Chapter 51: The Heavens Have Eyes
She slammed the phone down, her face as pale as a sheet.
Everyone in the room heard, and for a moment, they were all too tense to speak.
"I-I’ll go get the car! Mom, Dad, grab some money, we’re leaving right now!"
Ling Zhiyu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm.
As he searched for the car keys, he urged his parents to get their IDs and some cash ready.
Shanshan stood frozen, clutching her little rabbit tightly, her eyes red-rimmed.
She didn’t know whether to cry or run after them, her small body trembling slightly.
Ye Ruoling swept her up into her arms and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Come on, let’s get you changed. Your dad is waiting for you at the hospital. You need to be clean and pretty when you see him, okay?"
"Is... is something wrong with Daddy?"
She sniffled, her voice barely a whisper.
"It’s okay. Your dad is just feeling a little unwell. The doctor will take a look, and he’ll be just fine."
Ye Ruoling forced a smile.
"We’ll see him in a little while. He’ll want to hold you and tell you a story."
The family scrambled to get ready, and a few minutes later, they rushed out the door.
When Ling Anxun came out, his forehead was still beaded with cold sweat.
Before he could even catch his breath, he was completely surrounded.
"Anxun, are you okay?"
Ding Qin rushed to the bedside, her trembling hands grasping his.
"Uncle, does it hurt?"
Ling Zhiyu’s eyes were red as he asked in a low, hushed voice.
"Daddy! WAHHH, does it hurt? Shanshan will blow on it to make it better!"
Ling Anxun flinched, startled by the sudden outburst of crying.
Seeing that his whole family had misunderstood the situation, he tried to force a smile to ease the tension.
But his throat tightened, and the smile died before it could reach his lips.
"I’m fine... really. Don’t worry."
He repeated himself, his tone even softer.
"I’m perfectly fine. I can walk, I can jump, I can even pick you up and spin you around."
"How could you be fine!"
Ding Qin’s eyes were red, her voice trembling.
In her eyes, her son was clearly just putting on a brave face so his family wouldn’t worry.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Stop trying to fool me! Don’t you know the state of your own body? How long has it been since you fell? Do you remember what the doctor said? One more shock to your system and the consequences could be catastrophic!"
Ling Anxun was at a complete loss.
He had no choice but to turn and look toward the doctor’s office at the end of the hall.
A few seconds later, the doctor appeared in the doorway, and Ling Anxun immediately waved him over.
The doctor came over and patiently explained the test results one by one.
The CT scan showed no new compression in the area of the spinal injury, and nerve conduction was gradually recovering.
His muscle strength test also showed a two-grade improvement from the previous week.
All the data pointed to one conclusion.
Ling Anxun’s body was steadily getting better.
Hearing this, the family finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ding Qin, in particular, covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
She was crying and laughing at the same time, her hand patting her chest over and over.
"This is wonderful! Thank heavens! Mom knew you wouldn’t be taken down just like that. You’ve always been a blessed child. How could the heavens bear to let you spend your life in a wheelchair!"
Ling Anxun smiled, the corners of his eyes growing warm.
He secretly glanced back and winked at Shanshan, who was in the corner.
Shanshan understood immediately. Pursing her lips, she gently slid off her dad’s legs.
Then she trotted a few steps and threw herself into her grandmother’s arms.
Her two small arms wrapped tightly around Ding Qin’s neck as she looked up and said coaxingly.
"Grandma, don’t cry. Shanshan hates seeing Grandma cry. Your tears are salty, and they make Shanshan want to cry too."
As she spoke, she really did pout.
Ding Qin was instantly flustered and hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Oh, my little treasure, you’re not allowed to cry!"
Shanshan reached out her soft little hands and began to earnestly massage her shoulders.
She also gently rubbed her grandma’s cheeks and mumbled.
"Grandma looks so much prettier when you smile. See? Like this."
She then grinned, revealing a set of neat little white teeth.
Ding Qin hugged her granddaughter tightly and gave her several big SMOOCHES on the cheek.
"Our Shanshan is the family’s little lucky star! Ever since you came back, everything has been going smoothly!"
The others around them all agreed.
After they returned from the hospital, it was as if a breath of new life had been injected into the Ling family.
The kitchen stoves were constantly lit, with the servants busy brewing soups and stewing tonics.
The living room sofa was piled high with newly bought toys and picture books.
Family members turned the house upside down, digging out all their most treasured possessions.
There was a family heirloom Jade Bracelet, a golden lock, a limited-edition stuffed doll brought back from abroad...
Each item was placed in a red velvet box and solemnly presented to Shanshan.
Ling Anxun sat on the edge of the sofa, watching the scene with a quiet smile.
And so, Shanshan received another huge pile of gifts.
She happily hugged the boxes, looking them over from left and right, her little face beaming with joy.
That night, clutching a bulging bag of gifts, she tiptoed to her father’s door.
She raised her small hand and knocked gently three times.
"Daddy, are you there?"
Ling Anxun opened the door and couldn’t help but smile.
"Why aren’t you in bed yet? With so many gifts, it’s not too late to sort them out tomorrow."
Shanshan shook her head, stood on her tiptoes to get close to his ear, and whispered.
"Daddy, you have to help me hide these! They’re Shanshan’s treasures. If I lose them, I’ll cry for a long, long time, and I won’t even want to eat!"
Ling Anxun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he ruffled her hair.
"Alright, Daddy will lock them in the innermost drawer in the study, and I’ll keep the key myself. How does that sound?"
Only then did Shanshan nod in satisfaction and hand him the bag.
But just as he was about to take it, she suddenly paused.
"Daddy, there’s one more thing I almost forgot to tell you."
Ling Anxun looked down at her.
"What is it?"
Shanshan bit her lip, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"The medicinal herbs are almost gone. I want to go back and pick some more."
"Go back?"
Ling Anxun’s brow furrowed sharply.
He asked reflexively.
"Aren’t there any in the mountains near here? Do you have to go back there?"
"There" was the village where Shanshan’s biological father had lived for half his life.
Even though he already saw Shanshan as his own daughter, he still couldn’t ignore that fact.
After all, the blood of Cao Daqiang flowed through her veins.
But Shanshan had never thought about any of that.
In her eyes, that small mountain village was the warmest place in her memory.
"But the Dragon Beard Grass only grows on the mountains there. You can’t pick it anywhere else. And..."
She paused, a glimmer of longing in her eyes.
"I want to go see Auntie and Uncle Dapeng! They sent a letter with the village postman last time saying the old peach tree in the yard has bloomed and borne fruit, and it’s super sweet. I haven’t seen them in a long, long time, and I really miss them."
Zhang Yunhua was the first person who had smiled at her, fed her, and protected her after she arrived here.
She wanted to always remember that warmth, and she wanted to go back and visit often.
Ling Anxun was silent for a few seconds before saying softly.
"Okay, Daddy will go with you."
He didn’t dare let Shanshan go back alone. Even if someone went with her, he wouldn’t be at ease.
There were too many dangers lurking in the shadows of this world.
What’s more, that village was remote and had poor communication.
If an accident were to happen, help wouldn’t arrive in time.