Chapter 9

A week later, Su Xiaofan was finally able to move around freely, but his activity was limited to the floor where he was hospitalized.

His recovery speed also surprised the doctors. After several more examinations, the results all showed that his bodily functions were normal. However, it was reasonable for a young person to recover faster, so the impact was limited to the department where he was hospitalized, and it did not cause much of a stir.

After more than a week of treatment, the burns on Su Xiaofan's back were under control, and new flesh had grown. However, it would still take a long time to fully heal. Fortunately, the most dangerous period, when inflammation was most likely to occur, had passed. In the future, as long as he kept his back clean and changed the dressing on time, recovery was just a matter of time.

Under Zheng Dagang's mediation, Su Xiaofan and the relevant department reached a settlement. In addition to covering Su Xiaofan's medical expenses and the previous 300,000 yuan, they also paid a one-time compensation of 200,000 yuan. This settled the matter, and any future consequences of the electric shock would be unrelated to the department.

Feeling a bit guilty, Su Xiaofan naturally agreed without hesitation. However, Zheng Dagang was somewhat dissatisfied. According to his thinking, not getting over a million yuan from the electric company would mean he was incompetent. But since Su Xiaofan, the victim, agreed, Zheng Dagang couldn't say much more. After both parties signed the compensation and non-liability documents, the matter was considered settled.

Since he had used the repair value to restore his bodily functions after waking up, Su Xiaofan's days in the hospital felt like years. Although he had recovered everywhere except his back, he still had to act weak. Moreover, the food he ate every day was completely bland, and Su Xiaofan was almost starving.

This made Su Xiaofan run out to watch the fat nurse eat chicken legs at mealtime, which made Su Xiaoxiao think her brother had a crush. However, Su Xiaoxiao was quite disdainful of her brother's taste, as she didn't want a sister-in-law who could eat the family into poverty.

There was some good news. On the tenth day after Su Xiaofan woke up, the doctor informed him that he could be discharged after three more days of observation. However, he still couldn't take a bath at home and could only wipe his body with a towel. He would need to come to the hospital once a week to change the dressing.

Upon receiving the doctor's notification, Su Xiaofan was overjoyed. He decided that as soon as he was discharged, he would use the repair value to heal his back burns. He would rather become a missing person than return to the hospital, especially since the fat nurse's gaze had become increasingly affectionate, making Su Xiaofan feel like he was the chicken leg in her mouth.

There was another piece of good news, but for Su Xiaofan, it was a belated surprise. On the second-to-last day before his discharge, his elusive father actually returned.

...

The atmosphere in the ward was a bit awkward. Su Xiaoxiao occasionally looked at her father and brother. She had already forgiven her father when he gave her the latest smartphone, but she still stood with her brother, having just spent a long time scolding her father for his irresponsibility.

Su Weixuan was 45 years old but was slim and elegant, with good skin, making him look only about 37 or 38. He didn't look like a ship captain who spent most of his time at sea. Su Xiaofan even doubted whether his father's appearance could command the respect of the rugged sailors.

"Cough, Xiaofan, I didn't expect you to have another accident."

Su Weixuan had a bitter smile on his face. "I planned to return half a month ago, just in time for Xiaoxiao's college entrance exam. But we encountered a storm in the Indian Ocean, and the cruise ship had a malfunction, drifting at sea for over ten days. See, I really didn't mean to."

"Dad, first, take back that 'another' word," Su Xiaofan said with a helpless look. "I didn't want to have an accident either, but trouble always finds me. I can't help it. Dad, can you be more reliable next time and call home more often?" Su Xiaofan wasn't really angry with his father, but he was still a bit frustrated because everything has a cause and effect.

If Su Xiaofan hadn't sold the old bronze artifact to raise money for his sister's tuition, he wouldn't have attracted Wu Chuanbao and others. If he hadn't attracted Wu Chuanbao, he wouldn't have been attacked, and he wouldn't have been electrocuted.

"Okay, okay, I'll be more careful next time." After being criticized for a while, Su Weixuan nodded eagerly when he heard his son's tone soften. "Xiaofan, your phone is broken, so I brought you the latest model. It hasn't been released in the country yet, but I checked, and it works fine."

"Dad, do you think a phone can buy me off? Is the trauma I've suffered worth just a phone?" Su Xiaofan looked at his father with a scowl. Unlike Su Xiaoxiao, Su Xiaofan was old enough to understand when his father left home to be a sailor. He understood his father's hardships, so their relationship was still good. Su Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had a slight estrangement from her father.

"How could that be? Look, I know you're in the antique business, so I brought you this." Su Weixuan took a box out of his pocket and said, "This is an ancient jade I bought for you in Antwerp. I heard it was looted from our country by the Italians. I spent 20,000 US dollars on it. You can wear it around your neck, and in the future, give it to my grandson. It can be a family heirloom."

"20,000 US dollars?" Su Xiaofan's eyes widened. "To raise money for my sister's tuition, I almost broke the village's rules. You spent 20,000 US dollars on this? Dad, do you even know what ancient jade is? A family heirloom? Don't bring back a plastic one."

Holding the beautifully packaged box, Su Xiaofan felt like crying. He had spent two years in the antique market, where most of the so-called "ancient" items were fake. Real antiques were sent to auction houses, not the market.

"Your sister's tuition is my responsibility." Su Weixuan took out a bank card and handed it to Su Xiaofan. "I have a high salary. I didn't want you to spend money recklessly, so I didn't leave you much. This card has one million yuan. Take it."

"One million yuan?" Su Xiaofan looked at his father in shock. He remembered that the last time his father left him 50,000 yuan, he looked like it was his last money.

"If you had given it to me earlier, I wouldn't have had this trouble." Su Xiaofan complained, but he took the card quickly. Being polite to this irresponsible father would be irresponsible to himself.

"Let's not talk about that. You'll have better days ahead. Open the box and see if you like the jade. I do have some taste." Su Weixuan glanced at his son's neck and casually said, "I gave you a jade before, didn't I? Are you wearing it?"

"You gave me a jade?" Su Xiaofan was taken aback.

"After your car accident, I gave it to you as a talisman." Su Weixuan said.

"You mean the jade Buddha?"

Su Xiaofan remembered and pointed at Su Xiaoxiao. "Dad, you really don't know the rules. Men wear Guanyin, and women wear Buddha. If I wore a jade Buddha, I'd be laughed at by the antique dealers. I wore the meteorite you gave me, but I lost it after the electric shock."

Su Xiaofan had worn the jade Buddha for a couple of days before he met Zheng Dagang and learned the rule. He gave the pendant to his sister, who still wore it.

"What rule? I went through a lot to get that jade Buddha for you." Su Weixuan's lips twitched but didn't say more when he looked at his daughter.

"Dad, since you're back, can you talk to the doctor and see if I can be discharged today?"

Su Xiaofan, who couldn't stand the hospital anymore, especially the fat nurse's gaze, asked while opening the box.

"Sure, I'll talk to the doctor. There's no point in staying here."

Su Weixuan thought for a moment and said, "We have some burn ointments on the ship. They should be better than the hospital's. I'll give them to you, and you'll recover faster."

"Is your medicine reliable, Dad?" Su Xiaofan wasn't very confident in his father and opened the box to take out the jade pendant.

"Wow, Dad, you have good taste this time. This jade really looks good from the carving and design."

Looking at the jade pendant, Su Xiaofan's eyes showed surprise. Although he had only been in the antique market for two or three years, he learned quickly and had some knowledge of antiques from the experienced dealers.

"This is a dragon and phoenix pendant from the Warring States period. There were many similar ones in the Han Dynasty, usually found in pairs. However, this pendant has no patina, so it might not be an excavated piece and could be fake."

After examining the pendant, Su Xiaofan was unsure. He had only said it was good jade, not ancient jade, because most ancient jades were stolen from tombs. Even those with a clear lineage were just excavated earlier and passed down through generations.

As the saying goes, no patina, no jade. Patina is a color change caused by the interaction of the jade's trace elements with the soil over a long period.

Due to the different substances in the soil and the varying burial times, the patina on ancient jades can differ. However, true ancient jades usually have some patina. Many fake antique dealers even create patina on new jade to pass it off as ancient.

But the jade in Su Xiaofan's hand was crystal clear and white, with a fine and smooth texture, like freshly cut mutton fat. It had a lustrous, greasy appearance and no patina.

In terms of material, it was an excellent piece of white jade. However, calling it ancient was a stretch. Su Xiaofan thought it was a modern carving from a high-quality white jade.

However, in terms of price, such a high-quality white jade piece was worth a fortune. The carving and design were also ancient, so even as a modern piece, the 20,000 US dollars his father paid was a great deal. If it were auctioned, it could fetch 300,000 to 500,000 RMB.

"Hmm? What... what does this mean?"

As Su Xiaofan examined the jade pendant, a few words suddenly appeared in his mind:

[Han Dynasty Dragon Jade Pendant, Intermediate Defective Artifact, Can be repaired, Requires 50 repair points, Do you want to repair it?]