Chapter 19 (Part 2)
At three in the morning, Gan Ling sat on a chair outside the emergency room. There were not many people around, and the hospital was filled with a silence that was completely different from the daytime. Cheng Zhao came from the other end of the corridor, his footsteps crisp and decisive. Gan Ling turned her head to look at him, as if she was looking at an angel. Cheng Zhao was holding a drink and a piece of bread. He walked over and handed it to Gan Ling, "Have some, it's filled with red bean paste." "I'm not hungry." "Then drink this, milk, it's calming. I asked the staff at the canteen to heat it up." Gan Ling took it from her hand, lowered her head and took a sip. It was slightly hot, and after drinking it, her whole body warmed up. Only then did she realize how strong the air conditioning was in the hospital. Her limbs were cold. "Do you want to drink it?" Cheng Zhao shook his head and sat down next to Gan Ling. A faint smell of cigarettes filled Gan Ling's nostrils. "Did you smoke?" "Yeah. Just one, to perk me up." Cheng Zhao bent down and sniffed. "Is it strong?" Gan Ling placed her hand in his. "It's okay... Cheng Zhao, thank you." "You're welcome, we're family." "I want it. I couldn't have done it tonight without you." "I didn't do anything," Gan Ling thought to herself. Just being there was enough. She held the paper cup of milk, the warmth flowing from her palms to her heart. She spoke slowly, as if floating in a dream. "I'm so nervous. I'm afraid my dad will leave me. He's not even seventy yet... He's become like this because of me. He's sacrificed so much in his life for me, and I always make him worry." She sniffed softly, but couldn't stop the tears from falling. Cheng Zhao turned to look at her, then pulled her into a hug. "Don't be afraid, you still have me. Even if the sky falls, I won't abandon you." Gan Ling leaned on his shoulder, feeling so good to have such a shoulder to support her. No longer had to pretend to be strong, to pretend to be indifferent. She felt Cheng Zhao's arms tighten slightly, and the two of them hugged each other tighter, and Gan Ling felt more at ease. She had never felt this way before, and it was strange. Just because there was one more person, she felt several times more courageous. She thought, no matter what the outcome, she would face it bravely. Cheng Zhao seemed to be able to read what she was thinking, "Trust me, Teacher Gan will get better. But no matter how he tries to drive me away in the future, I will never leave you again." Gan Wenkang woke up at noon on the day of the operation. This was his third stroke. Although he was rushed to the hospital in time and out of danger, his tongue was worse than before. Even Gan Ling couldn't make out what he wanted to say and could only guess. The doctor told Gan Ling that the condition would improve after a period of rest, but it would definitely...
At three in the morning, Gan Ling sat in a chair outside the emergency room. There were few people around, and the hospital was completely silent, a stark contrast to the daytime. Cheng Zhao approached from the other end of the corridor, his footsteps crisp and decisive. Gan Ling turned to look at him, as if she were looking at an angel.
Cheng Zhao came over with a drink and a piece of bread in his hand and handed them to Gan Ling, "Have some, it's stuffed with red bean paste."
"Not hungry."
"Then drink this, milk, it's calming. I asked the store staff to heat it up."
Gan Ling took it in her hand, lowered her head and took a sip. It was slightly hot, and after drinking it, her whole body warmed up. Only then did she realize how high the air conditioning in the hospital was. Her limbs were cold.
"Do you want to drink?"
Cheng Zhao shook his head and sat down next to Gan Ling. A faint smell of cigarette smoke filled Gan Ling's nostrils.
"You smoked?"
"Yeah. Just one, to perk me up." Cheng Zhao lowered his head and sniffed. "Does it smell strong?"
Gan Ling placed her hand in his palm and said, "It's okay... Cheng Zhao, thank you."
"No need to thank me, my family."
"Yes. I can't handle it tonight without you."
"I didn't do anything."
Gan Lingxin said, "As long as you're here, that's all I need." She held the paper cup of milk, the warmth flowing from her palms to her heart. She spoke slowly, as if floating in a dream.
"I'm so nervous. I'm afraid my dad will leave me. He's not even 70 yet... He's become like this because of me. He's sacrificed a lot in his life for me, but I always make him worry."
She sniffed lightly, but still couldn't resist the tendency of tears to fall. Cheng Zhao turned his head to look at her, then hugged her in his arms.
"Don't be afraid, you still have me. Even if the sky falls, I won't abandon you."
Gan Ling leaned on his shoulder, feeling the joy of having such a shoulder supporting her. She no longer had to pretend to be strong or indifferent. She felt Cheng Zhao's arms tighten their embrace, and Gan Ling felt more at ease. She had never felt this way before. It was strange. Just because there was another person, her courage had multiplied several times. She thought, no matter what the outcome, she would face it bravely.
Cheng Zhao seemed to be able to read what she was thinking. "Trust me, Teacher Gan will get better. But no matter how he drives me away from me, I will never leave you again."
Gan Wenkang woke up at noon on the day of surgery. This was his third stroke. Although he was rushed to the hospital promptly and out of danger, his speech was even more limp than before. Even Gan Ling couldn't make out what he was trying to say and could only guess. The doctor told Gan Ling that his condition would improve after a period of rest, but he certainly wouldn't be able to return to his previous state. After all, he was lucky to be alive.
During the hospitalization observation period, Gan Ling went to the hospital every day to accompany his father. He also bought a writing board for his father so that he could write down what he couldn't say clearly and tell himself, thus saving a lot of trouble from guessing wrong.
But Gan Wenkang hadn't recovered yet. Writing took as much effort as speaking, and his handwriting was often crooked, completely lacking his usual elegant and graceful blackboard writing style. Gan Ling, fearing he might be upset, wrote basic phrases based on his usual habits, such as "I want water," "I'm hungry," and "I want to sleep," on cards and placed them on the bedside table. Whenever Gan Wenkang needed something, he could just pull out a card and express it.
As time went by, there were more and more cards. After two weeks, there were not enough cards, and Gan Wenkang had no difficulty writing, so communication finally became smooth.
Cheng Zhao appeared in the ward only after Gan Wenkang's condition had stabilized for a period of time.
That evening, not long after dinner, Gan Ling fed her father freshly squeezed juice in the ward. The juicer and fruit were both sent by Cheng Zhao. Seeing that the basket of fruit was almost empty, Gan Ling asked Cheng Zhao to add some new ones. In the past, they would hand over things in the hallway, but this time, she didn't expect Cheng Zhao to walk into the ward so openly.
Gan Ling's first reaction was to push Cheng Zhao out, but it was too late, Gan Wenkang had already seen him.
Cheng Zhao placed the fruit basket on the TV cabinet. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice when he spoke, which he managed to conceal.
"Teacher Gan, I came to see you. Are you recovering well?"
Gan Ling stared at her father nervously, fearing that he would be angry and emotionally unstable. She was so worried that she blamed Cheng Zhao for being impatient and not having the patience to wait for her father to be discharged from the hospital.
Gan Wenkang was the calmest. His eyes quickly swept across the fruit basket and then stopped on Cheng Zhao's face. He couldn't speak, so his gaze became more weighty, and the smile on Cheng Zhao's face was almost distorted.
Gan Ling had to find a way to ease the atmosphere, "Thank you, Cheng Zhao. You must be very busy at work, right? And you took the time to come visit my dad."
Cheng Zhao was usually very clever and could interpret Gan Ling's words perfectly. But today, perhaps because he was tense, he seemed a bit dumber. He waved his hand and said, "I'm not busy! I've finished everything I need to do. I don't have anything to do tonight."
Gan Ling simply wanted to turn her gaze into a small file to file his obtuse head.
"Have you had dinner yet?"
"No! It's still early. What's Teacher Gan going to eat?"
"I ordered a porridge bento from the restaurant next door, and it should be ready to pick up. How about you come with me?"
When Gan Ling stood up, Cheng Zhao was a little confused. He didn't expect to be ordered to leave so soon. He had obviously come to see Gan Wenkang with a purpose. He glanced at the bed with a look of reluctance. His sad eyes happened to meet Gan Wenkang's. Gan Wenkang suddenly nodded at him.
Gan Ling had already walked to the door, but Cheng Zhao walked towards the bed with an excited expression.
"Wait! Teacher Gan has something to say!"
Gan Wenkang's gaze moved from Cheng Zhao's face to Gan Ling's face. Gan Ling had no choice but to walk back. She was still nervous, afraid that Gan Wenkang would suddenly lose his temper. She wanted to take Cheng Zhao away as soon as possible.
"Dad, I have to get you dinner..."
Gan Wenkang picked up the writing board and wrote a line for Gan Ling to see: "You go alone."
Gan Ling was stunned, "Then Cheng Zhao..."
Gan Wenkang continued writing, "He stayed."
Cheng Zhao also came over to read the information on the writing board. After reading it, he looked even more excited, as if he had been waiting for such a moment, an opportunity to have a good face-to-face conversation with Gan Wenkang.
Gan Ling was of course unwilling, "Dad, what do you want to say? I'll go after you finish speaking."
Gan Wenkang's face darkened and he waved at her. Cheng Zhao also turned around to persuade her.
"Just go ahead. Don't worry, I will never provoke Teacher Gan."
All four eyes stared at Gan Ling, hoping she would disappear. Gan Ling had no choice but to say to Cheng Zhao, "Well, call me if you have anything."
Cheng Zhao nodded.
When Gan Ling left, she deliberately closed the door, but secretly left it ajar. She took a few steps toward the stairs, turned around, and saw that Cheng Zhao hadn't followed her out. She immediately ran back and stood at the door of the ward, listening carefully to the movements in the room.
Cheng Zhao's voice came out intermittently, which meant that the conversation between the two had begun. However, Gan Wenkang was writing by hand, so Gan Ling could only guess what his father was asking based on Cheng Zhao's answer.
"You're welcome, Teacher Gan. I'm just ordering some fruit. If you like it, I'll deliver it to you every day!"
"Oh, you're not talking about the fruit... Yes, Gan Ling and I were the ones who took you to the hospital that night. I thought you didn't know... We, cough, we were together, but I never dared to tell you because I was afraid you would have an opinion of me..."
Gan Ling's heart pounded at this, and she suppressed the urge to rush in. She decided to wait and see what was going on. She had a feeling her father would start coughing violently from his emotional upheaval, and if that happened, she would definitely go in and intervene.
"Teacher Gan, I am sincere to Gan Ling. As long as you agree, I can promise to live a good life with her in this life and never let her suffer any injustice... I haven't thought about the child..."
Gan Ling felt a tightness in her chest. It turned out that her father was more upset about this matter than she was.
"If you're talking about that, my two brothers both have children. The Cheng family will never be extinct in my lifetime, so not having children is not a problem for me..."
"Why won't you give up?" Cheng Zhao suddenly took a deep breath. "Teacher Gan, I've asked myself this question before... Yes, I've found the answer. If it weren't for Gan Ling, I would have been completely ruined, turned into a bastard, instead of what I am now. Teacher Gan, only she can make me a good person..."
Gan Ling's eyes suddenly felt sore, and the memories of her and Cheng Zhao's past surged in her mind, warm and gentle, like a tide. It was not until this moment that she truly understood Cheng Zhao, his inner fragility and kindness.
But what he heard next shocked Gan Ling so much that he forgot all the bitterness.
"No, you don't have to apologize. If I were you, I wouldn't agree either... Teacher Gan, thank you..." Cheng Zhao's voice was obviously choked.
Gan Ling straightened up silently, turned around, and walked towards the stairs again. This time, she was really relieved.
After returning from the restaurant with his lunchbox, Cheng Zhao was still there, sitting on a stool in front of Gan Wenkang's bed, probably discussing something that had happened at the company. Gan Wenkang first noticed Gan Ling and glanced towards the door. Cheng Zhao immediately turned around as well, both of them smiling.
Gan Wenkang waved to his daughter, and Gan Ling put down her lunch box and walked over. Gan Wenkang looked at her with a loving gaze, and something different from before. The tightness of his worries melted away, replaced by relief. He held their hands, one on each side, and then placed Gan Ling's hand in Cheng Zhao's palm.
There was no need to say anything, both of them understood.
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