Go See Mom and Dad

In the nurses’ station, several night-shift nurses huddled together, occasionally glancing toward the row of benches at the end of the corridor.

“Did you see that? The one who just got off the helicopter—that’s Director Zhou from the Third Provincial Hospital.”

“How could I not recognize him? His photo’s still up on our hospital wall from when he came to give guidance. What kind of background does he have, getting a provincial expert airlifted here with all his equipment in the middle of the night?”

“Didn’t you see the middle-aged couple that came earlier? They drove a Big G! This must be some rich family’s young master.”

“That girl is so lucky.”

Chen Zhi sat on the bench, not paying attention to the nurses’ whispers.

He pulled out his phone to check a WeChat group.

With all this commotion in the middle of the night, there was still a mountain of work waiting at Deep Space Technology.

Chen Zhi typed one-handed, sending a few brief instructions.

Switching out of the group chat, he tapped on Pei Ningxue’s conversation window.

The last message, sent by Pei Ningxue in the early hours, read: Has the medical team arrived?

Chen Zhi replied: They’ve arrived. The rescue was successful. He’s stable for now. Thanks to you today.

Zhang Guifang sat beside Chen Zhi, watching him stare at his phone handling work. She leaned in and lowered her voice.

“Is everything okay at the company? You’re the big boss—leaving everything behind to rush back here, I hope it’s not hurting your real business.”

“It’s fine. Someone’s handling it.” Chen Zhi locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

Zhang Guifang sighed, glancing toward the emergency room. “That child Zhiyi has been through too much. If you ever treat her badly, I swear I’ll break your other leg too.”

Chen Zhi rubbed his nose and said nothing.

After about ten minutes, the door to the observation area opened.

Grandma, Li Zhiyi’s grandmother, came out wiping her tears.

Zhang Guifang quickly stood up to support her. “Auntie, how’s Grandpa doing?”

“Much better. He recognized people.” Grandma patted Zhang Guifang’s hand, then turned to Chen Zhi. “Xiao Chen.”

Chen Zhi stood up immediately. “Grandma.”

“Grandpa said he wants to see you.” Grandma’s eyes reddened again. “Go in and talk to him for a bit. He’s still got some strength for now.”

Chen Zhi nodded. “Alright.”

He pushed open the door to the observation area and walked in.

It was quiet inside, except for the steady beeping of the monitor.

Li Jianjun lay on the hospital bed, an oxygen mask over his face and several IV lines in his hand.

Li Zhiyi sat on a round stool beside the bed, tightly holding her grandfather’s un-injected hand, tears still streaming down her face.

Hearing footsteps, Li Zhiyi turned around, her eyes swollen like walnuts.

“Chen Zhi.” Her voice was completely hoarse.

Chen Zhi walked over and gently pressed her shoulder, then bent down close to the bed.

“Grandpa, are you feeling any better?”

Hearing the voice, Li Jianjun struggled to open his eyes.

His pupils shifted, landing on Chen Zhi’s face. He tried to smile, but his facial muscles wouldn’t cooperate.

His lips moved.

Li Zhiyi quickly loosened the oxygen mask slightly.

“Xiao Chen…” Li Jianjun’s voice was weak. “I… I don’t know how much longer I can stay with Zhiyi.”

“Grandpa, don’t think like that.” Chen Zhi softened his voice. “The doctor said the worst is over. Once it’s daylight, we’ll transfer you to the Third Provincial Hospital—they have better conditions. A few days there, and you’ll move to a regular ward.”

Li Jianjun shook his head slightly, his breathing a bit labored.

“I know my own body.”

He took two more breaths, then slowly turned his gaze to Li Zhiyi.

“This child… her fate has been bitter. She never had a father or mother’s love. She grew up with us two old folks, enduring a lot.”

Li Zhiyi shook her head desperately.

“No, Grandpa, I never suffered. Please stop talking and just rest, okay?”

Li Jianjun ignored her and continued haltingly to Chen Zhi.

“She’s stubborn in everything she does. Once she sets her mind on something, ten oxen couldn’t pull her back.”

“You’ve helped her a lot since you were kids. When she was bullied as a child, you always protected her. I… I don’t want to trouble you anymore.”

Chen Zhi felt something twist in his chest.

He glanced at Li Zhiyi. The girl bowed her head, shoulders heaving as she tried to stifle her sobs.

“What if…” Li Jianjun swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with difficulty. “What if I don’t make it? Could you… take care of Zhiyi and her grandma for me?”

Li Zhiyi finally broke down, collapsing onto the edge of the bed and crying loudly.

“Grandpa, don’t say unlucky things! You’re going to live a long life—you haven’t even seen me graduate from college yet!”

Chen Zhi didn’t hesitate.

He reached out, wrapping both Li Zhiyi’s hand and the old man’s dry fingers together in his own palm.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa.” Chen Zhi’s tone was firm. “Zhiyi will be happy from now on. I promise you.”

He looked the old man in the eyes.

“You need to focus on recovering. Zhiyi hasn’t graduated yet—she still has to work, get married. You have to see her in a wedding dress, right?”

When he heard the word “marriage,” a flicker of light crossed Li Jianjun’s cloudy eyes.

A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, tracing the wrinkles on his face and soaking into the pillow.

The old man nodded hard, tears in his eyes.

He pulled his hand free and gently touched Li Zhiyi’s head, his hand trembling.

“Don’t cry, girl.”

Li Jianjun took a deep breath, as if mustering his last ounce of strength.

“Zhiyi.”

“Take Xiao Chen… to see your parents.”

At eight in the morning, the transfer procedures were all completed.

The Third Provincial Hospital’s ambulance was waiting at the county hospital entrance, with the expert team escorting the patient.

Zhang Guifang and Chen Jun also followed in their car, heading directly to the provincial capital to arrange hospitalization and nursing care.

Before leaving, Zhang Guifang pulled Li Zhiyi aside and slipped her a bank card.

“The password is Chen Zhi’s birthday. Take it. Don’t argue with me. With the old man in the hospital, expenses will pile up. Don’t carry it all on your own as a girl.”

Li Zhiyi accepted it, eyes red.

After the ambulance drove off, only Chen Zhi and Li Zhiyi remained at the county hospital entrance.

The morning town had already come alive. Street vendors selling steamed buns and fried dough sticks puffed out steam, mingling with the scent of soy milk.

Li Zhiyi stood on the steps, watching the direction the ambulance had disappeared, the tension that had gripped her all night slowly easing.

She turned and looked at Chen Zhi standing nearby.

He had been up all night, his clothes wrinkled, faint red streaks coloring his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Chen Zhi said.

Li Zhiyi nodded. “Let’s buy some things. I’ll take you to the cemetery.”

They walked along the street.

Passing a flower shop, Li Zhiyi went in and bought two bouquets of white chrysanthemums, then stopped at a nearby convenience store for some joss paper and fruit.

Chen Zhi naturally took all the bags and carried them.

The road to the cemetery was a bit out of the way, so they hailed a local three-wheeled tuk-tuk.

Sitting in the bumpy ride, the wind blowing cool against their faces, Li Zhiyi stared at the farmland passing by and suddenly spoke.

“Chen Zhi.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.” Li Zhiyi turned to look at him. “For putting you through all this trouble.”

"I've told you so many times, you don't need to say that to me." Chen Zhi reached out and tucked her windblown hair behind her ear.

Li Zhiyi bit her lip.

"You had something important to do, but—"

"But I dragged you back here instead, making you stay up all night with me, dealing with all this mess."

"Stop overthinking." Chen Zhi cut her off. "With Grandpa in such a crisis, if I hadn't come back, could you have handled it on your own?"

The tuk-tuk stopped at the entrance of Nanshan Cemetery.

The two paid the fare and walked up the stone steps toward the hill.

Li Zhiyi's parents' graves were halfway up the mountain, in a mediocre spot, with some weeds growing around them.

Li Zhiyi walked over, skillfully pulled out the weeds, and wiped the dust off the tombstone with a tissue.