Jiang Shan sunbathes for half an hour every day, followed by half an hour of physical exercises. In the words of Physician Xie, she has insufficient Yang energy and excessive Yin, so she needs to sunbathe and exercise more.
Fu Qiyuan was not in the mood to watch Jiangshan's strange and unusual physical exercises today. Under the pretext of playing chess, he invited Physician Xie to the next room.
Halfway through the game, Fu Qiyuan asked casually, "Doctor Xie, when do you think my memory will be restored?"
Physician Xie also knew what had happened at the Fu residence. Fu Shangshu's son, who had been missing for sixteen years, had been found by his wife. He fell seriously ill and, despite three years of treatment, the root of his head ailment could not be cured.
Physician Xie looked at Fu Qiyuan thoughtfully, "It's best to let things take their course. Everything has a cause and effect. Forcing things too much may not be a good thing."
Fu Qiyuan's eyes flickered, and he frowned as he asked, "Imperial Physician Xie, just tell me, can my illness be cured or not? You are not me, and you don't know how precious those memories are to me. Even if I have more power and wealth, if I can't find those sixteen years of memories, I will still have nothing!"
"If your parents heard this, they would be heartbroken!" Doctor Xie said jokingly.
Fu Qiyuan said with a wry smile, "I know that my parents don't want me to go back to the past. My mother doesn't even want me to take up this post. I suppose she has sent a lot of money to the Imperial Hospital?"
"You brat, you're incredibly rebellious, hahaha!" Physician Xie burst into loud laughter.
Fu Qiyuan stopped what he was doing and stared intently at Physician Xie, saying, "Could they have given me some medicine I shouldn't have?"
Physician Xie was so angry that he glared and puffed out his beard. "You brat, stop talking nonsense! Do you think a person's head is so easy to treat? You should be grateful that you've survived. Who would dare to risk offending your father and prescribe medicine on you?"
That makes sense. After all, when his mother took him back to the Minister's mansion, he was just a stranger. Even though his parents had decided on him, no one dared to harm him.
Thinking about it this way, Fu Qiyuan became dejected.
Physician Xie shook his head, reached out and took Fu Qiyuan's pulse, and slowly closed his eyes.
After a long wait, Physician Xie withdrew his hand, his expression becoming solemn.
Fu Qiyuan didn't ask any questions; he quietly waited for Physician Xie to continue.
"The blood clot in your brain will probably need external help to slowly clear it, but this process will be quite long, and you're likely to suffer a lot!"
Fu Qiyuan's expression relaxed, and he cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Physician Xie, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Physician Xie!"
Before Physician Xie could treat Fu Qiyuan's cerebral hemorrhage, he had to inform Jiao's mother first.
Madam Jiao's expression shifted repeatedly, yet she couldn't make up her mind. Deep down, she hoped her son could regain his memories and return to being the considerate and attentive Second Son of the Jiao family. However, she knew this was merely wishful thinking. Even if her son regained his memories, he would only ever be the legitimate son of the Fu family, never again the Second Son of the Jiao family.
But if the son regains his memory, given his temperament, he will definitely not ignore the Jiao family, young and old. He will marry Shan'er according to her wishes and stand against his birth mother. The Jiao family will face endless attacks and retaliations from the Fu family!
A secret remains a secret because someone can hold back from telling it. Jiao's mother didn't want Fu Qiyuan to know about her grudges with the Minister's family. Physician Xie couldn't tell Fu Qiyuan about the entanglement between his adoptive and birth mothers. Fu Qiyuan couldn't let Jiao's mother know what his birth mother had done to the Jiao family, and he certainly couldn't let the Jiao family know what he had done for Jiangshan.
These secrets became a sharp knife, hanging in everyone's heart, waiting to be licked blood.
That night, just like countless nights in Huaigu Village, the Jiao family mother and son sat under the lamp. The mother sewed insoles for her son, and the son massaged his mother's shoulders and back, filling the room with warmth.
"Yan'er, Physician Xie said that the blood clot in your brain won't cause any problems, so there's no need to rush into treatment." Madam Jiao said casually, running the needle through her hair a couple of times.
"Mother, don't worry, it's just a few needles in your head to stimulate acupoints and improve blood circulation. It's nothing serious," Fu Qiyuan said gently, his hands still moving.
"I am already very content that you have come back to see me and acknowledge me as your mother! I still have Shan'er, Sanlang, and Huai'er. If you can take care of them, I have no regrets in this life. Why do you have to go against your parents' wishes?"
Fu Qiyuan stopped what he was doing. He knelt down in front of Jiao's mother and said with a gentle yet resolute tone, "Mother, I don't care how you found me. I only know that you gave me a second life! You and Father toiled for half your lives to treat me, and Father Jiao even succumbed to his illness due to overwork. I finally grew up and could take care of you, but now I'm someone else's child! Mother, I'm not reconciled!"
(Author's note: Fu Qiyuan did not have these memories, but he had researched Jiao Erlang's past. He simply projected himself into Jiao Erlang's life.)
Jiao's mother's hands trembled violently, but she held back her tears with red eyes.
"Mother, do you know how I've been these past three years? There are so many people in the Minister's mansion, but I feel lonely every day. I feel like I don't belong in that family. I call other people 'father' and 'mother' against my will, but I don't feel any warmth at all. It wasn't until I saw you, Mother, and Sanlang that my heart felt like it had been parched for a long time and finally felt that life was worth living!"
Jiao's mother put down the insoles she was holding, hugged Fu Qiyuan tightly, and burst into tears.
Fu Qiyuan sighed sadly and aggrievedly, "Mother, Yan'er has grown up. Now I have achieved fame and official rank. I can protect you now. Don't be in a hurry to push me away. Just watch, I am still your Erlang, and I will always be your Erlang!"
Jiao's mother felt both sweet and bitter. Although the past buried deep in her heart had healed, it was still festering inside. She had endured this bitterness for twenty years, and what kept her going was her resentment. She could not let go of it!
Although Yan'er has acknowledged the Fu family, as long as he lives well, she won't consider herself to have lost!
When Fu Qiyuan stepped into the Jiao family's door again, his identity had changed to Jiao's mother's adopted son. He called her "Mother" with great familiarity, which sounded strange yet strangely harmonious to others.
Jiang Shan felt extremely strange. Fu Qiyuan called her "mother" more affectionately than she, his adopted daughter. The two, who were newly formed, seemed more like biological mother and son who had been separated for a long time.
Okay, even though she's not a blood relative. They're both imposters, so there's not much to compare them to.
However, Jiang Shan is more concerned about another issue: In ancient times, could adopted sons and daughters marry? Who came up with this terrible idea?
When Jiao's mother came up with this terrible idea, she had already mentally slapped Jiang Shan's childish thoughts to death! Shan'er is now her daughter, and Huai'er is her grandson, so of course she would find a good home for her daughter.
In her heart, she would be willing to marry anywhere, but she would never marry into the household of the Minister of Works!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
