Xiao Xun's mother looked at Yun Mei’s appearance and was furious. "It's perfectly normal for us to see our son. What do you mean by what you said?"
Yun Mei mumbled, "My uncle doesn't allow me to say."
"That little brat, ignore him. You were sent by me. If anything happens to him from now on, you call me directly."
Xiao Xun's mother had been in charge since she was young. Her father died early, and her elder brother went out to make a living. Her mother and grandmother raised several younger siblings. Liu Shijia's father grew up on Xiao Xun's mother's back. After marrying Xiao Xun's father, she was the one who called the shots. Everything in the family was decided by her.
Even if Xiao Xun's father was asked to manage, he probably wouldn't be willing. His father was only interested in cooking, and his only other hobby was tasting delicious food.
When it got dark, the group left Xiao Xun alone in the ward and went out to eat.
Although Xiao Xun's mother was tough on the outside, she still cared for her son. She brought Xiao Xun a lot of grilled lamb kidneys, crispy kidney flowers, and other dishes.
"Mom, what do you mean by this?"
His mother said while opening the lunchbox, "As the saying goes, you are what you eat."
Xiao Xun squeezed his eyes and twisted his mouth. "I didn't injure that part..."
His father chimed in at this moment, "What do you mean you didn't injure it? The doctor told me."
Xiao Xun quickly corrected, "The doctor said it was almost..."
Yun Mei then added, "It must have been quite a fright for that part. Eat something to replenish it."
Xiao Xun was speechless. "..."
Mu Jiahe, who was beside them, was amused. She covered her mouth, bent over, and laughed uncontrollably.
Xiao Xun's mother looked panicked and whispered to Xiao Xun, "Could your wife be pregnant?"
Xiao Xun glared at his mother. "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about!"
After Xiao Xun finished eating, Mu Jiahe said she would take his parents to a nearby hotel to rest.
Xiao Xun's father suggested that Yun Mei and his mother go to rest, and he would take care of his son. After all, it was inconvenient for Yun Mei to take care of Xiao Xun.
In the end, Mu Jiahe took Yun Mei and Xiao Xun's mother to the hotel. After checking them in, she drove back to the villa area.
As night fell and the corridor lights dimmed, Xiao Xun's father came to the bed with a basin of hot water.
Xiao Xun asked curiously, "Dad, what are you doing?"
His father said expressionlessly, "I'll wipe your body and feet for you." As he spoke, he started rolling up his sleeves.
Xiao Xun's eyes welled up. "Dad, how can I let you wipe me?"
"Why not? Don't you remember, when you were little and went to the toilet, wasn't it always me? And when you ate, you wouldn't eat well, and your mother didn't have the patience. Wasn't it me who fed you spoonful by spoonful?"
Xiao Xun choked up and said, "Dad, I'm sorry to you. I'm so old, and I'm still making you worry about me."
His father lifted Xiao Xun's quilt and wrung out the towel in the basin. "What's there to be sorry about? You're my son, I'm your father. It's awkward for us to say such things.
At first, I blamed your mother for insisting on sending you to that big city. I think it would have been good to stay by our side. Money is just money, how much is enough? You gave your mother so much money, and we still spend as much as we need each month, and we'll still open the shop. After you recover from your injuries, let's go back to the town. Whether that boss Mu is willing or not, we won't try to climb that high branch. You just stay by your dad's side."
"Dad, I still have something very important to do."
His father carefully wiped every inch of Xiao Xun's skin. "What important thing is more important than my son's life? Your dad is over fifty this year. How many more years can I live? I've been waiting to hold my grandson and enjoy the happiness of family. You can't... you can't leave me with no one to take care of me in my final years, can you?"
Hearing his father say this, Xiao Xun instantly felt that his father had aged a lot, with more wrinkles, looser skin, and less vigor than when he was younger.
"Dad, I promise you, no matter what I do from now on, I won't put myself in danger."
His father threw the towel into the basin and said nothing more.
"Dad, what are you thinking about?"
His father casually said, "Nothing, I was just thinking about the pear tree by the entrance of our old house, the pond from my childhood, and the steamed buns your grandmother made."
Xiao Xun knew that the house in their hometown had long been demolished, and the pear tree had been cut down. The place was now a well-known feed mill. The pond from his father's childhood had dried up long before he was born, and his grandmother had died many years ago.
He didn't know why his father had become so sentimental and nostalgic. "People always have to look forward. How can they always reminisce about the past? The past is gone. Those who are alive have to look towards tomorrow, don't they?"
Xiao Xun's father smiled and shook his head. "Maybe you're right, but why do people have memories? It's to let themselves live in the present, but also not to forget the past."
After saying this, neither father nor son spoke again for the entire night.
It wasn't until the next morning when the nurse came in to change his dressing. As soon as she pushed the door open, Xiao Xun's father woke up with an angry expression on his face.
Seeing that it was the nurse, he was stunned for three minutes before recovering. His expression shifted from ferocious to normal. It seemed he had had a nightmare the night before, and likely dreamt of Xiao Xun getting injured.
While the dressing was being changed, Xiao Xun's mother and Yun Mei also arrived. His mother told his father to go back to the hotel to rest properly, and she and Yun Mei would watch during the day.
Xiao Xun's father left without a word, turning and walking out. Anyone would think he was a stubborn person.
There was nothing much to do during the day, so Xiao Xun chatted with his mother.
"Mom, you said you were a famous beauty in the surrounding villages. How did you fall for my dad?"
Xiao Xun's mother glared at him. "You're such a troublemaker, with nothing better to do than tease your old mother. What's wrong with your dad? What's lacking that I shouldn't like him?"
Xiao Xun teased, "My uncle told me back then that you had many suitors. They were rich, powerful, and handsome, but in the end, you've been with my dad for so many years."
His mother's eyes widened. "Which uncle told you that? I'll tear his mouth apart after I see him."
Seeing that his mother was truly angry, Xiao Xun stopped talking.
When Xiao Xun was little, he had heard many people say that his mother was a famous beauty in the surrounding villages and that marrying Xiao Xun's father was a waste. But his mother insisted on marrying him, and no one could persuade or stop her.
The couple worked together, one managing the household and the other managing outside affairs, making their restaurant flourish and earning much admiration.
Especially since his mother was two years older than his father, she looked like she was in her thirties. The guests who came to the restaurant every day were many, and there were also those who got drunk and caused trouble. However, no one dared to lay a hand on Xiao Xun's mother because they couldn't afford to offend his father.
Everyone in the surrounding villages knew that his father was an absolute tough guy in his youth. Ordinary street thugs would call him 'Fourth Brother' when they saw him.
When Xiao Xun was young, his parents were busy with the restaurant. His grandmother picked him up from school. After his grandmother passed away, his maternal uncle took him. When he got older, he went to school himself.
His family did not spoil him. Apart from the necessary textbook fees and miscellaneous expenses, any pocket money had to be earned from the back kitchen by washing dishes, washing vegetables, and carrying things.
He wasn't afraid of not washing cleanly or working slowly. As long as he worked, he got paid.
However, after he went to the big city, he was like a kite with a broken string. Every month, apart from the fixed time to ask for money, they didn't talk much. He had hoped to become self-reliant after graduating from university, but he still asked his family for money, threatening to return to the restaurant and work in the back kitchen if they didn't give him money.
His mother reluctantly gave him some living expenses every month. This continued until Xiao Xun handed his mother a card with over a hundred million yuan. His mother still felt like she was dreaming.
When they returned to their hometown, he kept murmuring about this matter with his father. They always felt that Xiao Xun shouldn't have so much money at such a young age. They worried he might have done something illegal or immoral, especially since he had just been released from the detention center before receiving the money.
Later, they thought about it. With so much money, they couldn't even get it by robbing a bank. After analyzing all possible and impossible scenarios, the old couple finally felt at ease, believing that the money was earned by their son through his own abilities, by 'eating soft rice'.
Once they decided on this, they could never change their minds. His mother often advised his father, saying, "Making money is not shameful. Besides, our family is a boy. The girl is not bad-looking either, but I don't know if she'll have children..."