At 3 p. m., Xia Yunuo and Song Yunshen went downstairs together, parted ways at the entrance of the building, and then headed home.
On her way home, she took out her phone, opened Pinduoduo, went into her favorites, and quickly scrolled through it. Her face immediately froze.
Only then did she realize that Song Yunshen had collected more than thirty pieces of clothing!
Considering Xia Yunuo's desire to save money, the clothes Song Yunshen collected were mostly under 100 yuan each, and even a complete set was generally under 300 yuan, which was barely within Xia Yunuo's acceptable range.
Otherwise, there could be even more.
But for Xia Yunuo, thirty-odd items were already a lot!
Xia Yunuo selected all thirty-odd pieces of clothing and discovered that they cost a total of over four thousand yuan.
She had originally thought that if Song Yunshen only picked out two or three outfits, she should buy them all at once and wear a different one every day for Song Yunshen to see.
Upon seeing this, Xia Yunuo immediately deflated, thinking that she should take it slowly.
When I make a lot of money in the future, I will definitely buy lots and lots of clothes that Song Yunshen likes, and wear a different one every day, so that I never wear the same one twice.
Xia Yunuo clenched her small fists, silently cheering herself on in her heart, and suddenly felt even more motivated to earn money. Before, she wanted to find a tutoring job, partly to help ease the financial burden on her family, and partly because she had heard that her older sister was a tutor, so she wanted to imitate her sister and try to catch up with her.
But for her now, there seems to be another reason to make money.
Logically speaking, if Song Yunshen really wanted to see Xia Yunuo wearing pretty clothes, he could have just paid for them himself.
But Song Yunshen didn't do that, because he knew Xia Yunuo definitely wouldn't agree.
Xia Yunuo never even entertained such a thought. She only wanted to earn money through her own efforts and then use her own money to buy it. She never even considered using Song Yunshen's money.
Even treating Song Yunshen to a meal could make her happy for a long time.
When Xia Yunuo got home, she casually pulled Xia Kening into the bedroom to do her homework, and then sat down at her desk herself, taking out her phone to continue browsing her Pinduoduo favorites.
After looking at them for a while, she still couldn't decide which one to choose, so she had to put her phone away for the time being and plan to ask Song Yunshen which one he liked better when she chatted with him before going to bed that night.
On the other side, Song Yunshen drove Xia Jinshu to the vegetable market.
After getting out of the car Xia Jinshu asked him, "Did you ask him today? What dishes would Uncle like to eat?"
"Just cook him some fish, like braised crucian carp or something. He usually loves to eat fish," Song Yunshen said casually.
"Braised crucian carp? Uncle just had surgery, right? He should eat something lighter." Xia Jinshu frowned slightly and continued, "Besides, crucian carp has a lot of bones. It's better to choose black carp. I'll make a fish soup to help him recover."
Song Yunshen was taken aback.
In reality, he hadn't thought that much about it; he was simply recalling what his dad usually liked to eat, without considering the post-operative issues at all.
In this respect, Xia Jinshu is more meticulous.
"Alright, let's buy a black carp and make some soup," Song Yunshen replied.
"What about the other dishes?" Xia Jinshu asked again, then started counting on her fingers, "We can buy some more tofu to cook in the fish soup, then make a steamed egg, and buy some baby bok choy or small greens, try to keep it light."
Song Yunshen nodded in agreement, leaving the arrangements entirely to Xia Jinshu.
To be honest, it's quite nice to have someone figure out exactly what to do for you in everything you do.
If it were Song Yunshen himself, even if he thought of bringing his father some food, he probably wouldn't know what to make and would have to ask his aunt next door for help. Now that Mama Xia is here, that step is saved.
Song Yunshen followed Xia Jinshu. While Xia Jinshu picked out the vegetables, he was responsible for taking out his phone to scan the QR code and then carrying the vegetables to his hands.
After walking around for a while, seeing Song Yunshen carrying bags of various sizes in his hands, Xia Jinshu naturally reached out and took half of the bags from him, helping him carry them.
After riding her electric scooter home, Xia Jinshu went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients, while Song Yunshen, as usual, sat on the living room sofa memorizing vocabulary words, while also enjoying the view of Mama Xia busily working in the kitchen.
Xia Jinshu wasn't wearing her nice preppy pleated skirt uniform today, which made Song Yunshen a little disappointed.
However, with Xia Jinshu's looks and figure, she looks good in anything. Just looking at her tall figure from afar is enough to make people's imaginations run wild.
After preparing the ingredients, Xia Jinshu came out of the kitchen and called Song Yunshen into the study to begin today's English class.
Around six o'clock in the evening, Song Yunshen and Xia Jinshu finished their dinner and were in the kitchen preparing food for Song Mingyuan.
Song Yunshen's family has quite a few insulated lunchboxes, but they haven't been used for a long time. After Xia Jinshu took them out, she washed them carefully again.
Then she cooked two more dishes: one was stir-fried baby bok choy with sliced pork, and the other was stir-fried bok choy with garlic sauce, both of which were relatively light.
Xia Jinshu poured the blackfish tofu soup into the largest round insulated lunchbox, and then took out the steamed egg along with the lunchbox. All four dishes were ready; each dish was small in portion, but it was quite a feast.
Xia Jinshu carefully placed the five lunchboxes, including the rice, into the cloth bag that Song Yunshen had brought. Then, she smiled and said to Song Yunshen, "That's all done. Let's go."
Song Yunshen nodded, took the cloth bag, then paused, looking at Xia Jinshu in surprise. He opened his mouth, then asked, "Us?"
"Yes." Xia Jinshu nodded slightly, a little embarrassed, avoiding Song Yunshen's gaze, and turned to look out the window, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible.
"After all, it's my cooking, so I should at least ask Uncle in person how it tastes."
"Besides, didn't you promise me you'd have a good talk with your father? If I don't go with you, how will I know if you've kept your promise to me?"
"Besides, my uncle agreed to this tutoring job, and he even promised to give me a bonus after your grades improve when school starts. This is a good opportunity to thank him in person."
Xia Jinshu gave a long list of reasons, trying to make the reasons for this matter seem more convincing.
But the more she talked, the more incongruous it felt. After all, Song Yunshen had never seen her explain such a long string of words in one breath before.
"Go if you want to, I'm just a little surprised." Song Yunshen couldn't help but chuckle.
Explaining so much only made Xia Jinshu seem guilty.
This situation only proves one thing: all the reasons mentioned above are just a pretext.
Xia Jinshu herself was unaware of this; she was simply subconsciously looking for excuses to justify her behavior.
In reality, she just subconsciously felt a strange flutter in her heart at the thought of accompanying Song Yunshen to visit his father.
It's like...
Thinking of this, Xia Jinshu quickly interrupted her thoughts, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
At this moment, Song Yunshen had already walked out of the kitchen with a lunchbox and headed towards the front door. Xia Jinshu quickly followed, banishing all the strange thoughts from her mind, and went out with Song Yunshen.
The two went downstairs, but Song Yunshen didn't lead her to the bike shed; instead, he walked straight towards the gate of the residential area.
"Not riding an electric bike?" Xia Jinshu asked, puzzled.
Song Yunshen nodded and explained, "The First People's Hospital is quite far away; it would take a long time to get there by electric scooter. Let's take a taxi."
Xia Jinshu nodded, though she was a little worried about the money; after all, a taxi ride would cost at least ten yuan, right?
She didn't mind riding an electric scooter there; it just took a little longer.
Rather, it's better for it to last longer.
Xia Jinshu turned her head to look at Song Yunshen's profile, then immediately looked away.
She wanted to suggest that they ride the electric bike instead, but using the excuse of saving money for herself was one thing, but forcing a wealthy person like Song Yunshen to save money was a bit of meddling.
So she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
When they arrived at the entrance of the residential area, the car that Song Yunshen had called just pulled up to the side of the road.
The two got into the car smoothly. Song Yunshen gave the last four digits of his phone number, and the driver started the car and headed towards the First People's Hospital.
Evening, First People's Hospital, single room 601.
Having just finished using the restroom, Song Mingyuan slowly walked out and, with the help of a caregiver, sat down on the edge of the bed before lying down smoothly. Song Mingyuan checked the time on his phone, sent a WeChat to his son, and, upon learning that he would be arriving soon, said to the caregiver beside him, "Old Li, go for a walk first. My son is coming; come back when I call him."
"Okay." The caregiver nodded in agreement.
Not long after, when there was a knock at the door, the caregiver got up to open it, welcomed the two people in, and then left the room, closing the door behind her.
He'd been a caregiver for several years and knew this was a family matter. It was normal for him, an outsider, to avoid suspicion, so he wasn't surprised. He asked the nurses' station for a small stool, sat down by the door, and waited patiently, taking out his phone to idly chat for a while.
He was just a little curious; the patient had only mentioned that his son was coming, but hadn't said anyone else was coming.
That young girl was quite pretty; could she be his son's girlfriend?
But when I was taking care of a patient before, he mentioned that his son was still in high school, right?
It's one thing to date, but to bring them along to visit elders... The world of the rich is truly extraordinary.
The caregiver smacked her lips, didn't think much of it, and continued playing on her phone.
In the ward, Song Mingyuan looked towards the door after hearing a knock.
His expression had been calm at first, but when he saw Xia Jinshu following behind Song Yunshen, surprise flashed in his eyes. "Uncle Song, good evening," Xia Jinshu said with a reserved smile.
"Um... Good evening." Song Mingyuan paused for a moment, then nodded to Xia Jinshu, before looking at Song Yunshen with a puzzled expression, "What's going on between you two?"
Song Yunshen walked to the bedside, set up the table on the bed, took out the lunchboxes one by one, and chuckled, "Otherwise, do you think I would cook for you if I said I was bringing you food?"
"You had Xia Jinshu make this for me?" Upon hearing this, Song Mingyuan immediately felt a little embarrassed and said irritably, "How could you trouble someone like that?"
"It's alright, Uncle Song," Xia Jinshu quickly explained, "Anyway, I cook dinner at your house every day now, so it's not troublesome at all."
"Huh?" Song Mingyuan was even more shocked upon hearing this, looking at the two of them with a bewildered expression, still somewhat confused. "What's going on? Why is Xia Jinshu still cooking at our house?"
"Why do you care so much?" Song Yunshen rolled her eyes at him, opened the lunchbox one by one, and said to him, "Black fish tofu soup, steamed egg, garlic greens, and stir-fried baby bok choy with sliced meat. Eat it while it's hot, she made it all."
Xia Jinshu handed over clean chopsticks and a soup spoon, which Song Mingyuan silently accepted. Smelling the aroma of the dishes wafting out, his previously weak appetite was suddenly whetted.
So he simply thanked Xia Jinshu, then picked up his chopsticks and began to slowly savor the food.
Song Yunshen brought over two stools, handed one to Xia Jinshu, and the two sat down beside the hospital bed, watching Song Mingyuan eat.
"This fish soup is really good, so fresh!" Song Mingyuan praised while eating. "The tofu is cooked just right, so tender."
Xia Jinshu was very happy and said with a smile, "Uncle Song, if you think it's delicious, please eat more. If there's anything else you'd like to eat, you can tell me, and I'll make it tomorrow."
"No, no, no, I can't trouble you like that." Song Mingyuan quickly shook his head. "Once is enough, there's no need to go through all that trouble every day."
"You want some? I won't let you." Song Yunshen pouted. "Just this once, no more."
"Oh dear, don't say that." Xia Jinshu secretly tugged at Song Yunshen's sleeve and then said, "Uncle Song, actually Yunshen was very worried about you. He was just a little angry that you didn't tell him before, so he was just being stubborn."
Song Mingyuan blinked, still eating with his head down, and nodded in response. He had expected Song Yunshen's attitude, so he didn't think much of it.
On the contrary, it was Xia Jinshu.
... Yunshen?
How come after more than a month of classes, even the way I address you has changed?
Do teachers call students by their names like this these days?
Song Mingyuan's expression was somewhat strange. He glanced at his son and then clicked his tongue.
"Senior, don't interrupt." Song Yunshen grabbed Xia Jinshu's hand and gently patted the back of her hand a few times, then looked at his father, " Song Mingyuan, have you reflected on your actions since yesterday?"
Hearing his son call him by his first name, Song Mingyuan chuckled and said, "What? Want to teach your dad a lesson?"
"You and Mom taught me from a young age that there is no distinction between elders and juniors when it comes to right and wrong," Song Yunshen said calmly, arms crossed. "I advise you to straighten out your attitude, or don't even think about touching my 5090 again."
"You actually bought it?" Song Mingyuan asked, looking surprised.
Just like he said before, apart from occasionally glancing at the surveillance footage during Xia Jinshu's class time in the first few days of summer vacation, he had never looked at the home surveillance cameras, and he didn't even know whether Song Yunshen had bought a new computer.
When home security cameras have been installed for a long time, it's easy to forget they even exist. Unless something happens and you need to check the footage, it's practically impossible to turn them on for no reason.
Song Mingyuan wasn't in the mood for surgery because he needed to be hospitalized.
"I bought it a month ago," Song Yunshen said.
"Then wait until the end of the month, and let me play a couple of rounds." Song Mingyuan raised his eyebrows, getting excited.
"You're quite beautiful," Song Yunshen Shen chuckled.
"Alright, alright," Song Mingyuan said reluctantly. "I was wrong. Dad apologizes. I promise I won't hide anything from you again."
Upon hearing the apology, Song Yunshen's initially firm stance softened, though he remained somewhat stubborn. "I'll only let you play once."
"Aren't you being a bit stingy?" Song Mingyuan widened his eyes and said irritably, "At least half of the money you spent on the computer came from me. Have some conscience, will you?"
"That's not necessarily true." Song Yunshen shook his head. "At least half of them were red envelopes given by my uncles during the Lunar New Year."
"What good is a thousand or two if it's only a small amount?" Song Mingyuan said.
"Many hands make light work," Song Yunshen said, counting on his fingers. "My uncle gave me two thousand, my aunt two thousand, my uncle one thousand five hundred, my maternal grandparents one thousand, my paternal grandparents one thousand, my sister Xuanxuan one thousand, and when relatives treat us to dinner during the New Year, my cousins also give me six or eight hundred. I've been saving for two years, so I must have more than twenty thousand."
"Alright, alright," Song Mingyuan said speechlessly, "Why are you calculating so meticulously? You talk too much nonsense."
The father and son were bickering beside the hospital bed. Xia Jinshu watched from the side, a smile creeping onto her face. She found the scene quite amusing.
When she came to her senses, Xia Jinshu suddenly realized something and felt a strange pang of envy. So this is what a normal father should be like?
Xia Jinshu pursed her lips, and images from many years ago flashed through her mind. Her hands clenched unconsciously, and her body tensed up.
She had never known that communication between a father and child could take this form, like that of friends, rather than a hierarchical relationship like that between a superior and subordinate.
Before coming, Xia Jinshu was a little nervous, thinking about what she should say after meeting him.
If Song Yunshen and Uncle Song get into an argument, how should she mediate?
After much deliberation and having prepared a long draft, none of it was actually used.
Xia Jinshu smiled helplessly, and her body relaxed again.
After Song Mingyuan finished eating, Xia Jinshu immediately got up to help tidy up the lunchbox, and then said to Song Mingyuan, "Uncle, what would you like to eat tomorrow? You can tell me."
"How about we forget it?" Song Mingyuan shook his head and declined. "The hospital is too far from where you are. It's unnecessary and too much trouble for you two to bring it over every day."
"Why are you talking so much? Just order what I told you to order," Song Yunshen said from the side. "She can't deliver every day. From now on, she'll only be responsible for cooking. I'll bring the food over separately. Just eat."
Hearing Song Yunshen say this, Xia Jinshu felt a little disappointed, but in order to get Song Mingyuan to agree, she went along with Song Yunshen's words and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, Uncle, you don't need to be so polite. Anyway, we're going to cook dinner tonight, so cooking one or two more dishes won't take much time."
Song Mingyuan hesitated for a moment. Seeing their response, he smacked his lips, savoring the taste of the fish soup he had just eaten, and finally nodded, saying, "Alright then, I'll tell the caregiver later that you'll be taking care of dinner from now on."