Chapter 9

In the cardiac ward of Qingyang University Affiliated Hospital, a burly young man yanked away the elderly Mr. Lu, glaring at him angrily, "What did you give my grandfather? Do you want to kill him?"

Although not in uniform, the young man exuded a fiery and fierce aura, perhaps from spending too much time in the military, which had imbued him with a fiery temper.

As he spoke, he reached out to try to pry open the old man's mouth to retrieve the pill that had been forced in, but where could he find it?

"Xiaoqiu!" A tall, stern-looking middle-aged man quickly reprimanded him, "How can you speak to your elders like that?"

Although the elders of both families had been on bad terms for years, the old man was already on his deathbed. To come and visit was already a gesture of goodwill, and some old grudges perhaps didn't need to be brought up again.

At least, they had never made things difficult for the younger generations.

"This thing is priceless, and you stubborn mules..." Mr. Lu shook the medicine bottle in his hand, carefully put it back in his pocket, and sighed, turning to leave, "When Old Tiger wakes up, have him come see me."

"You..." The young man clenched his fists, wishing he could punch Mr. Lu. The hospital had already issued a critical condition notice, and he still wanted his grandfather to go see him?

Moreover, in terms of rank and seniority, his grandfather was of higher status. What kind of attitude was this?

But a weak voice from the bed struck the young man like a bolt of lightning, and he hurriedly turned to the bedside, crying softly, "Grandpa, Grandpa... Is there anything you want to say? I'm here!"

"Slap!" The old man on the bed slapped him on the head, "Why are you crying? Are you cursing me? I'm not dead yet!"

Qing Linqiu was stunned. Didn't you say you wanted to see me before you died, which is why I rushed back no matter what?

What's going on here?

Mr. Lu returned to his ward, lay on the bed, crossed his legs, and hummed a tune, listening to the commotion outside. Distantly, he could hear the sounds of crying and laughter. After about twenty minutes, the door was pushed open, and a tall figure strode in, saying, "I'm here!"

Although he was facing his savior, Old Tiger was furious, as if he had been greatly humiliated rather than saved: "Lu, what do you want? Draw your line!"

"You... How can you not change that bandit's temper?" Mr. Lu swung his leg, speaking slowly, and pointed to the opposite side, "Sit down first. Don't worry, it wasn't me who saved you. A friend of mine gave me a bottle of special medicine, and I just used you as a test subject."

He paused, seeing that the fiery-tempered Old Tiger was about to speak again, and waved his hand, "I know your temper. If I don't let you repay me, you'll always feel uneasy. How about this... I remember you used to be a chef under a master of Shandong cuisine before you joined the military. I wonder if you still have the skills?"

"Do you want me to cook for you as a thank you? No way!" The fiery-tempered Old Tiger jumped up, almost cursing.

If it weren't for the effectiveness of the special medicine, he might have been so angry that he would have died on the spot.

"What haven't I eaten in my life? Your cooking?" Mr. Lu looked at him with disdain, "But my little friend has a good appetite and might be able to tolerate your mediocre skills."

They say old people are like children, and sometimes their personalities and tempers are like those of children. Mr. Lu couldn't help but feel happy seeing Old Tiger's frustrated look. This one pill, though precious, was worth it just to see this expression.

And the best part was yet to come.

Seeing Old Tiger's changing expression, Mr. Lu waved his hand, "Look at you, so troubled. I heard you, Old Tiger, are a man of honor, but I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful..."

"Fine, draw your line, and I'll take it! When? What do you want to eat?" Old Tiger was so angry he wanted to strangle Mr. Lu.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong..." Mr. Lu waved his hand, "First, it's not me who wants to eat. Didn't I say it wasn't me who saved you, but my little friend? Second, can your life be settled with just one meal? That's too cheap. At least cook for a month."

"Don't push me too far!" Old Tiger roared, standing up, his hands spread wide, seemingly unable to hold back.

But in his heart, he knew Mr. Lu was right.

Not to mention that the cardiac department of Qingyang University Affiliated Hospital was one of the best in the country, even the foreign experts invited for exchanges over the past two years couldn't solve his heart problems.

But now, he was lively and energetic, with no shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat. How long had it been since he felt so refreshed? It seemed he hadn't felt this way since he was fifty.

"Pushing me too far? Then commit suicide now and give me your life back." Mr. Lu had a firm grip on Old Tiger.

Old Tiger was speechless. How could someone say such shameless things? It seemed he had underestimated this old rival all these years.

Nanming received Mr. Lu's call the next morning.

Before the call, Nanming had already flipped through his contact list five or six times, thinking about who could invite him for a big meal to replenish his energy.

Yesterday afternoon, after they finished eating, they went to a furniture store and bought three massage beds, which they forcibly installed in an empty room on the second floor of the massage parlor. Nanming took a pen and wrote a sign, which he stuck on the price tag.

"What are you two doing?" Qi Bin was both amused and exasperated. These two had brought in seven or eight people and started causing trouble without any explanation.

Nanming loudly read the sign: "Supreme Massage Package, Appointment Required, 588 RMB per session."

Qi Bin, being an older brother, didn't want to scold Nanming, so he grabbed Chen Wei, "Are you going to let him act like this?"

"Try it and you'll see." Chen Wei smiled, leaving Qi Bin in the store, half-believing and half-doubting.

Nanming was now in a bit of a financial bind and needed to replenish his energy with a big meal. Unfortunately, he didn't know many people, and the only one on his luxury menu was Liang Jianqiang. But he had just had a meal with him yesterday, so he couldn't do it again today.

Fortunately, Mr. Lu called.

"Little Ming, do you miss Uncle?"

Nanming's response was a loud, "I do!"

Not only did he miss him, but he thought about him every day, and even drooled at the thought.

"Thinking about good food, huh?" Mr. Lu laughed heartily.

Nanming rubbed his stomach, thinking, "Am I that easy to read?"

"Uncle misses you too. I really want you to come to Qingyang soon. By the way, I've found a place for you to eat. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet." Nanming said. His parents were busy and might not be home for lunch, so he was thinking about how to solve his lunch problem. To make his parents worry less, he couldn't let them be bothered by him.

"Perfect. Someone will come to pick you up from your building later and call you. For at least a month, you can come here to eat whenever you're hungry." Mr. Lu said.

"Ah... I don't have any money..." Nanming said.

Mr. Lu almost burst out laughing. If Nanming asked Old Tiger how much the meal cost, what would Old Tiger's expression be?

"Don't worry, it's free."

"Can I bring friends?"

"Sure, as many as you want." Mr. Lu almost burst out laughing again, imagining Old Tiger's expression.

"Great, thank you, Uncle Lu!" Nanming, ignoring the energy cost, jumped three feet high.

After chatting with Mr. Lu for a while, Nanming hung up, and his phone rang again.

It was a strange number from another city.

Qing Linqiu parked the borrowed Hyundai at the building and stood in the hallway, looking up the stairs, listening to the approaching footsteps, feeling a mix of anticipation and amusement.

The young man who saved his grandfather lived in this half-old, half-new residential building? And his grandfather was going to cook for him for a month as a thank you?

It seemed so absurd.

The Qing family was a military family, known for their word and swift action.

Yesterday, Old Tiger insisted on being discharged from the hospital and started preparing to come to Wengji in the afternoon.

This morning, Old Tiger arrived in Wengji and was ready by noon, asking Qing Linqiu to pick him up.

His character was always like this. With such a great favor, he couldn't feel at ease until he repaid it.

Qing Linqiu had originally come to be with his grandfather in his final days, considering the many funeral arrangements and the need to spend more time with his father, he had taken a ten-day leave. But now, with the funeral turned into a celebration, he couldn't cancel his leave, so he decided to come along. ... Well, I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please give some feedback and recommendations. Don't be so passive...