Chapter 868 A high fever The trip to Tianjin Port temporarily soothed the wrinkles in Zhou Fang's mind.
The sea breeze, the laughter of family, and the rekindled light in his wife's eyes helped him rediscover some of the sense of security he felt as a husband and father.
The chaotic emotions stirred up by the autumn harvest seem all the more worthless in comparison to the warmth of reality.
After returning to Beijing to handle the backlog of affairs, Zhou Fang found an excuse to travel south to Shanghai again.
This time, 놛's mood was different, and her purpose was clear: to find Qiuhe and make things clear.
He wanted to tell her that he was already married and could no longer be with her.
Zhou Fang will continue to help her complete her studies in an appropriate manner, but there should be no further contact between them.
I think it's better for everyone to explain things clearly this way.
Upon arriving in Haishi, I first went to the Jasmine Clothing store.
Bao Xiangxiang was somewhat surprised to see 놛.
"Why are you here again?"
"Well, I have something to take care of. Qiuhe... is she still working here?" Zhou Fang asked as casually as possible.
Bao Xiangxiang glanced at her, her eyes filled with complicated emotions, and sighed: "She... recently had a family emergency. Her mother passed away. She took a few days off, then came back and worked for a few days, but then she got injured. She sprained her ankle badly, so I gave her some money to help her recover."
Zhou's heart sank suddenly. His mother... had passed away?
The image of Qiuhe crying helplessly in the hospital flashed before my eyes, and my heart tightened.
All the prepared remarks and arguments suddenly vanished from my mind.
When they found Bao Xiangxiang, she was sitting at the entrance of the cafeteria, eating a steamed bun.
"Manager Zhou?" Her voice was hoarse and dry.
"I heard about your mother's situation, and your foot... how is it?"
"It's all in the past now, my foot is much better, thank you for coming to see me."
The words Zhou Fang had prepared swirled in her throat a few times, but she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say them.
To say those strange things to this girl who had just lost a loved one, was suffering from injuries and was clearly in an extremely difficult situation, was like rubbing salt into her wounds.
"Let's go, we can talk as we walk."
Zhou Fang found a small restaurant and ordered a few dishes. "Don't eat the steamed buns, have some vegetables instead. You should still be growing."
These words suddenly brought tears to Qiuhe's eyes: "I can't get through on the phone, my mom..."
"I know everything. I won't say anything more. You should eat first. No matter what, the living must go on."
After dinner, he took her to a department store and bought her two thick, warm coats and a pair of sturdy cotton shoes.
Qiuhe was like a puppet, letting herself be manipulated. When trying on clothes, her eyes were blank as she looked at herself in the mirror, without joy or rejection.
Zhou Fang took her to the hospital again, re-examined her ankle, prescribed some better medicine, and instructed her to rest.
Finally, Zhou Fang decided to move her to a room that was closer to her school and workplace, and that was drier and brighter.
I simply couldn't bear to look at that damp and gloomy pavilion any longer.
While these things were being done, Qiuhe remained silent, following behind her without speaking or asking questions. Only occasionally would she look at her overly quiet eyes as she watched her busy figure.
Standing in the newly found, still simple but at least brightly lit little house, Zhou Fang handed her the key, put some money on the table, and told her to rest well, eat on time, and not to fall behind in her studies.
"Why? Why did you ignore me before... and now you're being so nice to me?"
“I... I was wrong before. I shouldn't have caused you to misunderstand. I can't ignore what you're going through now, but Qiuhe, you're still young and have a long road ahead of you. Don't let these difficulties or anything else hold you back. Study hard, and you'll have a better future.”
Qiuhe seemed not to hear what was said after that, she just stared at him stubbornly, tears silently rolling down her pale cheeks.
"Then... will you marry me?"
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Marry her?
These two words were like a red-hot branding iron, burning my heart with excruciating pain, instantly extinguishing all my vague thoughts.
Zhou Fang ultimately did not give an answer.
He lowered his eyes, avoiding her utterly defeated gaze, and squeezed out a few broken syllables: "Qiuhe... I... you should rest well."
Zhou Fang turned around in a panic and left as if fleeing.
Before things were resolved on this side, Lu Qingyang suddenly fell ill again.
Lu Qingyang fell ill.
In Shen Mo's memory, Lu Qingyang was like an unyielding pine tree, full of energy and strong will, seemingly never knowing what fatigue was.
Even Shen Mo rarely gets truly sick; at most, she has a slight cough during seasonal changes, and after drinking two bowls of her stewed pear soup, she's full of energy again.
But this time was different. After several days of intense work, coupled with catching a cold from traveling between the north and south, I felt dizzy and lightheaded, and my whole body was cold, when I got home one night.
At first, he tried to tough it out, but then he developed a high fever in the middle of the night and became somewhat delirious.
Shen Mo touched her burning forehead and was startled. She quickly gave her some fever-reducing medicine.
After taking the medicine, Lu Qingyang felt a headache. In his dazed state, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the modern world.
Where is this...?
놛费꺆눓 turned her stiff neck and saw the transparent tube attached to her arm, connected to a glass bottle containing a colorless liquid hanging above.
My gaze swept across the room: the cramped space, the iron bed rails, the call button on the wall, and the window… the window was from a hospital ward.
Just then, the ward door was suddenly pushed open, and a series of hurried footsteps and sobbing cries rushed in.
"Qingyang, my son, you're awake? How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt? Is anything else bothering you?"
A middle-aged woman with slightly disheveled hair and red, swollen eyes rushed to the bedside. She looked exactly like the mother in my memory, only much older.
Following closely behind was a middle-aged man with an equally anxious expression and graying temples, the father of the man, who was carrying a thermos.
"It's good that you're awake! It's good that you're awake! Doctor! Where's the doctor?" The man turned and shouted towards the door, his voice hoarse.
Lu Qingyang opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a complete sound.
Where is Chen Mo?
Where is the child?
Could it be that 놛 has returned?
As consciousness sank, I discovered that the space had vanished; I couldn't sense its existence at all.
"How could you have gotten hit on the head by a billboard? Luckily it's not too serious. You're the eldest son of the family, and we've worked so hard to get where we are today. What would we do if you were gone?"
My parents run a small restaurant to support my education. I finally found a job at the Forestry Bureau and was on my way to work when this happened.
Lu Qingyang sorted out his chaotic thoughts.
It turns out that I traveled back from the Korean era.
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