After Elder Master Zhang finished speaking, he looked at the people behind Elder Master Ye. "How come all of you are here? I was thinking you’re all busy people, so I even told Baosheng not to tell you. I was planning to visit your home after I get discharged from the hospital." This content belongs to novelFɪre.net
Elder Master Ye patted Elder Master Zhang’s hand. "Old Brother Zhang, now that we’ve come to your doorstep, it wouldn’t have been right not to tell you."
Elder Master Zhang hadn’t expected that even though he hadn’t told them, his in-laws had still found their way here. He was quite moved. "How did you find out? It must have taken a lot of effort to find me, didn’t it?"
He quickly got out of bed and put on his shoes. "Please, sit down, sit down. Oh, Baosheng went out to buy some things; he’s not here right now."
Xia Dongxue was about to place the nutritional supplements she had brought on the bedside table. Seeing it was cluttered with a water cup and a lunch box, she put them on the floor beside the table instead. "Uncle Zhang, do you remember me?"
Elder Master Zhang smiled. "I remember, I remember! You’re Bingyu’s wife, and our Zhichun’s friend."
Shi Jingfang also placed her gifts on the floor. "Hello, Uncle Zhang. I’m Binglin’s wife. I’ve been with him while he worked out of town. This is our first time meeting."
Elder Master Zhang nodded with a smile. "Good, good, good. I’ve often heard my Baoxiang mention you and your family. You’re all good children."
Then, Ye Binglan, who had been standing at the back, stepped forward. "Hello, Uncle Zhang. I’m Ye Binglan. Like my second sister-in-law, this is also our first time meeting."
Elder Master Zhang looked at Ye Binglan, and his smiling face suddenly froze. "Little girl..."
Ye Binglan was also momentarily taken aback. "Yes, a girl from the Ye family."
Elder Master Ye pointed at Ye Binglan with a smile. "My little girl. She was living with her husband in the south, and they only moved back to Beijing last year."
Elder Master Zhang nodded gently, his gaze remaining fixed on Ye Binglan.
Ye Binglan joked, "Uncle Zhang, you also think I don’t look like my father, don’t you?"
Elder Master Zhang glanced at Elder Master Ye, a little dazed. "Indeed, you don’t much resemble him."
Ye Binglan burst out laughing. "Uncle Zhang, you don’t need to look at my dad. Everyone says I don’t look like him. Let me tell you, I take after my mom—it’s like we were carved from the same mold!"
Elder Master Zhang remarked, as if a thought had just occurred to him, "You really do look like her."
Just then, Zhang Baosheng walked in carrying several bags. "Uncle, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, Binglan, how did you all find out?"
Shi Jingfang smiled. "We happened to run into Qin Lijuan a few days ago when we were out. We heard it from her."
Ye Binglan asked curiously, "She’s transferred here to work now?"
Shi Jingfang nodded. "Yes, this place is closer to her home. Her husband’s leg injury relapsed after he was discharged from the military and assigned to a local post. After that, she used her connections to get transferred here."
Ye Binglan smiled at Elder Master Zhang. "It’s good to have acquaintances here. You can rest easy and focus on your treatment."
Xia Dongxue looked at Zhang Baosheng and asked in a low voice, "What’s Uncle Zhang’s condition?"
Zhang Baosheng took out the previous medical reports from the bedside cabinet and handed them to Xia Dongxue. "The doctor recommended surgery, but also said that given his age, there are definite risks involved."
After Xia Dongxue finished looking through the medical reports, she handed them back to Zhang Baosheng. "Since you’re all in Beijing, you shouldn’t have kept quiet. If my sister-in-law hadn’t run into Qin Lijuan, we still wouldn’t know that Elder Master Zhang was hospitalized."
Since returning to his hometown, Zhang Baosheng had felt too ashamed to contact his former comrades-in-arms. "I just thought you were all busy and was planning to visit after he was discharged."
Xia Dongxue said disapprovingly, "That really wasn’t right. Never mind that you and Bingyu went through life and death together; even just because of Baoxiang’s connection, you shouldn’t have come to Beijing without contacting us."