"Doctor, how is my wife?" Zhang Yinchuan asked the doctor, pulling his son along.
"Her condition isn't very good. From her brainwaves, the EEG shows a scattered waveform..."
"Uh, Doctor, can you explain it more simply? What exactly is her illness?"
"A vegetative state."
Zhang Yinchuan was stunned. His wife had been fine when he left for work that morning. How could she suddenly be in a vegetative state?
"Doctor, did you... did you perhaps make a mistake? She had no illnesses, and her head wasn't hit or bumped. How could she suddenly be in a vegetative state when she was perfectly fine?"
"We don't quite know the specific cause yet and require further diagnosis to confirm. However, her current symptoms essentially match the characteristics of a vegetative state."
"So... so is there any treatment?" Zhang Yinchuan asked, his voice trembling.
If his wife remained in a coma, their family would be truly ruined. Their young son still needed care. Besides taking care of the child, could he still work? Could he support the family?
"Alas, we don't have any foolproof methods. However, you can talk to her more, reminisce about past events, especially those with deep memories. Perhaps it can awaken her. There are many such cases..."
"Okay... okay, thank you, Doctor, thank you, Doctor."
Zhang Yinchuan knew the situation was extremely slim, but hearing it from the doctor's mouth felt like a great hope.
He led his bewildered son towards the ward.
"Xiaoyong, do you like Mommy?" Zhang Yinchuan asked.
"Yes."
"Mommy is a very good person, right? She's just a bit naggy and strict with you."
Zhang Xiaoyong didn't quite understand his father's meaning, but he looked up at him and said, "I want to play."
"Yes, children like to play. Your Mommy is very strict with you, but you still love her. She makes your favorite potato ribs and takes you to catch dragonflies in the countryside..."
Zhang Xiaoyong nodded. Although his mother often called him useless and criticized him for this and that, she would buy him delicious food, take him out to play, and tell him she loved him. Even though he wasn't as good as other children...
"Mommy is sleeping. Let's talk to her more and help her wake up, okay?"
"Okay..."
Talking as they walked, the two entered the ward.
There, they saw a burly man standing by the bed with his back to them.
"Who are you..." Zhang Yinchuan's expression was puzzled.
As far as he could recall, his wife didn't know such a man.
The reason he said that was because the man's physique was so distinctive. He was nearly two meters tall, with muscles rippling all over his body. Even with his back to them, he exuded a powerful sense of oppression.
His son, Zhang Xiaoyong, immediately hid behind him.
The man turned around upon hearing their voices.
Zhang Yinchuan was startled. A chill shot up from his tailbone to the crown of his head, stiffening his entire body and rendering him immobile. The words halfway out of his mouth got stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.
The reason for this was the man's eyes, which were entirely inhuman. They were cold, emotionless, showing a disregard for life, as if looking at chickens and ducks being prepared for slaughter.
The man didn't answer his question but directly turned and walked past him. Despite his immense size, his footsteps were exceptionally light, making no sound.
After the man had been gone for quite some time, Zhang Yinchuan finally took a deep breath and came back to his senses.
He then noticed his son burying his head against his leg, tightly gripping his clothes, trembling all over.
"Xiaoyong..."
He momentarily forgot his fear, quickly turned, and pulled his son into his arms.
Liu Kuiyuan was a devil, not the kind of creature that resided in hell in Western tales, but a fusion of demon and ghost.
When living beings, due to intense desires, give birth to human demons, these demons lack intelligence and operate purely on instinct, growing stronger only through the host's desires.
After the host's death, the human demon devours the host's soul. The fusion of demon and ghost then results in intelligence.
From then on, the devil is freed from the host's constraints and can roam freely in the human world. Besides being able to devour each other, they can also grow stronger by devouring human demons.
The human demon born within Liu Cuiping had long been targeted by him. He had originally intended to "raise" it a bit more before devouring it.
However, the mark he left today had disappeared, so he had returned to check.
If it had been devoured by another devil, he wouldn't mind devouring that devil to grow stronger himself.
...
Zhang Xinwu carried a plastic bag filled with freshly bought large meat buns.
Watching the rolling river, he ate a meat bun after another, the buns in the bag disappearing at a visible rate.
Patting his belly, he casually tossed the bag into a nearby trash can.
Although he was a monster, he was also a civilized monster.
However, the moment he turned, he bumped into an equally tall and burly giant.
"Monster?"
"Devil?"
"In broad daylight, you dare to roam around?"
Zhang Xinwu grinned, revealing his white, menacing teeth.
"I am Liu Kuiyuan, pleased to mee—"
"Damn it, I hate people surnamed Liu the most..."
Before the other party could finish speaking, Zhang Xinwu suddenly leaped forward, flashing in front of him and reaching for his throat.
Liu Kuiyuan reacted extremely swiftly, transforming into a wisp of black energy and escaping to the right.
But Zhang Xinwu, despite his large frame, was exceptionally agile and quick-witted. He swung a whip kick, and the air tore like fabric.
This time, Liu Kuiyuan did not dodge. He extended his hand to block, his palm transforming into two massive claws. His dark red palms had two eyeballs rolling within them.
The moment the eyeballs in his palms met Zhang Xinwu's gaze, Liu Kuiyuan's body became invisible and instantly vanished.
Zhang Xinwu's body also paused involuntarily.
"You play quite fancy," Zhang Xinwu said, but there was a clear hint of anger in his tone.
He reached for his belt and pulled it out, flicking it into an iron rod.
If he didn't wield a rod, he wouldn't dare call himself Zhang Dasheng.
He swung the rod in his hand at an empty space nearby, letting out a loud bang. Liu Kuiyuan's body reappeared, sent flying by a blow from the rod, crashing into the embankment. The embankment immediately showed countless cracks spreading outwards.
Zhang Xinwu did not cease his attack. He leaped, like a giant ape, swinging the rod down...
Their struggle created a great roar, naturally drawing the attention of some passersby.
But at that moment, thick mist suddenly rose from the river, quickly obscuring this area. The passersby seemed to forget everything they had seen and hurried away, as if blind.
...
"Is it delicious?" Liu Nanfeng asked Feng Hongjin, who was sitting opposite him.
Liu Nanfeng had brought her directly to Nanfeng Cafe.
The adorable little one was immediately welcomed by everyone.
Hong Xiumin also brought out the cake she had prepared.
"Delicious," the little one exclaimed, waving her fork, her face covered in cake crumbs.
Liu Nanfeng reached out and wiped her small face.
Xu Xinyi, standing behind the counter, quietly said to Su Jinxiu beside her, "Boss's wife, the boss likes children so much. When are you two going to have one?"
Su Jinxiu heard this, her delicate brows furrowed. Her beautiful eyes darted, and she shot Xu Xinyi a glare before picking up a cup of milk and walking towards the two.
"Warm milk, drink it in one gulp," Su Jinxiu placed the milk in front of Feng Hongjin.
"Thank you, Auntie," Feng Hongjin said politely.
"You should call me sister," Su Jinxiu gently pinched her small face.
"Sister, you are so pretty," Feng Hongjin said, her large eyes sparkling.
"You're so sweet-mouthed. You're very cute too," Su Jinxiu said happily.
"Mm, I'm very cute," Feng Hongjin said without any modesty.
Liu Nanfeng burst into laughter at her words.
Su Jinxiu's gaze shifted, and she looked at him.
Sensing her gaze, Liu Nanfeng took her hand and said, "Don't overthink it."
"I'm not overthinking it," Su Jinxiu replied softly.
"How can I not know you? Let nature take its course. Don't spend too much energy on this matter," Liu Nanfeng said earnestly.
Su Jinxiu knew what he was referring to and meekly replied, "I understand."
As the two spoke with their hands clasped, Feng Hongjin's large eyes kept shifting between them.
Suddenly, she looked enlightened and pointed at Su Jinxiu, "I know! You're big brother's wife, right?"
"Yes, you're so smart."
Seeing the child's adorable appearance, Su Jinxiu's maternal instincts were stirred. She stroked the little girl's head and sat down.
Receiving the praise, Feng Hongjin immediately put her hands on her hips, puffed out her small belly, and wore a proud expression.
However, her mouth was still smeared with milk, making her look both cute and amusing.
Just as Liu Nanfeng was about to speak, he heard a loud noise from outside and looked towards the window in confusion.
Su Jinxiu also stood up with a serious expression.
But at that moment, mist suddenly rose from the river, obscuring the entire road on the opposite side. All sounds vanished in an instant.
"Huh, Sister Ao is blowing river water again. I want to blow too."
She brought her little head close to the milk cup and blew "fu~".
Milk splashed everywhere, scattering across the table.
The little one froze, then suddenly lowered her head, about to lick it with her tongue, but Liu Nanfeng placed a hand on her small head.
"This can't be eaten," Liu Nanfeng quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped the table clean.
"Too bad, too bad..." the little one said with a pained expression.
Her accented words brought Su Jinxiu back to her senses, and she sat down again with a smile.
"The Sister Ao you're talking about, is it Ao Jiangyue?" Su Jinxiu asked.
Hearing this, the little one blinked her eyes and said foolishly, "Sister Ao is just Sister Ao."
"Alright, I won't ask you anymore. Come home with me for lunch today, and I'll make you something delicious."
Feng Hongjin didn't answer and looked expectantly at Liu Nanfeng.
"Her home is my home. Didn't you just say that? She's my wife, so we're family."
"Oh~ Oh... gulp..."
The little one drank her milk while nodding, unsure if she truly understood.
"You two sit here for a while. I'll go give some instructions, and then we'll head back. We'll also make a stop at the supermarket," Su Jinxiu said as she got up.
"Okay."
The little one nodded earnestly, looking very well-behaved. Su Jinxiu couldn't help but pat her small head again.
Su Jinxiu returned to the counter, gave a few instructions, took a bouquet of flowers from nearby, and then called the two to go back with her.
The little one hurriedly drank the remaining milk in her cup, then patted her small belly with satisfaction. However, there was still some cake left on the table, and she was too full to eat any more.
She looked at Liu Nanfeng.
"Let's leave it here for now. We can eat it when we come back this afternoon, okay?"
"Okay."
She cheerfully shook her head.
Liu Nanfeng wiped the corners of her mouth and face, then led her out of the cafe and to Su Jinxiu, who was waiting.
The little one instinctively placed her small hand into Su Jinxiu's palm.
Su Jinxiu was taken aback. She looked down to see the little one looking up at her with a smiling face, and a warmth surged within her. She tightened her grip on the hand and said with a smile, "Let's go, we're going home."
"Home."
The little one deliberately lifted her short legs high and took large steps forward.
Looking at the little person holding her hand and then at Liu Nanfeng beside her, Su Jinxiu felt a surge of inexplicable sadness.
How wonderful it would be if this were their daughter.
"I told you, stop overthinking," Liu Nanfeng said, turning his head towards her as if sensing something.
Su Jinxiu gave a slight smile and nodded.
Liu Nanfeng took the bouquet of flowers from her embrace, pulled out two roses, and gave one to Su Jinxiu and one to Feng Hongjin.
Feng Hongjin curiously sniffed the rose, then extended her small tongue and licked it.
"Pah~ Pah~ Not tasty."
Su Jinxiu and Liu Nanfeng looked at each other and laughed.
Just then, the mist on the road cleared, and they saw Zhang Xinwu walking towards them, clutching his waist.
"Brother Zhang, what happened to you?" Liu Nanfeng asked in surprise.
"I overexerted myself and strained my back. I need to stew some ox kidney to supplement it..."
Can ox kidney really help with a sore back?
Zhang Xinwu's gaze fell on Feng Hongjin, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Feng Hongjin, however, fearfully hid behind Liu Nanfeng.
"Is this your daughter? She's so cute," Zhang Xinwu said.
Liu Nanfeng thought he was asking a rhetorical question but still replied, "She's a friend's daughter, visiting us. Brother Zhang, you're busy, so we won't bother you."
Then he pulled Feng Hongjin and walked away.
Su Jinxiu had remained silent the entire time. As they passed by, she gave Zhang Xinwu a slight nod.
Watching their receding backs, Zhang Xinwu scratched his head, a look of confusion on his face, and muttered to himself.
"What happened? How could her mother let her come ashore?"
After walking a certain distance, Su Jinxiu suddenly asked out of the blue, "You know now, right?"
Liu Nanfeng knew what she was asking about and nodded.
Since Liu Nanfeng could discover the identities of the Su Jinxiu sisters, it was impossible for him not to know Zhang Xinwu's identity.
"Boss Zhang looks fierce, but he's actually a decent person," Su Jinxiu added.
"Whether he's decent or not is none of my business. Let's go, we should go to the supermarket. By the way, what else do you need to buy?"
Liu Nanfeng remembered she had already been to the supermarket that morning and should have bought everything she needed.
"Let's buy some snacks. There's no food at home," Su Jinxiu said, stroking Feng Hongjin's small head.
Liu Nanfeng suddenly understood. It seemed Su Jinxiu truly liked this little girl.
At this moment, Feng Hongjin handed the flower back to Liu Nanfeng.
It couldn't be eaten, so what was the point of it?
Then she took their hands again and strode forward with a gait resembling a march.
"Home," she said.