Zhu Yanyi raised her eyebrows slightly, not surprised at all. "Women are always good at protecting themselves. Zhang Qiaolian used to be a standard farmer’s wife because that identity brought her benefits. Now that those benefits are gone, she naturally wants revenge on the person who took them away. A woman’s revenge is terrifying."
"But how Zhang Qiaolian takes revenge has nothing to do with us. We should just live our own lives," Yan Aohan smiled lightly, looking at Zhu Yanyi. "Osvaldo’s surgery was very successful. What do you plan to do with the remaining two? Also, because you’ve been busy with matters these past few months, you haven’t accepted patients from abroad. Their applications are still pending. You can’t just ignore them, can you?"
Zhu Yanyi frowned slightly. "You say there are so many doctors in the world, why do these people insist on choosing me? Besides, didn’t they used to distrust Traditional Chinese Medicine? Most importantly, I’ve looked at those medical records. They aren’t particularly difficult to treat. Western medicine can often achieve results too. Why come to me? Do you think I have nothing to do?"
"Shouldn’t you be happier that Traditional Chinese Medicine is developing now? Why do you seem unhappy?"
Zhu Yanyi pouted. "I can’t be happy. How can I be happy about this?" Seeing Yan Aohan’s confusion, she explained, "The only reason they only choose me is that there aren’t enough famous practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. No matter what, we need to strengthen training."
"The exam for the Senior Traditional Chinese Medicine Qualification Certificate is in a few days. You’d better focus on that first," Yan Aohan said with a light laugh.
Hearing this, Zhu Yanyi slapped her forehead. "If you hadn’t reminded me, I almost forgot. My days are getting more and more mixed up."
It wasn’t that her days were mixed up; it was clearly due to being busy. Of course, Yan Aohan wouldn’t say that. "I heard Grandpa Zhan had a cough a few days ago. It seems better now, but they didn’t tell you because they were afraid you’d worry."
Zhu Yanyi drank the borscht in front of her and said slowly, "I’ve been so busy these days that I haven’t visited the grandpas. Let’s go see Grandpa Zhan together tomorrow."
"Okay," Yan Aohan nodded seriously.
Grandpa Zhan was overjoyed to see Zhu Yanyi visit. "I heard you’ve been very busy lately. It’s fine if you’re busy; you don’t need to worry about us old men."
Zhu Yanyi didn’t say much. She simply reached out to take Grandpa Zhan’s pulse, then said, "I’m not worrying about you. I’m just here to check your health. I heard you had a cough a few days ago."
Her tone seemed calm, but Grandpa Zhan looked at Zhu Yanyi with a guilty conscience.
Zhu Yanyi held her wrist and looked at Grandpa Zhan. "What happened to the health pills I usually give you? Why didn’t you take them?"
"Um, I finished them," Grandpa Zhan mumbled.
"Oh, keep making things up," Zhu Yanyi crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Grandpa Zhan. She knew the health pills she gave him regularly would never be finished so quickly.
Grandpa Zhan helplessly said, "I have some old friends. They are busier than me, but their bodies are as fragile as eggs, breaking at the slightest touch. So I gave them the health pills to help them live more comfortably. Besides, I’m usually fine. Even without the pills, it’s okay. This cough was really just an accident."
Seeing Zhu Yanyi staring at her, she lowered her head, feeling embarrassed.
Zhu Yanyi sighed. "Grandpa Zhan, I’ve always paid close attention to your health. Especially since Grandpa Yao went missing, I’ve been even more worried about you. I don’t want any of you to suffer from illness. If you need health pills, just tell me directly. You don’t need to secretly give your share to others. They’re just health pills. For me, getting them is very easy."
"I’m sorry, Ani. I made you worry about this old man," Grandpa Zhan realized his actions were indeed inappropriate and apologized to Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi shook her head slightly. "How about this? You notify the other senior elders. I’ll take a day off this Sunday to check everyone’s pulse and give them some health-prescribing formulas. What do you think?"
"Is that okay? I know you’re very busy," Grandpa Zhan said hurriedly.
"No matter how busy I am, I’m still just one person. I need rest too. So, Grandpa Zhan, don’t worry about me. Besides, this sanatorium is quite nice. Everyone chats and drinks tea here. I’ll consider it a relaxing day." Indeed, after Grandpa Zhan retired, he didn’t go live with his children. Instead, he moved to this sanatorium.
Zhu Yanyi understood Grandpa Zhan’s reasons. First, he didn’t want to trouble his children. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, but living together always brings some constraints. Second, the sanatorium was full of elderly people who had common topics to discuss.
Grandpa Zhan naturally knew Zhu Yanyi was doing this because she was worried about them. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright. Come over on Sunday. We haven’t gathered in a long time. When you were little, we often got together. Now that you’ve grown up, you’re too busy to find time."
Zhu Yanyi felt a sense of guilt towards Grandpa Zhan. Indeed, since she finished her apprenticeship, she had been busy all the time. But even if busy, she could have found time to visit. She hadn’t done so. It was her fault for being unfilial.
"When I come on Sunday, I’ll cook a big table of vegetarian dishes for the grandpas and grandmas," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.
"Can we add some meat?" Grandpa Zhan asked quietly.
"No," Zhu Yanyi glanced at Grandpa Zhan. "You’re getting older. Eating less meat is better for your health."
"Okay," Grandpa Zhan felt it was a loss. It would have been better if they could eat meat. But thinking of Zhu Yanyi’s cooking skills, he licked his lips. Well, if they couldn’t eat meat, so be it. After all, Zhu Yanyi’s vegetarian dishes were tastier than meat.
Seeing Grandpa Zhan’s reaction, Zhu Yanyi laughed. She realized she needed to visit Grandpa Zhan and the others more often when she had time. The elderly actually longed for liveliness and reunion, but sometimes these were just their hopes.
On the way back, Zhu Yanyi shared this idea with Yan Aohan. Yan Aohan was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right. When people get old, they mostly hope their descendants can accompany them. Since that’s the case, let’s visit Grandpa Zhan and the others more often in the future."
"Besides them, should we also visit Mom and Dad?" Zhu Yanyi glanced at Yan Aohan. "I don’t know your true origins, and that’s not important. Anyway, you’ll tell me someday. Since I’ve embarked on the path of cultivation, and you know it yet are willing to walk with me, plus what you’ve revealed before, it shows you are definitely more powerful than me. But that doesn’t deny that your current life comes from the Yan family."