Chapter 8

Xiao Bing returned to his hotel room. To avoid suspicion, he had booked a room in advance. The hotel's surveillance cameras could see when he entered, but not when he left. As the former captain of China's strongest special forces unit, he naturally had N ways to kill someone without arousing suspicion.

The next morning, after washing up and having a quick breakfast, Xiao Bing went to the hospital where Su Mother was staying. At the door of the ward, he saw Su Mother and Su Xiaoxiao chatting animatedly. It seemed her recovery was going well. He knocked gently on the door, and when the mother and daughter looked towards the door, he pushed it open.

"Benefactor has come," Su Mother said happily. "If it weren't for you yesterday, I probably wouldn't be alive now. I was just asking Xiaoxiao about you, but this child knows nothing."

Xiao Bing walked over and smiled. "Auntie, please don't call me benefactor. I'm Peiya's comrade, and you are my elder. Yesterday's incident is nothing to mention."

"You can't say that. Ah, you're Peiya's comrade? Peiya hasn't been back for a long time. How is she?" Su Mother was so excited that she almost sat up. Su Xiaoxiao quickly supported her and glared at Xiao Bing. They had agreed to keep it a secret, so why did he still say it? He's really unreliable!

Xiao Bing smiled. "Auntie, don't worry. She's still on a mission, but it will take a long time, so she can't come back for a while. She asked me to say hello to you."

"Ah, this child... I can understand her. Work is important, especially for the country. But it's a pity for the old man. He didn't get to see her before he died..."

Su Mother felt sad for a while, and Xiao Bing and Su Xiaoxiao hurriedly comforted her.

After a while, her mood improved, and she noticed that she had been neglecting her savior. She said apologetically, "I'm so rude. I don't even know your name. I'm Li Chunlan, you can call me Aunt Li."

Xiao Bing smiled and introduced himself. "I'm Xiao Bing. You can call me Xiao Bing."

"Then I'll call you Xiao Bing."

Xiao Bing smiled. "Auntie, you can call me whatever you like."

"Xiao Bing, where are you from? How old are you? Are you married?"

Su Xiaoxiao frowned at this question, and Xiao Bing wondered if Aunt Li was trying to set him up. But not answering would be impolite, so he smiled and said, "Auntie, I'm from Fenglan City. I'm twenty-six, and I don't have a wife or even a girlfriend."

Li Chunlan was pleased. She hadn't thought about others, but she had thought about her eldest daughter, Su Peiya, who was often away. Since Peiya had asked him to visit, it showed she had a good impression of him. Plus, he was her savior, so he looked good in her eyes. She thought she could help them get together.

"Twenty-six isn't young. My Peiya is twenty-three. You're both at the age where you should be dating. Why haven't you found anyone? No one suitable? Haven't your family introduced you to anyone?"

Xiao Bing said sadly, "I grew up in an orphanage and don't even know who my parents are. I have no family."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

Xiao Bing smiled. "It's okay. How is Auntie feeling?"

"Much better. If it were up to me, I would have been discharged already, but they won't let me."

Su Xiaoxiao complained, "Mom, the doctor said you can't even get out of bed yet. You need to rest for two days. And the doctor just did a full check-up this morning. We need to wait for the results."

"Ah, I know my own body. Staying in the hospital for a few more days is just a formality. Besides, the noodle shop needs me. Only I know how to make our special noodles. If I don't go back, how will the shop operate?"

Su Xiaoxiao said angrily, "The noodle shop doesn't need to serve noodles. Besides, is business more important than your health? You should stay here and rest until the doctor allows you to leave."

"You child..."

Li Chunlan was about to complain when Xiao Bing whispered, "Auntie, I can actually make your special noodles..."

"You can?" Li Chunlan looked at Xiao Bing in surprise. In her mind, the special noodles were a family recipe. After her husband died, only she and her eldest daughter, Su Peiya, knew how to make them. Could Peiya have taught him? As she thought, her eyes lit up. If Peiya had taught him this, what did it mean?

Xiao Bing said a bit embarrassedly, "Actually, this time I came because Peiya asked me to help at the noodle shop. I've already retired and am looking for work. I don't know if Auntie will take me."

Li Chunlan said happily, "Of course! Peiya has good taste. I'll make the decision. From now on, the shop is yours to manage."

Su Xiaoxiao blurted out, "No!"

The door to the ward suddenly opened, and the attending physician in a white coat stood at the door and said, "Family members, please come out for a moment."

Xiao Bing smiled. "Xiaoxiao, stay and talk with Auntie. I'll go listen to what the doctor has to say."

"Okay!" Seeing Xiao Bing take the initiative to be a family member, Li Chunlan was even happier. After Xiao Bing left, she glared at Su Xiaoxiao and said, "Xiao Bing is such a good boy, and he saved my life. What did he do to make you dislike him so much?"

Xiao Bing followed the doctor to the end of the corridor. The doctor looked at him and sighed, "You family members should be prepared. The patient probably won't last much longer."

"What?" Xiao Bing was shocked. "But Aunt Li's condition seemed to be improving."

"It looks like it on the surface," the doctor sighed, "but during the rescue last night, we found some abnormalities in her body. We didn't mention it because we weren't sure. This morning, we did a full check-up, and the results just came in."

Xiao Bing asked nervously, "What are the results?"

"After a full check-up, it appears she has pancreatic cancer."

Xiao Bing's face turned pale. Even with his limited medical knowledge, he knew pancreatic cancer was one of the hardest cancers to treat. Even if cured, the patient wouldn't live long. He couldn't believe the Su family had so many misfortunes. Su Peiya had died, her father had died in a car accident, and now Aunt Li...

The doctor's expression was serious. "You should know that the cure rate for pancreatic cancer is very low. Her condition is already in the late stage, and there's no hope of a cure. Even if we perform surgery, she won't live much longer."

Xiao Bing asked urgently, "If the surgery is successful, how long can she live?"

"Two years if she's lucky, but no more than four months if she's not. The biggest problem is that if the surgery fails, she could die on the operating table. Given her current condition, the risk of failure is high..."

Xiao Bing's face was grim. The doctor sighed. "So I think it's better not to do the surgery. Let her eat what she wants and try to fulfill some of her wishes..."

Xiao Bing asked, "If we don't do the surgery, how long can she live?"

"Maybe a month at most. It's a gamble. If we lose, she won't even have that month. You should discuss it carefully. If she had come to the hospital earlier, it would have been better. People with this disease often have occasional abdominal pain, but she was too careless, and the condition was delayed."

The doctor sighed and was about to leave when Xiao Bing took a few steps forward and asked, "Doctor, is there really no other way?"

"Her condition is already in the late stage. I'm powerless," the doctor said, shaking his head.

Xiao Bing's heart sank. The doctor paused and said, "Unless..."

Xiao Bing, like a man grasping at a last straw, grabbed the doctor's coat and asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless Master Zhang Yizhi performs the surgery himself. Zhang Yizhi is the top medical expert in our country. With his incredible skills, the surgery would have at least a 70-80% chance of success. If successful, she could live for a few more months or even a year. Unfortunately, Zhang Yizhi retired from the medical field years ago and is now in seclusion in Jingdu. Even high officials can't persuade him to come out."

"Zhang Yizhi?" Xiao Bing's eyes lit up, and he said repeatedly, "Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor."

The attending physician thought Xiao Bing was grasping at straws. Zhang Yizhi wasn't someone who could be easily persuaded, but he didn't want to discourage Xiao Bing. He gave him some advice and then left.

After the doctor left, Xiao Bing immediately went to a corner and made a phone call. The call lasted about ten minutes, and then Xiao Bing's frown eased. He returned to Li Chunlan's ward.

Li Chunlan smiled when she saw Xiao Bing enter. "Xiao Bing, what did the doctor say? It took so long."

Xiao Bing smiled. "The doctor said we must keep an eye on you and make sure you rest well, Auntie. Do you often have abdominal pain?"

"Yes..." Li Chunlan smiled bitterly. "Maybe it's because I haven't been eating on time for the past two months, so my body has some issues."

Su Xiaoxiao looked at Xiao Bing and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Xiao Bing smiled bitterly. "Auntie, you should really take care of your health. Xiaoxiao, you should also care more about your mother. It's one thing if Auntie doesn't care, but you should be more careful. Abdominal pain is not a small matter."

If it were any other time, Su Xiaoxiao would have been upset by Xiao Bing's words, but now she was only worried about her mother. She asked anxiously, "What's the problem? Is it a disease?"

"There's a tumor in your body, but don't worry. The doctor said it's small and can be removed with a minor surgery."

Su Xiaoxiao sighed in relief and said guiltily, "Mom, it's all my fault... I should have persuaded you to come to the hospital earlier. Fortunately, it was detected this time. Otherwise..."

Li Chunlan sighed. "Even if I die, it's not a big deal. I can go and find your father, but I can't bear to leave you and your sister."

"Don't talk about dying! I won't allow it!" Su Xiaoxiao, usually calm and composed, had a fierce temper when angry.

Li Chunlan smiled. "Okay, I won't say it. Xiao Bing, Xiaoxiao and I have already discussed it. The noodle shop is short of hands. If I'm not there, no one can make the signature noodles. If you don't mind, I'll pay you 5,000 yuan a month."

"I don't mind, I don't mind." Xiao Bing's goal was to stay and take care of them. The salary didn't matter.

Li Chunlan smiled. "Great, you can start anytime. I'll be in the hospital, so I'll entrust the shop to you. I'll call Guizhi and tell them to listen to you. By the way, do you have a place to stay?"

"I just arrived in Jiangcheng."

"I have an empty room at home. It was Peiya's, but she hasn't been home for two years, so it's been empty. Why don't you move in? Don't worry, I trust your character."

Xiao Bing was about to agree when he saw Su Xiaoxiao giving him a warning look. He thought that if he stayed at the shop, Su Xiaoxiao would already be upset. If he moved in, she would definitely be angry. He was already not well-liked...

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Xiao Bing was about to agree but saw Su Xiaoxiao's warning look. He thought that if he stayed at the shop, Su Xiaoxiao would already be upset. If he moved in, she would definitely be angry. He was already not well-liked...