Chapter 139 Strange

Lin Yan'an lowered his eyes to look at the person in his arms, remaining silent.

Cheng Yanzhou glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, then looked away and turned to look out the window.

Neon lights flashed outside the window as the car sped along the main road late at night, deliberately taking several turns to shake off the vehicles following behind.

Pei Xingyao secretly glanced at them through the rearview mirror.

Lin Yan'an's expression was tense, his gaze lowered, and his eyes fixed on Zhong Wan. He held her tightly to his chest, occasionally brushing away stray hairs from her cheek, as if this would put his mind at ease.

Pei Xingyao had never seen him like this before; she felt a little unfamiliar with him, and also a little worried.

For a moment, she seemed to be infected by his aura, and involuntarily fell completely silent.

The initial excitement from "seeing a ghost" gradually turned into silence and quiet.

She glanced with some concern at her suddenly appearing aunt-in-law, who was a complete stranger to her.

Then she lowered her eyes and quietly hugged her schoolbag, inside which were the painting scroll she had just put in, and the calligraphy brush her father had put in.

The car slowly drove into the suburbs and soon arrived at a heavily guarded, quiet compound.

As they passed the guard post, Lin Yan'an lowered the car window and, looking at the guards who were coming to check, explained in a low voice, "This is my wife, Zhong Wan."

As he spoke, he handed over Zhong Wan's identity card and their marriage certificate.

Apart from Zhong Wan, the guards recognized all of them on the bus, but they still checked them meticulously and made them register before letting them pass.

The car quickly stopped in front of a small two-story villa. Uncle Zhao, who had been waiting, rushed forward with the doctor he had contacted beforehand.

Lin Yan'an carefully carried Zhong Wan out of the car.

"Uncle Zhao, please make arrangements for them."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his dejected niece and looked at Uncle Zhao, adding in a low voice, "Prepare some food for them before they rest."

"OK."

Uncle Zhao nodded quickly in agreement, looking at the woman in his arms and her pale face.

His previously excited eyes instantly filled with worry: "What's wrong with the young mistress?"

"I'm tired, I just need to rest."

Lin Yan'an turned her head to look at the doctor in the white coat, hesitated for a moment but still did not refuse: "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Qian. Please give Wanwan another check-up later."

Dr. Qian nodded upon hearing this: "No problem."

Lin Yan'an, carrying Zhong Wan, stepped into the house first, asking in a low voice as they went, "Is Grandpa resting?"

"Sleep?! How can anyone sleep if you keep making such a racket at night!"

Before Uncle Zhao could reply, Grandpa Zhou, who had been waiting bored inside, came out leaning on his cane, his loud voice much lowered.

His eyes lit up when he saw the person in Lin Yan'an's arms, and he quickly asked in a low voice, "Is this my granddaughter-in-law?"

Lin Yan'an nodded and explained, "Wanwan isn't feeling well, so I'll take her upstairs first."

Grandpa Zhou was momentarily disappointed, but considerately stepped aside. Still, he asked with some curiosity, "What's your wife's name? How old is she? What does she do?"

"Honestly, they didn't even tell me they were getting their marriage certificate."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan'an paused, lowered his eyes, and said with some self-reproach, "I'm sorry, it was my fault."

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he continued, "Her name is Zhong Wan, and she is 29 years old."

Then he paused for a moment: "He owns a shop."

"Open a shop? What kind of shop?"

Grandpa Zhou continued to ask curiously, "What kind of business are you in? How big is the shop?"

Lin Yan'an glanced helplessly at his curious expression and sighed softly, but he really wasn't in the mood to satisfy his curiosity: "Grandpa, it's getting late, you should rest."

"It's a small grocery store that opens late at night."

"Alright."

Grandpa Zhou got the answer and muttered as he watched Lin Yan'an carry the person upstairs, "You brat, you didn't even say goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight, Grandpa."

Grandpa Zhou pursed his lips, ignored him, and instead turned to look at the door.

Looking at the little girl who had just gotten off the bus, he said with a smile, "Yaoyao is here too, come in quickly."

Pei Xingyao approached with a smile: "Hello, Great-Grandpa."

"Long time no see, do you miss me?"

"I've been thinking about you. Where have you been playing this time? You haven't come to visit me for over a month."

Grandpa Zhou thoroughly enjoyed her affection; his previously stern expression was now filled with smiles.

When she saw Cheng Yanzhou, she greeted him with a smile.

"Yanzhou's here too. And Yan'an, that kid, what's with you? It's so late, why are you still at work?"

Cheng Yanzhou, carrying his laptop, replied respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Zhou. I've only been a bit busy these past few days. I'll be fine once President Lin is done with his work."

"Um."

Grandpa Zhou nodded, then turned to Uncle Zhao and instructed, "Little Zhao, go and arrange for Yanzhou and Xiaoqian to rest."

"OK,"

Uncle Zhao smiled and agreed.

Dr. Qian quickly said, "Old Zhou, I don't need to. I'm on duty today, and I have to go back to the clinic later."

"Okay, then I'll trouble Xiao Qian to make the trip."

"No trouble at all, I'll go take a look first."

"Um."

Upon receiving a response, Dr. Qian quickly followed Lin Yan'an's steps.

Observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation are his forte as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

He carefully examined Zhong Wan's complexion, then reached out to take her pulse. His eyes were slightly closed, and as soon as three fingers touched the cun, guan, and chi points on Zhong Wan's wrist, he subconsciously frowned.

Initially, her pulse was floating, thin, and weak.

Dr. Qian held his breath and tightened his fingers slightly, but to his surprise, the pulse under his fingertips did not become stronger; instead, it became even weaker.

The blood vessels are as thin as silk, and the pulse is weak.

This is clear evidence of deficiency of both qi and blood—when blood is deficient, the pulse is not full, hence it is thin; when qi is deficient, the pulse is weak and lacks strength.

But that's not all; her pulse, though faint, also carried a slightly labored and strained quality.

The overall pulse is fine and hesitant, with a slight floating and rapid quality.

Lin Yan'an stared intently at Dr. Qian's face, her expression tense. When she saw his brow furrow slightly, her unease intensified.

After a long while, when he withdrew his hand,

Lin Yan'an swallowed hard, his voice hoarse and his expression tense as he asked, "Uncle Qian, Wanwan, she..."

"The pulse is thready and extremely weak; it feels powerless when lightly touched and hollow when heavily pressed..."

Dr. Qian pondered, "This is a sign of severe deficiency of qi and blood, and the mental and spiritual depletion is far from ordinary. It's as if... one's vital energy has been suddenly drained away, which is strange."

He withdrew his hand and looked at Lin Yan'an with a serious expression: "Yan'an, has she recently experienced any extreme emotional fluctuations, or... unusual exhaustion? This is definitely not caused by ordinary fatigue."

Lin Yan'an frowned instantly, his Adam's apple bobbing. He paused for a moment regarding the system and merits, then asked worriedly, "How can we cooperate with your treatment?"

Dr. Qian sighed: "There is no quick fix at the moment; we can only nourish it slowly."

"The root cause is internal deficiency. In the future, just remember to control your diet, eat on time, ensure adequate sleep, and exercise more."

"As for dietary supplements, I'll write you a recipe later. You can start eating according to it after you wake up."

"I'll check it again after I've been eating it for a while."

Lin Yan'an quickly nodded in agreement: "Okay, thank you, Uncle Qian."

Dr. Qian sighed softly, frowned, and asked with great confusion, "But the most important thing is that she needs to adjust her mindset and cooperate."

"You can work anytime, but your health is your own responsibility."

"How could someone so young have such a depleted spirit?"

"Yan An, you should try to persuade him more."

"I understand, thank you Uncle Qian."

Lin Yan'an's voice was hoarse after seeing Dr. Qian off.

He sat on the edge of the bed, gently holding Zhong Wan's cold hand, remaining silent, but his eyes grew increasingly resolute.