Guarding Happiness

"Worked overtime over the weekend, so I took today off in lieu."

Fang Cheng took the mop and explained as he vigorously mopped the floor:

"I knew Mom hadn't been eating properly again, so I came over specifically to keep an eye on her."

Seeing her son looking far more energetic than usual, Li Biyun's lips curved upward uncontrollably.

Yet she still nagged him out of habit:

"You should sleep in more when you're off. It takes two hours to get here and back by bus. Aren't you tired?"

"Besides, the Hospital Cafeteria stays open all afternoon..."

"That fast food is expensive and tastes terrible. How could it compare to my cooking?"

Having mastered the Cleaning Skill, Fang Cheng moved deftly and finished mopping in no time.

He then pulled Li Biyun over to a chair in the patient Rest Area and lifted the lids off the insulated lunch boxes one by one.

Today's meal consisted of three dishes and a soup.

Lotus Root and Rib Soup, Pan-fried Small Yellow Croaker, Fresh Mushroom and Bok Choy, and Fried Spring Rolls.

"Come on, try it. See how your son's cooking is."

At the sight of these carefully prepared dishes, the fine crow's feet at Li Biyun's eyes relaxed, seeming to bloom like flowers amid her smile.

"My Cheng Cheng has really grown up. He even knows how to care for his mom now..."

Fang Cheng knew these were all his mother's favorite dishes.

Watching her pick up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth, he asked expectantly:

"How is it? Have I improved?"

Li Biyun nodded slightly and savored it carefully.

"The fish is crispy outside and tender inside, and the sauce has soaked in nicely. You're almost as good as your mother."

"Honestly?"

"Really now, when has Mom ever lied to you?"

Li Biyun wiped at the corner of her eye and lightly patted her son's arm. "I can't finish so much food by myself. Sit down and eat with me."

Fang Cheng shook his head.

"I ate lunch before coming over. There's plenty left for dinner—we can borrow the microwave at the nurse's station to heat it up again."

After that, he said nothing more, merely watching his mother eat slowly and quietly.

Her pointed chin and thin cheeks.

She must have been even more beautiful than those celebrities when she was young, but the burdens of life had left her, barely in her forties, looking far too haggard.

His maternal grandfather had stomach cancer and had suffered from long-term vomiting and pain, while medical care in the countryside was scarce.

Taking advantage of her work as a caregiver, his mother had called in favors to arrange a hospital bed, allowing his maternal grandfather to be admitted for treatment.

And in order to care for the old man without delaying her work too much,

she had specifically applied to transfer to the dirtier, more exhausting Oncology Department.

For the past month, she had practically eaten, slept, and lived at the hospital. It had truly been too hard on her.

Li Biyun grew a little embarrassed under his gaze and shot her beloved son a look.

Then she personally picked up a piece of rib and stuffed it into Fang Cheng's mouth.

She ordered him to finish the soup with her, replenish his nutrition, and keep growing taller.

Fang Cheng could only agree helplessly, putting on a show of taking a few bites.

A simple meal seemed to carry two people's happiness.

Golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window behind them, gradually shifting over the rows of seats in the Rest Area.

It gilded the bowls, chopsticks, dishes, and their figures with a golden edge.

Seeing his mother's long-lost smile, the taut string in Fang Cheng's body that had been wound tight for days seemed to ease as well.

Only after she swallowed her last bite of rice did he continue asking:

"Mom, how is Grandpa doing now?"

Hearing this, Li Biyun's hand holding the chopsticks stiffened slightly as she answered softly:

"He still has tubes in him. The Doctor said he needs to rest and recuperate for two months before they can try the next treatment plan."

Fang Cheng nodded.

His maternal grandfather had previously undergone consecutive rounds of radiotherapy and lesion-removal surgery, but things had not gone very smoothly.

He had spent a week in the Intensive Care Unit before leaving the danger period, and had only been transferred to a regular ward three days ago.

Li Biyun packed up the leftovers and put the lids back on the lunch boxes before adding:

"Your Uncle just went downstairs to pay the additional fees. He said he'll treat that money as a loan from you and pay you back later."

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and immediately refused.

"We're family. Why be so polite? Am I not Grandpa's family too?"

Li Biyun opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

At that moment, a voice called out "Auntie Li" from the nurse's station.

Li Biyun quickly responded and stood up, telling her son to go see his maternal grandfather by himself first.

Then she hurried away and threw herself into new work.

Watching his mother's retreating figure, Fang Cheng stood up as well and headed alone toward his maternal grandfather's ward.

The door was slightly ajar.

The moment he entered, he saw the beeping monitoring equipment and an old man fitted with a drainage tube and breathing apparatus.

There should have been another patient inside, separated by a blue curtain. The specific situation was Not Clear; he could only hear faint groans.

Fang Cheng sat down in the chair beside the bed and looked at the sleeping old man.

His maternal grandfather had lost much of his hair, and his face was so thin it was nearly skin and bones. The illness had clearly tormented him terribly.

Seeing how weak he was now, Fang Cheng felt heavy-hearted and could not help recalling those wonderful childhood summers spent in the countryside.

His maternal grandfather and grandmother had only one son and one daughter.

His Uncle had been a good-for-nothing Thug in his youth, and even after turning forty, he had neither started a family nor built a career.

Most of the family's burden had fallen on his mother, the eldest daughter.

Fang Cheng knew what his mother was worried about.

The surgical fee they had raised earlier had nearly emptied the family's savings.

The hospitalization fees for the next two months, plus the costs of further surgery and chemotherapy afterward,

would only make things worse for this already poor family.

What was more, his maternal grandfather had a rural household registration, so the reimbursement rate was far lower than that of urban workers.

Although no one had put any pressure on Fang Cheng,

in reality, this burden had also fallen on him, the only grandson through the maternal line.

Fang Cheng pressed his lips together tightly and began making plans in secret.

He had to Find a Way to earn some extra money.

He could not come up with a huge amount, but he had to at least help his mother shoulder some of the pressure.

"A Cheng, you came too?"

As he was thinking, the ward door creaked open again.

A somewhat unruly voice sounded soon after.

Fang Cheng turned to look.

A Middle-aged Man walked in, wearing a bomber Leather Jacket popular among young people and sporting a small mustache on his upper lip.

His long, sallow face showed traces of fatigue, and even from two meters away, Fang Cheng could smell the heavy stench of cigarettes on him.

"Uncle."

Fang Cheng immediately Stood Up and greeted him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they stepped outside to talk so as not to disturb his maternal grandfather's rest.

At the drying area at the end of the Corridor, patients' changed clothes and underwear swayed in the wind.

His Uncle Took Out a cigarette case, flicked out a cigarette, and offered it to Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng waved it away in refusal.

Looking at the Scene Outside the Window, he casually chatted with him about family matters and his maternal grandfather's condition.

Behind the inpatient building lay Western Mountains, Eastern Capital's famous tourist attraction.

From here, they could see the dark Mountain Ranges and forests.

Under the cloudless blue sky, flocks of birds took flight.

There was even a faint black speck, seemingly a Helicopter, moving slowly in the distance.

According to the news, the city's Archaeological Team was excavating the Underground Palace ruins of a thousand-year-old ancient temple and had continuously unearthed precious cultural relics.

The two chatted on and off.

Suddenly, a somewhat muffled beeping sounded.

Fang Cheng immediately reached into his Bag.

But he saw his Uncle almost simultaneously pull a small mobile phone from his pocket.

"I already told you it wasn't me. Can't you understand human speech?"

"I'm telling you, I'm in a gang. One call from me and dozens of Thugs will be standing by. Call again to harass me, and I'll have someone chop you up!"

His Uncle raised his brows and glared, spitting eloquently as he furiously berated the phone.

After hanging up, he saw Fang Cheng looking at him in surprise and gave a mocking smile by way of explanation.

"A friend gave it to me. Business has been pretty busy, so it's more convenient to use this thing to stay in touch."

His gaze shifted, and when he spotted the similarly styled phone In Hand of Fang Cheng, he added:

"I heard from my sister that you rented a phone. Want to add each other's numbers?"

Fang Cheng nodded. After exchanging contact information, he asked:

"Uncle, you've been running around outside Recently. Have you raised enough for the surgical fee?"

The moment those words came out, his Uncle's face turned extremely ugly, and he muttered under his breath.

He said curses like "little bastard who looks down on the poor" and "ungrateful white-eyed wolf."

Clearly, things had not gone very well.

Fang Cheng sighed inwardly.

Still, he had not held out much hope to begin with.

As for this elder who was only twenty years older than himself, Fang Cheng had always regarded him with disdain.

His Uncle was named Li Dingjian. Though tall and thin with a fairly decent appearance,

his greatest skill was his glib tongue, along with trickery, cheating, and swindling.

Six years ago, he had claimed he was going to turn over a new leaf and do business on the southern border. In the end, he had come back limping and spent several years recovering from his injuries.

Even now, he still loafed around all day and had sunk to living off an old woman.

"Whew..."

Li Dingjian slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke. His gaze toward Outside the Window was slightly despondent, as though he were reminiscing about his glorious past.

"If your father were still around, who wouldn't call me Lord Jian?"

"And you, you could still be some Young Master, playing around with girl-group stars whenever you felt like it..."

Fang Cheng's lips twitched slightly. He had no interest in discussing this topic.

Li Dingjian did not continue either. He crushed the remaining cigarette butt and tossed it into the nearby Trash Can.

Then he stretched his Arms and put on an invigorated appearance.

"A Cheng, you don't need to worry about the money. I've already found someone important to help."

"That's good."

Fang Cheng did not press for details.

Although his Uncle liked taking crooked paths, he had dealings with all kinds of people year-round and had broad connections.

Perhaps he had gotten involved with some rich woman and really could borrow a large sum of money.

Just as the two were about to return to the ward to look after his maternal grandfather,

a group of voices suddenly rang out like broken gongs, carrying through the Corridor and into their ears.

"Damn it, we got the address wrong. No wonder we couldn't find that little bastard!"

"Ying Jun, go ask that nurse Miss. Be polite when you talk."

"Got it, bro."

Fang Cheng looked toward the voices.

He saw three somewhat familiar figures turn out from the Elevator Lobby and head toward the nurse's station.

They looked like cocky young punks, and were unmistakably those guys who seemed to be gang members.

"Fuck, are they bloodhounds or something..."

Li Dingjian muttered in alarm, instantly turning his head away.