Take care of yourself
Beijing, with its chilly late spring weather, is the perfect time to look back on life, to touch and ruminate over it all over again, and even to bravely confront the past that has not been properly put into place.
The single room in a Beijing hospital was spacious and comfortable. Xiang Yaozu had just undergone minimally invasive aortic stent surgery and was recovering. Fan Lingjuan pushed the door open and found him awake, lying in bed, staring out the window, lost in thought.
"Awake? I'll ask Dr. Xue to come over." Fan Lingjuan said softly.
"Wait a minute." Xiang Yaozu stopped her weakly.
Fan Lingjuan looked at him carefully. His lips looked dry. "Your lips are dry. Can you drink some water? Or, how about I help you moisten them first?"
As she said that, she turned around to get the cup of water and cotton swab.
"Don't worry," Xiang Yaozu said again, his voice weak. "When I woke up, that image kept circling in my mind... You signed the consent form for me for the surgery, for the umpteenth time... Thank you for all the hard work along the way."
Fan Lingjuan smiled gently and lowered her voice: "Are you thinking how great it would be if Yangyang signed this for you?"
Xiang Yaozu shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Why bother talking about this..."
Perhaps it was because he was old, but the lingering look of loneliness was evident on his face.
Fan Lingjuan didn't say anything else. She understood his feelings and just patted the back of his hand gently.
She knew that some knots couldn't be untied with just a few words, and some words didn't need to be said too clearly.
She just needed to be here, with him, just like she had been all these years.
At the same time in Taipei, Xia Xiaochan's intelligence proved true. In Xinyi District, a prime location, a small truck had parked at the entrance of a residential alley, selling strawberries. Xia Xiaochan beamed as she trotted over, accompanied by Jin Cang, a towering figure resembling a personal bodyguard.
The back seat of the pickup truck was opened and filled with boxed strawberries, turning it into a mobile shop that traveled around.
Xia Xiaochan picked up one without hesitation to try it, and handed the other one to Jin Cang with satisfaction.
The two lowered their heads and carefully selected. Suddenly, Xia Xiaochan stopped what she was doing, turned around and stared at Jin Cang's face seriously.
"So there really is such a face." She pinched Jin Cang's cheek hard and sighed, "It feels unreal when a living person is in front of me..."
Jin Cang was a little surprised: "Sister Xiaochan, have you seen this face before?"
"Ignore me, and treat me as nonsense."
Xia Xiaochan changed her words decisively, her gaze quickly returning to the vibrant red strawberries before her. "AI-generated technology is now considered legendary. It can reach the heavens and the earth. Even Du Fu can come alive and recite his own poems. Maybe... you've seen other AI-generated technology do this before?"
Xia Xiaochan and Xiangyang are like siblings. She understands and participates in almost all of Xiangyang's confusions, frustrations and joys in life.
Xiangyang had close contact with a Taipei boy named "A Cang" on WeChat, so she naturally knew about this.
She had certainly seen the boy's profile picture on the messaging app back then, and now, that face appeared before her, vividly.
The two continued to look at strawberries. Xia Xiaochan picked out three boxes and paid with New Taiwan dollars.
"Brother Xiang and his father...?" Jin Cang asked with concern.
Xia Xiaochan spoke frankly, believing that she shouldn't have concealed this from Jin Cang. "It's complicated anyway. We're father and son, but we've become a thorn in each other's side, a thorn in the flesh..." She looked at Jin Cang and said seriously, "But, Brother Cang, perhaps you'll be the one to remove that thorn."
Jin Cang opened his eyes wide: "Me?"
"Believe me." She emphasized, "I've never seen Xiangyang look at someone like that before. Only smiling, without a trace of defense."
Jin Cang looked at her profile as she was busy paying, thinking about what she had said, wondering what else he should know but didn't.
As if in a trance, Xiangyang sat alone in his original position, lost in thought for a long time. Finally, he pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and carefully typed a few words. After much hesitation, he deleted them. In the end, he only typed two words: "Take care."
He sent the message. Xiangyang had finally taken the first step toward "reconciliation" with his father and himself.
In a Beijing hospital ward, Xiang Yaozu's phone, which was placed on the coffee table, rang with a message. Fan Lingjuan, who was arranging a vase of flowers, reached over and picked up the phone. She glanced down and smiled.
Fan Lingjuan walked to the bedside and showed Xiang Yaozu the words "Take care" on the phone screen.
Xiang Yaozu was stunned, then nodded slightly, his eyes moistened.
An hour later, Xiangyang and Jin Cang accompanied Xia Xiaochan back to the hotel where Xiangyang was staying.
Xia Xiaochan checked in at the hotel lobby and got her room key. She packed her simple luggage and prepared to go upstairs to rest.
"You know Taipei better than I do, so you don't need me to greet you, right?" Xiangyang asked.
"I'm going to meet some friends first. Ask Xiaoyang to come to me when you're free tomorrow night. I have a lot to say to you." Xia Xiaochan replied to him.
"Okay, seeing that your eyes are full of bloodshot, go get some sleep quickly. Be careful that the goblin will return to its original form." Xiangyang said jokingly.
"What are you afraid of? If you turn back to your original form, I will eat you alive, the tender and delicate Tang Sanzang." Xia Xiaochan said with a smile.
The three of them burst into laughter at the same time, and their laughter echoed in the hall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
