There were dozens of mu of land. Li Xiulan stayed in the city to look after the children, leaving only him and Gu Xingguo’s couple at home. With only three adults, the children like Xiaosong could help during the busy farming season, but it would take at least a month to harvest everything.
Suddenly, he heard a call on the village broadcast and was taken aback. He wondered who it could be.
Upon hearing Gu Xingdong’s voice, he immediately chuckled and said, “Third son, are you mother accustomed to living there? I heard from your eldest sister-in-law that the two children are so adorable. If it weren’t for the upcoming autumn harvest, I would really have loved to visit.”
Gu Xingdong tightened his grip on the phone. “Dad, Mom is sick.”
Gu Shoufu was stunned after hearing what he said, and after a long silence, he finally managed to speak with difficulty, “Dad knows…”
“Dad, who called?” Gu Xingguo asked casually as he returned.
Gu Shoufu replied absentmindedly, “It’s Xingdong. He said your mother is sick.”
“What? Mom is sick? Is it serious?”
“It’s nothing major,” Gu Shoufu said, walking towards the house. “Eldest son, I’m going to the city now. I’ll leave the house to you two for the time being.”
Zhang Qin asked, “Dad, can you manage on your own? Or should Xingguo go with you?”
“Yes, Dad, what is Mom’s illness? Should I go with you?”
Gu Shoufu shook his head. “With the land needing to be harvested, I can go by myself. You stay home.”
Soon, he returned to his room, packed a few clothes, and headed straight to town.
News from the capital quickly arrived. Old He’s brother, He Ziyu, a famous neurologist in the capital, was actually in the provincial capital!
“It’s quite a coincidence, he was just invited by the hospital over there for an academic exchange a couple of days ago. I’ve already spoken to them. Remember this number; it will be convenient for contact.”
Gu Xingdong quickly jotted down the number. “Old He, thank you so much for this.”
“Don’t give me all that fuss, boy. Just remember to come visit me when you have time.”
…
Gu Shoufu arrived the next evening. As soon as Li Xiulan saw him, she knew the children must have told him.
Looking at his bloodshot eyes, she guessed he hadn’t slept all night, and her own eyes welled up.
“I’m already going back, why did you still come?”
“Xingdong told me everything. The medical facilities here are good, and we’ll definitely be able to cure it,” Gu Shoufu said, his voice hoarse.
“Third son, tell Dad the current situation again.” It wasn’t convenient to explain in detail over the phone, but now that they were face-to-face, Gu Shoufu needed to ask for a clear account.
“My former leader has a brother who is an expert at a hospital in the capital. He even studied abroad before and has very strong professional skills. He’s still in the provincial capital. I’ve already called him, and he said he can take Mom tomorrow and examine her himself before making a conclusion.”
Gu Shoufu nodded, then turned to look at Li Xiulan and took her hand. “The children have found an expert, so there will be no problem. Old lady, you need to relax. The most important thing in life is one’s mindset. Many people don’t die from illness, but rather from frightening themselves to death. Let’s not overthink it; I’ll be by your side.”
“You old man, what are you doing being so intimate in front of the children?” Li Xiulan said, a little embarrassed, and quickly pulled her hand away, but a genuine smile appeared on her face for the first time in many days.
A spouse is a companion in old age. Seeing him, Li Xiulan felt a sense of stability.
Seeing her smile, the others couldn’t help but smile along. The somber atmosphere in the house for many days lessened considerably.
The next day, the family went to the oncology hospital again. This was also the first time Chen Lishu met He Ziyu.
To be honest, he was completely different from what she had imagined.
Being called an expert, she thought he would be at least forty or fifty years old, but he looked very young, appearing to be only in his early twenties.
He had short hair, a smooth and full forehead, thick dark eyebrows, and bright, very spirited eyes.
“Gu Xingdong?”
Gu Xingdong nodded, then extended his hand with a pleasant expression. “Hello.”
He Ziyu ignored the outstretched hand, instead frowning his thick dark eyebrows and saying, “No need for pleasantries. If my brother hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have taken this patient at all.”
Gu Xingdong indifferently withdrew his hand. “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Soon, He Ziyu called Li Xiulan forward. “Bring me the previous X-rays and examination reports to look at.”
Chen Lishu heard him and quickly handed over the results.
As he looked at the reports, everyone held their breath, afraid that a slight breath might affect his judgment.
After a while, He Ziyu looked up. “This surgery can be performed, but there is at most a fifty percent chance.”
The chance had suddenly increased from just over ten percent to fifty percent?
“Let me know your decision as soon as possible. I only have one day available three days from now. I have to go elsewhere next week. If you decide, there will be some pre-operative preparations.”
Li Xiulan looked back at her son and Gu Shoufu. The family had discussed it before coming. If there was more than a fifty percent chance, she would have the surgery; otherwise, she would give up, and the elderly couple would go home together.
“Doctor, I’ll do it.”
He Ziyu nodded upon hearing her words and then quickly scribbled down the required preparations and precautions.
A young nurse seemed to have struck gold.
Their director had already instructed them that He Ziyu performing surgery at their hospital was an extremely valuable experience, and any detail should be noted and not missed.
“Arrange for hospitalization first, and conduct tests according to what I’ve written these few days.”
“Okay, Dr. He,” the nurse replied and quickly went to prepare.
Since Li Xiulan had to be hospitalized, Gu Xingdong stayed to handle the procedures, while Chen Lishu went home to pack her things for her and feed the two children.
…
“Xiao Qi, I heard that a boss surnamed Zhu recently came to the provincial capital. He has tens of tons of steel, and he’s quietly looking for buyers. That material is definitely a hot commodity now.”
This day, Foreman Li suddenly came over, bringing this news with him.
Now that Hongyuan Company had taken over Jiangpan Garden, such a large project was clearly growing bigger and bigger. He had gone from looking down on them to admiration.
As the saying goes, always leave a way out. It seemed that choosing to build a connection with them back then was the right decision.
Lin Qi’s eyes lit up when he heard his words. “Do you know how to contact that Boss Zhu?”
“Our company also wanted to buy from him, but the fellow surnamed Zhu asked for too high a price, and he also said he was only staying in the provincial capital for three days. If no one could buy his steel in full, he would prepare to leave.”
“I heard our leader mention it, and I happened to remember where he was staying.”
Foreman Li then reported the name of a hotel.