The salty life in Life of Pi

Chapter 93 He in Pain
Not sure whether Tian Shanshan's words were a compliment or sarcasm, Tang Yuanming said nothing. He took a bite of the food and suppressed the smell of alcohol.

The two of them didn't talk too deeply, but through this dinner, their relationship became closer, and they barely went from being ordinary colleagues to being friends.

It’s time to make an appointment with Wang Shengnan.

Tang Yuanming tidied himself up, covered the wound on his neck with gauze, and drove to Wang Shengnan's house. Today, he mainly went to the hospital with his eldest sister to see Wang Dingnan, and to visit Jiaojiao by the way. Living in the dormitory now is not suitable for bringing a child, so it is likely that Jiaojiao will have to stay at his eldest sister's house for a while longer.

Arriving at Wang Shengnan's house, Tang Yuanming knocked on the door. Soon the door was opened and Wang Shengnan's expressionless face appeared at the door. Seeing that it was Tang Yuanming, she nodded with a calm tone.

"come in"

After entering the door, Tang Yuanming glanced around and did not see Tang Jiaojiao, but he was not worried. Although he was divorced, his elder sister would not threaten him with the child.

Seeing Tang Yuanming looking around, Lin Dawei, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up with the help of the sofa, walked to him, patted his shoulder and said

"The child has gone to play with Miaomiao. It is better not to let Jiaojiao know some things so early. Sit down first. Your elder sister will go to get you some water."

"Hey, thank you, brother-in-law."

"Please sit down first, and don't be in a hurry to thank me. Your sister will have the final say later."

The two men chatted for a while. Lin Dawei saw Tang Yuanming's bloodshot eyes and knew that he had not had a good time these days.

Wang Shengnan brought out a plate of fruit and a pot of tea, walked out of the kitchen, put them on the coffee table and sat down.

After pouring the water, Wang Shengnan got straight to the point.

"Yuan Ming, I really don't have much energy recently, so I'll just get straight to the point."

Seeing Tang Yuanming clasping his hands nervously, Wang Shengnan sighed and spoke

"My sister's matter is now a done deal, there's nothing much to say. She only has one request, which is to meet you and apologize to you. Is that okay with you?"

"No problem, big sister, I am also somewhat responsible for this."

Tang Yuanming nodded and sighed. This was the consequence that no one wanted to see.

Hearing Tang Yuanming say this, Wang Shengnan felt uncomfortable. She was silent for a while before she started talking about Tang Jiaojiao.

"There is another thing, Jiaojiao, the doctor told us that this kind of mental illness is hereditary."

"!"

Tang Yuanming suddenly raised his head and looked at Wang Shengnan, his body trembling slightly. He didn't want to think about that scene.

Wang Shengnan lowered her head, looked at the cup on the coffee table, and continued to talk to herself.

".My idea is to take Jiaojiao to the genetics department for a checkup. The child is still young, so treatment and intervention are easy to perform. But now you are the guardian, so I need your consent."

"I agree"

Tang Yuanming took a deep breath, slowed down, and spoke in a deep voice. As expected by Wang Shengnan and Lin Dawei, Wang Shengnan's shoulders relaxed slightly and she raised her head.

"There is one more thing, which is my own idea. Jiaojiao should live in our house temporarily. It is not convenient for you to live in the dormitory now. After a while, when the house over there is sold and your share is transferred to you, you have the final say on where Jiaojiao goes."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Tang Yuanming relaxed a lot, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Big sister, I was just wondering how to tell you this. It's okay for me to live alone in the school dormitory, but it's a bit difficult to bring a child with me. I feel relieved to leave Jiaojiao with you. As for the house, you should give it all to Dingnan. She also needs money for treatment."

"No, just take as much as you should, otherwise Jiaojiao will suffer with you?"

Wang Shengnan interrupted Tang Yuanming forcefully, but Tang Yuanming was not angry at all. Compared with Wang Dingnan's unreasonableness, Wang Shengnan's reasonable toughness was more convincing.

Tang Yuanming nodded and agreed to the condition. Wang Shengnan saw that everything was done, stood up and said

"If there's nothing else, let's go to the hospital now. I've already made an appointment with the genetics doctor."

"Okay, let's go, where's Jiaojiao?"

Tang Yuanming also stood up, but he paid more attention to Jiaojiao. He had been thinking about his daughter during the days they were apart.

"Just follow me"

Wang Shengnan picked up her bag, and Lin Dawei walked in front of her, going downstairs to drive the car.

Going down to the second floor, Wang Shengnan knocked on the door
"Miaomiao, bring Jiaojiao out, her father is here to see her"

"I'm coming"

Lin Miaomiao's voice came from behind the door, and soon, Lin Miaomiao and Tang Jiaojiao appeared behind the door.

After seeing Jiaojiao, Tang Yuanming's eyes turned red. He squatted down and hugged Tang Jiaojiao who rushed towards him.

"Jiaojiao!"

"father!"

Tang Jiaojiao hugged Tang Yuanming's neck and didn't notice the wound on his neck. Although it was blocked by a layer of gauze, it still hurt. It's just that Tang Yuanming didn't notice the pain coming from his body at all.

"Dad, I thought you didn't want me anymore"

Tang Jiaojiao let go of her arms around Tang Yuanming's neck, looked at Tang Yuanming's face, and said these words aggrievedly. These words directly broke Tang Yuanming's psychological defenses. Tears flowed from his eyes, but he still forced a smile on his face.

"How can I not want Jiaojiao? You are daddy's little cotton-padded jacket. Without you, daddy will freeze to death."

"It's summer now, it's okay if you don't wear a cotton jacket, right?"

Tang Jiaojiao's words diluted the slightly sad atmosphere. Wang Shengnan looked at Tang Jiaojiao and a smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, stop chatting at the stairs, go downstairs first, and we'll talk on the way down."

Tang Yuanming held Tang Jiaojiao and nodded to Wang Shengnan, then turned back to look at Lin Miaomiao who had been trying to reduce her presence.
"Miaomiao, thank you for bringing Jiaojiao to play with me"

"It's okay, it's okay. It's as it should be."

Lin Miaomiao smiled awkwardly, her eyes glanced at Tang Jiaojiao's little face obscurely, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her blinking to indicate that she would keep it a secret.

There was nothing he could do. It was because Jiaojiao had the handle on him. Just now when Jiaojiao was taking a nap, he couldn't help but have close contact with Xianyu. They kissed for a long time. After they separated, he saw Tang Jiaojiao staring at them with her eyes wide open.

Lin Miaomiao gave Tang Jiaojiao snacks and said sweet words, and finally made her agree to keep it a secret.

After Tang Yuanming carried Tang Jiaojiao and followed Wang Shengnan downstairs, Lin Miaomiao sighed and closed the door.

Returning to the living room, he plunged into Wu Xianyu's arms, took a few deep breaths, and spoke only after he felt calmer.

"I feel so embarrassed seeing Teacher Tang now"

Wu Xianyu touched Lin Miaomiao's hair with a smile on his face. "Why else wouldn't I come forward? It's too embarrassing for us, as students, to know about our teacher's private affairs."

Lin Miaomiao was unhappy and lay in Wu Xianyu's arms for a while, her tone was indignant.
"So you didn't show up just now, right? You're so smart. I'm not going to play with you anymore. Go to sleep."

After saying that, Lin Miaomiao took off her glasses, lay directly in Wu Xianyu's arms and closed her eyes.

Wu Xianyu smiled and pulled Lin Miaomiao's body towards his upper body so that he could feel more relaxed.

On the way to the hospital, Tang Yuanming and Jiaojiao chatted about what had happened in the past few days. Fortunately, Jiaojiao kept her promise and did not mention the matter of Wu Xianyu and Lin Miaomiao. Tang Yuanming just thought that Lin Miaomiao took Jiaojiao to the neighbor's house to play.

The atmosphere was good along the way, but after arriving at the hospital, the smile on Tang Jiaojiao's face gradually faded.

The expression on Tang Yuanming's face also became complicated.

Wang Shengnan sighed, and waited for Lin Dawei to park the car before walking into the hospital together.

Wang Dingnan, who was looking at the ceiling of the hospital out of boredom, heard some noise at the door, but did not turn around to look. She was still looking at the ceiling. During this period, she also knew about her illness. She cried and made a fuss, but her cell phone and other things were confiscated, and there was nothing else she could do except staring blankly.

"Top man."

A familiar voice came, Wang Dingnan's body trembled, he looked up, and his eyes were suddenly filled with tears.

"Yuan Ming, you are here"

Tang Yuanming walked into the ward alone and came to Wang Dingnan's bedside, keeping a slight distance from him as requested by the doctor.

Seeing Wang Dingnan like this, Tang Yuanming couldn't tell what he felt in his heart. He took a deep breath and said
"Just say whatever you want to say"

"Yuan Ming, I know I was wrong. I'm sorry. I was too self-righteous."

Wang Dingnan seemed to have a valve opened, and tears and apologies poured out. Tang Yuanming just listened quietly. After a while, the only sound left from Wang Dingnan's voice was crying, and he had finished saying his apologies.

Tang Yuanming then spoke

"It's okay, I forgive you. Just cooperate with the treatment and live your life. I will take good care of Jiaojiao and raise her to adulthood."

Hearing Tang Yuanming's words, Wang Dingnan raised his head and looked at him with tears on his face.

"Yuanming, Yuanming, have you forgiven me? That's great, you've forgiven me so let's get back together. Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to remarry, okay?"

Tang Yuanming smiled bitterly, waved his hand, and stood up to leave.
"It's impossible. There's no going back. I'm leaving. Live your life well."

"Tang Yuanming!"

Wang Dingnan, who originally seemed to be crying and confessing, now seemed like a different person, with a hoarse and angry tone.

"Tang Yuanming, you said you forgave me. Now that you've forgiven me, we should get back together. You don't keep your word. Are you still a man? Tang Yuanming! I hate you!!"

The sound was so loud that Wang Shengnan and Lin Dawei, who were outside the ward, heard it and immediately called the doctor over.

After tossing and turning for a while, Wang Dingnan finally fell into a deep sleep.

Wang Shengnan felt guilty when she saw Tang Yuanming, who looked exhausted and shocked.

"Yuanming, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, sis. She's sick. I understand. It's just the first time I've seen this happen. I was a little scared."

Tang Yuanming thought Wang Shengnan was apologizing for what had just happened, so he forced a smile and responded to Wang Shengnan.

But Wang Shengnan held the bag tightly in her hands and continued to speak.

"Yuanming, there is something I haven't told you. Dingnan's disease is very likely hereditary."

Tang Yuanming suddenly raised his head, and Wang Shengnan quickly finished the rest of his words.

"Dingnan is the child of my aunt who got pregnant before marriage. In that era, as a history teacher, you know that this kind of thing was a very shameful thing. My father was very proud, so the matter was kept secret. My parents later went to look for Dingnan's biological father. I don't know if it was because of the environment at the time or his own problems, but he had gone crazy. Now my parents dare not tell anyone. I only found out about it a few days ago."

Hearing Wang Shengnan's words, Tang Yuanming felt a surge of anger rushing to his head, but looking at Wang Shengnan's guilty expression, he turned his eyes away and sighed.
"I can't be angry with you about this, but I think your parents are still too..."

Tang Yuanming originally wanted to say something harsh, but he knew very well that people of that era all did the same thing, so he swallowed the words back.

Finally, he just took a deep breath, stood up, and walked towards the doctor's office, leaving a sentence.

“I’ll go ask for details.”

Wang Shengnan sat on a chair in the hospital corridor, her back against the cold tiles. She felt the pressure in her heart suddenly relieved a lot. She told the truth. If Tang Yuanming didn't want Jiaojiao anymore because of this, then she would take care of her by herself. Miaomiao would be an adult soon and even found a partner. She would have nothing to do, so it would be good to have Jiaojiao to accompany her.

At this time, Lin Dawei, who had taken Jiaojiao for a walk outside, came back. Jiaojiao was a little scared because of the examination. Wang Shengnan wanted to talk to Tang Yuanming about something, so Lin Dawei took Tang Jiaojiao outside the hospital to relax.

After bringing Jiaojiao back, Lin Dawei looked at Wang Shengnan. The two looked at each other. Seeing Wang Shengnan nod slightly, Lin Dawei understood that everything had been made clear.

The three of them sat down on chairs in the corridor, waiting quietly for Tang Yuanming.

It didn't take long, or maybe it was a long time, before Tang Yuanming finally walked out of the doctor's office with various reports in his hands.

Seeing Tang Yuanming coming out, Wang Shengnan took the initiative to greet him, while Lin Dawei and Tang Jiaojiao stayed where they were.

Tang Yuanming looked at Wang Shengnan with a complicated look in his eyes and was the first to apologize.
"Sorry, I was a little emotional just now."

Wang Shengnan didn't care about these at all, but asked anxiously
"What should Dingnan do? Did the doctor tell me?"

Tang Yuanming handed over the report
"The doctor said that I need to continue to be hospitalized for observation, and then I will be transferred to a specialized hospital. Also, the doctor said that I am also partly responsible for Dingnan's behavior, and it is not just a genetic problem."

Wang Shengnan looked at the report in her hand. Although she couldn't understand it, she could still understand the doctor's final advice. It was indeed as Tang Yuanming said, that she needed to continue hospitalization for observation.

Wang Shengnan put the report form into her bag, meaning that she would be responsible for Wang Dingnan's future life. Tang Yuanming had no objection. He had divorced Wang Dingnan a long time ago, so it was not his turn to take care of him.

Wang Shengnan looked at Tang Yuanming and asked a question that concerned her.

"Jiaojiao, what are you going to do?"

"I'll pick her up when I'm done packing."

Tang Yuanming answered straightforwardly that Tang Jiaojiao was his daughter and he would not give her to anyone else.

Wang Shengnan's face relaxed slightly. She didn't dislike Jiaojiao, but no matter how well she did as an aunt, she couldn't compare to her biological parents. Now her biological mother had no hope, but her biological father was still there.

Tang Yuanming walked up to Tang Jiaojiao, squatted down, and whispered to her
"Jiaojiao, do you want to stay with Dad for a few days, and then go back to Auntie's place? I'll take you back when Dad is done with his work."

"it is good!"

Tang Jiaojiao hugged Tang Yuanming's neck with a happy smile on her face.

(End of this chapter)