Chapter 226 (Second Update) The teacher said that gray hair is...
Before her mother-in-law could even say exactly what was wrong, Tang Mingli was terrified.
She had a gut feeling that something might be wrong with her grandfather.
How could this happen?
Tang Mingli couldn't understand it.
Three days ago, Grandpa was still arguing loudly with someone while playing chess. How come he suddenly became unwell after waking up one night?
Do many things really happen without warning when people get older?
Taking a deep breath, Tang Mingli told herself that she needed to stay calm, especially in situations like this.
She tried to calm her mother-in-law, who was in a panic and speaking incoherently on the other end of the phone: "Mom, calm down and tell me what happened."
Fu's mother was then brought back to her senses and said, "Your grandfather's condition suddenly deteriorated just now, but thankfully he recovered after the doctor came. However, the doctor called your father aside to talk to him, and I have a bad feeling about that."
That's definitely not good.
Tang Mingli felt very heavy-hearted, but dared not add to her mother-in-law's pressure.
"Mom, stay calm and don't let Grandma see. I'm coming right now."
"Okay, okay."
Fu's mother agreed very readily, but her mind was in turmoil, so how could she remain calm?
In order not to let her mother-in-law notice anything amiss, she calmed herself down outside before daring to return to the ward.
Madam Fu was calmer than anyone else. When Madam Fu came in, she was even joking with Grandpa Fu, who was lying on the hospital bed.
Upon seeing Madam Fu, the old lady smiled and said, "You've been running around all morning, you must be tired. Please sit down and rest."
Fu's mother walked over to her mother-in-law and tried to persuade her to go home and rest.
"Cheng'an and I will take care of things here. Mingli will come over later."
Madam Fu shook her head: "This VIP ward is as big as my own room at home. I don't feel tired here."
They stayed in a VIP single room, which was indeed comfortable and spacious.
Thinking that her father-in-law might not be in good health, and that it would be good if her mother-in-law could be by his side in case something happened, Fu's mother stopped trying to persuade him.
About twenty minutes later, Fu Cheng'an, who had been called away by the doctor, finally returned.
Perhaps to pretend he was still in the doctor's office, he even went to a small shop near the hospital entrance to buy a thermos.
Upon seeing this, Grandpa Fu immediately grumbled, "What's the meaning of buying a thermos? Am I going to stay in the hospital for a long time?"
Then she said she was fine and insisted on going home.
Fu Chengan explained, "Dad, I just wanted to buy a spare in case we need to use hot water."
Actually, the doctor just called him over and told him that the old man no longer needed to be hospitalized.
"As people get older, it's like a lamp running out of oil. Just make sure he eats and sleeps well at home, and let nature take its course."
He froze when he heard the words "the oil is exhausted and the lamp is dead".
After a long while, he finally mustered up the courage to ask the doctor, "Doctor, how much longer does my dad have?"
The doctor told him, "It's hard to say. Aging is an inevitable natural process. It might happen in a few days, a few months, or a few years—it's all uncertain. Rather than knowing exactly when it will arrive, it's better to let nature take its course."
Fu Cheng'an understood what the doctor meant and knew that his father was indeed very old.
Having suffered so many injuries on the battlefield, it's remarkable that he's still alive and well to this age.
However, knowing is one thing, but humans are emotional beings and are inevitably influenced by emotions in many things.
For example, he knows that aging is a natural process, but he still can't help feeling sad.
Madam Fu stepped in to ease the tension, saying to her husband, "The purchase is already made, so stop making a fuss. Besides, you always say that boys aren't as considerate as girls. You've raised so many sons, but they've never given you, their old father, anything. On the contrary, Mingli buys you things every now and then after she came into our Fu family. Now, isn't this perfect? Your son has bought you a thermos."
Hearing this, Old Master Fu was both amused and exasperated, but under the pressure of Old Madam Fu's weight, he could only reluctantly say, "Fine, a thermos it is, at least it's something."
He laughed when he said that.
The elderly couple's relaxed attitude eased the heavy mood of Fu Cheng'an and his wife.
Fu's mother was wondering what the doctor had said to her husband, so she gave him a wink, and the two of them made up an excuse to go outside.
Her lips trembled, and she suddenly couldn't ask, "What did the doctor say?"
Fu Cheng'an looked at his wife, and before he could even speak, his eyes slowly reddened.
It felt like an eternity before he slowly spoke: "Wife, I may soon be without a father."
One sentence brought tears to Fu's mother's eyes.
Fu Chengan relayed the doctor's words to his wife.
Upon hearing this, Fu's mother quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud.
Neither of them dared to return to the ward like that, so they could only hide in a corner at the end of the corridor and wipe away their tears.
Tang Mingli rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw her father-in-law and mother-in-law in the corner and immediately called out to them.
"Mom, Dad."
When Fu's mother saw her daughter-in-law, it was like seeing a savior, but she still asked with concern, "Why did you come so quickly? You must have been in a hurry. Drive carefully."
The compound was close to the hospital, and since she was driving, it was just a quick trip. But Tang Mingli didn't want to talk about that; instead, she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"us……"
After only uttering two words, Fu's mother choked up, and in the end, Fu Cheng'an recounted the general events of the incident.
"The oil is exhausted and the lamp is extinguished?" Tang Mingli repeated the four words her father-in-law had just said in a low voice.
Fu Chengan said, "The doctor said that when people reach this age, all their functions decline, like a lamp running out of oil."
I was mentally prepared, after all, my father is already this age. But even with mental preparation, it was still painful when the moment actually came.
Tang Mingli was also upset, but she knew that she had to stand up at this time.
Her father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandmother, and even Fu Ci all need her.
"It's okay, Dad. You two calm down first and go back to the ward to be with Grandma. She's been away for so long, she's bound to overthink things. I'll go find the doctor in a bit and see what advice he has."
Mrs. Fu nodded, "Okay."
After visiting her grandfather, Tang Mingli went to see the doctor to learn more about his condition.
The answer I received was similar to what my father-in-law relayed: there was nothing wrong with my health, but my bodily functions were deteriorating.
The doctor advised that the elderly person should stay at home and keep in a good mood.
Tang Mingli understood what the doctor meant, but she needed to discuss such an important matter with Fu Ci.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are not the most important things in life.
At this moment, she truly understood the saying that people often say: apart from birth and death, everything else in life is trivial.
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Because she had to pick up her child, Tang Mingli didn't stay at the hospital for long and left in the afternoon.
She originally wanted to bring her grandmother home as well, but her usually understanding grandmother wouldn't listen to her advice this time.
No matter what anyone says, I just want to stay in the hospital with Grandpa Fu.
There was no other way but to leave her and her father-in-law at the hospital while Tang Mingli took her mother-in-law home.
On the way back, my mother-in-law kept nagging about how to tell Fu Ci about this.
Tang Mingli understood her concerns.
Grandpa's condition isn't bad, but that doesn't mean he'll be unable to do it tomorrow.
It might be for a while, or it might be for a few months, a year or two, or even longer. Fu Ci can't possibly stop all his work and stay home all the time.
But no matter what, I still have to tell him about this important matter.
Tang Mingli reassured her mother-in-law: "Mom, don't worry. Fu Ci is already a father. He will consider everything carefully."
"Yes." Fu's mother also believed in her son; she could only believe in him.
She smiled wryly and said, "Isn't Mom useless? She only knows how to panic when something happens, and has no idea what to do."
Tang Mingli told her, "I'm panicking too."
I'm panicking.
Humans are born with seven emotions and six desires; how could they not panic when faced with trouble?
However, some people are able to manage their panic very well.
Thinking of this, she immediately thought of Fu Ci.
Fu Ci's life can be described as smooth sailing, but it is also thanks to his excellent mental fortitude that he has navigated one chaotic battle after another in his life.
When she got home, Tang Mingli wanted to call Fu Ci immediately, but it was time to pick up her daughter. So she went to pick her up first.
Grandpa Fu was taken to the hospital when Fu Yu was in kindergarten, so Fu Yu didn't know what had happened.
When I got home, I didn't see Grandpa Fu and Grandma Fu. I thought they had gone out to play somewhere. I muttered like a little adult, "Grandpa and Grandma are old. They can't keep going around like this."
Tang Mingli was very surprised. She had never said these things to the children, nor had her family said them to the children. How could she know?
Fu Yu told her mother, "What the teacher said today was that people with gray hair are old, and she also taught us to respect the elderly and care for the young."
As she spoke, Fu Yu asked her mother to squat down.
Tang Mingli remained squatting down.
Fu Yu ran her little hands over her mother's head a few times and found no gray hairs, which made her very happy.
"Mom has no gray hair, Mom is not old."
But my father-in-law and grandmother both have white hair; they are the oldest.
Fu Yu was worried about them again and said to her mother, "Let's go and bring Grandpa and Grandma back."
Tang Mingli didn't know how to explain it to her daughter.
Meanwhile, Fu's mother, who was standing to the side, had already turned her head away to wipe away her tears.
Although Fu Yu is young, no, she's not young anymore; she's already in the senior class and will be graduating from kindergarten soon.
She was a kindergarten student, and she could already tell that something was wrong with her grandmother.
"Grandma, what's wrong?"
When her granddaughter asked her about it, Fu's mother quickly wiped away her tears and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Why would you cry if nothing's wrong?"
"Grandma loves to cry, you know that Grandma cries the most."
Fu's mother still wanted to cover it up, but Tang Mingli knew that these things couldn't be hidden, even if the other party was just a child.
She patted her daughter's head and said softly, "Father-in-law is not feeling well and is in the hospital. Grandma is with him at the hospital."
Upon hearing that her beloved grandfather was hospitalized, Fu Yu's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Can we come back? Our teacher said that once we have white hair, we'll go to a different world from us."
Children speak without restraint.
Children's frank worries can sometimes be both heartbreaking and funny.
"I can come back," Tang Mingli assured her daughter.
She was very grateful that the kindergarten teacher had coincidentally talked to the children about birth, aging, illness, and death today, so that she wouldn't have to worry about how to explain it to her children.
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Author's note: I'm working hard to update in November, so feel free to check back at 12:00, 18:00, and 11:00.
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