Watching Qin Feng’s face flush then pale by turns, Qin Ru Hai and Li Junping’s faces were also sheepishly colored, and Qin Jian spoke up, "Qin Feng, your sister-in-law says all this is for your good!"
Qin Feng, with a flushed face, said, "Yes, I understand."
"The words I said might not sound nice, but they are all out of concern for you. Who else does Qin Jian have for a sister but you? Who else could I be but your sister-in-law? Outsiders won’t help you ; they’ll just fold their arms and enjoy the show!" An Hao said.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Qin Ru Hai and Li Junping quickly said, "Your sister-in-law is right! You must listen to your sister-in-law!"
Qin Feng also showed his determination to An Hao: "Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I will definitely change!"
Only then did An Hao let out a sigh of relief! At last, she had managed to smooth things over!
From the time she returned, An Hao hadn’t quite caught her balance, having been busy all morning, she felt a bit tired.
Qin Jian had also been up late into the night. Seeing his little wife’s weary face, Qin Jian said to An Hao, "An Hao, if you’re tired, you should go back to the room and lie down for a bit. I need to talk to mom and dad."
An Hao indeed felt exhausted, and hearing Qin Jian’s words, she nodded, "Okay then, I’ll go lie down for a while. You all chat."
"Qin Feng, go and make the bed for your sister-in-law!" Li Junping quickly told Qin Feng.
"Sure. I’m on it." Qin Feng agreed readily.
"No need. I can manage by myself. Qin Feng is pregnant, and since this baby is really important, it’s better to be careful."
"I’ll listen to my sister-in-law."
An Hao said goodbye to them and turned to leave, heading back to Qin Jian’s old house.
Qin Jian sat down and took a good look at Qin Ru Hai’s face. In just a little over two months of not seeing him, he had lost quite a bit of weight, his complexion waxen yellow, looking like a piece of withering wood about to decay.
"Dad, I didn’t send out wedding invitations when An Hao and I got married; you don’t blame me, do you?" Qin Jian said, "I was planning to come back after the wedding."
"No blame. This matter was originally our fault!" Qin Ru Hai said and then broke into a fierce cough, specks of blood appearing on his handkerchief.
He glanced at it and clenched the handkerchief tightly in his hand.
Qin Jian saw what Qin Ru Hai did and stood up, grasping his father’s hand, "Dad, open your hand! Let me see!"
"There’s nothing..." Qin Ru Hai refused.
Without saying much more, Qin Jian gently squeezed his father’s wrist, and Qin Ru Hai, pained, opened his hand.
Seeing the bloodstains, Qin Jian’s face grew grave, "How long has this been going on? Why haven’t you seen a doctor? And why didn’t you tell me?"
"It’s nothing serious." Qin Ru Hai waved it off, "You don’t need to worry about me!"
Li Junping, seeing Qin Ru Hai’s sickly state, felt a sourness in her heart and gently pushed him: "You obstinate old man, why can’t you ever tell the truth! You’ve been coughing up blood for the past two months. It got worse in the past few days; sometimes you even vomit blood."
"Sigh..." Qin Ru Hai’s sigh was deep, mixed with a sense of helplessness, "I’m afraid I might have cancer. I probably won’t live much longer! I’ve heard that this disease costs a lot to treat and still can’t be cured, so I simply don’t want treatment. I’d rather save the money for Qin Fen to get married!"
"Dad, don’t talk nonsense. How could it be cancer? How about this, tomorrow I’ll take you to get a thorough check-up! If there’s an illness, we’ll treat it early, and if it’s nothing serious, then I can be at ease."
"Forget it, let’s not go." Qin Ru Hai refused to go.
Li Junping’s tears began to fall: "Stop it, if you go first, how are we going to live on? Just listen to Qin Jian, while it’s not yet the new year, you should go with Qin Jian to get checked out..."