Chapter 86: A Very Coincidental Thing
Grandma Sheng was a formidable force when her temper flared. In fact, it was the very first time anyone in the family had ever seen the old matriarch truly lose her cool.
“Grandma, don’t let her ruin your mood,” Wanyan said smoothly, stepping in to defuse the tension. “Have a slice of orange. Is it sweet?”
She popped a juicy wedge straight into Grandma Sheng’s mouth. The old woman chewed automatically, the sudden burst of sweetness cutting through her irritation.
“Very sweet,” Grandma Sheng murmured.
“Then have some more. This whole one is yours,” Wanyan declared, raising her voice just enough to ensure the entire room heard. She deliberately carried herself with a proud, entirely unbothered air.
Staring at her granddaughter’s beautifully exaggerated, protective performance, Grandma Sheng was thoroughly amused. However, she forced herself to maintain a strict, solemn expression on the surface; in a public ward like this, if you didn’t hold your ground, people would take it as an open invitation to walk all over you.
Lying in the adjacent bed, the old crone watched Wanyan pull yet another orange from her bag. This time, she was so consumed by petty rage that her entire body began to tremble.
Wanyan didn’t stop there. She reached deep into her canvas sack and extracted three more fruits, distributing them one by one to Grandpa, Father, and Mother Sheng. The entire family sat comfortably around the bedside, contentedly eating their fresh fruit right before the old woman’s venomous glare.
Witnessing the absolute spectacle from his mattress near the exit, the middle-aged man buried his face slightly, his shoulders shaking as a broad smile broke across his face. This Sheng family truly was magnificent.
Father Sheng remained behind to handle the night shift. He had already consumed a massive, heavy lunch before reporting to the clinic, but Mother Sheng considerately left him a thick cornbread pancake and a boiled egg anyway, ensuring he had substantial rations to tide him over if hunger struck in the dead of night.
With the logistics settled, Sheng Wanyan, Grandma, and Mother Sheng made their commute back to the tube-shaped building. The three women quietly finished their evening porridge and retired to their rooms ahead of schedule to rest.
The following morning, Wanyan balanced a fresh container of breakfast and marched back into the hospital ward—only to run straight into Gu Tong, Gu Tingxiao’s aunt. The moment Gu Tong recognized Wanyan entering the room, her face lit up. She instantly stepped forward, grasping the girl’s hands affectionately as her eyes scanned her face with deep maternal concern.
“Wanyan! What on earth brings you to the clinic? Is someone in your household suffering from a sudden illness?”
“Aunt Gu…” Wanyan greeted, pleasantly surprised. “My grandfather was rushed in for emergency surgery yesterday.” She paused, looking at the blankets on the opposite side of the room. “But what brings you down to the wards?”
She hadn’t caught a single glimpse of Gu Tong throughout her grueling shift the previous day. Gu Tong affectionately patted her head, turning toward the bed by the door with a bright smile to introduce her companion.
“Old Ning, look who it is! This is Tingxiao’s sweetheart, Sheng Wanyan.”
She turned back to Wanyan, gesturing warmly to the patient. “And this is my husband. You must call him Uncle Ning.”
The middle-aged man lying by the door—the very same observer who had been quietly laughing at the old crone’s expense—instantly sat upright the moment his wife issued the formal introduction.
Ning Weiguo was a career military man, currently serving as the Commander of the Chengdu Military Region. His sudden hospitalization was the result of a severe, painful flare-up of an old shrapnel injury he had sustained on the battlefield decades ago. Because a prominent member of his extended clan operated as the Chief of Medicine at this specific facility, his wife had fiercely pulled rank, marching him straight into this specific low-occupancy ward for a targeted recovery routine.
“Good morning, Uncle Ning,” Wanyan greeted respectfully, offering a polite bow.
“Well, hello there, young lady,” Ning Weiguo boomed, his severe military features softening into a warm, genuine smile. “So, you’re the exceptional girl our Tingxiao has been courting so fiercely.”
“Yes, sir…” Wanyan murmured, her cheeks flushing slightly. Encountering the senior dignitaries of the Gu clan so abruptly in a sterile hospital room left her feeling entirely overwhelmed.
“Wanyan, tell me exactly what is plaguing your grandfather,” Gu Tong pressed, her tone shifting into an authoritative, protective register. “Do you need me to personally contact the Chief of Medicine to coordinate an elite medical team for his recovery?”
“Thank you so much for the offer, Aunt Gu, but there’s truly no need,” Wanyan replied quickly, deeply touched by the immediate show of support. “The surgeon finalized the procedure beautifully, and Grandfather is entirely out of danger.”
“Are you entirely certain, child? We are going to be one family very soon, so you must absolutely never stand on ceremony or hide your troubles from me.”
“It’s the absolute truth, Auntie. The doctors confirmed he’ll be cleared for discharge within a week.”
Assuring herself that the girl wasn’t merely minimizing her distress out of polite reluctance, Gu Tong let out a massive sigh of relief. Her nephew dispatched a thick, detailed letter to her mailbox every single month, relentlessly begging her to deploy all her resources to watch over and protect Sheng Wanyan in his absence. Now that a genuine crisis had struck the Sheng household, the boy would be worried sick if he found out they had navigated it alone. She mentally resolved to march down to the telegraph office the second she left the ward to wire a full status update to the base.
His precious sweetheart was out here running through the snow, exhausting herself day and night to nurse her elders; as a grown man and an officer, Tingxiao needed to show a proper layer of aggressive devotion and care.
“Alright, but the absolute second you encounter a roadblock or run short on supplies, you come straight to me,” Gu Tong commanded gently. “Do not be shy.”
“I won’t, Aunt Gu. Don’t worry.”
Gu Tong patted her hands affectionately, reaching into her basket to retrieve a large, pristine apple. “Take this. Give it to the old gentleman so he can restore his vital energy.”
“Oh, Aunt Gu, please keep it! I’ve already stockpiled a large selection of fresh fruit for him at the bedside.”
“Nonsense. Take it as a small, sincere token of my respect for your elders,” Gu Tong insisted, pressing the fruit into her palm.
Seeing that a refusal would only strain the woman’s genuine hospitality, Wanyan accepted the apple. She reached into her canvas bag, retrieved two beautiful, crisp pears she had pulled from her space, and smoothly pressed them into Gu Tong’s hands in return.
Gu Tong accepted the swap without a single moment of hesitation, a quiet surge of admiration rolling through her chest. This Sheng girl possessed an incredibly refined sense of personal honor; she absolutely refused to remain indebted to anyone, balancing every transaction with perfect grace. Gu Tong resolved to flood the ward with her presence over the coming days, determined to forge an unbreakable, loving bond with the Sheng family to help her lovesick nephew secure his bride as quickly as possible.
“Uncle Ning, Aunt Gu, I’ll step over to tend to my grandfather now,” Wanyan noted politely.
“Go on, child. Run along.”
Wanyan stepped over to assess Grandpa Sheng’s vitals. The patriarch remained deep in a peaceful, healing sleep, his breathing steady and even. Finding herself temporary free of nursing duties, she gathered a selection of fruit and stepped out to the corridor sinks to wash them thoroughly.
By the time she returned to the bedside, balancing a clean platter, Grandpa Sheng’s eyes were wide open.
“Grandfather, you’re awake. Have some fresh fruit,” Wanyan smiled. She extracted her small pocketknife, deftly peeling the crisp skin from the apple before slicing a piece for him.
Grandpa Sheng accepted the treat, his eyes shifting toward the neighboring beds before he leaned in to whisper, “Did I hear you correctly just now? That lovely woman across the room is Gu Tingxiao’s biological aunt? Heavens, is our clan truly bound to that boy by such an immense web of destiny?”
“It certainly seems so…” Wanyan laughed softly.
The literal second the words cleared her lips, Gu Tong smoothly glided over to their sector to offer her respects, with Commander Ning Weiguo following closely behind her.
“Good afternoon, Master Sheng,” Gu Tong greeted, her voice bursting with genuine warmth. “I am Gu Tingxiao’s aunt. I truly never anticipated that our two households would be granted such a beautiful, providential meeting by chance.”
“How is your physical recovery progressing, Elder? Are you experiencing any lingering internal pain or discomfort?”
Gu Tong’s hospitality was so disarming and vibrant that Grandpa Sheng immediately shifted his weight, sitting upright against the pillows to engage with them properly. Wanyan deftly pulled over two wooden stools, allowing Gu Tong and Commander Ning to sit down comfortably by the bedside.
“I never imagined our paths would cross under such fortuitous circumstances either,” Grandpa Sheng chuckled, his embarrassment evaporating. “My health is returning beautifully, thank you. Please, don’t worry about this old frame.”
Gu Tong nodded contentedly, immediately deploying her spectacular social skills to keep the patriarch thoroughly entertained and smiling.
“The very first hour I laid eyes on our Wanyan, my heart fell completely in love with her character,” Gu Tong shared openly, her eyes shining. “I truly believe it is an absolute blessing from the heavens that she and my nephew were guided into each other’s lives.”
She sighed playfully, leaning in closer to Grandpa Sheng. “You see, my nephew has already reached the age of twenty-six, yet he remained stubbornly single all these years. The entire Gu clan was practically losing sleep over his marital prospects!”
“Every single one of his older brothers and sisters has already settled down and built beautiful homes; he was the absolute last grandchild left drifting in isolation.”
“But everything is completely solved now! The moment my elder brother and sister-in-law receive the formal documentation of their courtship, they will be so profoundly ecstatic they won’t sleep for a week out of sheer joy. Wanyan is an incredibly rare, magnificent young woman; my sister-in-law will absolutely treasure her.”
Gu Tong unleashed a relentless, beautifully crafted stream of praise for Wanyan, while smoothly illuminating the prestigious, honorable framework of the Gu family tree for Grandpa Sheng’s benefit. Her objective was clear: she wanted the patriarch to know that the Gu clan held Sheng Wanyan in the absolute highest regard, and that they were merely waiting for the Sheng family’s permission to dispatch a formal marriage proposal.
Grandpa Sheng was a seasoned man who instantly grasped the underlying political currents of her words. Aunt Gu was explicitly reassuring him that their elite household was entirely satisfied with the match, and that the ball was entirely in the Sheng family’s court to authorize the union.
“The young people must be granted the liberty to navigate their own courtship,” Grandpa Sheng replied with a wise, content smile. “If the two of them eventually decide their spirits are fully prepared to build a marriage, we as the elders will naturally celebrate their union with wide-open arms.”
“To see the children thrive side by side in perfect harmony—that is the ultimate, singular desire of our twilight years.”
Gu Tong nodded fervently, her admiration for the old patriarch climbing higher. Yet, she secretly recognized that the Sheng family hadn’t officially surrendered the girl’s hand just yet; everything ultimately hinged on Sheng Wanyan’s private nod of approval. The Sheng clan was highly principled; they possessed zero desire to barter their daughter’s future away for political fame or commercial leverage, granting the women of their line absolute sovereignty over their own marriages.
Given the desperate, hyper-anxious tone leaking from her nephew’s monthly letters, she could easily deduce that Sheng Wanyan hadn’t given him her final, absolute agreement yet. The poor boy would simply have to double his efforts out at the base to officially win her over.
“The Elder speaks with absolute wisdom,” Gu Tong smiled warmly. “Our singular goal as parents is to ensure the children build a secure, prosperous life. Since our two families are both rooted here in Chengdu, we must absolutely make it a point to visit each other’s homes regularly to deepen our connection.”
Grandpa Sheng nodded in full agreement. It was an excellent proposition; since they were destined to become formal relatives down the line, establishing a frequent, loving pattern of mutual visits was the correct path forward.
“Splendid, splendid! Let us ensure we visit each other frequently,” the patriarch cheered. “My old lady possesses a spectacular talent in the kitchen; the moment I am cleared from this ward, you must report straight to our apartment for a grand dinner.”
Hearing the enthusiastic invitation, Gu Tong accepted instantly. She intended to march right into their residential compound to savor that dinner; after all, how else could she successfully assist her nephew in leaving a flawless, legendary impression on the Sheng household?
“I shall absolutely hold you to that vow, Master Sheng! I just pray you won’t find my constant presence too tedious.”
“Nonsense, nonsense! Normally, our apartment houses only us two dull old souls during the weekdays. Having a vibrant, brilliant guest like you step through our doors is exactly what we need to cheer our spirits.”
“Come as often as your schedule allows, sister,” Grandpa Sheng laughed, waving his hand. “We two old timers would be honored by your company!”
