savoring the taste

“The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the flavors have soaked right in. It’s almost as good as your mom’s.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Oh, honestly, when have I ever lied to you?”

Li Biyun wiped the corner of her eye and patted her son’s arm: “I can’t finish all this food. Sit down and eat with me.”

Fang Cheng shook his head

“I already had lunch before I came. If there’s too much, you can save it for tonight and reheat it in the microwave at the nurse’s station.”

He didn’t say anything more, just watched his mother eat in a slow, measured manner.

Her pointed chin, her gaunt cheeks.

She must have been even more beautiful than those celebrities when she was young, but the hardships of life had made her look excessively haggard at only forty-something.

Because his grandfather had stomach cancer, suffering from chronic vomiting and pain while lacking medical resources in the countryside, his mother had used her position as a nursing assistant to pull strings and secure a bed, allowing him to be admitted for treatment.

Furthermore, to take care of the old man without neglecting her work, she had specifically requested a transfer to the oncology department, which was dirtier and more exhausting.

Having lived and slept in the hospital for the past month, she was truly exhausted.

Li Biyun noticed him staring and felt a bit embarrassed, shooting her precious son a playful glare.

She then picked up a piece of pork rib and stuffed it into Fang Cheng’s mouth.

She ordered him to finish the soup with her to get more nutrition so he could keep growing.

Fang Cheng had no choice but to agree, pretending to eat a few bites.

A simple meal seemed to carry a double portion of happiness.

The golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window behind them, gradually shifting across the rows of seats in the waiting area.

It cast a golden rim around the bowls, chopsticks, dishes, and their silhouettes.

Looking at his mother’s long-lost smile, the string that had been pulled tight in Fang Cheng’s body for days seemed to finally relax.

Once she swallowed the last mouthful of rice, he asked

“Mom, how is Grandpa doing now?”

At the mention of this, Li Biyun’s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened. She replied softly

“He’s still intubated. The doctor says he needs two months of rest before they can try the next treatment plan.”

Fang Cheng nodded.

His grandfather had already undergone radiotherapy and a lesion resection surgery, but it hadn’t gone very smoothly.

He had spent a week in the ICU before being declared out of danger and had only been transferred to a general ward three days ago.

Li Biyun packed up the leftovers, covered the lunch box, and added

“Your uncle just went downstairs to pay the remaining fees. He said that money is a loan from him and he’ll pay you back later.”

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and immediately refused

“We’re family, why be so formal? Am I not Grandpa’s relative too?”

Li Biyun opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Just then, a call of “Auntie Li” came from the nurse’s station.

Li Biyun hurriedly responded and stood up, telling her son to go see his grandfather alone.

She then walked away quickly to dive back into her work.

Watching his mother’s retreating figure, Fang Cheng also stood up and walked alone toward the ward where his grandfather was staying.

The door was ajar.

Upon entering, he saw the beeping monitors and the old man with drainage tubes and a ventilator.

There was another patient in the room, separated by a blue curtain, making it hard to see the situation clearly, though he could hear faint groans.

Fang Cheng sat on the chair by the bed, looking at the sleeping old man.

His grandfather had lost a lot of hair, and his face was so thin it was almost skin and bone; clearly, the illness had taken a heavy toll on him.

Seeing him so frail, Fang Cheng felt a heavy heart, unable to help but recall the wonderful times he spent in the countryside during his childhood summer vacations.

His grandparents had only one son and one daughter.

His uncle had been a hoodlum and a loafer since he was young, and even past forty, he had neither a family nor a career.

The burden of the family had fallen mostly on his mother, the eldest daughter.

Fang Cheng knew what his mother was worried about.

The surgery fees they had raised earlier had almost emptied their savings.

The hospital fees for the next two months, plus the costs of further surgeries and chemotherapy, were a heavy blow to a family that wasn’t wealthy to begin with.

Moreover, his grandfather had rural household registration, so the reimbursement rate was far lower than that of city employees.

Although no one had put pressure on Fang Cheng, in reality, this heavy burden had also fallen on him, the only grandson.

Fang Cheng pressed his lips together, secretly planning.

He had to find a way to earn some extra money.

He couldn’t provide a huge sum, but he had to at least help his mother share the pressure.

“Ah Cheng, you’re here too?”

As he was lost in thought, the door creaked open again.

A slightly unruly voice followed.

Fang Cheng turned to look.

He saw a middle-aged man wearing a flight jacket—popular among the youth—with a mustache on his upper lip, walking into the room.

His thin, sallow face showed signs of fatigue, and even from two meters away, one could smell the heavy scent of cigarettes on him.

“Uncle.”

Fang Cheng stood up to greet him.

The two exchanged a few words, and to avoid disturbing his grandfather’s rest, they went outside to talk.

At the end of the corridor, in the laundry area, patients’ clothes and underwear swayed in the breeze.

His uncle took out a cigarette case and flicked one toward Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng waved his hand to decline.

Looking out the window, he chatted casually about family matters and his grandfather’s condition.

Behind the inpatient building was Xishan, a famous tourist attraction in Dongdu.

From here, one could see the dark, looming mountains and forests.

Under the clear blue sky, flocks of birds took flight.

There was even a black dot, possibly a helicopter, moving slowly in the distance.

According to the news, the city’s archaeological team was excavating the ruins of an underground palace at a thousand-year-old temple, and precious artifacts were being recovered constantly.

The two talked intermittently.

Suddenly, a dull beeping sound rang out.

Fang Cheng immediately reached into his bag.

But he saw his uncle pull a small mobile phone from his pocket at almost the same time.

“I told you it wasn’t me, can’t you understand human language?”

“Let me tell you, I’m with a gang! I’ve got dozens of brothers waiting for a call, so if you dare make another harassing call, I’ll find someone to hack you to pieces!”

His uncle raised his eyebrows, eyes wide, spitting as he roared into the phone.

He hung up, and seeing Fang Cheng looking at him with surprise, he chuckled and explained

“A friend gave it to me. Business is busy, so it’s more convenient to use this thing to stay in touch.”

His gaze shifted, and noticing the similar-looking phone in Fang Cheng’s hand, he added

“I heard from my sister that you rented a phone. Want to add numbers?”

Fang Cheng nodded in agreement. After adding each other’s contact information, he asked

“Uncle, you’ve been running around outside lately. Have you raised enough for the surgery?”

As soon as these words were spoken, his uncle’s face turned ugly, and he muttered under his breath.

He was cursing things like “little brat with a snobbish eye” and “ungrateful wolf with no conscience.”

Clearly, the progress wasn’t ideal.

Fang Cheng sighed inwardly.

However, he hadn’t held much hope to begin with.

Fang Cheng had always held a disdainful attitude toward this elder, who was only twenty years his senior.

His uncle’s name was Li Dingjian. Despite his tall and thin frame, he looked decent enough.

But his greatest skill was his silver tongue, his ability to cheat, swindle, and play dirty.

Six years ago, he claimed he was going to turn over a new leaf and went to the southern border to do business, only to return limping and spend several years recovering.

Now, he was still idling his days away, even stooping to the point of living off an elderly aunt.

“Phew…”

Li Dingjian exhaled a long ring of smoke, his eyes looking out the window with a hint of decadence, as if reminiscing about his glorious past.

“If your father were still here, who wouldn’t call me ‘Brother Jian’ when they met me?”

“And you, you could still be a rich kid, playing around with girl group stars…”

Fang Cheng twitched his mouth, having no interest in this topic.

Li Dingjian didn’t continue either, crushing the cigarette butt and tossing it into a nearby trash can.

He then stretched his arms, putting on a show of being energized.

“Ah Cheng, don’t worry about the money. I’ve already found a benefactor to help.”

“That’s good.”

Fang Cheng didn’t press for details.

Although his uncle liked to walk the crooked path, he had been dealing with all sorts of people for years and had wide connections.

Perhaps he had hooked up with some wealthy woman and really could borrow a large sum of money.

Just as the two were about to return to the ward to look after his grandfather, a group of people’s voices, sounding like broken gongs, echoed through the corridor.

“Damn it, I got the address wrong! No wonder we couldn’t find that little brat!”

“Yingjun, go ask the nurse. Be polite.”

“Got it, bro.”

Fang Cheng looked toward the sound.

He saw three somewhat familiar figures turning out from the elevator area, walking toward the nurse’s station.

They looked like typical street thugs, and they were unmistakably the same guys who seemed to be gang members.

“Holy crap, do they have noses like dogs…”

Li Dingjian let out a low exclamation upon seeing them and instantly turned his head away.