The precious gem they had raised like a princess, nurtured in the palm of their hand, was diagnosed as a mental patient, and at that moment, Jiang Conghe felt as if the sky had collapsed. How could this be possible?
He and his first wife had a son, and everything was fine. How come when it came to Chiang Qing, she had this illness?
He looked at his daughter’s innocent face, her smile so pure, and felt as if Heaven was playing a cruel joke on him, slapping him hard at the height of his success and family bliss. Was it Heaven’s punishment? Punishment for abandoning his wife and child?
No matter what, if there was an illness, it needed to be treated. The doctors had said it was just a sudden intermittent psychotic disorder, that as long as she complied with treatment, she would be okay.
So, they sneaked around, taking her for treatments, administering medications, and she really did get better.
But since it was intermittent, they feared a relapse, so regular follow-up appointments were necessary. In the beginning few years, they went for follow-ups annually. Qingqing behaved normally, and after she started middle school, they stopped, and she didn’t take any more medication.
Until later, when she went to high school and college, she even took the initiative to study medicine, later becoming a military doctor. Beautiful, talented, as normal as can be, this made Jiang Conghe and his wife incredibly happy, and they finally let go of their worries.
This daughter was their pride!
But now, they say Chiang Qing has relapsed?
Jiang Conghe felt a heavy dark cloud pressing down on his head, so suffocating he could hardly breathe.
"Xiao Tian knows only very little. Could he have made a mistake?" Jiang Conghe swallowed, his throat both dry and hoarse.
Lu Shufen had been crying all along. Hearing this, she shook her head, relaying what Chiang Tian had said, "How is this different from back then?"
Jiang Conghe’s face finally changed color.
"No, I must go to Qing City. I need to bring Qingqing back. If she doesn’t come back, I’ll die right in front of her." Lu Shufen wiped her tears and, with trembling hands, reached for the phone. "I’ve told you before that those methods were no use. That girl has always been stubborn since she was little. Just give her what she wants instead of forcing her like this! Woo-woo, my poor daughter, your life is so hard!"
Jiang Conghe’s head throbbed with pain.
"Xiao Jin, book me a train ticket to Qing City right away. Yes, tomorrow, the earliest one!" Lu Shufen instructed over the phone.
After hanging up the phone, she stared blankly into space.
"Tomorrow, I’ll go with you," Jiang Conghe said.
Lu Shufen shook her head. "No need. Xiao Tian is also over there; that’s enough for us. You stay here and make arrangements, go see Doctor Zhong."
Jiang Conghe stood there stunned. Doctor Zhong, his daughter’s primary doctor from childhood, was now an old man.
"Should we arrange for a psychologist?" Jiang Conghe asked with difficulty.
Lu Shufen, looking utterly weary, said, "Arrange everything. She needs to be seen." She paused before adding, "Be careful not to let it out. Our daughter is no longer five years old; she is twenty-seven. If word spreads, how will she face people in the future?"
Jiang Conghe’s pupils contracted, and he nodded gravely.
"It’s all because of that Cheng Su, that shameless village woman, the uneducated and coarse person. If not for her, Qingqing wouldn’t have ended up like this!" Lu Shufen mentioned Cheng Su, grinding her teeth with hatred: "I will never let that wretch off."
This was misdirected anger!
Jiang Conghe also hated, but he was still somewhat rational, "We can deal with that small fry later. The key now is Qingqing. Don’t make a scene over there. If it gets out, it will harm Qingqing instead. Even justified anger can become unreasonable."
Lu Shufen snorted, "Whom should I be afraid of? She’s just a company commander’s wife. What if I destroy her?"
Jiang Conghe furrowed his brows, seeing her fiery anger, he said no more, waiting for her temper to subside before he could try to persuade her again.