Chapter 81 Chapter 81 The first time Wang Kan had ever done this...
Wang Kan's first memory of doing a good deed was probably when he found money in elementary school and handed it over to his teacher. Of course, he has also done bad things and made mistakes.
Having lived for over twenty years, he had witnessed death and even faced it. As he grew older, he could no longer be as ignorant and fearless as he was in his childhood; he became more pessimistic, sometimes feeling small and fragile, but also sometimes appreciating the relative greatness of humanity. Especially when he saw certain architectural designs, although he didn't become the character he had imagined, the awe and emotion he felt as a child remained.
When he learned that the person buried under the pavilion was Old Lin, the Old Lin who accompanied Fang Minzhou home, he was startled. In his heart, it was as if he had finally found the point of his ominous premonition, so he thought he had to rescue the person.
For a moment, Wang Kan suspected that the feng shui of this place was bad and that he was determined to take someone with him.
Then you can take him with you.
But I'm not willing to give up.
When I was unable to move and my consciousness was blurred, many things and many people flashed through my mind, probably like a revolving lantern, but they were all scattered by the heavy rain.
At first, when they were digging people out, the raindrops hit their bodies and hurt a little. Later, their hands hurt even more, and eventually they couldn't feel anything anymore. Suddenly, they felt raindrops falling on their faces again, warm, drop by drop.
The rain has lessened.
When Wang Kan opened his eyes again, all he saw was pure white. Before he could even think whether he was in heaven or a hospital, he heard someone ring the bell and shout, "Doctor, doctor, my son is awake!"
It seems that this scene also occurred a few years ago.
Wang Kan forced a smile, "...Mom."
His mother responded to him while tears streamed down her face.
As he regained consciousness, his head was spinning and aching. He looked to the side and saw Fang Minzhou.
He smiled at her, but his vision was still a little blurry. She seemed to be smiling too, but he couldn't see her clearly. He tried to open his eyes wider and saw her clearly. It wasn't a dream, and she really was alright. But why did her smile look so awkward?
He called her, and she came over and took his right hand. Only then did Wang Kan realize that her left hand was in a cast.
His father came in with the doctor, who said that if he woke up, he was basically fine, but he would still need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few more days.
Wang Kan then learned that he was "extremely lucky" because the tree that was struck by lightning was supported by the broken bricks and tiles on the ground, and he was not hit in any vital areas. He suffered a concussion, a fracture of the ulna in his left hand, and some other external injuries.
In short, he escaped with his life.
After the doctor left, Wang Kan was exhausted. He held Fang Minzhou's hand and quickly fell asleep again. When he woke up, it was already dusk. His palms were empty, and the white ward was tinged yellow by the afterglow of the setting sun outside the window.
He was just starting to panic when, thankfully, Fang Minzhou appeared quickly. It turned out she had only gone to get some water.
She asked him if he was hungry, and Wang Kan shook his head. He had no appetite at all and wondered why he felt so unwell, his breath was hot, and he even had trouble breathing.
She said he had a slight fever, "How about you eat some porridge? Otherwise you haven't eaten all day."
He agreed again, and, observing the situation, he took the opportunity to cautiously ask in a coquettish tone, "Will you feed me?"
Fang Minzhou didn't say anything. He raised the hospital bed, installed a simple table, and poured a small bowl of porridge from the thermos. It was a well-cooked porridge made with lean meat and vegetables.
Wang Kan stared intently at Fang Minzhou as she busied herself. It was the first time he had been taken care of like this by her, and it felt both novel and strangely familiar, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along, even if it came at the cost of getting sick or injured.
She held a small spoonful of cooled porridge to his lips, and Wang Kan obediently ate it, his eyes never leaving her. Fang Minzhou, on the other hand, kept her eyes downcast, intentionally avoiding looking into his eyes or letting him see them. She appeared calm and patient, but a thin mist of moisture enveloped her, like the faint smell of disinfectant in the hospital room.
Wang Kan finished the bowl of porridge, bite by bite.
Then he asked Fang Minzhou if she had eaten, and she nodded. He asked what she had eaten, and she mentioned a few dishes. He commented that it was good, and she smiled and said she would take him out to eat after he was discharged from the hospital.
Wang Kan's heart was stirred. He believed that Fang Minzhou was not just making excuses for him, but why did such a promise taste like a bitter medicine?
My eyelids are getting sleepier and sleepier. I still have so much to say, but what comes out are just light things: "Did you cook the porridge? It tastes pretty good."
"I had my mom cook it. You know I'm not a good cook."
He leaned against the bed, "...Did Auntie find out too?"
Fang Minzhou paused for a moment, then said, "I talked to her about it."
"I'm fine."
"Yes, I know."
"If you're not a good cook, what will you do when you're abroad?"
"It's alright." Fang Minzhou looked up and smiled at him quickly. "It's not that bad, is it?"
"Fang Minzhou".
"Um?"
"I'm not used to you being so gentle."
This made Fang Minzhou silent for a while. She had her back to him, seemingly tidying up something. When she turned around again, she still didn't seem to be acting strangely and could even joke, "Am I that bad to you?"
"Don't pity me."
She said she didn't, helped him straighten the bed, and touched his forehead. "Tired? Go to sleep."
Wang Kan responded and took Fang Minzhou's hand.
I don't know when I fell asleep. In my dream, I felt warm rain falling on his face. Later I realized that it was probably tears. Whose tears were they?
He couldn't open his eyes.
When I woke up again, it was daytime, and it was already the afternoon of the next day.
Wang Kan felt much better, but Fang Minzhou wasn't in the ward; his father was there instead. He remembered his dream from yesterday, touched his face—it was dry.
Although both father and son had faced life-or-death situations, they still exchanged only a few words of concern for each other.
Where is my mom?
"I've gone to see the doctor, I'll be back in a bit."
Where is Fang Minzhou?
His father looked at him and said, "She's been watching over you all night. Let's let her go home and rest."
Wang Kan nodded.
He then noticed that his father had changed his clothes and shaved, looking much more energetic than when he had just woken up the day before. Perhaps due to his previous illness, his father had lost a lot of weight in recent years, and although he still sometimes raised his voice at the slightest disagreement, his overall personality had become much more peaceful.
After washing up, Wang Kan started eating the food his father had brought. His mother had cooked it; it had fish, meat, and vegetables, a fairly balanced meal, but the taste was, as always, just so-so.
He could count the number of times he ate his parents' cooking on two hands. When he was little, he envied other children who came home to hot meals, but as he grew older, he didn't like it even when he actually ate it. He didn't understand why everyone else in his family cooked so well, including himself, but his parents couldn't.
He used to get a beating from his dad when he was picky about food. His dad would say that they were always on the go and usually just had a few bites of food, and he was complaining about having food to eat. He was indignant, but in recent years he has come to understand what "just having a few bites of food" really meant.
His dad also started eating, but it was braised pork rice bowl bought from outside, the braised pork was shiny and red.
Wang Kan's spirits lifted and his appetite returned. He said irritably that his father was being unfair, eating and drinking well while he himself was doing so. "Did the doctor tell you to eat these things?"
“What’s wrong with eating this? I don’t have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar.” His dad said, “Let me smell it for you, and see if you’re still going to be so cocky.”
"Didn't you yourself end up in the hospital after catching thieves when you were young?" Wang Kan said, referring to a boast his father had told him.
Without warning, his dad suddenly slammed his chopsticks down and exclaimed, "How can they be the same!"
The noise was so loud it shook the whole room, but thankfully it was a private room.
Wang Kan said nothing more and continued eating.
The atmosphere became tense. If he hadn't been bedridden, Wang Kan had no doubt that his father would have given him a beating.
The last time his dad beat him was when he was in junior high school, but Wang Kan had forgotten why. His dad wasn't fully recovered when he was hospitalized with a stomach hemorrhage, and his mom kept it from him. By the time he found out, a long time had passed, and he had "escaped a terrible ordeal."
After a while, his father, with a blank expression, picked up his chopsticks again and began to lecture him: "Wang Kan, how old are you this year? Almost thirty, right?"
Wang Kan: "...I'm not even twenty-seven yet."
"That's about it."
Wang Kan: "..."
“You did save people, that’s right,” his dad gave a thumbs up, “but what about your brain? Do you know how we felt when we got the call from the hospital? Your mother was terrified…”
Just then, Chen Hongshan opened the door and came in, and Wang Kuntao fell silent with a gloomy face.
Chen Hongshan happily relayed the good news from the doctor, but seeing that the father and son both reacted indifferently, she asked what they had been talking about. Wang Kuntao couldn't help but speak again, his tone serious: "I want to ask him, why were you running around outside during a typhoon? Did you have work, or something important? Even a three-year-old knows to stay home when a typhoon comes, what about you?"
Chen Hongshan's smile slowly faded. She sat down on a chair nearby, paused, and said earnestly, "Wang Kan, we've always told you that your health is the most important thing. You're all alone out there, so be careful, be very careful..."
Wang Kan picked up a piece of fish and suddenly realized what he was trying to say.
Judging by the outcome alone, he was simply injured while saving someone by chance, and should be commended. His parents are probably so unhappy because they know he went to Shuangxi to see Fang Minzhou, which turns it into an undeserved disaster.
Wang Kan understood her parents' anxiety and fear. "I was very careful; this was just an accident..."
Chen Hongshan suddenly raised her voice: "Was this an accident? Will anything happen if you just stayed home?"
Wang Kan disagreed: "Even if some people stay at home, their houses might still collapse."
"Wang Kan, don't be so disrespectful to me at a time like this," Chen Hongshan said angrily. "I told you to stay in your own home. I'd accept it if the walls and roof collapsed; we'd be unlucky. But what about you? Running to the countryside wasn't enough; when the typhoon came, you still had to run out... Do you know how many people are killed during typhoon season every year...?"
There were some things that needed to be avoided, so Chen Hongshan dared not continue, but then she heard Wang Kan say calmly, "I'm afraid something might happen to her."
Why couldn't Wang Kan explain this to her? Chen Hongshan was about to continue when Wang Kan glanced at them and asked, "Are you talking about Fang Minzhou?"
She suddenly fell silent.
When she heard the name "Fang Minzhou" on the phone that day, she was full of anticipation and emotion for the two of them. She never imagined that they would meet again in the hospital.
They said it but didn't... but after learning about the accident from Fang Minzhou and others, it was hard not to feel resentful in their anxiety. What if something had happened? Who would take responsibility? But in the end, it was Wang Kan who had been bewitched!
"You think that I got injured, and even almost died, because I went to find Fang Minzhou..."
"Pah, pah, pah!" Chen Hongshan said hastily, "Nonsense."
Wang Kan wasn't afraid at all. "But actually, I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. I even saved someone. According to you, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune. I'm just accumulating good fortune for myself. If I hadn't gone to find Fang Minzhou, I wouldn't have had this good fortune. You shouldn't be angry with her."
His mother had probably never thought of it this way before. She was stunned and exchanged a shocked glance with his father.
"Besides, she told me not to go see her anymore. Don't you know what kind of personality she has, and what kind of personality I have? Why blame her? It was me who insisted on going to see her." Wang Kan paused. "In short, don't be angry with her. It makes me very upset."
Chen Hongshan was speechless. She clearly liked Fang Minzhou very much. She liked her at first sight and was so happy when she found out that Wang Kan was dating her. She knew how good Fang Minzhou was to Wang Kan and was surprised to think that her son had good taste.
But their breakup happened right at the critical moment when something bad happened in their family.
Wang Kan said she didn't know, and she didn't dare to believe it completely. After thinking it over, she realized it was their fault as parents for dragging their child down. But later, seeing Wang Kan constantly tormenting himself with cigarettes and alcohol, as parents, they were heartbroken and inevitably became biased. Now, hearing Wang Kan defend him like this, Chen Hongshan felt indescribably sad: "...Son, have you always harbored some resentment towards us?"
Wang Kan paused slightly with her chopsticks and admitted frankly, "There used to be a bit of that."
His father reacted as if he'd been stepped on, shouting, "Wang Kan!"
"Dad," Wang Kan's head was spinning again, "If I had to choose between Mom and me, who would you pick?"
His father was taken aback, his eyebrows shot up, and Wang Kan felt like his father was really going to slap him. He then asked his mother the same question: "If I had to choose between Dad and me, who would you choose?"
Seeing her parents' surprised and confused expressions, as if they were about to call a doctor, Wang Kan smiled and said, "There was a time when I really hated you."
However, the word "hate" is not actually accurate. Do children understand what hate is?
He didn't know how to describe the mix of hope and disappointment, like and dislike, happiness and pain, and the word clearly shocked his parents.
"Wang Kan! You son of a bitch..."
Wang Kuntao felt like his heart was about to break out from anger, so Chen Hongshan quickly went over to pat her husband's chest.
But now that I think about it, being a parent is really a difficult thing.
“But then,” Wang Kan changed her tone, “you made me realize something: a partner is more important than children. That’s why I especially wanted you to come home when I was little. Seeing your good relationship made me happy and I felt that was right. I also want someone to always be with me.” Wang Kan stirred the rice in her bowl. “I just want Fang Minzhou to be with me, so please stop talking about her.”
After a long pause, Wang Kuntao said in a deep voice, "Why are you saying all this now? Why did you break up with her in the first place? You were the one who initiated the breakup, weren't you? You get scared at the slightest thing. Even if our family sells the factory, how poor can we be? You lack responsibility and are afraid that she will suffer with you. Now you're acting all high and mighty. But she's not the one you saved. What if she doesn't want to be alone? Are you planning to be alone for the rest of your life?"
Wang Kan frowned and let out an "ouch," really wanting to remind his father that he was still a patient. "Can you wish me well? That's why I'm lying down now."
With a soft sob, his mother cried. She turned away, covering her face, her back slightly bent.
Wang Kan put down his chopsticks, unable to continue pretending.
Fang Minzhou also turned her back to him like this yesterday.
Wang Kuntao took a deep breath, stepped forward, pulled his wife into his arms, and walked towards the door. Before leaving, he turned and glared at Wang Kan, warning him sharply, "When you're better, I'll beat you up."
Wang Kan's lips twitched slightly.
Outside the door, Xu Ran panicked and tried to escape, but it was too late. She could only raise one hand and awkwardly laugh, "Grandpa and Grandma... I've come to see my uncle..."
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