"Cough cough..."
Hearing the commotion outside, the coughing inside the room gradually subsided.
Then, a weak footstep approached the door.
Soon, the door opened.
" Xiao Heng is back!" Xu Yuqin forced a smile onto her face.
Shen Heng stood in the living room, looking at his mother's somewhat pale face, and sighed softly, saying:
If your pneumonia doesn't get better, just rest more and don't go out.
"It's alright, it hasn't come to that yet," Xu Yuqin said with a forced smile.
Shen Heng didn't argue, but looked at his mother and asked, "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make it for you."
Xu Yuqin opened her mouth, originally wanting Shen Heng to go and rest early after work, but then she seemed to remember something.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Then let's make egg noodles."
"Okay, you should go back to your room and rest first. I'll bring it in later." Shen Heng nodded.
"It's alright, Mom can just sit in the living room and wait!" Xu Yuqin shook her head, coughed a few times, and then walked towards the sofa in the living room, wearing a coat.
Seeing this, Shen Heng did not stop him, and turned to walk into the kitchen.
He first took a small pot out of the cupboard, filled it halfway with water, and put it on the stove to boil.
Then, I took an egg from the refrigerator and cracked it into a bowl.
Soon, the sound of chopsticks clattering as they stirred the egg mixture could be heard from the kitchen.
"Gurgle gurgle... gurgle gurgle..."
Tiny bubbles kept rising in the water; the water had boiled.
Shen Heng grabbed a handful of noodles and put them into the pot, then gently stirred them with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking together.
While the noodles were cooking, he heated a little oil on another burner and then poured in the beaten egg mixture.
A faint fragrance filled the small house.
Shen Heng added a few pieces of greens and a small spoonful of salt to the pot.
After seasoning the soup, he tasted it and, remembering that his mother's palate would become less sensitive to salt when she was sick, he added an extra pinch of chopped scallions.
Finally, the scrambled eggs are placed on top, and the golden egg pieces float in the clear soup like a Xiaoxiao Sun.
Shen Heng wiped his hands and looked through the kitchen glass towards the living room.
Xu Yuqin's figure appeared exceptionally small on the sofa, but her posture remained upright.
Shen Heng let out a soft breath and carried the cooked egg noodles outside.
He gently placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of Xu Yuqin, reminding her:
"Slow down, it'll be a little hot when it's first served!"
"Mm." Xu Yuqin nodded.
She picked up the bowl and chopsticks, brought them to her lips, and then carefully took a sip.
After swallowing the warm soup, she couldn't help but look at Shen Heng and praise him with a smile:
" Xiao Heng, your cooking is really good! Just like your dad, whose cooking is also very good."
Is his cooking better than yours?
"Yes, back then..."
The mother and son were chatting away in the living room.
Talking about the present, talking about the past, talking about what once was...
After a long while, the voice gradually faded away.
Shen Heng glanced at the bowl with only a little soup left, and was about to get up and take it away when he saw Xu Yuqin suddenly turn her head and look over.
" Xiao Heng, do you know what illness Mom has?"
Shen Heng paused, his gaze lingering on Xu Yuqin's somewhat weathered, weak, yet unusually calm face.
After hesitating for a moment, Shen Heng slowly nodded.
"Um."
"When did you find out?" Xu Yuqin asked.
"It was a long time ago; I saw you taking your medicine," Shen Heng said.
"So that's how it is. No wonder you never mentioned taking me to the hospital." A relieved smile appeared on Xu Yuqin's face.
Because of this... Shen Heng lowered his eyes slightly; he had actually thought about this aspect.
But once this matter is brought up, given Xu Yuqin's previous behavior, she will definitely want to continue to hide it.
Whether she goes or not, it will only add more pressure to Xu Yuqin.
Therefore, he could only choose to continue pretending not to see it, hoping that Xu Yuqin, because she also wanted to hide it, would overlook it, but...
After a moment of silence in the living room, Shen Heng let out a soft breath and said in a deep voice:
"Two or three months left, right?"
"Um."
Shen Heng nodded slightly.
Two or three months, two or three months...
Seeing Shen Heng sitting silently on the sofa, Xu Yuqin quickly comforted him:
"Actually, two or three months is enough. At least I can spend another New Year with you and Xiao Ning, right?"
"Even if I'm not there, it'll be fine. You're all very mature, and you'll definitely be able to live a good life on your own..."
"But Xiao Heng, you're making a lot of money now, and your sister is still studying. She might need your help out sometime..."
"Although I know that even if I don't say anything, Xiao Heng, you will definitely help..."
As Xu Yuqin spoke, her voice gradually trembled.
"And then, cough cough... there might be Calamity Beast around now, right? You all need to be more careful about your safety in the future, and try not to stay outside late at night..."
"But don't worry, Mom will definitely bless you from the afterlife..."
"Actually... actually, if possible, Mom would like to spend more time with you all."
"But..."
"I'm sorry, Xiao Heng, your mother may have to leave you first, just like your father!"
Soft sobs echoed in the small living room.
Shen Heng silently watched the scene before him, feeling a heaviness in his heart.
He didn't stop her, but let her cry as she released the emotions she had suppressed for the past two years due to her illness.
After a long while, the sobbing gradually subsided.
After telling Xu Yuqin to go back to her room to rest, Shen Heng sat alone on the sofa in the living room.
He tilted his head back, silently gazing at the somewhat worn ceiling, his index finger unconsciously tapping lightly on the sofa armrest.
A soft murmur echoed only in the living room.
"Two or three months later, news..."
The next day.
Shen Heng drove to the Linhai City Martial Arts Association.
In the past six months, more than forty martial artists have registered with the Linhai City Martial Arts Association.
The first person to register was a master who had practiced yoga for many years, about four months ago.
He tried to sense the Origin Power using the method published by the Supervision Bureau, and after three months, he finally sensed the presence of Origin Power in the air.
After him, people gradually began to register with the Martial Arts Association.
So far, we've been getting a steady stream of people registering every week.
They register because they want to learn how to absorb Origin Power more efficiently, so someone needs to teach them.
The task of handling this matter naturally falls to members of the local Supervision Bureau.