Zhong Ping will need to be observed for a period of time after being discharged from the hospital. The doctor said that he has fully entered the recuperation stage.

Zhong Ping and Gao Ruoyun then had the idea of ​​going home.

"Stay here a little longer. Shanghai's medical resources are much better than your hometown's, and you'll recover much faster," Chu Fang said.

"Well, the doctor said that I just need to exercise more and focus on recuperation. There's no point in staying any longer," Gao Ruoyun replied.

Chu Fang wanted to persuade the two elders to stay, but Zhong Tingyue pursed her lips and said, "Going home is fine too. The air in our hometown is fresh and suitable for recuperation."

The two elders settled on this matter after returning home.

Gao Ruoyun turned to Zhong Rou and said, "By the way, Rou Rou, since you're on holiday, come home with us."

"Huh?" Zhong Rou was stunned, but quickly realized what was happening. "Mother, I don't want to go home."

It's summer vacation, and many students are traveling to Shanghai to buy all kinds of accessories. Zhong Rou's stall is doing brisk business, and she's thinking of making a fortune during this prime time.

Now, she's being asked to abandon her business and return to her hometown, but she's unwilling; she doesn't want all that hard-earned money to slip away.

"No way." Gao Ruoyun said sternly, "You have to come home with us and come back when school starts."

In Shanghai, both Chu Fang and Zhong Tingyue had work to do. Gao Ruoyun was worried that her youngest daughter would cause trouble for the two of them. She knew that her youngest daughter's ability to cause trouble was no less than that of Sun Wukong in Journey to the West.

She will have to look after him herself during this period.

Seeing her mother's stern face, Zhong Rou could only nod and say, "Oh."

Meow~~~

"What are you yelling for?" Zhong Rou kicked the tabby cat in exasperation. "Are you getting too big for your britches?"

After being kicked, the tabby cat darted into Zhong Tingyue's arms, a human-like smile appearing on its face.

It's become sentient!

... ...

The following day, Chu Fang, Zhong Tingyue, and Yang Meina escorted Zhong Ping, Gao Ruoyun, Zhong Rou, and Yang Meina's mother, Liu Xia, to the airport.

"Alright, we must part ways eventually, so let's stop here," Zhong Ping said, turning back.

Chu Fang nodded: "Okay, just call me if you need anything, or you can call Zhong Tingyue too."

Gao Ruoyun pulled her eldest daughter a few meters away, glanced at Chu Fang, and hesitated before saying, "Mother doesn't know if there's something I should say."

"Mother, just tell me."

Gao Ruoyun said in a low voice, "You and Xiao Chu still have a few months until your wedding. Take care of yourself and be careful."

“What danger could we possibly face in Shanghai…” Zhong Tingyue responded instinctively, but before she could finish, she immediately realized the meaning of 'safety' in her mother’s words.

Meeting her mother's sharp gaze, Zhong Tingyue finally lost her composure.

Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes lowered: "Oh."

"Oh what? You have to promise me, otherwise it won't look good if you get married with a big belly." Gao Ruoyun was a conservative person, as was Zhong Tingyue. "If you want to have children, you two can have them as you please after you get married."

Zhong Tingyue suppressed her shyness and said, "Okay, I understand."

"That's good."

After saying their goodbyes, Zhong Ping and his group entered the airport and disappeared from Chu Fang and his companions' sight.

"Phew... I'm a little reluctant to see him go," Yang Meina said with emotion.

"Aren't you most afraid of your mother? How can you be reluctant to part with her?" Chu Fang asked.

Yang Meina and Liu Xia are a mother and daughter who argue even during the Chinese New Year.

Yang Meina bit her lip: "When I came to Shanghai this time, my mother said a lot to me, saying that I am a grown-up girl now, and I am in a relationship. She said I should have my own responsibilities and duties. It was like my mother was giving me her last words."

Chu Fang patted her shoulder: "It's okay. If you don't mind, I can be your mother."

"roll."

"Okay."

Yang Meina then noticed Zhong Tingyue's flushed face, looking as exquisite as a figure in a painting: "Oh dear, Yueyue, why is your face so red?"

Zhong Tingyue replied, "I've been drinking."

Chu Fang barked his head in: "You've been drinking? When did you drink? I didn't see you drink anything. What kind of alcohol did you drink? Let me taste the alcohol on your lips."

Zhong Tingyue got into the car, sat in the driver's seat, and said casually, "If you dare to say another word, I'll kill you."

Chu Fang shrank back: "Don't drink and drive."

... ...

The plane landed at the airport in the capital city of Central China.

As soon as Zhong Ping and his group exited the airport, they saw Yang Meina's father waiting for them outside.

Yang Meina's father asked, "How are your injuries?"

“It won’t get better anytime soon anyway,” Zhong Ping replied.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have introduced you to that job in the first place. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.” Yang Meina’s father was very remorseful.

"Hey, Lao Yang, don't say that. He brought this on himself," Gao Ruoyun comforted him.

Zhong Ping was speechless: "Gao Ruoyun, can't you show any respect to your patients?"

What did you call me?

"Mr. Gao..."

The group got into the car and went home, quickly returning to the village.

Upon returning to the village, while Gao Ruoyun was chatting with her neighbors, Zhong Ping immediately sneaked into the village's chess and card room.

"Hey, who's this?"

"Isn't this my brother Ping? When did you get back? You didn't even tell your little brother I was coming to pick you up. No, you don't need me to pick you up, after all, your wheelchair is much more convenient than a car."

"My dear brother, you're fast! You just lost money and immediately ran to Shanghai. At that speed, it's a pity you're not participating in the 100-meter sprint."

“... ..."

The people in the card room were all longtime friends, but not one of them offered Zhong Ping a word of comfort. Instead, they all made sarcastic remarks to him, which made him so angry that he rolled his eyes.

The owner of the card and mahjong parlor walked over: "How was your trip to Shanghai? Did you have a good time?"

Would you believe me if I said I was happy?

Zhong Ping recalled those difficult years. In the sweltering summer, he worked on the construction site. When a typhoon came, the construction site sheds were blown everywhere, and his underwear was blown into the sky and was gone.

Adding to the subsequent injuries, the only word to describe it is "tragic".

"Tsk tsk tsk..." After hearing this, many friends shook their heads and said, "You've already gone to Shanghai, why are you still hiding from your daughter and son-in-law? They can take good care of her."

“Exactly,” a friend joked. “If I were you, I would go live with my daughter, ask my son-in-law for tens of millions to spend, drive a luxury car, and see the world in all its splendor.”

"You still don't know how to enjoy it."

Zhong Ping glanced at his friend and said, "You think you know everything? You think you know everything!"

The owner of the card room slammed his hand on the card table: "Want to play a couple of rounds?"

“Come…” Zhong Ping was about to nod, but then immediately shook his head. “I’m not coming, I’m not coming. From today onwards, I will never forgive gambling and drugs.”

First, he had no money, and Gao Ruoyun had told Chu Fang not to give him any money; he was so poor he was practically pawning his pants.

Secondly, Gao Ruoyun said that if she were to discover gambling again, she would kill Zhong Ping.

... ...

At home, Zhong Rou sat on the doorstep, gazing out at the endless cornfields, and sighed.

"I'm so bored."

In the past two years, Zhong Rou has spent most of her time studying and living in Shanghai. The friends she made when she was a child have faded away and the friendship is gone.

Back in her hometown, she felt incredibly bored.

"Rou Rou, shall we go to the county town?" a neighbor invited her.

“Okay.” Since she had nothing better to do, Zhong Rou went to the county town with the older sister.