Translator: SJade, Editor: Dj22031
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Shen Rang looked tired. He was no longer young. After all this hard work, he was also a little exhausted mentally and physically.
“Yaqin, take Junze back first.” He wiped his face and said.
Lu Yaqin didn’t want to leave, but she also knew that everyone present did not welcome her appearance. Her eyes were a little sad. She glanced at Shen Junyu who said nothing and nodded, “Okay, Junze and I will go back first. If the old man wakes up, please call me again.”
Shen Rang waved his hand and said nothing.
Lu Yaqin pulled Shen Junze, who wanted to say something again, out of the hospital.
“Junyu, what happened this time was Junze’s fault, and it’s also my fault. I didn’t teach him well.” Shen Rang said tiredly. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if the old man couldn’t survive this time.
Shen Junyu’s expression was indifferent, but his eyes were full of coldness, “Second uncle, you should leave too. If grandpa wakes up, he will be unhappy to see you here.”
Shen Rang’s expression froze, “I won’t go in, I will stay outside, I will leave when your grandpa wakes up.”
Shen Junyu stopped looking at him and walked into the ward. Looking at Shen Qinglan’s appearance, Shen Junyu said warmly, “Lanlan, you go and rest for a while. I am here. When grandpa wakes up, I will call you as soon as possible.”
Shen Qinglan shook her head and said nothing.
Shen Junyu knew this would be the case, and stopped forcing her. He sat down next to her and looked at the old man. Shen Junyu ignored the person outside. He had already called Shen Qian.
Shen Qian rushed to the hospital in a hurry. He did not go to see the old man first, but went to the attending doctor’s office first. After understanding the old man’s condition, he went to the ward. When he saw a familiar figure at the door of the ward, Shen Qian’s first reaction was not delight but anger.
A pair of military boots stopped in front of him. Shen Rang looked up and saw Shen Qian, “Brother.”
“Shen Rang, come with me.” Shen Qian said in a deep voice. Shen Rang stood up and followed Shen Qian.
In a secluded corner of the hospital garden, Shen Qian looked steadily at the younger brother he had not seen for more than 20 years.
“Brother.” Shen Rang spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.
“Shen Rang, you are finally back!” Shen Qian said in a calm tone, but such calmness made Shen Rang’s mind shake. He would rather Shen Qian scolded him.
“Brother, I’m sorry.” Shen Rang whispered.
“I’m not the one you should be sorry for.”
Shen Rang was silent. Yes, the person he was most sorry for was actually his deceased mother. He was the youngest son of the Shen family. Since childhood, Grandma Shen had been particularly fond of this youngest son, and he also was indeed up to date and excellent in all aspects. He had been placed great hopes on by the two elders, but how did he repay them?
He never regretted being with Lu Yaqin. The only thing he regretted was that he failed to take good care of his parents and didn’t even see his mother for the last time. If he paid even a little attention to the news about the Shen family, he would never leave such a trace of regret.
“Brother, I was wrong. I was too selfish and let you down.” Shen Rang had no way to defend himself, and it was not in his character to defend himself.
Shen Qian looked at his younger brother who he was seeing after more than 20 years old, and he was not as indifferent as he appeared on the surface. The relationship between them brothers had been good since childhood. Even if his younger brother was better than him, Shen Qian had never been jealous.
This younger brother was the pride of his parents and Shen Qian. But one day, this younger brother brought back a woman and said he wanted to marry her. At that time, Shen Rang had a marriage contract.
Mr. Shen and Grandma Shen disagreed, especially when they later learned that the woman Shen Rang fell in love with had once been a hostess. Although she had not had a relationship with other men, even if the two elders of the Shen family no longer had a sense of family status, according to the Shen family’s background, they would never accept such a daughter-in-law.
It was natural to object, but Shen Rang seemed to have eaten something wrong and was determined to be with this woman. He even went to his fiancée’s house to ask for an end of the engagement, which made the other party’s parents furious which caused them to threaten to break off diplomatic relations with the Shen family. The old man had been a prideful person all his life, but this time he licked his face and apologized for his little son’s affairs and was scolded bloody.
And what did Shen Rang do at that time? He left the Shen family and ran away with the hostess, making the Shen family a complete joke in the capital. Mr. Shen even became seriously ill because of this.
After coming back from his memories, Shen Qian looked at Shen Rang with a cold look, “Since you left, why did you come back?”
“Brother, I just want to come back to see my dad and mom.” Shen Rang explained dryly, although he had been in a foreign land for many years, he had always missed his relatives in China every day. If he had known earlier, if he had known earlier, he would have come back earlier…
Shen Rang’s face was full of sadness.
“What’s the point of talking about this now? Dad is still lying in the hospital. You should go back first.” Shen Qian said in a cold tone.
Shen Rang looked at Shen Qian’s side face and opened his mouth, but in the end he didn’t say anything. He turned and left. His back was slightly bent and he looked very desolate.
Shen Qian took a deep look at Shen Rang, then turned and went to Mr. Shen’s doctor’s office. He needed to discuss the follow-up treatment plan with the doctor.
The next day, Shen Rang’s family of three came again. They didn’t know what Shen Rang and Lu Yaqin said to Shen Junze after they returned home. But Shen Junze was very good this time and even called Shen Qinglan “cousin” when he saw her.
Shen Qinglan glanced at him and did not agree. Shen Junze kept his head down, as if he was in a bad mood, and even ignored Shen Qinglan’s attitude.
Shen Junyu hadn’t come yet. He had gone home to get a change of clothes.
“Qinglan, is your grandpa okay?” Shen Rang asked gently.
“The situation is stable.” Shen Qinglan spat out a few words, her tone distant and indifferent. Shen Rang didn’t care at all. His eyes fell on Mr. Shen, and there was sadness in his eyes that others couldn’t understand.
Lu Yaqin’s face was also very bad, her eyes were red, and she looked haggard. Shen Qinglan was a little curious about what the three of them had experienced after returning, and why they looked like this today.
Not long after Shen Rang and the other two arrived, Shen Junyu came, and Wen Xiyao came with him.
“Sister Xiyao, why are you here?” Shen Qinglan was a little surprised when she saw Wen Xiyao.
Wen Xiyao glanced at Shen Junyu, “I called Junyu today and found out that your grandpa was hospitalized, so we came together. Is your grandpa okay?”
“He is okay. The doctor said there are no signs of improvement, but it has not worsened and the situation is very stable.” Shen Qinglan said.
“Second uncle.” Shen Junyu called, but ignored Lu Yaqin and Shen Junze.
Shen Rang nodded, smiled at Shen Junyu, but looked at Wen Xiyao.
“This is my girlfriend Wen Xiyao, and this is my second uncle.” Shen Junyu introduced, without mentioning a word about Lu Yaqin and her son. Wen Xiyao greeted Shen Rang and saw that Shen Junyu did not introduce the other two people to her. The meaning was clear in his heart, so she just nodded kindly to Lu Yaqin and Shen Junze and stopped talking.
“By the way, Qinglan, these are the clothes and toiletries I brought for you. You go and wash up first.” Wen Xiyao remembered the bag in her hand and handed it to Shen Qinglan.
Shen Qinglan took it, thanked her, and walked into the private bathroom of the ward.
“Grandpa needs to rest. Second uncle, if you are fine, please leave first.” Shen Junyu said.
Lu Yaqin glanced at her husband who had a sad look, thought for a while, and finally said, “Junyu, your second uncle is very worried about your grandpa. He didn’t sleep last night. Just let him stay with your grandpa here for a while. If you don’t want to see us, Junze and I will leave immediately.”
Shen Junze called out “Mom” dissatisfied, but the rest of his words were silenced by Lu Yaqin’s eyes. He glanced at his father and shook his hands, “Dad, Mom and I are waiting for you in the car.”
Shen Rang glanced at his wife, his eyes full of apology. Lu Yaqin smiled reassuringly at him, indicating that she was fine, and left the ward with Shen Junze.
“Mom, dad is like that, why do we keep giving in? This matter is not your fault and dad’s fault alone.” Shen Junze complained dissatisfiedly as he walked out of the ward.
Lu Yaqin’s eyes were red and she spoke in a low voice, “You also know your father’s situation, so don’t talk about it anymore. The death of your grandma is already a big blow to your father, and your grandpa is like this now, you should say less.”
“Mom, if I knew this would be the result, I definitely wouldn’t have said that yesterday.” Shen Junze also lowered his head, as he thought of seeing his father sitting in the living room smoking silently with tears in his eyes when he woke up in the middle of the night, Shen Junze infinitely regretted yesterday’s recklessness.
Shen Rang had always been outstanding and stalwart in his mind. He carried the family on his own shoulders. To Shen Junze, Shen Rang was the mountain, the backbone of the family, and synonymous with strength, but he was so fragile last night that it made his heart ache.
He saw his father crying in the living room, while his mother was leaning in front of the door, looking at his father’s back and crying silently, her eyes full of sadness and despair.
Shen Junze was spoiled by Lu Yaqin to have a bad temper, and he was also wilful, impulsive and irritable, but he was not bad at heart. In fact, he was scared from the moment he saw Mr. Shen fall down and knew he was wrong. However, he stubbornly refused to admit his mistake and spoke back.
“Mom, do you think grandpa will be fine? If something happens to grandpa, will dad never forgive himself for the rest of his life?” Shen Junze asked Lu Yaqin in a low voice.
Lu Yaqin looked at her son and wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t. She twitched her lips and comforted her son, “No, your grandpa will be fine. Your grandpa is the famous General Shen. He once went to the battlefield to protect the family. How could a hero who defended his country fall so easily?”
She silently prayed in her heart that Mr. Shen would be fine, otherwise she wouldn’t know how long her husband’s body could last. She only found out yesterday that Shen Rang’s body had already had a big problem while they were abroad, and he was diagnosed with mid-stage liver cancer half a year ago.
Although the discovery was relatively timely, the treatment effect was not great. The doctor recommended surgery, but Shen Rang did not want them to worry and rejected the doctor’s suggestion. Three months ago, the cancer cells metastasized and even spread very quickly. Even the doctors were helpless and judged that it would only be half a year at most. That’s why Shen Rang insisted on returning to China this time to see the two elders of the Shen family, but he didn’t expect that something like this would happen.
“Mom, if I had known earlier, I would never have said those words.” Shen Junze emphasized.
“Mom knows, but Junze, you are already eighteen and an adult. You can no longer act so wilfully. In fact, it is also my, your mother’s fault that I did not teach you well.”
Shen Junze became even more sad and angry after hearing this. So, he blamed himself, “Mom, don’t worry, I will apologize to grandpa properly when he wakes up, and I will never be angry with grandpa again.”
Lu Yaqin smiled happily, she lowered her eyes, and Shen Junze did not see that her eyes were so thick with sadness that it could not be dissipated.
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