Returning to the villa drenched in sweat, Hua Yan reminisced about the elderly man she encountered in the park as she bathed. Despite her friendly inquiry, the man seemed startled and full of self-reproach, without uttering a word before turning and leaving.
Unable to make sense of the encounter, she dismissed it from her mind. If the old man had genuine concerns, she figured he would return. After filling the bathtub with fresh hot water and adding a few drops of sweet orange essential oil she had bought two days ago, she stirred the water until the oil dispersed evenly, filling the air with a sweet and fragrant aroma. As she lay in the tub, Hua Yan felt her body relax and her mind rejuvenate.
After enjoying the oil-free fried eggs prepared by Chang Ma, along with four or five homemade small steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and a couple of small vegetable dishes, Hua Yan packaged the two items she had sold on Taobao the previous night and arranged for the courier company to collect them.
Feeling increasingly confident about her future life, Hua Yan suddenly felt the urge to relax. She logged into the game "Eternal Tower" on her computer in the study and set her mobile ringtone to "Addiction," a song by Chen Chusheng. As the melody filled the room, she couldn't help but smile.
Glancing at her phone, she saw the caller ID read "Dad." Furrowing her brow, she initially wondered when she had acquired a father. Then, remembering that she had unblocked her father's number from her phone blacklist the day before and deleted Cheng Jie's number, she answered without hesitation.
"Hello?"
"Is this Miss Hua?" The voice on the other end sounded like the woman she had spoken to during her previous call, but now her voice was trembling, as if something bad had happened.
"Yes, it's me. Has something happened?"
"Mr. Hua has collapsed, and he is currently undergoing emergency treatment at the City People's Hospital. The doctor is requesting that the patient's family come to see him immediately."
The thought of her father in trouble made Hua Yan's heart skip a beat. Although she hadn't seriously considered how to deal with her father, having a father in this lonely world had unintentionally become a source of comfort and attachment for her. Just the thought of having a relative nearby made her feel more secure.
Understanding her feelings, Hua Yan quickly changed into the clothes she had worn the previous day and grabbed her bank card and other identification documents before hurrying down the stairs with her bag. When she encountered Chang Ma, who looked puzzled, she simply said she had urgent matters and rushed out.
Breathless, she arrived at the emergency room of the City People's Hospital to see a middle-aged woman pacing anxiously back and forth, wearing a uniform with the words "Tranquil Recovery Medical Center" embroidered on the back.
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"How is my father?" Hua Yan asked, gripping the woman's arm. The woman visibly sighed in relief at the sight of Hua Yan.
"Mr. Hua has been in there for an hour already, but he hasn't come out yet. We won't know the specifics until the doctor comes out... Mr. Hua arrived at the medical center not in the best physical or mental state, but after some persuasion from us, he seemed to regain some spirit and his complexion improved significantly.
However, early this morning, when I went to see Mr. Hua as usual, I found that he wasn't in his room. At first, I thought he had gone downstairs for his usual morning exercise, but when I saw Mr. Hua sweating profusely as he entered the medical center's gate, I realized he had left the medical center early this morning. I rushed downstairs to greet him, but he suddenly collapsed. If it hadn't been for a water delivery person nearby who helped him, things could have been much worse..."
The woman's words triggered Hua Yan's memory of the elderly man she had seen in the park that morning. Before she could dwell on it further, the door to the emergency room swung open, and two doctors and several nurses emerged wearily.
Hua Yan hurried forward and asked, "How is the patient inside doing?" Her heart was in her throat, especially worried that if the treatment wasn't successful, she would feel regretful.
"The patient has been stabilized and is now in the intensive care unit for observation. We'll know tomorrow if he's completely out of danger..." At that moment, the patient was wheeled out. As Hua Yan approached, she glanced at the person's face and was momentarily stunned to see that it was the elderly man from the park that morning. Had he gone to the park to see her?
Regardless, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest brought relief to Hua Yan's heart. She bombarded the doctor with questions about her father's condition and how to care for him. The doctor, in his thirties, appreciated her genuine concern and patiently provided brief answers. The other medical staff didn't show any signs of impatience, indicating their overall professionalism.
With her father safely in the intensive care unit, Hua Yan asked the woman from the medical center to go rest while she stayed behind.
At noon, she called Chang Ma to explain the situation and told her not to come to the hospital, but within an hour, Chang Ma arrived with two thermos flasks.
"Miss, how is Mr. Hua's condition? Regardless, you should eat first. You just recovered from a hospital visit, and your body needs rest," Chang Ma said, her dislike for Hua Yan's father evident in her tone, knowing well about how he had treated Hua Yan in the past.
Hearing Chang Ma's concern, Hua Yan smiled and thanked her for coming all this way in the scorching sun to bring her food. She had forgotten to eat amidst the chaos. In the afternoon, she paid for her father's medication and learned from the attending physician that his recovery was better than expected, much to her delight.
However, in the afternoon, she encountered an unpleasant incident.
Around four or five in the afternoon, Hua Yan was sitting in the corridor, reading a newspaper brought by another patient's family member, when suddenly a shadow blocked her light.
"Well, well, look who it is? It seems to be the woman our Cheng family kicked out not long ago. You're not here to beg me to let my son take you back, are you?" The woman's tone was disdainful, dripping with sarcasm, and her appearance exuded the aura of wealth.
Hua Yan's mind raced, already guessing that this presumptuous woman was Cheng Jie's mother. Watching her, dressed impeccably but spewing words like a market gossip, Hua Yan silently mourned her former self hundreds of times over. But the old Hua Yan's timidity didn't mean that today's her would tolerate the taunts of this irritating old woman. With a flash of mischief in her eyes, Hua Yan decided to teach her a lesson today.