Ch. 20
Chapter 20: Huinan University
Lu Guohua belonged to one of the earlier batches of professors at Huinan University, so his welfare benefits were quite good.
Back then, professors could still be allocated housing, and it was located within the campus—considered a relatively rare privilege.
Although teacher buildings were constructed later, those were called faculty apartments. Their floor areas were not large, and most only granted residency rights rather than ownership. In theory, they were still school property and could not be freely bought or sold.
However, as time passed, the residential buildings where Lu Guohua and the others lived had become rather old.
Even so, because they were within the campus, they were well maintained. In particular, some of the older professors liked to plant flowers and greenery.
This gave these aging faculty buildings a unique sense of historical charm, attracting many students to come and take photos and check in.
Since these were faculty residences, the school had opened a separate gate and built a road, allowing cars to drive directly in.
So when the car arrived at the family residential area, Jiang Haichao immediately spotted Lu Guohua pacing back and forth by the roadside.
Jiang Xinyue, however, found it hard to believe her eyes.
“Is that Uncle Lu? How has he aged so much?”
In her memory, Lu Guohua was tall and robust, always standing upright, with a loud and resonant voice—a man full of vigor.
But the man before her now had graying hair, a thin and hunched figure. There was not a trace of the Uncle Lu she remembered. She even wondered if her memory had gone wrong.
“Who else could it be if not your Uncle Lu? He’s gotten older, and with so many troubles weighing on him, isn’t this what happens?” Jiang Haichao said as he opened the car door and got out.
Lu Guohua, who had been pacing with his hands behind his back on the sidewalk, heard the movement. Turning his head, he saw Jiang Haichao stepping out of the car.
“Old Jiang, what’s this about? Couldn’t you just come to the house to talk? You even called me out here—being all mysterious…”
Upon seeing Jiang Haichao, Lu Guohua immediately turned around and began talking incessantly.
“Is your wife at home?” Jiang Haichao asked.
“She’s home. Come on, let’s go sit inside. It’s been a long time since you came over, right?” Lu Guohua stepped forward warmly and hooked his arm around Jiang Haichao’s.
“No, no, Old Lu, I need to talk to you about something.” Jiang Haichao quickly pulled his arm back.
“What is it that can’t be said at home? Why do we have to stand here on the street to talk?” Lu Guohua said with slight displeasure.
Hearing this, Jiang Haichao hesitated a little, organizing his thoughts on how to say it.
“Old Jiang, did something happen at home? If there’s any difficulty, if I can help, I definitely will,” Lu Guohua said.
“Old Lu, we’ve known each other for quite a few years now, haven’t we? You should know what kind of person I am…”
Hearing this, Lu Guohua’s heart skipped a beat. He thought something was wrong—could Jiang Haichao be asking to borrow money? And probably not a small amount, otherwise he wouldn’t speak like this.
If it really was borrowing money, Lu Guohua would be in a difficult position. He and his wife didn’t have much money on hand anymore, because most of it had already been given to their son and daughter-in-law.
Besides that, they still wanted to save some money for their grandson in the future.
That kind of illness was something that would last a lifetime.
Although their son and daughter-in-law currently treated their grandson very well and loved him dearly, there was a saying: there are no filial children before a long sickbed—and the reverse was also true. Over time, no matter how much love there was, it would gradually wear away. When that time came, the grandson’s life would become difficult.
Moreover, he had specifically looked into this illness. In the end, due to abnormal bone growth and misalignment, the body would gradually become deformed, turning unsightly—almost like a monster, far from the cute appearance he had now.
By then, when everyone found him repulsive, how much love would remain? What would be left would probably only be morality and responsibility—being forced to take care of him. That was under the condition that their son and daughter-in-law still had a conscience. If they didn’t, he might be left to fend for himself.
So Lu Guohua and his wife wanted to leave some form of security for their grandson. Even if it might not be very useful, they still had to make some effort and preparation.
Thus, ever since their grandson was diagnosed with this illness, the couple had not only lost their leisurely retirement life but had also begun living frugally.
So if Jiang Haichao asked to borrow money at this moment, Lu Guohua would truly be in a dilemma.
Just as Lu Guohua was feeling anxious, Jiang Haichao continued, “Last time you told me that Weibo’s child had that osteogenesis imperfecta…”
“Yes, we’ve spent so much money, the family’s been drained dry,” Lu Guohua hurriedly replied.
Jiang Haichao was momentarily stunned, then realized something and said somewhat speechlessly, “I’m not here to borrow money.”
“That’s good, that’s good…” Lu Guohua let out a long sigh of relief, then quickly reacted and explained, “That’s not what I meant—not that I wouldn’t lend it to you, it’s just that I really don’t have any…”
“Alright, alright, I know you well enough. I’m talking to you about something serious,” Jiang Haichao quickly interrupted him.
“Go ahead, go ahead…” Lu Guohua said with a forced smile, seeming somewhat more humble.
Jiang Haichao took a deep breath and continued, “I have a way here to cure Zhaozhao. Do you want to give it a try?”
Hearing this, Lu Guohua’s eyes widened in shock. They were both educated people—if it was about borrowing money, then just say it. Was there really a need to use such a clumsy excuse? A customized scam?
“How much does it cost?” A trace of displeasure appeared on Lu Guohua’s face.
How could Jiang Haichao not guess what he was thinking? But he didn’t bother to explain.
Instead, he said directly, “You only pay after he’s cured. You don’t have to pay a single cent upfront.”
“Pay after he’s cured?” Lu Guohua’s face was full of astonishment.
“Yes. After he’s cured, you can take the child to the hospital for a checkup. Once the results are confirmed, then you pay,” Jiang Haichao said seriously.
“Old Jiang, are you joking with me?” Lu Guohua also became serious at this moment, a faint trace of excitement rising in his heart.
It was like a drowning man grabbing onto the last straw for survival.
“Why would I travel all this way just to joke with you?”
“Can he really be cured?”
Lu Guohua grabbed Jiang Haichao’s arm, his expression somewhat agitated.
“I don’t know,” Jiang Haichao said.
Lu Guohua froze. A huge sense of disappointment surged in his heart, and his previously heightened spirits instantly deflated.
“Because I’m not the one treating the child, so I can’t guarantee anything. But the child is already like this—if there’s even the slightest hope, it’s worth trying, don’t you think?”
Lu Guohua nodded instinctively, a flicker of hope reigniting in his heart. He immediately asked, “Who is it? I mean, who is treating Zhaozhao? And how will it be done?”
“I don’t know,” Jiang Haichao replied.
“What? You don’t know?” Lu Guohua said angrily.
“If you trust me, then bring the child and come with me,” Jiang Haichao said.
Lu Guohua stared at him fixedly. Jiang Haichao did not avoid his gaze. They faced each other like this for a long time before Lu Guohua seemed to lose all his strength. His shoulders slumped as he asked in a low voice, “Where is it? How long will it take?”
“Over on Minghua Road. About half a day should be enough,” Jiang Haichao said.
He wasn’t making that up—Shen Qingzhou had told him that as long as everything was prepared, the ritual itself wouldn’t take much time.
Lu Guohua looked deeply at Jiang Haichao, then said,“Alright, I’ll take the child with you. But wait a moment—I’ll go back and inform your sister-in-law.”
Jiang Haichao wasn’t some naive college student. How could he not understand what Lu Guohua meant?
He still didn’t fully trust him. He was going back to inform his wife—if anything went wrong, she could report it directly to the police and clearly identify who to find.
But since this wasn’t a scam, Jiang Haichao naturally didn’t object. “Alright, Xinyue and I will wait in the car.”
“Xinyue came too?”
Lu Guohua was greatly surprised, but his confidence in curing his grandson increased a little.
Because he knew that if Jiang Haichao intended to deceive him, he would never drag his own daughter into it as well.