197 When Will You Return, Leisurely Nanshan Hill

The mother-daughter pair sat across him.

"Auntie, have you been well?" The young man asked politely.

"Much better, it's all thanks to the medicine Wang Yao brought previously," Tong Wei's mother replied. Although her face was smiling, there was a sense of coldness and distance.

"Tong Wei, when did you return? You didn't even inform me?" Yang Ming asked, smiling.

"I returned the day before." Tong Wei rubbed her forehead. Her expression was a little gloomy.

She didn't like the guy before her, not from the start.

"Are you free tonight? I'm meeting some friends; do you want to join us?"

"No thanks. I'm meeting Wang Yao tonight and going to his house for dinner," Tong Wei replied.

Her meaning was very clear.

It was at this moment that there came a knocking sound from the door.

"Someone's here."

"I'll get the door," Tong Wei said, hurriedly standing up.

Ka-cha. The door opened, and Wang Yao was standing outside.

"What took you so long?" Upon seeing Wang Yao, the corners of Tong Wei's mouth raised up. She dragged Wang Yao by his hand and entered the house.

What kind of situation was this?!

Tong Wei's intimate reaction left him stunned.

The moment he entered the room, he saw Yang Ming sitting in the living room, seething with anger. He immediately comprehended Tong Wei's earlier reaction.

"An old friend?"

"Wang Yao, you're here?"

"I've come to pick up Tong Wei for dinner at my house," Wang Yao replied, smiling.

"Then I won't hold you up. Auntie, goodbye, Tong Wei, see you," Yang Ming said. Although there was a smile on his face, no matter how you looked at it, it was a bitter smile. When he passed Wang Yao by, Wang Yao could distinctly see the hatred in his eyes.

Vengeance for the killing of a father, hatred for stealing of a bride—these people could not live under the same sky.

Does this count as stealing a bride?

"Hi Ma'am!"

"Yao, you're here, come sit!" Upon seeing Wang Yao, Tong Wei's mother's attitude immediately changed. She had already started to treat Wang Yao like her own son in law. It was just like the traditional Chinese saying: the more the mother-in-law looks at the son-in-law, the more favorable he becomes in her eyes.

Tong Wei's face was slightly flushed, and she shyly sat down beside Wang Yao.

Having a beautiful woman sitting beside him, Wang Yao's breathing quickened.

At this moment, Yang Ming was storming down the stairs. His facial expression was as dark as a raincloud; it could almost squeeze out water. His reputation had been sorely bruised today.

"Wang Yao!" He raised his head, gnashing his teeth. He hated Wang Yao so much that he wanted to rip his bones out and split his skin. He never would have expected that this classmate who only knew how to study could have won Tong Wei's affection.

Where could he have learned medicine from?!

Yang Ming got into his car and sped off. As he left, he nearly knocked over a pedestrian.

"Are you blind! Look where you're driving!" The lady whom he nearly hit shouted, glaring at his Audi A4.

"Today is an unlucky day!" Yang Ming sighed as he raised his car window. Although his eyes were looking forward, he was still thinking about what happened earlier and did not notice the traffic junction up ahead. By the time he noticed, the green light had turned red, and he had already beat the red light. Furthermore, he narrowly avoided a collision with an oncoming police patrol car.

Screech! The patrol car hit the brakes. The policeman wound down the window and stared at the back of the car that was going further away.

"Hmph, still so arrogant after beating the red light!"

As can be seen, anger makes people impulsive and causes them to do things without thinking. That is why it is important to curb your anger.

Honestly, Yang Ming's luck today was already not too bad.

...

At Tong Wei's house, Wang Yao was still chatting with Tong Wei's mother.

"Shall we leave soon?"

"Okay, give me a moment," Tong Wei said. She entered her room and started putting on her make-up.

When she came out, the room suddenly became much brighter. This is what was meant by "a beauty like a flower with looks that could topple a city."

Wang Yao was stunned for a moment.

"Shall we go?"

"Let's."

The two of them walked down the stairs and got into the car. Tong Wei had bought some things.

"You don't have to bring gifts when coming to my house."

"No, that's not appropriate."

The car was not traveling very quickly. Wang Yao was not fond of speeding.

"When will you be returning to the island?"

"Tomorrow," Tong Wei replied.

"So quickly? Why not stay a few more days?"

"You really can't bear for me to leave?" Tong Wei asked, giggling.

"I can't."

To have such a beauty by one's side was really a wondrous thing.

"What if I return to Lianshan County to work?" Tong Wei asked Wang Yao, probing. She was conflicted. She wanted to be with Wang Yao, but she didn't like this small and dreary town. She'd much rather live in a big city like the island.

"Do what you want to do, if you don't like it here then you don't have to rush to come back," Wang Yao replied.

With his current finances, he definitely could afford to buy a house on the island, although it was somewhat pricey. However, based on his personality, he didn't like the island but preferred his little mountain village and the quiet Nanshan Hill.

"Then let's stay on the island for a while longer," Tong Wei replied.

Regarding Tong Wei's visit, Wang Yao's parents took it very seriously and prepared a large feast.

"Dad, Mom, we didn't have such a grand feast even during New Year did we?" Wang Ru asked, unable to hold back.

"It's not the same. If you brought back a good son-in-law, I guarantee we'll prepare something even bigger," Zhang Xiuying replied.

"As if!"

While the family was busying themselves, a car had arrived in the driveway. It stopped, and Wang Yao and Tong Wei entered the house. Wang Yao's mother put down the things she was doing and beamed happily.

"Hello Ma'am," Tong Wei greeted shyly.

"Good, good, you're here. You didn't have to bring any gifts; quick come in!"

She grabbed onto Tong Wei and led her in, asking about this and that, quickly forgetting about her own son and daughter entirely.

"When are you getting married?" Wang Ru suddenly popped the question.

"Huh?!" Wang Yao was stunned.

He really hadn't thought about this.

"This Tong Wei is really not bad. You should grab hold of this opportunity, turn raw rice into cooked rice before she changes her mind," Wang Ru advised.

"Okay, okay, thank you, my big sister," Wang Yao replied, laughing helplessly.

After entering the house, Wang Ru also talked with Tong Wei. When Tong Wei expressed her intention to help with the food preparation, she was forcefully denied.

Closer to the evening, the whole family gathered for dinner. Zhang Xiuying occasionally helped to scoop food for her future daughter-in-law. Tong Wei stayed at Wang Yao's house until 8 pm before leaving.

"My mom is just so enthusiastic; I hope you don't mind!" Wang Yao said.

"Why would I? It's great!" Tong Wei said. She could also feel Wang Yao's mother's approval for her.

"Should I send you to the island tomorrow?"

"Yes please!"

Wang Yao drove Tong Wei to her house entrance.

"Do you want to come upstairs for a bit?"

"No need, it's already quite late. We also shouldn't disturb your parents from their rest. You should go rest early too."

"Okay, drive carefully on your way back."

"Go on up."

After seeing Tong Wei go upstairs, Wang Yao drove off. Upstairs, Tong Wei gazed out the window, looking at Wang Yao's car leaving. Only when the car was too far to be seen did Tong Wei go back in to rest.

After returning home, he stopped the car and went up Nanshan Hill.

Nanshan Hill's night sky was wide and expansive. Many thousands of miles away in Beijing, the night sky was blurry to the point that the stars could not really be seen anymore.

In that particular house, Su Xiaoxue was lying quietly on a bed, still wrapped in bandages. In that wide room, there was no one else besides her. She lay quietly, unsure of how long she had been there for. Besides blinking her eyes, breathing, and thinking, she felt similar to a dead person.

Where did Wang Yao go? When will he be back? She was constantly thinking about the young man's blurry figure.

Is he not coming back anymore…? An illness like mine, is it incurable?

She suddenly felt hopeless. Then, she recalled what Wang Yao had said, as well as the profound lines of scripture he recited.

Why is it that I can hear his words clearly, whereas everyone else's voices sound muffled?

"When is he returning?" It wasn't only Su Xiaoxue who was concerned, but also her family. This was especially so for her mother.

"It's only been a few days, why are you getting anxious? Didn't Dr. Chen also say that Xiaoxue's condition has been stable the past two days?"

"Stable? So what if it's been stable for a few days? It could suddenly worsen at any time," Su Xiaoxue's mother retorted.

"Okay, whatever." The middle-aged man waved his hand. "Your temper needs to be managed. I'm also concerned about Xiaoxue's illness, but we can't be too forceful with Dr. Wang. What happens if we arouse his ire and he doesn't want to return to Beijing?"

"Yes, yes, I've got it."

"Have Chen Boyuan go visit him tomorrow."

"Okay."

The next morning, there was a gentle breeze.

It was already May, and the sun was getting stronger. In the afternoon, the temperature was now hotter.

At around 10 am, Tian Yuantu came to Nanshan Hill. He had not been there for a while.

"Hey, this hill is becoming more and more interesting!"

"If you like it, come more often! Anyway, it's not far from Lianshan County."

"Secretary Yang called me yesterday to ask me to check when you're free to give his mother a checkup."

"Tomorrow...that's fine" Wang Yao replied after some consideration.

"Okay, I'll tell him that."

"You should set up a stone table and bench here," Tian Yuantu pointed around the outside of the house. "With this kind of weather, it'll be most enjoyable to sit out here drinking tea."

Tian Yuantu stayed for a while; then both he and Wang Yao descended from the hill. He still needed to go to Lianshan County in the afternoon and then drive Tong Wei to the island in the evening. Along the way, he would also deliver the medicine for Wei Hai.

"Is his illness much better?"

"Yes."

"When are you going to go to Beijing again?"

"In about two days."