Chapter 59
Long Yu’s mother was away from home and couldn’t come back for a while, but she still sent her blessings through Aunt Wei. Both families thought the other’s child was exceptional and were eager to support their relationship. They were all beaming with joy.
Meeting the parents went incredibly smoothly.
Fang Jing Yao never dared to imagine that he would have such a smooth journey.
When he was in college, his sexual orientation was something he kept secret. Although some people would joke about it, joking was fine, but if he actually found a same-sex partner, he would always be the subject of gossip and judgment. Society is indeed more tolerant now than it was a few years ago. This isn’t about policy changes, but rather that people around him are much more accepting of these things and are more free in their views.
In addition, some parents have begun to try to accept it, such as Fang’s mother and Long Yu’s mother. If the parents on both sides had not been so open-minded and tried every means to find each other, Fang Jing Yao and Long Yu would not have met each other so quickly and settled down so smoothly.
Fang Jing Yao had virtually no worries. Besides drawing, he spent his days with Dr. Long. Having spent so much time together, they had a lot to talk about, sometimes understanding each other’s thoughts with just a glance. Fang Jing Yao enjoyed these subtle, intimate hints. Sometimes when he and Long Yu were out in crowds, he could always spot Dr. Long with a quick glance. Long Yu was always looking for him too; once they found him, they would exchange a smile—that unspoken understanding was palpable.
Fang Jing Yao has been living a very comfortable life lately, and his face has become plumper thanks to Long Yu’s feeding, making his dimples on the side more noticeable when he smiles.
After Dr. Long got together with him, although he was still aloof, it was clear that he was in a good mood every day. Especially in the last few days, Long Yu had developed a habit of posting on his WeChat Moments every few days, sharing pictures of the dishes he had cooked or a beautiful fruit he had found that day. One of his favorites was a near-perfect apple, which he even liked himself.
Every time Long Yu posts something on his WeChat Moments, Fang Jing Yao receives a red envelope from his mother-in-law. It seems that Long Yu’s mother is secretly observing her son. She gets particularly happy when he posts something very mundane, and when she’s happy, she transfers money to Fang Jing Yao.
What started as a 200 yuan red envelope quickly escalated into a transfer of 888 yuan.
Fang Jing Yao was so shocked when he received a 1200 yuan transfer today that he almost choked on his drink. He quickly checked what Long Yu had posted. Long Yu had posted on his WeChat Moments half an hour earlier, this time about hydroponically growing a pothos plant, and the caption said he hoped it would branch out quickly so he could divide it into separate pots.
Long Yu’s mother’s message followed quickly. She first inquired about their health, and then politely asked Fang Jing Yao if he could give her a small pothos after they had grown too many of their pothos plants.
Fang Jing Yao readily agreed.
Longyu’s mother went back to work, satisfied.
Fang Jing Yao stored the sketches away and, carrying the large sum of money, went to find Long Yu. Dr. Long was in the living room, tending to his newly acquired pothos plants on the flower stand near the balcony.
Pothos is very easy to grow. Even after changing its environment, its leaves remain spread out, thick and lush. All the leaves are wiped clean, green and full of vitality.
Long Yu was carefully spraying water with a small spray bottle when he saw Fang Jing Yao coming over. He smiled and asked, “Finished with work? You’re here quite early today.”
Fang Jing Yao circled around his pothos plant and asked, “How big does it have to get before it starts branching?”
Long Yu said, “It should be soon. I think it will be about a month. This potted plant took quite a while to grow before I was allowed to bring it over. It’s very thriving.”
Fang Jing Yao reached out and hugged his waist, grinning as he said, “Then raise two more pots, one for your mother and one for my baby Huangbao.”
Without turning his head, Long Yu said, “No.”
Fang Jing Yao was displeased: “Why are you so stingy? Just give me a pot of grass!”
Long Yu carefully tended to the potted green ivy, his eyes filled with a gentle smile as he looked at it: “I promised Auntie that once it’s grown, I’ll put it in your study first. Your computer is on all day long, so there’s a lot of radiation. Auntie said you can use it first.”
Fang Jing Yao was very touched, but then refused, saying, “No need, take it to your mother first once it’s healed…”
Long Yu didn’t need to turn around to guess: “My mom asked you for it?”
Fang Jing Yao said righteously, “How can we let our elders speak? This is our duty as juniors, and it’s also a way of showing filial piety. Don’t you understand?”
Long Yu calmly asked, “How much money did my mother give you?”
Fang Jing Yao was heartbroken: “Long Yu, how can you keep talking about money when you look like this! Filial piety, how can filial piety be measured in money?”
Long Yu glanced back at him, and Fang Jing Yao honestly said, “I’ve already beaten up the mistress, but actually I came to you to share the spoils. Don’t look at me like that, I really didn’t mean to give you any… no, I mean, just give her a potted plant, she practically begged you, and you really won’t give it to her? Besides, I think your aunt really wants to chat with you, but she just doesn’t know what to say. She probably had no other choice but to try and find out about you indirectly through me!” Long Yu’s expression didn’t change, and he went back to watering the pothos. Fang Jing Yao wasn’t afraid of his cold face anymore, and he shamelessly rubbed against his back a couple of times, refusing to leave. “Let me ask you something, Long Yu, what’s going on between you and your mom? It seems like you’re not as close to your dad as you are to your mom.”
Long Yu said, “That’s how it is. We’ll contact each other if anything happens, otherwise we won’t bother each other. We’ve gotten used to it over the years. The relationships in my family are pretty distant, and I don’t know how to get close to her. But when I was little…” He paused, then chuckled, “It was when I was in junior high school. I had already moved out of my aunt’s house and was living with them. My dad was always away on business trips, and my mom was busy with her own things. When she couldn’t take care of me, she would slip me some money or buy me some snacks to eat. After a year or two, I developed stomach problems and even had to be hospitalized for a while.”
Fang Jing Yao subconsciously reached out and rubbed his stomach, but Long Yu pressed his hands down, shook his head and laughed, “It’s all better now, nothing serious. It just looked serious at the time, and I even vomited blood twice. My mom happened to see it, and she was terrified. The hospital said that if it was serious, I might need surgery. She was a doctor herself at the time, and she was so scared that she didn’t believe in medicine anymore. She would donate money to the donation boxes at every temple she passed, praying to the gods and Buddhas that I would be alright. She didn’t dare tell anyone when she was with me during the day…”
Fang Jing Yao hugged him from behind and chuckled.
Long Yu chuckled, “She’s silly, isn’t she? When I found out later, I also thought she was adorably silly. She’s different from my dad. My dad always seems cheerful and carefree because he’s a materialist. He believes that if you give it your all every time, you’ll have no regrets. But my mom is different. She seems decisive enough and loves to show off. She doesn’t talk about things, but what supports this belief in her heart? She has to believe that she can become better.”
Fang Jing Yao couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart. He hugged Long Yu tightly from behind and didn’t let go. He couldn’t say much about the elders’ affairs, but he couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for Long Yu who had always been so insightful.
Long Yu held his hand that was wrapped around his neck, rubbed the ring on his finger a couple of times, and smiled as he looked down: “I’m much luckier; this support is right here in front of me.”
Fang Jing Yao rubbed his head against his back, held back for a moment, but still couldn’t help but giggle for a while.
When the potted green ivy sprouted its first clump of branches and filled a small pot, neither Long Yu’s mother, who had paid a high price for the flower, nor Fang Jing Yao received it. In the end, it was sent to Aunt Wei’s ward.
Aunt Wei’s condition suddenly worsened, and her family sent her to the hospital for treatment. Long Yu arranged a ward for her in a suite on the top floor, which was quite nice.
Long Yu brought Fang Jing Yao to see her. Fang Jing Yao carried the potted green ivy inside. At first glance, he didn’t recognize the old lady sitting on the bed as Aunt Wei, whom he had just met some time ago. She seemed to have become much more haggard. Although she straightened her back and leaned against the hospital bed, she had lost a lot of weight and looked as if half of her energy had been drained away, exuding a sense of exhaustion.
Fang Jing Yao placed the pothos on the windowsill, and Long Yu sat next to the old lady’s sickbed and whispered to her, “The pothos you gave me last time has been growing very well for a while, and it’s already able to be divided into smaller pots. This small one is from that division… I thought it looked good, so I brought it over to you. You can see it every morning and evening, and seeing more greenery will lift your spirits.”
Aunt Wei smiled and said, “I know, why are you so long-winded today? I’m getting a little uncomfortable with you saying so much.” She then looked up at Fang Jing Yao, beckoned him over, and Fang Jing Yao immediately came over and called out, “Auntie.”
Aunt Wei patted his hand and laughed, “Jing Yao, why aren’t you telling any jokes today?”
Fang Jing Yao rubbed the tip of his nose to calm his slightly sore heart, smiled and said a few words to her, then looked down at Aunt Wei’s wrist, where there were still marks from acupuncture. He couldn’t help but ask, “Auntie, what happened to you? How did you get so sick all of a sudden?”
Aunt Wei said calmly, “I’m getting old, and my body isn’t as healthy as it used to be. I get a bunch of minor ailments all the time, but I’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”
As they were talking, the nurse pushed in a cart to give Aunt Wei her injection. She greeted Long Yu first, and Long Yu was also polite to her. The nurse seemed to have treated Aunt Wei before, speaking with familiarity and showing special care for the old lady: “…Yesterday’s checkup went very well, so please relax and cooperate with our treatment. Today you’re getting an anti-nausea and liver-protecting injection. You might feel a little uncomfortable later, so please ring the bell if you need anything.”
Aunt Wei nodded and showed her wrist to the nurse for the injection. Long Yu stood quietly to the side watching, his face expressionless, but his gaze remained fixed on her thin wrist.
Fang Jing Yao sensed something serious just from what the nurse said, but Aunt Wei clearly didn’t want to talk about her illness. Long Yu tried to ask a few questions, but she brushed them off lightly, so he didn’t press the matter. Instead, he stood by and chimed in with a few words to cheer the old lady up. This tactic worked quite well; Aunt Wei obviously preferred Fang Jing Yao’s relaxed attitude and waved for Long Yu to leave first: “Since Jing Yao is alright, just stay and keep me company for a while. You don’t need to stay here all the time. You’re busy with work, so go ahead.”
Long Yu was still worried and wanted to say something more, but the old lady wouldn’t listen, so he had no choice but to leave.
Fang Jing Yao saw Long Yu to the door and then asked him quietly in the corridor, “What exactly happened to Aunt Wei?”
Long Yu paused for a moment, then said, “Her stomach… has some problems, it’s been going on for a long time, and there’s not much that can be done for now. Let her stay in the hospital to recuperate for a while.” After he finished speaking, he said to Fang Jing Yao, “Thank you for your help this time. Your aunt likes you a lot, so please come and keep her company these next few days and talk to her to cheer her up.”
Fang Jing Yao said, “Of course, I like Auntie too.”
Long Yu touched his hair. Fang Jing Yao felt that Dr. Long’s eyes looked particularly sad, as if he was about to cry. But after a blink of an eye, he suppressed his emotions and returned to his usual calm self.
Fang Jing Yao was still worried about Aunt Wei, so he went to ask what kind of treatment was being done on the top floor. The young girl at the nurses’ station told him, “It’s just for regular recuperation. Many elderly people are weak and have poor resistance, so they come here to get some traditional Chinese medicine to help them improve their health.”
Fang Jing Yao felt a little relieved after hearing this, and went back to keep Aunt Wei company.
The young nurse glanced at him curiously a couple more times, and when she saw him enter Aunt Wei’s ward, she whispered, “Oh dear, it’s someone from that aunt’s family…”
Another nurse who was taking records nearby asked, “What’s wrong with that lady?”
The nurse sighed and said, “You don’t know if you’re new here. That aunt has been receiving treatment here for five or six years, with relapses over and over again. Sometimes when her family pushes her downstairs for treatment, everyone else is in so much pain that they can’t bear it, but that aunt just endures it all and has never uttered a sound of pain. She’s always kind and gentle to us and has never lost her temper.”
The nurse who was taking records looked up, somewhat confused, and said, “Downstairs? But the chemotherapy room is downstairs…”
The nurse nodded, sighed, and said, “It was already in the late stage when it was first diagnosed. It’s really not easy for them to have lasted this long.”
The other person also sighed, “Oh, really… I just saw Dr. Long go to that aunt’s ward. Is he also that aunt’s relative?”
The nurse said, “Yes, Dr. Long is the one who’s pitiful. When he first started working, his aunt came for treatment and often came to keep him company. We used to say that it was quite strange that Dr. Long, with his qualifications and abilities, could stay in a city hospital like ours. Some people even guessed that it was all for his aunt!”
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