Chapter 2-2
2
As soon as Qiao Ruo got home, she went to her bedroom and took out her phone to send a WeChat message to He Yajun. She still felt that everything that happened on that island was an illusion, but looking at the chat history with He Yajun on her phone, she had to convince herself that it really happened, and the progress was incredibly fast.
A feeling of joy welled up inside her. But time did not allow her to linger in this joy, because her father's illness soon took over her mind again.
She went to the living room and took the medical report that her father, Qiao Wei, had recently undergone at the city hospital from her mother, Xu Mingyu, and carefully examined it.
The bulge on Qiao Wei's stomach is located on the front wall of the stomach. It looks very regular in shape and has clear boundaries, unlike a malignant tumor. However, he is indeed very thin now, and his face is also slightly dark. It is not an exaggeration to describe his condition as sickly.
"You're so busy with work, yet you still insist on coming back." Qiao Wei continued to nag about his daughter's hard work.
Qiao Ruo was both angry and heartbroken: "Dad, no matter how busy I am with work, you are my dad. You are sick, so I have to come back and find out what's going on."
Qiao Wei remained silent, awkwardly avoiding her gaze.
Qiao Ruo's voice turned serious as she said, "You're always worried about causing me trouble, but only when you're healthy can you truly put my mind at ease. Don't think about it too much. We'll go to the hospital tomorrow, and we have to do every test the doctor recommends."
Xu Mingyu had long been at her wits' end with her husband's stubbornness. Seeing him remain silent under her daughter's admonition, she quickly chimed in, "Yes, even if you don't think about yourself, you have to think about Qiaoqiao. You can't let her keep worrying about you while she's away. If you're alright, why would she waste time and money to rush back? And what about me? We agreed before that you couldn't leave before me. What would I do if something really happened to you?"
"Mom, don't worry too much. I'll go to the hospital with Dad tomorrow."
Xu Mingyu nodded, then said to Qiao Wei, "You must listen to your daughter and get a thorough checkup. I believe it's definitely not cancer."
Although Qiao Wei was a stubborn person who refused to back down easily, he always doted on Qiao Ruo, and Qiao Ruo's words still carried a lot of weight with him. He could only sigh and compromise, standing up from his chair: "Fine, fine, fine, I'll listen to you all. You're all so long-winded, my ears are about to fall off."
Qiao Ruo watched him walk back to his room with a slightly hunched back, then turned to Xu Mingyu and said, "Dad has become so thin, has he had a poor appetite lately?"
Xu Mingyu thought for a moment: "He said his stomach wasn't feeling well, but his appetite... was actually okay, about normal. By the way, in the last two months, he sometimes feels anxious, can't sleep well at night, and always breaks out in cold sweats."
Qiao Ruo knew that she couldn't infer the nature of the illness based solely on the existing test results and symptoms. Worrying unnecessarily and being overly anxious would do more harm than good for the patient and their family, and was highly inadvisable.
Seeing Xu Mingyu's worried face, she comforted her, "It's okay, Mom. We'll discuss what to do next after all the test results come out. Although I'm a dentist and don't handle cases like this, I'm still a graduate of a regular medical university. With me here, what are you worried about? Just relax and cooperate with the tests and treatment."
Xu Mingyu had been extremely worried ever since she accompanied Qiao Wei to his medical check-up. Unfortunately, Qiao Wei wouldn't listen to her at all. She could vaguely guess that he was afraid of facing a bad outcome, so he preferred to act as if nothing was wrong. Adding to her woes, her eldest daughter, Qiao Min, didn't get along with him and had repeatedly failed to earn his favor. Seeing the hurt look on Qiao Min's face each time she left, Xu Mingyu felt heartbroken, but she couldn't speak up for her daughter in front of him, which only made him angrier. All these unpleasant things were mixed together, and she had no one to confide in, so she was under immense pressure. Seeing Qiao Ruo smiling and calmly at this moment, her anxiety finally subsided.
She patted Qiao Ruo's hand: "You're the only one who can persuade your dad these days. Look at you, you seem to have lost a lot of weight? Have you not been eating properly?"
Qiao Ruo chuckled, "Every time you see me, you say I've lost weight, but every time I step on the scale, the number doesn't change much."
"You must never diet like some girls do, or you'll ruin your health. You're already thin enough."
Qiao Ruo thought about her figure. She was already short, and if she grew wider, she would be even more unpresentable. She didn't have much body image anxiety and always paid attention to keeping her weight within a reasonable range, believing that her current state was just right. However, mothers always felt that the more weight their children gained, the healthier they looked, and she was too lazy to argue.
"I know."
Xu Mingyu sighed heavily, thinking of her eldest daughter, Qiao Min. "Qiao Qiao, it's been so long since your sister's affair. Don't blame her anymore. We're all family; ignoring each other hurts our relationship. I don't know when your father will get over that hurdle, but I think Xin Xin is all grown up now, and she's so well-behaved. Your father loves Xin Xin so much; even if it's just for her sake, his resentment should eventually fade. Try to contact your sister more often. She doesn't seem to be in a good mood lately. I wonder if something's happened. I asked her, but she won't tell me. Find a suitable opportunity to talk to your father and tell him not to dwell on those old grievances. After all, she's his own daughter. Why should he harbor such deep hatred? He's always so sullen when he sees your sister; it's not good for his health."
Qiao Ruolian recalled Qiao Min's accusations against her by Qiao Wei, as well as the matter of He Yajun's father's infidelity, and was momentarily at a loss for words. However, faced with her mother's concerns, she could only nod in agreement.
She ate something simple, took a shower, and went back to her bedroom, lying directly on the bed. She didn't turn on the light, lying motionless in the darkness. The soft bed emitted a faint scent of laundry detergent, surrounding her like a warm embrace, making her feel very safe and secure.
She started to miss He Yajun. She took out her phone to check, and apart from the WeChat message telling him to get some rest, he hadn't sent her anything else.
She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing at that moment. She typed a message, intending to chat with him, but just as she was about to send it, she suddenly remembered that he had mentioned liking a relaxed relationship without any entanglement. She wasn't sure if sending him a message late at night would be bothering him, so after hesitating for a while, she put down her phone.
The next day, she left Xu Mingyu at home and accompanied Qiao Wei to the city hospital. They followed the doctor's instructions and scheduled an appointment for further examination on Thursday morning.
Qiao Wei cooperated fully this time, showing no resistance whatsoever. He only muttered "Really expensive" when Qiao Ruo paid.
Qiao Ruo said with a hint of warning, "If you don't spend this money, it will get worse and worse. It won't be a matter of a few hundred dollars, but a matter of thousands or tens of thousands."
Qiao Wei glared at her, about to retort, but noticing his daughter's teasing gaze, he could only shut his mouth and remain silent.
They took a taxi home, and as soon as they entered the house, Xu Mingyu grabbed Qiao Ruo and asked, "Qiao Qiao, what did the doctor say?"
Qiao Ruo glanced at Qiao Wei, who was walking towards the sofa with his hands behind his back, and said, "There are other tests to do, but they can't be done today. They can be done on Thursday morning."
"Okay." Xu Mingyu's tense nerves relaxed temporarily. To her, no result was a good result.
"Okay, Mom, let's follow the doctor's instructions and take it slow. Don't rush."
Xu Mingyu returned to the kitchen to continue her work. Qiao Ruo put her purse back in the bedroom, and when she came out, she grabbed a banana from the coffee table in the living room, peeled it, and squeezed into the kitchen while eating it, wanting to help Xu Mingyu.
Xu Mingyu was rinsing broccoli under the tap when she heard the noise and turned around. She quickly urged her to leave, saying, "Don't come in. Go and watch TV with your dad for a while."
Qiao Ruo looked around the small kitchen and realized that she was probably just making things worse by coming in, so she went out and leaned against the door.
"Mom, how about... we move to a bigger house?"
While chopping vegetables, Xu Mingyu replied, "I'm not moving. I've lived here for so many years, I've grown attached to it. Besides, you'll get married sooner or later. It's just the two of us, your father and I, so this house is perfect for us. It's not big, so it's easy to clean."
Qiao Ruo was taken aback when she heard the words "get married".
Seeing that she didn't speak, Xu Mingyu turned her head and saw that she was in a daze, so she stopped what she was doing: "Qiaoqiao, you are a good child. Don't think that you haven't fulfilled your filial duties just because your father and I live in an old and small house. At our age, we just want to live a peaceful life and don't want to cause any more trouble. This house is like an old friend of mine. I'm afraid I won't feel at ease if I leave it. Your sister mentioned moving to a different house to me before, and this is the same answer I gave her."
"Okay, then let's not change it."
“Qiaoqiao,” Xu Mingyu looked at Qiao Ruo hesitantly, “I know you’ve always been very independent, managing your life very well, and you’re considerate of us, never causing us any worry. Logically, I shouldn’t pry into your relationship with Xiao Chen, but you two were dating so well, even considering marriage, and then suddenly broke up. I was really afraid you’d be sad, so I had to put on a brave face and not let us worry. Did you and Xiao Chen really break up just because of personality clashes? Were there other reasons?”
Qiao Ruo knew that once she returned home, she would inevitably face her family's questions. Recalling her time with her ex-boyfriend, she couldn't deny the happiness and sweetness they shared. Although she didn't love him, she felt relaxed with him, and he was very caring, making her feel cherished and accepted. Because she didn't have high expectations for him romantically, she didn't need to be heartbroken or feel insecure. She once thought that not every couple in this world comes together because of love, and that she was already luckier than many women to have met a man who treated her well without making her feel repulsed. Since they got along well, continuing the relationship until marriage wasn't out of the question. However, things didn't go as planned, and this man ultimately chose to leave her.
"Mom, there's no other reason, please don't overthink it."
Xu Mingyu shook her head and sighed: "It's a pity. Xiao Chen is good-looking and has a good manner. His family isn't super rich, but they have everything they need. He was also your college classmate, so you know him well. Your father and I are both very satisfied with him. Oh well, it's over now. You'll meet someone suitable eventually."
Qiao Ruo didn't want to continue talking about this. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Mom, if... I mean if, if I never get married, could you and Dad accept that?"
Xu Mingyu was taken aback. She put down the cleaver, wiped her hands with her apron, walked to the door, and took Qiao Ruo's hand: "Qiao Qiao, if you can't bear to part with Xiao Chen, why don't I give him a call?"
Qiao Ruo was both amused and exasperated: "Mom, the question I asked has nothing to do with him."
"Then who else could be the reason you don't even want to get married?"
Qiao Ruo didn't want to complicate things, so she waved her hand and said, "Don't overthink it. I was just saying it casually. Just pretend you didn't hear anything."
Xu Mingyu stared at her suspiciously for a while, and seeing that her expression was frank and her gaze was unwavering, she went back to continue chopping vegetables.
Just then, Qiao Ruo's phone rang. She took it out and saw that it was He Yajun calling. She immediately became nervous, quickly silenced her phone, and stuffed it back into her coat pocket.
Xu Mingyu asked, "Was that your sister's call?"
"Hmm." Qiao Ruo's heart pounded, and she responded vaguely.
"I think she's in a bad mood, can you help her talk to her and cheer her up?"
Qiao Ruo threw the leftover banana peel into the trash can, put her hands in her coat pockets, and strode into the bedroom.
She closed the door, took out her phone again, and the ringing continued. She walked to the window to answer it.
"What are you busy with? You haven't answered the phone for so long."
Besides being small, another drawback of this apartment is its poor sound insulation. Afraid of being overheard by her father sitting in the living room, she had to lower her voice and say, "I'm not busy with anything, I was just chatting with my mother."
He Yajun's laughter came over: "Then wouldn't I be bothering you?"
"No, no," she thought. If this counts as bothering her, then she would love for him to bother her 24 hours a day.
He said in a very relaxed tone, "I just spoke with Yan Tao on the phone."
"Hmm, what did they talk about?"
He was puzzled by my rush home and felt something was amiss. He guessed that I came back with you.
Qiao Ruo recalled the confession Hong Yantao made to her on the way to Meihua Beach the day before yesterday evening, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
He didn't say anything, did he?
"He didn't say anything, but he seemed a little surprised when I confessed that we were already boyfriend and girlfriend."
Qiao Ruo was also surprised, completely unexpected that he would tell others about their relationship.
“He’s a good friend of mine, and he even had feelings for you. After careful consideration, I felt that being honest with him was the only way to show him respect. I’ve already asked him to keep this a secret for now. Anyway, his home is far from here, so telling him won’t really matter.” He paused briefly, then changed the subject, “Qiao Ruo, actually… when I helped Yan Tao invite you to watch the sunset together that day, I felt a little uncomfortable.”
Qiao Ruo's heart skipped a beat, and she heard him continue, "At the time, I couldn't explain why I felt uncomfortable, but now that I think about it, it was probably because I was jealous."
Qiao Ruo couldn't tell whether he was joking or telling the truth, but to her, his explanation sounded like sweet talk.
She couldn't help but chuckle, "A little jealousy is good for the soul."
He laughed out loud: "Eating it once in a while is fine, but eating it too often is not good. If you feel uncomfortable all the time, you might have a heart attack. So for your boyfriend's health, try not to go on dates with other men in the future."
"To be fair, you should also try not to go on dates with other women."
“Okay.” He answered without hesitation. After he stopped laughing, he said, “Spend more time with your mother. We’ll talk later. Goodbye.”
"goodbye."
She put down her phone, covered her chest with her palm, felt her heart pounding faster beneath her hand, and had a thought that she was too embarrassed to face: if it weren't for the shadow cast on her heart by her father's illness, she would probably be the happiest woman in the world.
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