Wen Ying did not take the initiative to ask Manager Chen about the gains or losses from stock trading.
If he had profited, everyone would be delighted. If he had lost… well, it could just be considered as letting Manager Chen pay tuition fees.
Wen Ying laughingly called herself the greatest filial daughter who could move heaven and earth, which made both Xie Qian and Zou Weijun burst into laughter.
“You are indeed very filial and optimistic, with the open-mindedness of someone who can scatter a thousand gold pieces and see them return!”
Zou Weijun praised Wen Ying lavishly, as if wishing to heap every complimentary word upon her. In comparison, Xie Qian was rather reserved. Apart from helping Wen Ying with dishes, he did not say much.
Zou Weijun lightly kicked her son under the table.
When he was abroad, he had missed her terribly. He had even returned to the country ahead of schedule before rehabilitation was complete. Now that he had seen the real person, how could he suddenly become tongue-tied?
Xie Qian remained unmoved and continued helping Wen Ying with dishes.
Wen Ying liked spicy food. The restaurant they chose that evening prepared Sichuan flavours quite authentically, perfectly suiting Wen Ying’s taste.
But Wen Ying had a small habit – Xie Qian was not sure if others had noticed – she loved numbingly spicy flavours yet hated biting into whole Sichuan peppercorns. When Wen Ying had gone to the washroom earlier while ordering, Xie Qian had tried to reason with the chef, arguing that whole peppercorns should not appear in the dishes and could be replaced entirely with peppercorn oil or powder.
The chef had glared at him and countered by asking if Xie Qian had ever cooked or knew how to prepare food.
Xie Qian was, for once, rendered speechless.
He truly had never cooked.
Both provided the numbing flavour – could peppercorn oil and powder not suffice?
Evidently, the chef believed they could not. The soul of Sichuan river-and-lake cuisine lay precisely in those whole peppercorns.
Xie Qian had wanted to persuade the chef using the same methods he employed with foreign doctors, but Wen Ying had already returned from the washroom. He had no choice but to abandon the plan reluctantly.
This was the inconvenience of being in a wheelchair!
If Xie Qian could walk normally, everything would be easier. Travelling by wheelchair still created too much commotion.
Unable to convince the chef, Xie Qian spent the entire evening battling the peppercorns in the dishes. He wanted Wen Ying to enjoy the flavours she loved without biting into any peppercorns. Every time he picked food for her, it tested his eyesight and patience to the utmost… Wen Ying remained oblivious. She was immersed in the joy of Xie Qian’s sudden return, feeling as though she were floating on clouds, stepping on soft, cottony masses.
With Zou Weijun present, Xie Qian kept serving Wen Ying dishes. Throughout the meal, Wen Ying’s ears remained red. She had to chat with Zou Weijun about other topics to distract herself.
Zou Weijun kicked him twice more, but Xie Qian showed no reaction. She could only laugh and cry at the same time.
Fine then.
Let the young people sort out their own affairs.
Although the two children were not speaking sweetly to each other, both appeared very happy.
After dinner, Wen Ying even visited the temporary residence where Xie Qian and Zou Weijun would stay for the next few months. Zou Weijun said she wanted to return to the hotel to rest first, as she truly lacked the energy to accompany the pair any further. She let Xie Qian show Wen Ying around himself.
Xie Qian’s condition had improved greatly compared to when he first went abroad.
Back then, without help from others, he could not even sit up unaided.
Now it was different.
Although he could not yet fully bid farewell to the wheelchair, he could already take a few steps relying on his own strength.
As long as someone could support him and provide a bit of leverage.
With Zou Weijun absent, this task fell either to the driver or to Wen Ying.
The driver actually wanted to do it, but Wen Ying had already instinctively extended her arm.
Most of Xie Qian’s body weight pressed onto Wen Ying. She had no time to feel shy – she noticed beads of sweat forming on Xie Qian’s forehead.
Actions that ordinary people could perform easily required tremendous effort from Xie Qian.
If it was this difficult now, it must have been even harder before.
For someone as proud as Xie Qian… to have his body no longer under his mind’s control – how frustrated he must have felt.
Only Wen Ying accompanied Xie Qian upstairs.
“For the next few days, my mum and I will temporarily stay at the hotel. In a few days, once this house is tidied up, we will move in. The house is rented.”
The house Xie Qian had rented was in a certain neighbourhood. Though not new, the interior decoration was decent. It was clear the landlord had good taste.
From the moment Xie Qian decided to return until landing in Shanghai, only two days had passed. Finding such a good place in the country so quickly was already impressive. A light tidy-up would make it ready for moving in.
The house had four rooms: three bedrooms and one study. Xie Qian and Zou Weijun would each have a bedroom, with the remaining one reserved for the housekeeper, Auntie Liu.
Auntie Liu would arrive in a couple of days.
Auntie Liu was not only a housekeeper but had also worked as a carer. She was perfectly suited to help look after Xie Qian.
Standing at the window looking out, Wen Ying spotted familiar landmarks. “This place is very close to both the university and the hospital. The living room is spacious too.”
The doctor had followed from abroad. The medical equipment needed for rehabilitation still had to be borrowed from the hospital, along with regular check-ups, all of which required hospital facilities.
“Dr Joseph hoped to be closer to the hospital, so he will not live with us. This afternoon, Dr Joseph visited the hospital. The number of patients there exceeded his imagination.”
Xie Qian explained.
This was one of the promises Xie Qian had made to Dr Joseph: he would not let Joseph idle away his time in China. Even when Xie Qian did not need rehabilitation training, Joseph could still work fulfillingly!
Joseph liked this arrangement.
The hospital handling Xie Qian’s rehabilitation schedule also liked it.
They warmly welcomed a foreign rehabilitation expert like Joseph to exchange experience. They were happy to assign assistants to him. One assistant would certainly not suffice – two would be barely adequate. For a doctor of Joseph’s calibre, having three to five assistants would be quite normal.
Wen Ying could not hold back her laughter. “This is catching a sheep and shearing its wool vigorously!”
Though called assistants, they were essentially stuffing students under Dr Joseph.
Xie Qian laughed too.
It was not the “fleeced” Dr Joseph that amused him, but rather, after this long separation and reunion with Wen Ying, Xie Qian could no longer control his emotions.
In truth, Xie Qian had many things to do.
Having been away so long, there was his film company, his logistics company.
He also had many people he ought to meet.
To mention just one close at hand: Gong Sheng was still in the neighbouring province helping deal with the mess involving Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue. Running around for the big boss’s single word – did he not deserve to be received and rewarded by the boss himself?
Yet Xie Qian wanted to do none of it.
He urged Wen Ying not to skip classes, while he himself skipped work.
As long as he was with Wen Ying, no matter what topic they discussed – or even if they said nothing at all – Xie Qian felt immensely happy.
The fear of “loss” was not unique to Wen Ying. Xie Qian felt it no less.
In the instant the car accident occurred.
In the coma that followed.
He had brushed past death. He had nearly been forever unable to hold his little hamster’s hand again.
Only after experiencing loss does one cherish possession all the more. Even simply sharing a room with Wen Ying felt like extravagant happiness to Xie Qian.
The neon lights outside the window flickered, reflecting on Wen Ying’s face. She turned back to look at him, her eyes seeming to hold colourful specks of light.
Xie Qian had originally planned something better.
His restaurant, his band, his roses, his gifts, his confession – for a perfectionist, these details were too important!
In this moment, however, perfectionism yielded to the most fundamental human emotion.
Reason was defeated by feeling. Feeling took control of Xie Qian’s precise mind. He could no longer control himself:
“I have so many things I want to say to you. It might make you laugh, but for fear of showing weakness, I even prepared several versions of speeches to rehearse on the flight back. There is one thing you should know… I like you.”
