Su Pei and Su Yao instantly turned their eyes to Deng Jing, terrified of hearing a refusal.
Deng Jing said helplessly, "Then you have to be good. You can't cause trouble for your grandparents, or your third uncle and aunt."
Her little niece had a great personality, so Deng Jing felt very reassured. She also wanted her two daughters, especially Yaoyao, to learn from her and become a bit more lively.
Su Pei and Su Yao nodded repeatedly.
Lin Zhilan turned to Xu Yueyun and said, "Mom, why don't we have Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law come back to stay with us today? I can check Second Brother's pulse while I'm at it."
It was a matter of returning kindness with kindness.
Su Jue treated her child well, so Lin Zhilan was willing to be more considerate of him in return.
"Alright!" Xu Yueyun agreed without hesitation.
As a patient herself, she knew the changes in her own body best.
Before, she always felt like she couldn't catch her breath. But over the past couple of days, after Lin Zhilan gave her acupuncture, she felt much better overall and had no trouble going out.
"Xiao Jue, come back with us and let Zhilan take a look at you."
Su Jue was just about to decline when Deng Jing interjected, "Okay, we'll have to trouble Zhilan then."
Su Jue paused and said nothing.
No matter how much resentment Deng Jing held toward Su Jue in her heart, it could not outweigh her concern for his health.
Over the past two years, Su Jue had grown increasingly thin. He looked older than his peers, and a lot of his hair had turned white. Deep down, Deng Jing was worried about him.
Everyone was just about finished eating.
Xu Yueyun nudged Su Bingcheng. "You go pay the bill."
Su Bingcheng smiled and said, "Boss, where would I get the money?"
"If you don't have money, how could you divvy up four portions of two hundred and fifty?" Xu Yueyun sneered.
Su Bingcheng suddenly realized what she meant. Knowing his secret stash of money had been exposed, he had no choice but to obediently go pay the bill.
Linlin furrowed her little brows. "Grandma, are we leaving now?"
Xu Yueyun replied, "Yes, are you still hungry?"
Linlin said anxiously, "My daddy hasn't even arrived yet. He hasn't eaten."
Lin Zhilan and Jiang Chengzhou, who were putting on their coats, exchanged a guilty look.
It seemed they had both completely forgotten about Su Lang.
Xu Yueyun hurriedly asked Su Bingcheng to pack up half a roast duck to go, which finally put Linlin's mind at ease.
By the time the group arrived home, Su Lang had already returned.
He was sitting in the living room with his coat in front of him, cleaning off the mud spots.
Hearing the door open, Su Lang looked up. "You're all back?"
Lin Zhilan handed him the packed roast duck. "Brought this for you. Mom treated, and Dad paid."
Su Lang laughed, "Dad, is your secret stash all gone now?"
Su Bingcheng glared at him in annoyance. "Just eat your duck!"
Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.
Lin Zhilan sat down next to him and helped him open the roast duck. "Is everything okay with Auntie Yu?"
Su Lang sighed. "Auntie Yu's son has bad legs. This morning, he tried to help Auntie Yu gather firewood, accidentally took a fall, and was sent to the hospital."
Hearing this, Xu Yueyun hurriedly asked, "Was it a bad fall?"
"He fractured a bone and needs surgery."
"That serious? How much will it cost?"
Su Lang took a bite of the roast duck fed to him by his wife. "Auntie Yu said she has the money, but she won't be able to come help out at the house for a while."
"That's fine. I'll go check later to see if there's anything we can do to help."
Su Lang said helplessly, "Mom, if you go to the hospital, Auntie Yu will just end up worrying about you. I'll go."
Auntie Yu's son was already a grown young man. As a single woman, Auntie Yu was indeed struggling to handle it all.
Xu Yueyun cared about Auntie Yu, but she cared for her son even more. "You finally got some time off. Just rest at home and let your dad go."
Su Bingcheng echoed the sentiment.
Lin Zhilan asked, "I only heard that Auntie Yu's son has mobility issues. Was he injured when he was little?"
Xu Yueyun sighed. "It's the aftermath of polio. One of his legs can't move at all; he can only drag it along."
Lin Zhilan felt a stir of eagerness.
Back in her previous world, the last research project she had been working on was the traditional Chinese medicine treatment of spinal motor nerve injuries.
Just as she had made a tiny bit of progress, she was brought to this world.
Now, due to limited conditions, even if she wanted to continue her research, it would be very difficult to recreate the proper environment.
Su Lang saw through his wife's thoughts at a glance. "You want to go take a look?"
Lin Zhilan replied, "I want to look at the case, but Auntie Yu's son has probably been in this condition for many years, so there's not much hope."
Lin Zhilan was a doctor. Unless she was absolutely certain, she wouldn't make big promises.
"How about this," Lin Zhilan said. "I'll check Second Brother's pulse first and write him a prescription. Tomorrow, when I go to the hospital to get the medicine, I'll drop by and check on Auntie Yu."
Deng Jing quickly pushed Su Jue to sit on the sofa.
Su Jue extended his hand.
Lin Zhilan placed her fingers on Su Jue's wrist, carefully feeling his pulse.
After a while, she asked Su Jue to switch hands.
Deng Jing stood to the side, nervously watching her expression.
Lin Zhilan's face gradually turned serious, causing Deng Jing's heart to leap into her throat.
After a long time, Lin Zhilan withdrew her hand.
"Sister-in-law..."
Lin Zhilan sighed softly. "Second Brother's body is severely depleted. Coupled with liver qi stagnation that has turned into internal heat, do you find it hard to sleep peacefully at night and have frequent dreams?"
Su Jue nodded slightly.
Lin Zhilan continued, "There are also issues with your stomach, and the problems with your cervical spine and shoulders aren't minor either. Your qi and blood are stagnant, your meridians are blocked, and you definitely have arthritis."
Su Jue's expression only shifted slightly, as if she weren't talking about his own body.
Deng Jing nudged him with red eyes. "Is what she said true?"
Su Jue avoided her gaze and said softly, "Pretty much."
These were actually old ailments. His colleagues had them too, so Su Jue didn't think it was a big deal.
Deng Jing's voice trembled a little. "If she hadn't found out by taking your pulse, would you have never told me?"
Su Jue held her hand, his eyes softening as he tried to calm his wife down. "They're just minor issues, don't worry."
Lin Zhilan calmly exposed him. "Second Brother's condition is the result of long-term overexertion. With irregular eating habits, stomach problems are inevitable. With high mental stress, liver qi stagnation is also normal. Additionally, I'd like to ask you, Second Brother, have you been experiencing frequent tinnitus recently?"
Deng Jing froze and looked at Su Jue. "Answer her!"
Su Jue could tell that this sister-in-law really knew her stuff, so he answered honestly, "Occasionally. It only started within the last year."
Lin Zhilan found this a bit strange.
She had always thought Su Jue was a scientist who worked at a desk.
Stomach problems, cervical spondylosis, and arthritis were things she could understand.
But this tinnitus was more likely caused by his environment.
Many people who worked long-term in sealed, low-temperature, and high-noise testing environments would experience this condition.
Since his work was classified, Lin Zhilan didn't probe any further.
"I'll write a prescription for Second Brother. Try taking a few doses first. Most of Second Brother's ailments are caused by work. Health is the capital of the revolution; you have to take care of yourself."
As Lin Zhilan spoke, she naturally adopted the demeanor of a doctor.
She wasn't exactly fierce.
But she was a bit stern, quite different from her usual gentle and smiling self.
Su Jue nodded instinctively. "I understand, Doctor."
