It seems everyone has some thoughts about this part, so I’ll post all three Chapters, and we can discuss after you’ve read them!
The mountains at night were dark and silent. Looking up into the distance, one might feel as if a colossal beast was quietly watching. It wasn’t exactly terrifying, but the pitch blackness was quite oppressive.
Luckily, many solar-powered streetlights had recently been installed along the sides of the road. They snaked up the mountain road, illuminating a clear path home.
As Du Heng watched the winding lights ascending the path, he suddenly thought of a song called "Stars Light Up" and found it rather fitting for the scene.
Guiding the lost child
Back to where they came from
When they arrived home and pushed open the main door, laughter drifted out from inside the house.
Du Heng was puzzled. "Are people visiting so late?" he asked Wang Shuqiu.
However, upon hearing the voices, Wang Shuqiu’s expression changed. Her earlier cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by what looked like impatience and a touch of disgust.
Zhao Xinfang’s reaction was even more pronounced. His eyes looked as if they were about to spit fire. Du Heng had never seen such anger, or even hatred, in him before.
"What’s wrong with you two?"
Wang Shuqiu quickly regained her composure and offered a slight, forced smile. "Nothing, let’s go inside."
Then, she gently patted Zhao Xinfang’s arm. "Do you want to go back to your room and sleep?"
"No need," Zhao Xinfang replied, walking into the house ahead of them.
Du Heng couldn’t understand why the lively laughter from inside would elicit such reactions from the siblings.
The three of them pushed open the inner door and saw who was inside.
A middle-aged man and woman were there. The man looked very much like Wang Shuqiu’s mother, and even more like Zhao Xinfang.
Upon seeing Zhao Xinfang enter first, the woman eagerly approached him, reaching for his hand. "Fangfang, how’s your treatment going? Your brother-in-law is a doctor too; you could just have him take a look. Why spend that unnecessary money?"
Zhao Xinfang violently shook off her hand and glared fiercely at her. He seemed not to have heard a word she said.
The man behind her made to step forward, but retreated when he saw the look in Zhao Xinfang’s eyes.
The woman paid no mind to Zhao Xinfang’s glare and turned to grab Wang Shuqiu’s hand. "Look at my dear niece, Qiuqiu! You’ve become so pretty! If I met you outside, I would hardly recognize you."
Wang Shuqiu frowned and pulled her hand back, clearly wanting no contact with the woman.
Wang Shuqiu nudged Zhao Xinfang towards the living room, then took Du Heng’s hand and led him inside as well.
Du Heng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected things to be this awkward.
As a guest, it was extremely uncomfortable to witness the hosts treating other guests so coldly.
Feeling Wang Shuqiu’s firm grip, Du Heng didn’t resist and obediently followed her.
His only thought at that moment was to wait and see how things developed.
Once everyone was seated, the woman, seemingly oblivious to the awkwardness, followed with a smile plastered on her face and sat down next to the man.
She looked at Du Heng and asked with a smile, "So you must be our Qiuqiu’s boyfriend? You’re quite handsome. I heard you’re a doctor?"
Du Heng felt a bit awkward, unsure whether to respond. However, out of politeness, he replied after a pause, "Yes, I work at the Health Clinic."
"Oh!" The woman unconsciously leaned back, her chin lifting slightly. She muttered, "I thought you were at some Big Hospital and could help my son."
Her voice was soft, but Du Heng felt the woman had said it loud enough for him to hear intentionally. He had heard every word.
The woman, not caring whether Du Heng had heard her or not, then said loudly, "That’s pretty good too. How’s the salary? Our Qiuqiu..."
Before she could finish, Wang Shuqiu cut her off directly. "Are my affairs any of your business to meddle in?"
Du Heng looked at Wang Shuqiu in surprise. In the two months they had been together, this was the first time he had seen her speak so rudely to someone.
Even when Mi Wu’s colleague had been so difficult last time, Wang Shuqiu hadn’t even lost her temper.
The woman’s face finally changed, and Wang Shuqiu’s mother said, "Qiuqiu, how can you speak to your aunt like that?"
Wang Shuqiu ignored her. She reached out and grasped Zhao Xinfang’s hand beside her. "Relax, relax." On Zhao Xinfang’s other side, his father also reached out, took his hand, and patted it gently.
Only then did Du Heng notice that Zhao Xinfang’s face was actually somewhat contorted.
Good heavens, what on earth could these two have done to Zhao Xinfang to make this young man lose control of his emotions so completely?
After soothing Zhao Xinfang a little, Wang Shuqiu turned her head and asked bluntly, "Stop beating around the bush. Why are you here today? Are you here to trick my mom out of her money again?"
The uncle sitting opposite glared, his elder’s imposing manner flaring up instantly. "You child, how dare you speak to your elders ? You really wasted your university education! And you’re a teacher? With your kind of character, how can you be a teacher?"
He then turned to Wang Shuqiu’s mother. "Sister, I told you back then, what’s the point of sending a girl to school? It’s just throwing money away. You didn’t believe me then, do you believe me now?"
Wang Shuqiu’s mother didn’t get angry. She just said, "Alright, both of you, that’s enough. Why are you getting into an argument with a child?" Then, addressing Wang Shuqiu, she continued, "Your uncle and aunt just arrived; they’d barely sat down when you all came in. Your uncle is right. He’s your elder; you can’t speak to him that way. It’s rude. Apologize to your uncle."
Wang Shuqiu stiffened her neck. "Why should I?"
Wang Shuqiu’s mother was helpless. Seeing she couldn’t sway her daughter, and with Du Heng present, she didn’t insist on an apology. Instead, she turned to the couple opposite and asked, "So, what’s the reason for your visit?"
The man pursed his lips, too embarrassed to speak, and nudged his wife beside him.
The woman glanced at her good-for-nothing husband and said to Wang Shuqiu’s mother, "Sister, isn’t your eldest nephew graduating from his undergraduate program in about a month? He’s found a spot in the Provincial First People’s Hospital for... for..." She struggled with the word for a moment, then asked the man beside her, "For what?"
"Standardized training," he supplied.
"Yes, yes, standardized training! If he performs well, he can stay on and work at the Provincial First Hospital!"
Wang Shuqiu’s mother said, "That’s wonderful news."
"Yes, it is. But the training at a Big Hospital like that costs money. That’s why we’ve come to you, Sister, hoping you could help your eldest nephew out."
"Twenty thousand yuan? That much?"
"Yes," Wang Shuqiu’s aunt affirmed, then began to pour out their difficulties, explaining just how hard it was to get into the standardized training.
Du Heng was taken aback. Does the Provincial First Hospital even charge for standardized training?
Since it’s a public hospital, graduates accepted into the standardized training or those who’ve signed contracts with the hospital don’t pay fees. In fact, their workplace and the Health Bureau even provide a subsidy. The only ones who pay are self-funded trainees.
And if it’s self-funded, the chances of staying on at the Provincial First Hospital after completing the training aren’t very high.
Besides, the Provincial First Hospital nowadays doesn’t even recruit undergraduate students unless they have outstanding credentials and abilities.
They start recruiting at the graduate student level now.
So, either their son is deceiving his parents, or these two parents are deceiving Wang Shuqiu’s mother.