Chapter 37
During dinner, Xie Yiling began to feel restless again. The decision to visit No. 5 Napa Valley today was very important to her. She had thought about it for a long time before finally taking this step.
About two months ago, Xie Yiling was extremely anxious after returning from the hospital. To avoid a breakdown, she paced back and forth in her office to calm herself. Suddenly, a picture of family bliss flashed into her mind: Huang Ruoyu sat in a black iron courtyard chair with a white cushion, her beautiful face, like a fairy descending to earth, looking at Hu Yu beside her, smiling at his insightful conversation. Hu Yu no longer looked like an old lady, but had returned to his former self, impeccably dressed and eloquent at work. Next to Hu Yu was a black iron table matching the courtyard chair, on which were various drinks. Standing beside the table was the handsome Cheng Shi, holding a drink and leaning slightly forward, engaged in a lively discussion with her son, Hu Zhizhi. Hu Zhizhi, too, displayed a healthy glow unseen for a long time; he smiled, his demeanor calm and polite, and he was dressed smartly. Whether they were discussing politics, books, sports, or whatever young men enjoyed, Xie Yiling couldn't tell. His appearance certainly made her proud. What touched Xie Yiling even more was that Hu Zhizhi finally looked up and said to her, "Mom, come sit down and chat with us!"
From then on, this image kept appearing in Xie Yiling's mind, and she kept revising and perfecting it. In the end, Xie Yiling even included the two strangely named children of the Cheng family—Cheng Yisan and Cheng Yisi—into the image. Although Xie Yiling had never liked children, the two children had indeed inherited their parents' good looks and were more pleasing to the eye than the other children in Central Park. So she thought it would be good to let them wear pretty little clothes and stay obediently in the backyard, because that would make the scene look even better.
The scene grew richer and richer, more vivid and more real, until Xie Yiling even believed it was something that was about to happen in reality. She genuinely believed that this scene would definitely occur, and that when it did, the scene would be even more perfect than she had imagined.
Xie Yiling believed that if Hu Zhizhi could spend more time with people of similar age, who had received higher education, and who shared similar interests, it would definitely be beneficial to his illness!
Xie Yiling didn't see anything wrong with her wishful thinking, because in her view, it was a win-win situation. To be honest, this wasn't a big deal for Cheng Shi and Huang Ruoyu, as it didn't involve any sacrifices. Didn't they also really want to make like-minded friends in Central Park? Otherwise, why would they always associate with the couple living at No. 8 Palm Beach? In Xie Yiling's opinion, the Sun couple at No. 8 Palm Beach were far inferior to Cheng Shi and Huang Ruoyu, and even less comparable to her son, Hu Zhizhi. How could someone like Sun Pengfei, a junior engineer from a third-rate university, or Su Ningna, a country girl from a small town, possibly have any intellectual connection with her son, a PhD student at MIT? Xie Yiling felt that in the entire Central Park, only Cheng Shi and Huang Ruoyu could possibly have some common ground with Hu Zhizhi.
Ultimately, it was definitely a good thing for Hu Zhizhi and the Cheng family to meet—Xie Yiling firmly believed this. However, she also understood that everything had to be done cautiously from the beginning, proceeding step by step, or else it might backfire.
Xie Yiling came up with this plan because a few months ago, when she and Hu Yu visited their son in the hospital, a doctor named Zhang Yongsheng suggested that they take Hu Zhizhi out for a day every now and then and send him back at night. Zhang Yongsheng thought this would be a new experience for Hu Zhizhi, whose condition seemed to be improving.
“I don’t think it’s the right time to discharge him completely,” Zhang Yongsheng said to Hu Yu and Xie Yiling two months ago, while annoyingly cracking his knuckles. “It’s best to keep him in the hospital for observation for a while longer. Considering the stress the family atmosphere might cause him and other factors, I suggest limiting him to short outings for now, and then seeing how things go. Next, you can try taking him to meet some of his close friends, and try to put him in a gentle environment where he feels safe…”
After leaving the hospital, Xie Yiling discussed the doctor's advice with Hu Yu. Of course, Hu Yu couldn't offer any suggestions—he had no idea what friends his son had in China, let alone any close friends; moreover, Hu Yu couldn't judge whether this attempt was necessary, so everything had to be handled by Xie Yiling herself.
At first, Xie Yiling only had a vague plan, which she gradually developed, even subtly mentioning it to Hu Zhizhi during her next visit. After returning from the hospital last week, she considered various factors and analyzed Hu Zhizhi's condition, ultimately determining that the time was ripe for the next step. So today, she saw the doctor again, announced her plan, and also sought his advice: she wanted to know how much information about Hu Zhizhi's condition should be revealed to the Cheng family. After all, they weren't exactly friends, and hadn't even met in person… However, Xie Yiling had anticipated that Dr. Zhang wouldn't be able to offer any help, as he reiterated his usual advice: "You, the family, should decide for yourselves."
If Xie Yiling really wanted to express her gratitude to Dr. Zhang, she could only say that she was grateful that he didn't directly object after listening to her plan.
So far, everything has gone smoothly; now it's up to the couple to react.
Unsure of the couple's reaction, Xie Yiling had hoped to invite them to her home for a meal. After all, it was her home, her own territory, which would make her feel more comfortable and at ease, and of course, safer. However, Huang Ruoyu declined her invitation, so she had to muster her courage and prepare to visit them at No. 5 Napa Valley later.
“I hope you don’t think I’m asking too much,” Xie Yiling said to herself as she washed the dishes, rehearsing her actions. “But I still hope you can help me with this. This matter is related to my son, Zhizhi…”
Sigh! Xie Yiling thought painfully that it was best not to worry about how to phrase things. She figured she'd just say the most appropriate words naturally when the time came. Years of work and business experience had given her considerable confidence in her eloquence. Moreover, she was quite confident that her husband and daughter-in-law would understand her plan—they were such beautiful, well-mannered, and had attended such good schools; they would definitely understand her as their mother!
After that, Xie Yiling really stopped thinking about how to talk to Cheng Shi and Huang Ruoyu. After washing the dishes, she went to the bedroom to touch up her makeup, and her confidence gradually grew. So when Xie Yiling told Hu Yu, who was still scrolling through his phone in the living room, "I'll be back later. If you're sleepy, go to sleep and don't wait for me," she was as excited as a little girl going to a long-awaited amusement park.
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