Fifty, wasted away by illness.

In the days that followed, Chen Wanjun quietly focused on her recovery. Wang Luo tried to visit her a few times without success, and eventually had to return to his work. Meanwhile, Su Wan was still being put to hard labor in the fields by the old man. Several days of this left the old man full of energy, while Su Wan felt as if half her life had drained away.

Finally, all the grain was harvested, packed, and stored away in the warehouse. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to look forward to the upcoming village festivities. The old man, however, was suddenly unsteady on his feet as he leaned against the granary. Jiang Mochen, who was nearby, quickly rushed over to support him, and only then did the old man avoid falling.

At first, no one paid much attention to it. Su Wan, in particular, complained, “See what happens when you refuse to hire help? Now you've worked yourself sick!” As she spoke, she went to steady the old man's other arm. Looking closely, she noticed that under his grizzled beard, his lips had taken on a bluish-purple hue, and his complexion was terrifyingly pale.

“Grandpa!” Su Wan cried out in alarm. The old man tried to speak, but no sound came out. Su Wan panicked, “Quick! Get Grandpa to the hospital!”

At the hospital, the old man was rushed into the emergency room. Su Wan suddenly remembered the way her grandfather had looked at her when he gave her the bankbook that day—so full of affection, telling her she’d finally grown up. And in recent days, it seemed as though he had been trying to find her a place to settle down. Even though he didn’t like Wang Luo, he still went out of his way to please him, to please Wang Luo’s family. And when he’d noticed a possible connection between Su Wan and Jiang Mochen, he’d done everything he could to bring them together. It was as if he’d been preparing for his own departure all along.

The more Su Wan thought, the more frightened she became. She gripped the armrest of her chair, trembling all over, lips pressed tightly together as she sat in silence. Su Chen, too, was pacing anxiously—whatever Su Wan could deduce, he certainly could as well.

At last, the doctor emerged from the emergency room, and the three of them hurried forward.

“Doctor, how is my grandfather?” Su Wan asked.

The doctor’s expression was grave. “The situation isn’t optimistic. Our preliminary diagnosis is that there’s a tumor in his lungs.”

The three of them were stunned into silence.

The doctor continued, “We will do everything in our power, but the costs may be considerable. Please prepare yourselves for that.”

Su Chen was too numb to speak, so Su Wan quickly replied, “That’s fine, the money doesn’t matter—no matter how much it costs, we’re willing to pay. Please, just save my grandfather.”

The doctor nodded and gave them several instructions. When he left, Su Chen finally broke down in tears. “Grandpa must have known all along. He just didn’t want to spend the money, so he kept it to himself. Sis, what should we do?”

Su Wan gripped his hand. “Don’t panic. Grandpa will likely need to be admitted. Go buy some comfortable pajamas and slippers for him, along with towels and a washbasin.” She then turned to Jiang Mochen, “Could you stay here and keep watch? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Jiang Mochen nodded, agreeing without hesitation.

Su Wan hurried home, retrieved all her savings from under her pillow, gathered some toiletries and a few warm clothes for her grandfather, and rushed straight back to the hospital. By the time she arrived, the old man had already been transferred to a ward, with Jiang Mochen sitting beside him.

The old man was grumbling at Jiang Mochen, clearly upset. As Su Wan approached, he turned his frustration on her. “Why all these tests? You’re just wasting money! There’s nothing wrong with me; I want to go home!” He tried to get out of bed.

Su Wan wouldn’t indulge him. She strode over and firmly pressed him back down. “Stop it. At your age, you’re still afraid of doctors?”

“Listen to me,” she continued. “You’re not going home until all the tests the doctor ordered are done.”

The old man stubbornly insisted, “I’m not sick!”

“Yes, yes, you’re not sick,” Su Wan said, trying to calm him. “Let’s just listen to the doctor for now. Think of this place as a hotel. When the doctor says you can go home, we’ll go home.”

Grumbling to himself, the old man finally relented and lay back down. “Some hotel. It’s noisy as hell.”

Su Wan agreed, “Yes, these people have no manners at all.”

Seeing the old man subdued, Jiang Mochen finally let out a sigh of relief. “After all this fuss, Grandpa must be hungry. I’ll go to the cafeteria and get some food.”

Su Wan nodded. “Thank you.”

Hearing this, Jiang Mochen paused for a moment before leaving, but said nothing and quietly slipped out.

Once he was gone, the old man finally voiced his worries. “Am I causing you all too much trouble? Will Xiao Jiang be annoyed by this?”

Su Wan shook her head. “Don’t overthink it. Just rest. He’s not that kind of person.”

But the old man was still uneasy. He had no doubts about Jiang Mochen’s character, but as the saying goes, no child is dutiful in front of a sickbed for long. Even if he didn't say anything now, over time, surely he would grow tired of it.

“Maybe I should just go home. I know my own body. I’m over sixty—that’s long enough.”

Su Wan’s face immediately grew stern. “Don’t talk like that! If you keep making excuses, I’ll divorce him right this minute! And as for Su Chen, I’ll make sure he never goes back to school. Hasn’t he always wanted to dye his hair blonde? I’ll let him do whatever he wants!”

The old man was instantly flustered. “Nonsense! Divorce isn’t something to joke about. What if Xiao Jiang hears you? And if Su Chen dares to act up, I’ll shave his head myself!”

Su Wan got up, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to the old man. “If you won’t listen to the doctor, do you really expect us to listen to you?”

The old man, exasperated, gave Su Wan a light slap. “You’re going to be the death of me!”

The two of them bickered without noticing that Jiang Mochen had quietly returned. He had reached the bottom of the stairs before remembering he hadn’t asked what the old man wanted to eat, and as he reached the door, he overheard Su Wan threatening divorce. His hand froze on the doorknob. He knew she was just trying to scare the old man, but for a moment, he felt breathless.

Hearing her mention divorce so casually, he wondered if, in her heart, he was nothing more than an afterthought. Listening to their conversation, Jiang Mochen felt a coldness seep into him, as if he’d fallen into an icehouse.

Su Wan never said thank you to Su Chen, but she was always so polite to Jiang Mochen, thanking him for every little thing. It was as if they had never truly regarded him as family.

Jiang Mochen said nothing but quietly stepped back and waited behind the wall. Slowly, he made his way downstairs to the cafeteria, where he got braised eggplant for the old man, green pepper beef brisket for Su Wan, and shredded potatoes for Su Chen—all their favorites.

When he returned to the ward, Su Chen had already come back; the two siblings sat huddled by the old man’s bedside, talking in hushed voices. When Jiang Mochen entered, all three fell silent.

Su Wan quickly got up to welcome him. “Thank you so much.”

Su Chen hurried to set up the small table.

The old man smiled and gestured for Jiang Mochen to sit. “Xiao Jiang, you’ve really gone to a lot of trouble today.”

But the doctor’s test results—