“Making you stay a few extra days is for your own good! Who knows if your condition might flare up again?!” Su Ma held her ground, arguing with conviction. “I’m running back and forth every day taking care of you, and I haven’t complained about being tired once — and here you are complaining first!”

“I — when did I say I was complaining about you?!” Su Ba said anxiously. “I’m telling you not to act unilaterally without discussing things first!”

Su Ma said, “And if I don’t act unilaterally, what then? The old one in this family has no worries, and the young one doesn’t take responsibility for anything. If I don’t take charge, are you going to sit back and watch your daughter bury herself in work until she becomes a left-on-the-shelf spinster with no time to find a partner?!”

“Why does it always come back to that!” Su Ba felt a headache coming on.

Su Ma rolled her eyes at him, her tone impatient: “Anyway, I know what I’m doing — stay out of it.”

Su Ba still wanted to argue, but several knocks sounded from outside.

The couple both fell silent and looked toward the hospital room door with puzzled expressions.

This wasn’t the time for the nurses to do their rounds, nor was it a typical hour for hospital visits. Who could be outside?

Su Ma got up and opened the door — and to her surprise, there stood Lu Yuwen, a set of high-end nourishing gift boxes in hand.

Her eyes went wide. “Little Lu? What brings you here?”

Shouldn’t he be out on a date with her daughter right now?!

Lu Yuwen stepped into the hospital room, set the gifts down, and said apologetically: “Getting the business license sorted out so smoothly was all thanks to Aunt and Uncle’s help. Lately I’ve been so preoccupied with my own affairs that I haven’t come to visit Uncle at the hospital. So today I wanted to come by in particular — Uncle, how have you been feeling?”

“Fine, fine, I’m practically ready to go home!” Su Ba said with a smile. “You didn’t have to bring anything. How’s the new restaurant coming along?”

Lu Yuwen gave a respectful nod, like a diligent student eager to learn. “Things are mostly in order. Once the renovation is finished, we can open for business. In the month before opening, I’m planning to try some local promotions to build awareness.”

“Good thinking.” Su Ba gave his approval, then turned to Su Ma. “When Little Lu’s restaurant opens, get your old friends together and show up to support him.”

Su Ma said, “Do you even need to say it? I already made plans with them ahead of time.”

Mainly, she wanted those women to know that her daughter wasn’t stuck pining after Li Li as her only option. Her daughter was someone who could be pursued too!

Thinking of her daughter, Su Ma couldn’t help but ask one more question: “Little Lu, coming by so late — are you very busy lately? Have you seen our Manman recently?”

Lu Yuwen shook his head gently. After a pause, he said with some hesitation, as though there were something he was holding back: “She… has been a bit busy these past few days. Not even time for dinner.”

“Busy?” Su Ma couldn’t figure it out. “She hasn’t been working overtime — what’s she busy with?”

Su Ma was getting a little anxious on the inside. Could it be that Su Man didn’t like Lu Yuwen and had used being busy as an excuse to avoid going out with him?

But that didn’t make any sense!

She had seen her daughter on the phone with Lu Yuwen several times — that bright smile on her face was something you couldn’t fake!

Su Ba, without overthinking it, also asked Lu Yuwen: “That’s right — Manman hasn’t been working overtime, so what’s she busy with?”

Lu Yuwen’s expression became a little awkward. “Actually… she has a friend who got into a fight and was hurt, and she needs to go take care of him…”

…A friend?

Su Man’s… friend?

Aside from Li Li, what close friends did Su Man even have?

Su Ma immediately thought of the neighbors — the story about their son going on a trip.

Ha.

She’d thought it was odd at the time. It wasn’t summer or winter break. Why would he suddenly go traveling? As it turned out, he’d gotten himself beaten up and was too embarrassed to come out and face anyone!

Lu Yuwen didn’t linger at the hospital for long. After exchanging a few courteous words with the Su couple, he politely took his leave.

Su Ma sent him off with a smile, then closed the hospital room door — and the smile dropped off her face immediately.

Su Ba asked: “What’s wrong?”

—