"Dad, my brother’s leg can be cured," Pei Yining shared the good news with her dad who had just returned.
Pei Guozhong instinctively searched the room for Pei Yicheng’s figure.
Pei Yining stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Brother is still in Xi Province getting treatment for his leg. It might take a few more months to heal. Here’s the address."
Pei Yining handed over a piece of paper with the address written on it.
Pei Guozhong glanced at it, his daughter’s handwriting was elegant, and with one glance, he memorized the address. He sat on the sofa, his face stern, suppressing his joy, and hummed, "Who wants to go see him?"
"If you don’t want to go, fine."
Pei Yining immediately took back the address and dropped her smile. She looked at Pei Guozhong unhappily and said, "Dad, he’s your son. His leg is injured, and now there’s hope for recovery. Aren’t you happy?"
"Didn’t he say he doesn’t recognize me as his dad?" Pei Guozhong thought about the angry words spoken when he left, and wished he could beat him up.
He was his real dad, not a stepdad. He went out of his way to find doctors everywhere, but what about Pei Yicheng?
He wouldn’t accept it, feeling instead as if he would harm him.
Because of the leg issue, the already strained father-son relationship had hit rock bottom.
Later, Du Chang took Pei Yicheng back to South City. Pei Guozhong intermittently heard from Wan Hongxing and Xiaoning about how Pei Yicheng was doing, which somewhat relieved him. He wanted to visit, but couldn’t swallow his pride.
Even during the New Year, Pei Guozhong genuinely had matters to handle, and he feared being thrown out if he visited his father-in-law’s house, not knowing how to interact with Pei Yicheng.
"Dad, can you really listen to his angry words?" Pei Yining stood up, visibly upset, and said, "Dad, I think you don’t care about him at all."
"Xiaoning, your dad does care about Xiaocheng,"
Seeing that Pei Yining and Pei Guozhong were about to argue, Wan Hongxing hurriedly said, "Every time I send things to your brother, your dad always silently adds things to the package. Several times, I’ve seen your dad staring at your brother’s photo."
"Who looked at his picture?" Pei Guozhong’s expression changed; he always looked secretly!
"Alright, alright, you didn’t look,"
Wan Hongxing went along with his words, quietly telling Pei Yining about the incidents she discovered during the nights.
Seeing Aunt Wan, and then looking at her dad’s embarrassed annoyance after being exposed, Pei Yining knew that what Aunt Wan said was true.
Pei Yining was no longer mad at him; she discussed with Aunt Wan what gifts to bring her brother.
At night, in the study, Pei Guozhong held a map, checking the distance between Xi Province and Ningbei Province.
Wan Hongxing came in with tea, only to see Pei Guozhong quickly cover up Xi Province with a nearby book. Wan Hongxing smiled and said, "I inquired about it, the train to Xi Province, after reaching Xi Province, a two-hour drive will get you to Xiaocheng’s treatment place."
"Who needs to know all this?"
Pei Guozhong pretended to look at other areas on the map, saying, "Didn’t this brat say he’s not getting his leg treated? He also said he doesn’t have me as a dad; why should I care about him?"
"Guozhong, you clearly care about Xiaocheng, why do you have to say that?" Wan Hongxing disagreed, handing him the hot tea, and said, "Both of you are so stubborn. You’re his dad; how can you argue with Xiaocheng ?"
"Exactly because I’m his dad, when has a father ever bowed down to his son?" Pei Guozhong, holding the hot tea, felt warmth not just in his hands but in his heart on this chilly spring night.