Inside the clinic.
The door to the ward was pushed open from the outside. As soon as Jiang Nannan stepped in, her brows furrowed slightly.
"Mom, didn't I tell you to rest properly? Why are you getting out of bed again?"
Hearing this, her mother smiled gently and obediently sat back on the bed.
"You silly girl, don't I know my own body? I'm really fine now."
"That's not acceptable. We have to wait until the doctor checks you and confirms that everything is fine."
Jiang Nannan gave her mother no face at all. Last time, her mother kept saying she was fine until she collapsed at home. Only then did Jiang Nannan find out how serious her illness was.
"I just finished eating, and I need to walk around a bit. Don't worry, I'm fine."
Before Jiang's mother could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door, and Jiang Nannan's face immediately lit up with joy.
"Come in."
As soon as she spoke, to the astonishment of Jiang's mother, a very young boy stepped through the door.
Is this the doctor who treated me?! So young?! He looks even younger than Nannan!
Thinking that such a young boy had been the one to treat her, Jiang's mother felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment rise within her. But right after that, she felt a wave of relief.
Why relief? It was because her lingering symptoms finally had a solution.
Ever since her treatment, those two small bumps hadn't gone away. The occasional friction with her clothes caused a strange, electric shock-like sensation, making daily life uncomfortable.
She had tried every method she could think of, but with no results. Although she had a vague idea of the cause—it was because her heart had been weak before, leaving her body in a chronic state of anemia. Now that her condition had improved, her body hadn't fully adapted yet.
But knowing the cause didn't mean she knew how to fix it!
Who knows how long this state will last? If this continues for a year or more, I'd rather go back to being anemic and bedridden.
And it wasn't like she could just ask anyone about something so embarrassing.
But if the person was just a kid, it might not be so hard to ask, right?
"Good afternoon, both of you. Auntie, have there been any unusual symptoms these past few days?"
Even though he had prepared himself beforehand, Huo Yuhao's smile still seemed a bit stiff when facing the now fully awake Jiang's mother.
The latter part of his question was naturally directed at Jiang Nannan, but for some reason, he noticed that Jiang's mother's face had turned a bit red after hearing his words.
Could there really be something unusual?
"No unusual symptoms, but thank you for coming by. Could you please check on my mother again?"
Jiang Nannan quickly stood up to make room and turned to her mother.
"Mom, this is Huo Yuhao, the one who treated you earlier."
Pushing the strange thoughts out of her mind, Jiang's mother gave Huo Yuhao a soft smile.
"Yuhao, I've heard from Nannan about what happened. Thank you so much for everything."
"It's nothing, Auntie. Your condition wasn't too severe, so the treatment wasn't difficult."
Huo Yuhao sat down on a stool and, after carefully observing Jiang's mother, smiled.
"Judging from your complexion, Auntie, it seems like you've mostly recovered. Please give me your hand, and I'll do a more detailed check. If everything looks good, you won't need to stay in the clinic any longer."
Hearing this, Jiang's mother beamed and immediately placed her hand in Huo Yuhao's palm, letting him begin his examination. During the process, she even threw a proud glance at Jiang Nannan.
"You see? I told you I'm fine."
Although Jiang Nannan was just as happy, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at her mother's smug expression.
The examination concluded quickly, and Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, nodding to Jiang Nannan with a smile.
"Auntie is fully recovered. Just take some medicine for maintenance, and avoid strenuous activities for the next couple of months."
"Got it," Jiang Nannan responded seriously. "Thank you so much again. By the way..."
Her tone suddenly hesitated as she asked tentatively, "Yuhao, do you have a sister studying at Shrek Academy?"
After treating her mother, Jiang Nannan had been trying to figure out where she had heard the name Huo Yuhao before. She then remembered her roommate Tang Ya always talking about her "little Yuhao."
"Are you talking about Sister Xiao Ya?"
Huo Yuhao had considered the possibility that in this life, Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan might still be roommates, but he hadn't expected Jiang Nannan to know about him. Could Tang Ya have mentioned him herself?
Although he had already suspected this, hearing Huo Yuhao confirm it still gave Jiang Nannan a sense of how small the world was.
"I'm roommates with Xiao Ya. She's mentioned you and your mother before."
"Really?"
Huo Yuhao grew curious. "What did Sister Xiao Ya say about me?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
(⊙o⊙)…
"Uh… well…"
Jiang Nannan's mind went into overdrive, her expression suddenly turning awkward as her face flushed crimson. She looked like she had something difficult to say.
"?"
Sensing that something was off, Huo Yuhao's smile began to stiffen.
"What is it? Don't tell me Sister Xiao Ya badmouthed me at the academy?"
"No, no!" Jiang Nannan quickly waved her hands in denial, her face turning even redder. "She's very grateful that you and your mother took her in."
But inside, Jiang Nannan was in a panic. How can I tell him?! How could she say that his sister seemed to have ulterior motives towards him? How could she mention that Tang Ya sometimes hugged her pillow at night, calling out strange things in her sleep?
Scrambling through her memory, Jiang Nannan finally found a few positive things among Tang Ya's many odd sleep-talks.
"She said you're really talented, that you're good at cooking, medicine, and soul devices. It's like you know everything."
"Is that so?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the embarrassed Jiang Nannan, a bit skeptical.
"Mhm!"
Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, Jiang Nannan nodded quickly.
"Since Auntie is better now, I should…"
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to excuse himself, Jiang's mother, who had been quietly watching from the side, finally spoke up.
"Wait, Yuhao. You've done so much for us. We must have a chance to thank you properly, right?"
Before Huo Yuhao could refuse, she added, "I'm getting discharged today, and I was planning to have a nice dinner to celebrate. It's just the two of us, so it'll be a bit lonely. Please give me this chance to invite you for a meal, okay?"
She guessed that Huo Yuhao might refuse out of consideration for their financial situation, so she deliberately offered something simple like dinner, which wouldn't cost too much.
Just as she expected, Huo Yuhao relaxed and didn't decline.
"Then I'll accept your offer, Auntie."
(End of Chapter)