Xiang Pengfei nodded and said, "Yes! Just got back. How is it? Did Zhao Rong have surgery?"

"Yes, you had surgery and are currently recovering. It will probably be a few more days before you can be discharged from the hospital!"

"Then I wish her a speedy recovery!"

"Thank you. I'll treat you to a proper meal when I have time!"

"Okay, my cousin is getting married in a few days, you can come over, we'll just have a few drinks and that'll be it!"

"Really? That's great! I'll definitely go!"

"Well then, shall we head over now?"

Zhao Hujiang nodded to Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling as a sign of goodwill before going to attend to his own business.

Xiang Pengfei helped Huang Ling, and they continued walking forward, soon returning to the ward.

Unexpectedly, they saw Li Jia as soon as they entered the ward. Li Jia was dressed in denim and had her hair in a ponytail. She looked particularly beautiful and cool.

As soon as Li Jia saw Huang Ling, she smiled and said, "Auntie, you're back? Where have you been?"

Huang Ling said, "I went to the restroom!"

When Li Jia saw Zhuang Chaoying on her left and Xiang Pengfei on her right, two grown men helping her to the toilet, she naturally didn't believe it, but she didn't want to say it outright. She just smiled and said to Huang Ling, "Really? Then hurry up and rest on the hospital bed! You just had surgery, so it's not good to move around too much. It's better to rest!"

"Okay, okay, thank you so much, Li Jia. It's so kind of you to come see me so early in the morning! I feel really bad for you!"

"Auntie, don't be so formal. We'll be family sooner or later!"

"Isn't it still like that now? So I'm still a little unaccustomed to it."

Li Jia took a mangosteen from the bag she had brought, removed the hard outer shell to reveal the white flesh inside, and then handed it to Huang Ling, saying, "Auntie, have a mangosteen!"

Huang Ling, who sat down by the hospital bed, didn't stand on ceremony with Li Jia and started eating. As she ate, she said, "Li Jia, how come you have so much free time? You come to see me at this time every day, without missing a beat!"

Li Jia blushed and said, "Weren't you sick? How could I, as a junior, have the mind to go to work? Even at work, I was worried about you, afraid that you weren't eating or sleeping well, so I thought I'd come here to see you!"

These words felt like a warm current flowing through Huang Ling's body, making her afraid to look at Li Jia. She also felt that forcing Zhuang Tunan to agree to marry Anna was a sin. The girl in front of her seemed so perfect on the surface, making it hard to hurt her, but knowing what kind of person Li Jia was, Huang Ling felt guilty, but it was only for a fleeting moment.

At this moment, Xiang Pengfei suddenly spoke up, "Li Jia, my brother Tu Nan is getting married after he's discharged from the hospital. I'll invite you to the wedding!"

Li Jia, who was peeling a second mangosteen for Huang Ling, suddenly stopped and looked at Huang Ling, saying, "Auntie, what's going on? Didn't you promise me to persuade Tu Nan to let me marry him?"

There's a saying that goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to be grateful, and he who takes another's gift is bound to be obliging." Huang Ling suddenly felt that the mangosteen in her hand wasn't sweet anymore, and looked at Li Jia with some guilt, saying, "I'm sorry, Li Jia, it's not that I didn't try my best to persuade Tu Nan, it's just that Tu Nan doesn't want to marry Anna, and there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry, Li Jia!"

Whether Li Jia was genuinely expressing her feelings or felt that her efforts had been in vain, tears welled up in her eyes, and she seemed somewhat world-weary.

Looking at Li Jia's expression, Huang Ling felt both heartache and self-reproach, and glared fiercely at Xiang Pengfei, implying that Xiang Pengfei shouldn't have said such things at this time.

Li Jia suddenly wiped her face with her hand, disregarding her image, and said to Huang Ling, "Auntie, after these two days of getting to know each other, I don't know if you consider me your daughter-in-law, but I have sincerely treated you like my own mother."

Huang Ling actually nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I can feel it. You are truly serving me. I'm sorry, Li Jia, I'm so sorry!"

Li Jia wiped away her tears again, sobbing slightly, and said, "Auntie, don't blame yourself. The reason I came to take care of you was because Zhou Chengzhi assigned me. He told me that your house was going to be demolished soon, and that you would not only receive money but also a new house. I wasn't interested at the time. He told me to secretly switch your house's property certificate and then he would give me 30,000 yuan. I thought it was a piece of cake, so I agreed. I didn't expect that after taking care of you for these past few days, I would realize that you are a very good person and would definitely be a good mother-in-law. I even fantasized about marrying Tu Nan and living happily with you, but fantasies are just fantasies, and they will never come true. Auntie, today is the last time I will take care of you!"

Li Jia looked at Huang Ling tenderly and handed her the peeled mangosteen.

Huang Ling was also very touched. She accepted the mangosteen from Li Jia and said, "Thank you, Li Jia!"

Li Jia smiled through her tears and said, "You're welcome, Mom, I'm leaving now!"

Li Jia picked up her handbag from the table, slung it over her shoulder, and left the ward without looking back.

Huang Ling looked at the door of the ward, where Li Jia could no longer be seen, and tears streamed down her face. Then she turned to Zhuang Chaoying and said, "Dad, did we do something wrong?"

I don't know what Zhuang Chaoying was thinking, but he said meaningfully, "In this world, who can really say what's right and wrong? I think Li Jia may have realized her mistake, which is why she's feeling a bit sad. I believe she'll change in the future!"

No sooner had Zhuang Chaoying finished speaking than the two elderly members of the Zhuang family appeared at the door.

As soon as Zhuang Chaoying saw the two elderly people, she said, "Mom and Dad, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

Grandma Zhuang said, "What's wrong? My daughter-in-law is sick, and I'm not allowed to come and see her?"

Xiang Pengfei quickly greeted the two elderly people, saying, "Grandma, Grandpa, you're here! Please have a seat!"

Grandma Zhuang then turned to Xiang Pengfei and asked, "Pengfei, how is your father?"

Xiang Pengfei quickly replied, "It's all good. The surgery was a success. He's recuperating in Shanghai now and will be back in a few days!"

"Right! That's great, your dad's better, your aunt's better, and your brother Tu Nan is almost better too. You're all better, but our Zhen Nan isn't doing well, is he?"

"What's wrong with Zhennan, Grandma?!"

"Sigh, he stole your aunt's property certificate, felt too ashamed to stay at home, so he went with someone to the border, trying to smuggle himself out of the country. A few days ago, the police sent word that Zhennan is dead, and his death was horrific! Sigh!"

"Zhennan is dead! Oh dear! That's such a pity. He was so young. How can we not feel sorry for him?"

"We went to the police station yesterday to identify the body, and it was confirmed to be Zhennan, there's no mistake!"

"Did the police say what happened?"

"They said Zhennan had 40,000 yuan on him, and the three of them were trying to illegally cross the border. Unexpectedly, a guy named Liu Wu saw the money and got greedy, so he stabbed Zhennan and Hao Liu in the back and killed them!"

"What about Liu Wu?"

"Liu Wu has fled to Myanmar. Our public security officers and Myanmar police are currently searching for him. They said they will notify us once he is caught!"

"As long as they are caught, the criminals will be caught sooner or later, which will give Zhennan an explanation."

"Yes, that's right!"

"By the way, Grandma, Grandpa, have you eaten yet? Would you like me to take you out for a meal?"

"We've eaten, and we just wanted to get this off our chests so we don't feel so aggrieved anymore!"

"Yes, some things need to be said. You can't keep them bottled up inside, or you'll run into problems!"

"Um!"

Xiang Pengfei suddenly stood up and said, "Grandma, you and Grandpa stay here for a while, I have some errands to run outside!"

"Alright, go ahead! Young people should be busy; that's what keeps them energetic!"

"I'm off now, Grandma!"

"Go! Your business is important!"