Chapter 85 - 085 Wrong idea

Words : 1451 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Du Heng and Wang Shuqiu didn’t bring many gifts, but Du Heng’s elder brother and sister-in-law brought a whole cartful. Seeing the large and small packages being carried into the house, Wang Shuqiu’s mother’s smile became even more sincere. She called her husband and son to join the moving team. "Xiao Qiu’s mom, are relatives visiting?" The next-door neighbor, a woman holding a hoe, stood by the car and chatted with Wang Shuqiu’s mother with a laugh. Wang Shuqiu’s mother’s smile faded a little, and her posture straightened up as she spoke more reservedly, "Not relatives, but Xiao Qiu brought friends." The granny sunbathing at the neighboring door also chimed in, "Xiao Qiu brought her boyfriend home?" "Yeah, the kids wanted to meet the elders and get to know the family." The neighbor holding the hoe eyed the large and small packages and the brand-new, impressive car. Her eyes widened. "What does your son-in-law do? He seems pretty wealthy." "Hehe, he’s a doctor in Jinzhou. The money isn’t much, and it’s tiring," Wang Shuqiu’s mother said in a very plain and dismissive tone, but the blossoming smile on her face told everyone she was delighted. Du Heng and Wang Shuqiu’s younger brother, Zhao Xinfang, came out. Just as they were about to continue moving things, Wang Shuqiu’s mother pulled Du Heng aside. "Sister-in-law," she said to the neighbor, "this is Qiuqiu’s friend, Du Heng." The proud smile on Wang Shuqiu’s mother’s face made the neighbor holding the hoe very annoyed. The neighbor deeply regretted standing there and talking to Wang Shuqiu’s mother. Wang Shuqiu’s mother pointed to the neighbor holding the hoe and said to Du Heng, "This is Qiuqiu’s great-uncle’s wife." "Nice to meet you, Auntie," Du Heng greeted with a smile. He had now met the first of Wang Shuqiu’s relatives. "This boy is so handsome. Come over to my house later." "Sure, Auntie." Wang Shuqiu’s mother was delighted. Seeing the neighbor with the hoe about to leave, she said, "Sister-in-law, come in and sit for a while?" "No, thank you. I still have some chores at home." "Alright, come over for dinner after you finish." After exchanging pleasantries, they helped carry the last box inside and went straight into the house. The neighbor with the hoe didn’t go far but walked over to the old granny who was sunbathing next door. "Qiuqiu, that girl, has finally made it." Who knew the old granny would purse her lips disdainfully? "You know what kind of person your sister-in-law is, don’t you? Do you think that girl, Qiuqiu, and her boyfriend can last?" Hearing this, the neighbor sighed. "Oh well, let’s just see how things unfold. The children are all grown up; Qiuqiu’s mother should consider their future." The old granny scoffed, "An untamable dog—do you expect her to suddenly understand reason?" With that said, she stood up, picked up her small stool, and went back home. The neighbor also sighed deeply, hoisted her hoe onto her shoulder, and went home. 「Inside the house.」 Wang Shuqiu and her mother went to the kitchen to get busy, while Du Heng was left in the living room to chat with Wang Shuqiu’s father and younger brother. However, just as Wang Shuqiu had mentioned, her father merely sat on the sofa beside Du Heng, never initiating conversation. Fortunately, Zhao Xinfang was there, so the two could chat. Without him, Du Heng and his future father-in-law would have been staring blankly at each other, a situation awkward enough to make one die of embarrassment. During their conversation, Du Heng slowly revised and corrected his impression of Wang Shuqiu’s family. He felt that his previous assumptions were all mistaken. "Brother-in-law, do you smoke?" "I don’t smoke." Zhao Xinfang took out a cigarette and offered one to Du Heng, then prepared to light one for himself. But when he heard Du Heng didn’t smoke, he put it down. "Brother-in-law, what kind of illnesses do you treat?" "I am a Traditional Chinese Medicine General Practitioner, so I treat everything. However, right now, my specialty is Internal Medicine Disease and Gynecology and Pediatrics. My skills in other areas are a bit lacking." It seemed Zhao Xinfang had a strong craving for nicotine, as he picked up the cigarette he had just put down. "So, do you make a lot of money then? In our county, there is a senior traditional Chinese medicine doctor who is very good at treating illnesses." Zhao Xinfang ultimately couldn’t resist; he lit the cigarette and started smoking. "I have an illness, which my sister should have told you about. After consulting with Doctor Xu, I haven’t had an episode in more than half a year. Before, I would have one every two to three months, which made me feel terrible, and my family suffered too." Du Heng raised his eyebrows slightly. He hadn’t expected Zhao Xinfang to be so straightforward about his illness. Many people harbor discriminatory and fearful attitudes towards mental illness, not only towards others but also towards themselves. Moreover, some patients may develop deeper feelings of inferiority due to their illness, becoming withdrawn and depressed. But Zhao Xinfang was different; he behaved very openly. From his speech, manners, and how he handled things and treated people, Du Heng didn’t think he seemed like a person with a mental illness. This was especially true considering Wang Shuqiu had described him as a patient of the "martial madness" type. "That Doctor Xu’s treatments are good, just very expensive. Last time he took my pulse, he charged me 50 yuan, and the medicine cost over 3,000 yuan. I’ve finished the medicine now, and I don’t dare go back." "You should get a follow-up check. Your sister told me about your condition. The fact that it’s under control now means Doctor Xu must be very skilled. But with your type of illness, you must diligently continue treatment, or it might recur." Seeing that Zhao Xinfang himself didn’t mind and was very open about his situation, Du Heng also spoke naturally and casually. "Is it that your family is too busy, making it inconvenient to go? How about this: I drove here. We can go to the county right now and have that Doctor Xu you mentioned give you a follow-up check." Du Heng didn’t offer to examine Zhao Xinfang himself. Firstly, it would be impolite to treat someone immediately upon meeting them for the first time, which might make them uncomfortable. Secondly, others might not trust his abilities. "No need to trouble you, Brother-in-law. A checkup costs almost 3,000 yuan, and I’m not having any episodes now. There’s no point in wasting that money, so I won’t go." Du Heng’s eyes flickered. He didn’t assume the worst of people, but he felt Zhao Xinfang was deliberately bringing up the issue of money. Suddenly, Mi Wu’s comment about Wang Shuqiu supporting her brother popped back into his mind. After a pause, Du Heng deliberately said, "It’s fine. Your sister has a salary; she can pay for you." Wang Shuqiu supporting her brother wasn’t an issue; his own elder brother supported him too. But he wanted to see if Zhao Xinfang would feel entitled to her support, or even try to pressure his sister into becoming an obsessive provider for him. It is natural and proper for siblings to support and help each other; this is an inherent part of familial bonds. However, if one were to feel entitled to such support, becoming a hopeless burden or a parasite, with the sibling providing aid without any principles, that was something Du Heng could not accept. Zhao Xinfang took a drag from his cigarette. Through the exhaled smoke, his eyes flickered briefly towards his silent father. The look was very intriguing. Zhao Xinfang withdrew his gaze, a faint, unreadable smirk appearing on his face, which Du Heng found quite odd. Then, Zhao Xinfang shook his head. "No need. My sister doesn’t have much money. She barely saved up a little and even bought me this phone." Pointing to the mobile phone on the table, he said, "I saw this phone online. It costs around 6,000 or 7,000 yuan, right?" Du Heng’s eyes lit up. From Zhao Xinfang’s words, this young man didn’t seem like the parasitic type of brother. Zhao Xinfang took two more vigorous puffs and then extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray. "I’m thinking that after some time, if I don’t have any more episodes, I want to go to Jinzhou to find a job. Since I stopped going to school at eighteen, I’ve just been staying at home these past few years. I feel like I’m wasting away."

Chapter 85 - 085 Wrong idea

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