Chapter 79

Zhao Mai's original room is now used by his younger brother and sister, so he can only huddle on the sofa, holding the letter containing secrets that his mother gave him. In fact, the reserve food had a chance to go into the room and sleep on the soft mat. But it was very loyal and never left its owner after returning from a walk.

The next day, Zhao Mai drove his father to the hospital for a check-up. Urinalysis, blood tests, electrolytes, kidney function, liver function, and kidney ultrasound—a whole set of tests took up most of the morning. Since it wasn't an emergency, all the test results had to wait until the afternoon, except for the kidney ultrasound, which allowed a brief chat with the doctor during the examination.

"You have a bit of nephritis. It's best to see an internal medicine specialist. Rest more and pay special attention to your diet. At your age, if you're not careful, it could suddenly worsen and lead to more serious conditions."

"What? Nephritis?" Dad was stunned, "Did you get it wrong? I just have nephritis? Are you sure it's not kidney failure?"

The middle-aged doctor raised his eyes and looked over the top of his glasses: "Comrade, I've seen tens of thousands of kidneys, I won't get it wrong. Of course, you need other auxiliary tests, but from what I see, your kidneys show no signs of failure. The hospital's test results, including these images, are all online, and I have to sign the medical records. I wouldn't say anything wrong."

"I used to have a kidney..." Dad's words were cut off as Zhao Mai secretly pulled him and gave him a meaningful look. Dad immediately reacted, chuckled a couple of times, "It's good, it's good. When you get older, you tend to worry too much..."

"Right, Comrade, it's not bad to think more, it's all for your health. But don't believe the rumors you hear online or in various circles. They might say you have uremia just because you have chest tightness, leg swelling, or dizziness, and then prescribe a bowl of mung bean soup as a special treatment. That's all a scam! Live normally, do everything in moderation, and keep a happy mood. That's the universal remedy, and for everything else, you need to see professional doctors."

"Right, right, you're right," Dad politely responded, pulling Zhao Mai out of the examination room.

He didn't say anything, just waved his hand to signal Zhao Mai to follow. They found a quiet place and fell silent. Looking at his father's face, he seemed to be in a dilemma, pondering something. Zhao Mai knew that in such situations, he must stay quiet and not disturb his father's thoughts.

"Son, I think you might have really met a master this time." After half an hour, Dad finally spoke. He habitually reached into his upper pocket, then remembered he had to quit smoking after getting sick, and could only hum. Zhao Mai smokes, but he doesn't have a habit, so he could only smile apologetically.

"It's fine, quitting is good, but the habit hasn't changed yet." Dad licked his lips and continued, "The other results haven't come out yet, but I feel much better, and that can't be faked. Even if the disease isn't cured, the person you met can achieve this level with just one dose of medicine, which is already incredible. I've thought about it, if you have the chance to learn, go for it, I support you."

"Really?" Zhao Mai rubbed his hands and immediately brought up the prepared words, "If I want to learn, I have to quit my job. But I still have some savings, and I can stay with the teacher. After learning, I have to work for the teacher for a few years, just for food and lodging."

"Right, that has the feel of an old master and apprentice." Dad nodded, "As long as you can learn real skills, that's fine."

"There's one more thing, you might not be able to contact me often. When I'm with the teacher, my phone is always off to avoid external influences and to practice. But communication isn't forbidden, I can call you during breaks to report."

"That's a bit strange, practice? What kind of practice?"

"Dad, I haven't even started yet, how could I know? The teacher is very low-key and told me not to reveal his name, so I gave you a hint. If you mentioned the previous situation, saying that you had dialysis yesterday and then suddenly got better, wouldn't that raise suspicions? If they think you're a guinea pig, it could be disastrous!"

"Hey! Guinea pig! The ones who catch guinea pigs are from my unit, not them." Dad sneered, "Alright, I understand your concern, I won't say anything. When the results come out in the afternoon, if the condition improves, I'll change hospitals and not let them find out, okay?"

"Dad, you're smart!"

The two of them, finally free from worry, strolled around the streets and found a noodle shop for lunch. Dad seemed to have been relaxed for a long time, both physically and mentally. He usually doesn't show his emotions easily, but today he even said, "Son, you've really grown up. Now you're the one accompanying me to eat, not the other way around."

"Of course! Look at whose son I am!"

"You have a loose mouth, do you know how to talk like that?!"

At 2 PM, they got the results, and Dad's face lit up. He had done these tests many times, even if he didn't know what each indicator meant, he knew what the original results looked like. When he handed them to the doctor, it was just a kidney function disorder, not chronic kidney failure (uremia) anymore.

After hearing the doctor's advice to take care of his health and be cautious of the condition worsening, Dad found an excuse, saying he needed to go to another designated hospital for a recheck, and didn't let the doctor prescribe any medicine. The two of them walked out, feeling the sky was higher, the clouds were whiter, and the air was freer.

Dad raised his hand, rubbed his face, and held back the tears before they could fall. But Zhao Mai could see his eyes were a bit red, and his voice was trembling with excitement. He comforted him, "This result is good. Give me a copy of the test results, I'll send them to my master, maybe he can prescribe some new medicine. But don't just wait for me, follow the normal treatment, the disease isn't completely cured, you can't stop the medicine!"

"I think we should tell the family about this," Dad suddenly said, "I guess someone in the family must have tipped you off. You've all been secretly worrying about me, how could I not know? We're all under the same roof, and you guys, when you move, I can... never mind, I need to show the test results and diagnosis to them, at least to let Xiaofeng and Xiaoluan feel reassured. The high school entrance exam is coming up, they can't have any mental burdens."

"Right, the family matters are now my concern, they shouldn't be involved," Zhao Mai nodded, for the first time truly looking like an older brother. "By the way, don't mention my master, only you know about it, I haven't even told Mom."

"How do I explain the improvement, say the previous diagnosis was wrong?"

"You can say you accidentally took an experimental new drug, and it worked by chance, and they're preparing to make you a spokesperson."

"You mean I should admit I took the wrong medicine before?" Dad suddenly rolled up his sleeve, as skilled as always, "You little brat, are you itching for a beating?"

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