Chapter 164
According to Mr. Zhong's personality, if this topic is brought up, he will definitely get out of control and will nag others non-stop, wishing he could talk about Zhong Qiao from childhood to the present, and it would take three days and three nights to finish.
However, because Zhong Qiao was there today, Zhong's father suppressed his boasting and smiled brightly at the guests around him: "My daughter is shy, please stop praising her. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first."
The onlookers seemed very familiar with Mr. Zhong and waved as if they were friends. "Master Zhong, you should go back first. Remember to set up your stall tomorrow. My son has been wanting to buy that little pig wood carving you made last time for a long time."
Mr. Zhong agreed to all of their requests and followed Zhong Qiao home.
Mr. Zhong was afraid that she was too tired, so he naturally wanted to take the bicycle and carry Zhong Qiao, but Zhong Qiao subconsciously held down the front of the bicycle.
Mr. Zhong looked at her in confusion, but Zhong Qiao forced a stiff smile and said, "I'll come today. It's a good opportunity for me to move around. I've been eating and not exercising at home all day, and I've gained weight."
Mr. Zhong was startled for a moment, then laughed: "What's wrong with being a little fat? You were so skinny before, just a bag of bones. Now I see you look healthy, isn't that good?"
Although he said this, Father Zhong did not embarrass her. He just sat down and said, "I'm very heavy, you have to use some strength."
Zhong Qiao nodded, and then Father Zhong sat down with relief.
It was indeed a bit difficult to pedal, but Zhong Qiao had built up a lot of strength from helping out in the warehouse, and the journey back was not far, so it was okay.
Along the way, Zhong's father seemed very happy. From time to time, he would worry that Zhong Qiao was out of strength. He repeatedly told her that if she couldn't ride anymore, she shouldn't try to force herself and that he would take over. Zhong Qiao agreed to all his requests.
After about three minutes, Zhong Qiao couldn't help but ask, "Dad, have you been feeling unwell recently?"
There was a long silence behind him, and then it was Zhong's father's voice, pretending to be relaxed: "Your father is in good health, how could I be feeling unwell? You don't know that my guests, when they see me, all praise me for my good spirits and full of energy and blood."
Zhong Qiao listened to his forced calmness and decided to come clean. He slammed the brakes and turned around to say, "Dad, stop pretending. You vomited blood and fainted. How come you didn't even remember telling me you were being taken to the hospital?"
"Does Mom know about this?"
Father Zhong was startled by her sudden and strong reaction, but he only said in a muffled voice: "You know everything?"
Zhong Qiao told his father everything about his previous encounter with the old couple. After he finished speaking, his father's expression became even more depressed, and he was basically full of regret in the end.
"Hey, I told you I was fine a long time ago. They were the ones making a fuss. I told them not to tell anyone, and now they've revealed everything in just a few days."
Zhong Qiao interrupted him: "Dad, please don't change the subject. This trick doesn't work on me anymore. I'm an adult now. Please don't use childish tricks on me all the time, okay?"
"If you don't confess now what's wrong with you, I'll tell Mom everything when we get home."
Father Zhong shuddered. "Don't, my dear daughter, please don't tell anyone. Your mother's crying, making a scene, and even threatening to commit suicide are enough to blow the roof off our house. If that happens, I, your father, will be too embarrassed to go out. Others will laugh at me. How can I survive on this street in the future?"
Zhong Qiao said, "Then tell me in detail what has been bothering you lately, and the whole story behind your fainting."
Mr. Zhong had no choice but to say, "I wasn't feeling uncomfortable, but I felt some pain in my abdomen and was a little dizzy. I thought I had heatstroke at first, but then I fainted and vomited blood, and then I realized something was wrong. I was afraid you would worry, so I went to the hospital for a checkup, but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong. So I thought, better to worry than not, and I never went back to see a doctor."
Zhong Qiao asked doubtfully, "Are you really not lying?"
Mr. Zhong nodded quickly: "How dare I lie? If you tell your mother, I will be in trouble."
Given Mother Zhong's personality, not only would Father Zhong be afraid of her, but even Zhong Qiao would be punished.
Seeing that he also looked confused, Zhong Qiao felt a little soft-hearted. "Dad, you should have told me earlier. That way, we could have found a doctor to help you. The hospital in our small county town is not good enough, so we should have found a big hospital. What normal person would vomit blood and faint? You care too much about your health."
Mr. Zhong looked a little embarrassed: "You kid, am I your father or are you my father? You scold me like a fool and you are becoming more and more lawless."
"These are just minor ailments. I've been to the doctor several times, but it was useless. Maybe I didn't take care of my body when I was young. Isn't it normal to have some minor ailments and pains in my old age?"
"I, your father, have lived to this age, experienced both hardship and enjoyment. Now I've made a comeback and am living a more wonderful life than anyone else. I'm already content. If one day I really can't go on, it's God's will to take my life. I can't force it, so I might as well let nature take its course."
Zhong Qiao was a little angry: "Dad, where did you learn all these nonsense? You don't even know what's wrong with your body, and you're already thinking about your own funeral. If something really happens to Crow Mouth, what will Mom do alone?"
Father Zhong's eyes dimmed for a moment: "Yeah, and your mother, she has a bad temper and always gets into trouble when she's out. If I really die, what will she do if she gets into a quarrel or a fight with others without a backer?"
Seeing that he had been persuaded, Zhong Qiao went along with it, "Dad, you're right. So you have to be well. Tomorrow I'll take you to see Luo Xiu. His medical skills are on par with He Bai's. He's proficient in combining Chinese and Western medicine. He'll definitely be able to tell what's wrong with you."
Father Zhong nodded: "Okay."
Then he added, "I promise you can go, but don't tell your mother about this. If she finds out, she won't be able to sleep well every night."
Zhong Qiao smiled and said, "Don't worry."
She didn't even think about telling Zhong's mother. If she did, things would only become more and more difficult. Before that, she had to find a way to find out the cause of Zhong's father's illness.
The two of them returned home with their thoughts on their minds and agreed that no one would reveal the secret.
Zhong's mother wondered: "Why are they both back?" She remembered that at this time of year, both of them were busy and it would take at least three more hours for them to come back.
Father Zhong winked at Zhong Qiao.
Zhong Qiao smiled and made an excuse: "It's hot today, and I was worried about Dad getting into trouble, so I asked him to come back with me. I just think of it as a day off."
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