Chapter 106
“I asked the driver to pick us up; it’s only a twenty-minute ride from school to my house,” Tang Lingwu said cheerfully. “Later, I’ll have my mom drive you back.”
The two of them walked out of the classroom side by side.
Wang Chen, sitting behind Zheng Fa, watched them leave and turned to his deskmate, his tone laced with an inexplicable insecurity, as if doubting his own ears. “Did you hear that?”
“I did.”
His deskmate looked equally bewildered, as if he were questioning whether he was dreaming.
“If I heard correctly, Zheng Fa is going to Tang Lingwu’s house?”
“Yeah…”
“And her mom sent someone to pick him up?”
“Uh-huh…”
“Is this a meet-the-parents situation?”
“...Looks like it.”
“I can’t understand this!” Wang Chen exclaimed, his voice tinged with indignation. “What’s the deal?”
His deskmate nodded slowly, pointing toward the door. “Look at Old Chen; he seems even more confused than you.”
Wang Chen turned to see Old Chen standing in the hallway, gazing down the stairs, smoking a cigarette while scratching his bald head in a frenzy.
His expression was one of bewilderment, as if he had just encountered an alien.
...
Zheng Fa wasn’t going to Tang Lingwu’s house alone.
As his introducer and guarantor, Old Bai was already seated in the back of the car, waiting for the two of them.
The driver from Tang Lingwu’s family was dressed quite simply, in shorts and a T-shirt, lacking the formal attire of a chauffeur from a wealthy family as seen on TV.
The driver didn’t say a word during the ride, but Zheng Fa keenly sensed that he was stealing glances at him through the rearview mirror, clearly curious about him.
The twenty-minute drive in this prefecture-level city wasn’t short. Zheng Fa noticed the car slowly entering a villa area.
It wasn’t as extravagantly luxurious as depicted in television shows, with no grand estates or imposing gates.
Instead, there were several three-story villas spaced far apart, looking somewhat dated, probably built over a decade ago.
Perhaps due to its early construction, this area was actually in the city center, occupying a prime location, with a small hill rising in the background.
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 118: Mother and Daughter**
Tang Lingwu’s villa seemed to have only three floors, and the decor was not luxurious—rather, it felt a bit old-fashioned.
“This is my grandfather’s old house…” Tang Lingwu said softly. “My dad doesn’t live here; he’s in the provincial capital.”
“What about your mom?”
“The doctor said it’s better for her to stay in a familiar environment.”
Zheng Fa had been puzzled before; considering Tang Lingwu’s academic performance and family background, she shouldn’t be attending Qing Shui Middle School.
Now it seemed she had been staying here to accompany her mother.
On the first floor of the villa, a woman who looked like a housekeeper was cleaning, but she moved quietly, making no sound at all.
The house was so quiet it felt uninhabited, and the footsteps of the three echoed emptily in the spacious rooms.
“My mom is resting on the second floor,” Tang Lingwu led them up the stairs. “She can’t sleep at night and needs to nap almost all day.”
Upon reaching the second floor, Zheng Fa saw Tang Lingwu’s mother.
Before arriving, he had imagined that Tang Lingwu’s mother would be in poor condition.
After all, according to Tang Lingwu, her mother had some hysteria, suffered from insomnia, and had a strong need for control.
In Zheng Fa’s mind, such a person wouldn’t be disheveled and crazy, but they would likely appear mentally drained.
But that wasn’t the case—
Tang Lingwu’s mother was lying on a nearly flattened sofa, covered with a wide, soft bath towel.
Incense on the coffee table wafted fragrant smoke, filling the room with a pleasant aroma.
A delicate girl in her twenties was squatting at the end of the sofa, gently massaging her face and scalp.
Hearing the footsteps of Zheng Fa and the others, Tang Lingwu’s mother sat up slightly, the towel slipping from her shoulders to reveal a long, strappy dress.
She bore a striking resemblance to Tang Lingwu, though her figure was more graceful.
At first glance, she even appeared to be in better shape than Tang Lingwu had been the night before—her complexion was clear and rosy, her posture relaxed, and she seemed quite vibrant.
Not only Zheng Fa, but even Tang Lingwu looked stunned, staring at her mother in disbelief.
Tang Lingwu’s mother stood up, first extending her hand to Old Bai, politely saying, “Mr. Bai, thank you for your concern for Xiaowu.”
Old Bai shook her hand gently.
She then nodded at Zheng Fa, not intending to shake hands, but still warmly said, “You must be Zheng, right? Just call me Sister Ye.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback and turned to Tang Lingwu beside him. “Sister… Ye?”
“Call her Aunt Ye!” Tang Lingwu protested, feeling a bit put out. She turned to her mother and said, “Mom, she’s the one helping you with your treatment; is it really necessary to do this?”
“What do you mean?” Aunt Ye rolled her eyes lightly and muttered, “I’m just having someone give me a massage and a spa to adjust my state for receiving guests. What’s wrong with that?”
“…”
Zheng Fa glanced at Old Bai, feeling that Aunt Ye was much more lively than he had imagined.
But upon closer inspection, he could see that Aunt Ye’s condition wasn’t as good as it appeared on the surface.
The rosy complexion seemed to be makeup, and her lazy posture was likely a cover for her sluggishness. Occasionally, her right hand trembled slightly, as if her nerves were weak.
Aunt Ye turned to Old Bai and said, “Mr. Bai, you see, I really don’t have any major issues… Xiaowu is just overreacting.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback, finally understanding Aunt Ye’s mindset.
On one hand, she probably lacked confidence in herself… inviting him over was likely just to appease Old Bai.
On the other hand, she might also be reluctant to confront her own illness.
“Mom! Didn’t you promise me?” Tang Lingwu noticed her mother’s indecision and said, a bit angrily.
“Look, I’m feeling much better today, aren’t I?”
“Every time we go to the hospital, you don’t want to go, and I have to force you,” Tang Lingwu said, genuinely upset. “This time I invited someone to help you, and you’re acting like this?”
“…”
Aunt Ye fell silent.
Zheng Fa looked at Tang Lingwu, then at Aunt Ye.
It seemed that Tang Lingwu was the one more concerned in this mother-daughter relationship.
Aunt Ye seemed to realize she was in the wrong, sitting on the sofa in silence for a long time before finally speaking. “It’s useless…”
“Mom, you…”
“I’ve seen all kinds of experts, both domestic and abroad. I take medication like it’s food, but it hasn’t done me much good—before, I could sleep for two hours at night, but now I can’t even close my eyes for a whole night,” Aunt Ye said. “Xiaowu, I know you worry about me; for all these years, it’s actually been you taking care of me.”
Old Bai opened his mouth to speak.
“Mr. Bai, I appreciate your good intentions, but I know you’re not sick—at least not with my kind of illness.”
“…”
“You don’t need to have your classmate help me, and you don’t need to force me to go to the hospital,” Aunt Ye suddenly said. “I contacted a hospital abroad this morning; I have a flight ticket for tomorrow, and I can check in the day after. You don’t have to worry about the college entrance exam; your dad will come to take you to the provincial capital.”
Aunt Ye seemed to have given up on controlling her daughter, but Tang Lingwu still appeared intent on leaving.
“Mom knows she has issues and wants to restrain herself, but when I’m with you, sometimes I just can’t help it; I start thinking too much and push you to do this and that,” Aunt Ye said softly to Tang Lingwu. “Just remember to come see me in the future.”
Tang Lingwu was stunned for a moment before suddenly saying, “So that’s why you’re like this today…”
“I have to let my daughter remember me looking my best.”
Zheng Fa felt a bit speechless.
In Aunt Ye’s eyes, it seemed that Tang Lingwu’s trust in him was a last-ditch effort, a desperate gamble, and she was dragging Old Bai into the act.
She didn’t trust Zheng Fa or Tang Lingwu, but seeing her daughter’s frantic search for help made her feel her daughter’s helplessness, leading her to decide to isolate herself so as not to affect her daughter’s life.
“Since you’re here today, let’s have some fun at our house,” Aunt Ye said, noticing her daughter’s silence, and smiled. “I asked the cook to prepare a few dishes; let’s eat together, and it’ll be a treat for me.”
“Mom, just give it a try!” Tang Lingwu pleaded softly.
Aunt Ye glanced at her daughter, seemingly resigned. “Alright, I’ll give it a try. How do I do it?”
There was no hint of expectation on her face.
After sending the others out, only Tang Lingwu, her mother, Zheng Fa, and Old Bai remained on the second floor.
“Aunt Ye, just sit on the sofa and close your eyes… I’ll give you a massage,” Zheng Fa said, not intending to promote his healing methods to outsiders.
Tang Lingwu seemed to understand, merely mentioning that Zheng Fa knew some traditional Chinese medicine techniques and could treat her mother by stimulating acupoints on her head.
Aunt Ye nodded, turning her back to Zheng Fa.
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