Xie Youlin quickly drove to the address provided by the elderly couple.
He carefully observed the dilapidated earth building before him. The alley in the old street was narrow, making it difficult for cars to pass. Reluctantly, Xie Youlin had to abandon his car and proceed on foot.
Due to the house’s extreme disrepair, the door number was no longer visible. Xie Youlin had to ask several people in the alley before he finally found the elderly couple's home.
Before he could step into the courtyard, he heard intermittent coughing.
At first, it was just a few dry coughs, but they grew progressively worse, sounding as if the person was about to cough up a lung.
Xie Youlin: "Excuse me, is this Liu Changhai and Sun Chunmei's home?"
At that moment, an elderly woman carrying a basin of water was about to throw it out from downstairs.
She pointed to the house on the second floor and said, "They're upstairs. They can't hear you. You can go up and find them directly."
Xie Youlin climbed the creaking stairs to the second floor. The narrow space was such that a moment's carelessness could lead to a fall.
Through the window, Xie Youlin seemed to glimpse the elderly couple's figures. The violent coughing indeed emanated from here.
Xie Youlin pushed open the door. Inside the room, besides a bed and a desk, there was nothing else.
Liu Changhai, lying on the bed, was the first to notice someone had arrived. Seeing it was a customer who often frequented the ramen shop, he nudged his wife.
Both elders were happy to see Xie Youlin. Sun Chunmei, especially, quickly wiped a chair for him to sit.
Liu Changhai also took several gulps of water, as if his cough had been suppressed.
Sun Chunmei signed: "How did you find us?"
Xie Youlin signed: "I saw the rental advertisement posted outside the ramen shop, so I called the landlord, and he told me."
Liu Changhai signed for his wife to wash some fruit for Xie Youlin. Xie Youlin quickly stopped her.
Xie Youlin signed: "No need to bother. I just came to see you."
Liu Changhai and Sun Chunmei smiled broadly. Since they had no son, they had always thought of that child.
Although they didn't know how the child was doing now, every time they saw Xie Youlin eating ramen at their shop, they felt content and wished in their hearts that he could be their son...
Xie Youlin signed: "What's wrong with Uncle? He seems to be coughing quite badly."
Liu Changhai waved his hand, but then continued to cough.
Sun Chunmei signed: "Perhaps it's from working at the ramen shop for too long; his lungs aren't very good."
Xie Youlin signed: "Have you been to the hospital for a check-up?"
Liu Changhai signed: "No need, some medicine will fix it."
But at that moment, Liu Changhai gasped, and dark red blood spurted from his mouth.
Xie Youlin was a little scared, but the elderly couple seemed unfazed. They grabbed a towel, wiped it, and thought nothing more of it.
Xie Youlin signed: "Let's go to the hospital. I drove here, I can take you."
Liu Changhai signed: "Really, there's no need..."
But Xie Youlin was insistent. He was determined to take Liu Changhai to the hospital for a check-up. Coughing up blood was no small matter. If he kept coughing blood, a thorough hospital examination was necessary!!!
Sun Chunmei packed her things and took out a bank card. Their savings from years of running the ramen shop were all stored on this card.
In truth, she also felt that Liu Changhai's persistent coughing couldn't be a good sign. However, the stubborn Liu Changhai adamantly refused to spend money on a hospital check-up, even saying things like "If you're not sick, going to the hospital will still find something wrong."
Upon arriving at the hospital, it was fortunate that Xie Youlin accompanied them. He used sign language to communicate smoothly with the elderly couple, which allowed the doctors to quickly understand the condition. This was likely one of the reasons the elderly couple was reluctant to go to the hospital.
Xie Youlin signed: "The doctor said a CT scan is needed. An X-ray will determine if the problem is with the lungs or if the bleeding is from another area."
Sun Chunmei nodded quickly. She immediately took out a bank card and handed it to the doctor, indicating that she had the money and could pay now.
Xie Youlin asked Sun Chunmei to put the card away and then signed: "Payment isn't made here. Let's go to the radiation area to queue first."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the hospital, Mrs. Xie and Shen Yuxuan were also picking up medicine. Shen Yuxuan, with her sharp eyes, spotted Xie Youlin at the payment counter.
Shen Yuxuan: "Mrs. Xie, look, isn't that Xie Youlin?"
Mrs. Xie: "Oh? It really is him! My son!"
However, Xie Youlin didn't hear anyone calling him. After paying, he hurried towards the radiation area.
Mrs. Xie: "Come on, let's go see."
But when Mrs. Xie saw Xie Youlin squatting on the ground, communicating with the two elderly people sitting on chairs using sign language, she was surprised.
Then, as her gaze shifted to the elderly woman's face, a scene flashed in her mind!!!
Mrs. Xie was unsure if the scene had truly happened, but in her daze, she seemed to see herself holding a baby boy, while another woman screamed in terror.
Mrs. Xie: "Don't snatch my son..."
Shen Yuxuan felt Mrs. Xie staggering. She quickly supported her, but before she could ask anything, Mrs. Xie fainted.
After a long while, when Mrs. Xie groggily opened her eyes, she realized she was in a hospital room. As the blurry image before her sharpened, she finally saw Xie Youlin's face clearly.
Mrs. Xie: "Son!!!"
Xie Youlin: "Mom, how are you feeling? Is anything uncomfortable?"
Mrs. Xie grabbed Xie Youlin's arm and suddenly sat up, looking around the room.
Mrs. Xie: "Who are those elderly people?"
Xie Youlin paused, but he tried to play dumb.
Mrs. Xie: "Why were you communicating with them using sign language?"
Xie Youlin: "They are the owners of a ramen shop I often patronize. They are both deaf and mute..."
Mrs. Xie: "Then how do you know sign language?"
Xie Youlin: "It's... it's because our school has sign language classes, I learned some..."
Mrs. Xie: "Son, don't interact with them anymore! They'll take you away from me!!!"
Xie Youlin realized Mrs. Xie was about to have an episode again. He quickly pressed the call bell.
As expected, within a minute, Mrs. Xie seemed to have been triggered. She kept shouting that her son would abandon her. Her gaze became unfocused, and she started screaming wildly on the bed.
Mrs. Xie: "Don't snatch my son!!!"
This time, Xie Youlin forcefully pulled Mrs. Xie's hand away.
With Xie Hongtian dead, he had successfully become the representative of the Xie Group. He no longer had to endure Xie Hongtian's temper and naturally had no desire to appease a lunatic.
Xie Youlin rubbed his wrist and coldly watched the doctors and nurses restrain the mental patient. He didn't want to stay a moment longer.
Shen Yuxuan: "Where are you going? Mrs. Xie..."
Xie Youlin: "Do you like taking care of her that much? Then stay here and take care of her to your heart's content."