CHAPTER 868: CHAPTER 870: TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME

Xiao Yifei opened the bag and looked inside. It was filled with local specialties from their hometown; he wondered where Second Uncle had bought them so early this morning.

"Second Uncle, you’re so good to me, buying all this stuff, it must have cost you quite a bit." After speaking, Xiao Yifei took two thousand yuan out of his wallet. Upon seeing this, Second Uncle immediately pretended to be angry.

"Xiao Yifei, what are you doing? I treat you like my own child, that’s why I do this for you. If you give me money, it feels too distant, and I’ll be upset." Second Uncle shoved the money back into Xiao Yifei’s wallet.

"Second Uncle, it’s because I treat you like family that I want to give you money. Source surely gives you money every month, right? So after all these years, I give you money just once; you should accept it. Technically, I should be buying you things every month as well."

"Aside from this, since my grandfather passed away, you’ve helped me out so much. I don’t know what you lack, so I’m giving you some money so you can buy more good food or whatever." Xiao Yifei said earnestly, then stuffed the money into Second Uncle’s hand.

When Second Uncle heard this from Xiao Yifei, he couldn’t refuse anymore. He knew if he didn’t accept the two thousand yuan today, Xiao Yifei would find another way to show his gratitude.

"Then I’ll accept this money, but you have to agree to one condition: you must visit this city often. These two cities aren’t that far apart. I know you doctors are busy, but you should still be able to come back once a year."

"Also," Second Uncle paused, clearly debating whether to continue. Xiao Yifei said, "Second Uncle, just say what’s on your mind, there’s no need to hesitate between us."

"Then don’t be mad; the truth is, your dad isn’t easy either. If you figure it out in the future, go see him! I’ve bumped into him a few times—in each meeting, he always asked about you. He said after a full day of digesting yesterday, you seem to have released a lot of your anger towards your father. Like Second Uncle said, no matter what, he is your father. Blood is thicker than water, and that’s never wrong. Moreover, he doesn’t have many people he’s close to in this world anymore.

A person living without relatives, just alone in this world, there’s no meaning in life. We live in this world fueled by love.

"Second Uncle, I understand. Actually, I saw him at the cemetery yesterday. He said he had his reasons for his past actions, but what kind of reasons would make someone abandon their own child, huh, Second Uncle?" Xiao Yifei said calmly. Now, even if he felt pain inside, he could keep his composure outwardly.

"It’s not exactly abandoning you; I remember he could still visit you a few times yearly in the past. Since he claimed he had reasons, then he must have had inevitable reasons." Second Uncle wasn’t entirely clear about those past events.

All he knew was that a month after the divorce, Xiao Yifei’s father quickly married a woman from his workplace, and nine months later, they had a child. Based on these revelations, he roughly guessed what occurred back then.

However, it’s best for Xiao Yifei’s father to tell him everything personally; no matter how close they are, a relationship can’t compare to blood ties.

"Let’s not talk about this anymore. When are you planning to leave today, aren’t you supposed to depart by noon?" Second Uncle asked.

"The hospital only gave me two days off, so I have to head back today; I need to be back to work by tomorrow!" Xiao Yifei replied.

"Ah, why were you so determined to sell your clinic back then, yet now you’re working for someone else?" Second Uncle couldn’t quite understand what Xiao Yifei was thinking.

"Actually, it’s pretty good now. The money I make is about the same, if not better, than before. When I ran my own clinic, there was so much to think about, but now I only need to focus on my own work; it’s not as tiring as before. My personality is more suited to being a pure doctor."

"Since you enjoy it, then I shouldn’t say much. In life, there are hundreds of paths you can take—if you’re happy, that’s what matters. But I always feel your life shouldn’t be too ordinary; with your abilities, you could certainly make great contributions in the medical domain."

"I don’t have such big ambitions; I’m quite satisfied with my current life. Who knows what the future holds? I just take it one step at a time." Xiao Yifei said.

He didn’t know what the future would bring; he was burdened with the quest to find the Biwei Silver Needle. But after finding it, what would happen, that he didn’t know. He felt a bit like a character from ancient fantasy novels, like those in Chinese Paladin who needed to gather five beads to save the world.

Xiao Yifei believed he would save more lives if he found the Biwei Silver Needle, thus feeling like an ancient hero himself.

After driving all afternoon, Xiao Yifei finally reached home before dinner.

Before arriving home, he took a moment to call Tang Rong, "Rongrong, I’ll be back soon. When do you get off work? I’ll pick you up."

"I’ve got to work late tonight, possibly very late. You’ve been driving all day; why don’t you rest early? I’ll take a taxi back." Xiao Yifei thought she might be right and went home first.

Upon returning home, he rearranged the things Second Uncle had given him, putting perishables into the refrigerator.

Then, he donned an apron to start cooking, preparing a dish of braised chicken, stir-frying two vegetarian dishes, and finally made a bamboo shoot soup. With all the ingredients ready, cooking didn’t take much time. Once everything was prepared, Xiao Yifei put the rice in the rice cooker to keep warm.

Seeing that time was about right, he got dressed again and went out.

Driving to Tang Rong’s company, he waited till after nine when Tang Rong, looking exhausted, finally emerged from the building. She didn’t glance at the street and just moved forward to hail a taxi.

Xiao Yifei had imagined Tang Rong walking out and reacting with excitement upon seeing his car, but she didn’t notice him at all.

Resignedly, he honked the horn, which made Tang Rong turn to spot his car, whereupon she stood waiting for him to drive over.

"Didn’t I tell you to rest early, yet you still drove over here?" Tang Rong asked after getting into the car. Her words said one thing, but Xiao Yifei noticed she seemed quite pleased.

Tang Rong hadn’t expected Xiao Yifei would come to pick her up. Even though he had been told not to, she felt a bit down once she hung up the phone, yet now, with him suddenly appearing before her, how could she not be happy!

The two returned home, and once inside, Tang Rong could smell the aroma of the food.

"Darling, did you cook? It smells delicious!" Tang Rong said as she casually tossed her bag and rushed into the kitchen to check.

"Darling, what’s happened, why have you changed so much since coming back? You never used to cook before! Judging by the looks, this food seems pretty tasty." Tang Rong said while reaching for a piece of meat to taste.