Seeing the old man's displeased expression, Duan Ruolan immediately changed her tune, "Besides, your life is worth more than that little bit of money. Actually, our family got a good deal."
"You..." General Xia glared at his daughter-in-law with wide eyes, but he couldn't get angry with her. This clever and charming daughter-in-law was very likable. Every time she spoke gently, she would make him lose his temper. This was the Duan family's soft-knife technique.
Xia Luobing suppressed a laugh, his feigned fear making it difficult for him to maintain his composure. "Dad, Ruolan is right. The doctor who treated you, Dr. Lin, accepted the money for disaster relief. Just consider it a donation to the disaster area and don't hold it against him."
“Your dad has some sense of right and wrong. I’m paying for his life, it has nothing to do with donating to the disaster relief. They are the ones who are truly making donations.” General Xia’s mood improved a bit, and he took another big bite of apple. “I’m not saying he shouldn’t have given so much money, but he should have told me first that he was raising funds for disaster relief. Giving more would have been fine, but he had to resort to this kind of extortion that takes advantage of my vulnerability. It makes me angry.”
"It was Dr. Lin's fault. He should have stated his purpose beforehand." Duan Ruolan smiled to comfort the old man, but in her heart she thought, "You're right. I wouldn't mind giving you more. The money came from my pocket. The company's cash flow has been affected, and I even had to borrow money from him temporarily."
He knocked on the door, and it opened. A sprightly Duan Hanyuan walked into the living room, followed by his orderly.
"Old Duan, what brings you here?" General Xia was somewhat surprised. Why was his in-law here at night?
"Can't I come? Can't I come to see my daughter and son-in-law?" Duan Hanyuan smiled, his every move exuding an elegant air, making him seem far superior to Old Man Xia.
After brewing Biluochun tea for Grandpa Duan, the orderly left, and everyone continued talking.
"It must be that brat Wenwen's doing. She called you over because she was afraid of getting scolded." General Xia's tone was very certain as he glanced at the stairs in the room.
"Yes, yes, Old Man Xia, you're really smart." Duan Hanyuan gave a thumbs up. "My dear grandson said that someone wants to arrange a marriage. That won't do. What era are we living in? Why are we still having such feudal ideas?"
"Driving skills target practice!" General Xia jumped to his feet. "Who arranged this? It was just to let the kids get to know each other and build rapport. Besides, that young man Dikai is a hundred times better than this Lin guy. Wenwen can't go with him!"
"A hundred times?" Duan Hanyuan still wore a gentle smile as he turned his head to look at General Xia. "What do you mean by a hundred times? Is it ability or wealth?"
General Xia was speechless for a long time before he finally managed to retort with a thick neck, "Dikai is a soldier, and soldiers are good, a hundred times better than that Lin fellow!"
"You only have eyes for soldiers, so you've never paid any attention to ordinary people like me?" Duan Hanyuan retorted without any politeness. "I've heard that Kang Dikai is a womanizer and has ruined a lot of innocent women. Are you trying to push my precious grandson into a fire pit?"
“Nonsense, which man doesn’t make a few mistakes when he’s young? Dikai has already corrected them, he’s a good kid.” General Xia’s voice softened, but his stubborn temper prevented him from giving in. “That Lin guy is not good either, he doesn’t even dare to show his name or face to others. I think his appearance today is not his true face either. He’s a fake everywhere he goes, he’s not a good guy either.”
"But he saved your life! That's ability. Do you think someone with a complicated mind could have such high medical skills?" Duan Hanyuan's smile disappeared, replaced by a disdainful expression. "And you call yourself a martial arts practitioner? You don't even understand this principle. I like that kid surnamed Lin. He would be a great grandson-in-law for me."
"You..." General Xia was of course defeated by reasoning with the scholar, so he could only continue to be unreasonable. "I don't care, I have already promised Kang Youwen, and I have the final say on this marriage."
Duan Hanyuan finally lost his temper, "What do you take Wenwen for? A commodity to exchange for benefits and maintain friendship? I disagree with Kangdikai!"
"Alright, alright, Wenwen is still young, she hasn't graduated yet. Besides, Kang Dikai is only a deputy battalion commander. If he wants to join the army in Beijing, he needs to be a full battalion commander. There are still several years to go, and nobody knows what will happen in the future. Let the child develop on her own." Duan Ruolan tried to smooth things over, not wanting to offend either side.
Xia Luobing watched his wife use her tricks with amusement. At this moment, he was the lowest-ranking person in the room, so he consciously acted as a spectator and didn't respond to anyone's words.
"Grandpa, you're here!" Xia Yuwen, like a light little bird, threw herself into Duan Hanyuan's arms, making the old general speechless. His granddaughter was not often so affectionate towards him, especially recently.
"My dear Wenwen, you've found a boyfriend?" Duan Hanyuan asked affectionately, gently patting Xia Yuwen's head.
"No, I found someone to impersonate Grandpa." Xia Yuwen whispered in her grandfather's ear, barely making a sound so that he could hear her clearly. She knew that her grandfather had very good hearing and dared not speak loudly.
"Oh, that's good." Duan Hanyuan exchanged a meaningful look with his granddaughter and then burst into laughter.
"Anyway, I don't like a grandson-in-law who's obsessed with money. He doesn't even dare to show his face to the public. What kind of love is that?" General Xia, alone and powerless, sat on the sofa and spoke angrily. At this moment, the general's majesty had vanished, and he acted like an ordinary old man.
"You're just jealous of my good character, aren't you? I didn't pay a single penny for medical treatment; the medicine was all paid for by the miracle doctor himself." Duan Hanyuan continued to taunt Old Man Xia, but seeing that the other's face was getting even uglier, he immediately stopped while he was ahead. "In-law, can we eat the immortal meat now? I heard that there's a farmhouse nearby with some really good specialties; their immortal meat is absolutely amazing."
"Of course, we'll go tomorrow. It's been so long since we've had dog meat." General Xia was clearly very magnanimous, able to put aside his anger as soon as he was done. His in-laws' suggestion suited him perfectly; he'd been eating dog meat for months.
“Dad, no, there’s still one day left. You can only eat and drink freely after the day after tomorrow,” Duan Ruolan objected from the side.
"What does it matter if it's a day or two? When did you start listening to the doctor so much?" General Xia obviously didn't care about these things. "In-law, take me to try it tomorrow. These days, the cooks at home have been making tasteless dishes. I'm getting so sick of eating them that I'm practically turning into a sheep. I'm eating vegetarian food all day long, just like a sheep."
"We still have to listen to the doctor. Don't you all know that doctor? Just call him and ask. If necessary, we can take him with us tomorrow," Duan Hanyuan suggested with a smile. He also wanted to see this rather controversial boy.
"Wenwen, call him and tell him to come and report tomorrow." General Xia was very strict and gave the order directly to his granddaughter.
Xia Yuwen felt a little embarrassed. She was already embarrassed to ask Lin Yao to pretend to be her boyfriend today, but now she was going to have to take him to meet her grandfather and maternal grandfather and have a meal with them. How was she supposed to bring it up?
"Hey, Lin Yao, this is Xia Yuwen. Do you have time tomorrow?" Xia Yuwen made the call from the balcony, without directly stating her request.
"Hello, I've been very busy these days and haven't had time. What's wrong?" Lin Yao didn't think too much about it. Although he also wanted to see Xia Yuwen, he had important business to attend to. He had a lot of things to do, including cooperating with Gou Xiaogou on programming and the pharmaceutical factory, as well as refining pills. He simply didn't have much time.
"Oh, never mind then, goodnight." Xia Yuwen didn't want to make any further requests, so they hung up after exchanging a few more words.
"Lin Yao has been busy these past few days and can't come over tomorrow," Xia Yuwen reported the result of the phone call, her face flushed as she tugged at her grandfather's arm.
"Did he say I can eat dog meat tomorrow?" General Xia asked the question he was most concerned about. He valued the taboo of specifying a time. Those who practice martial arts often encounter hurdles like the 49-day mark. Perhaps there are also strict taboos regarding time limits in medicine. He felt it was best to listen to the doctor.
"I didn't ask that," Xia Yuwen replied weakly, hiding herself behind her grandfather.
"Silly girl, you didn't even ask about something so important. Ask again right now and see if I can have meat tomorrow." General Xia glared at his granddaughter, his tone full of reproach and a hint of resentment. He hadn't eaten meat in a long time, let alone his favorite dog meat.
"Never mind, we can go eat the day after tomorrow. I'll have someone contact them first and ask them to prepare a black dog. Black dogs are the most nutritious and have the best flavor." Duan Hanyuan knew that Dr. Lin was a son-in-law of Xibei and couldn't be trusted, so he helped Xia Yuwen out of the predicament.
"Wenwen can't see anyone surnamed Lin, but she can see him for medical treatment. I happen to have an old subordinate who is also in poor health, and the hospital can't help him. Ask him for me tomorrow," General Xia ordered in a commanding tone.
“Dad, stop worrying about your old subordinates. Your son isn’t feeling well either; he has a back problem, and you haven’t seemed worried about him.” Duan Ruolan interjected, her tone full of resentment. Her husband’s back had been bothering her for several years, and she hadn’t dared to buy a soft chair for the house because of her father-in-law’s habits. Now, hearing her father-in-law’s immediate concern for his subordinates, even she, with her good temper, felt angry.
"Then let's find that guy surnamed Lin to treat Luo Bing. I guarantee he'll be cured in one go." General Xia was a rigorous scholar, and he highly praised Lin Yao's medical skills, regardless of his personal preferences.
"Oh." Xia Yuwen agreed softly, her heart, which had been trying to calm down, was now churning even more. When she got home, she was shocked to learn that Lin Yao was an angel. She couldn't even concentrate on eating, and several times her chopsticks reached for the table.
No wonder he was able to treat several elderly people with acupuncture at the nursing home this afternoon; his medical skills are truly remarkable, he's practically a miracle doctor. Grandpa said Lin Yao was also in disguise today; could he be that same miracle doctor from before?
As Xia Yuwen thought about it, she compared the two people's images in her mind and shook her head to deny the hypothesis. Their images and temperaments were too different, so they couldn't be the same person.
A feeling of loss welled up inside me...
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