Chapter 456: I Want Packed Meals

At this moment, Lyu Mengwan felt as if she had met a good rain after a long drought. She had the fresh and cool feeling as if she had happily gulped a lot of mountain spring water after being severely dehydrated. Every pore of her skin felt aware, as cheerful as it did after a refreshing bath.

The vigorous vitality renewed her strength fast, and the dry and depressed feeling of her chest was also cleared away.

The oasis before her was spreading out wildly as if it had come alive. The green storm constantly turned the dry sand into vivacious green plants, sweeping across the entire desert…

In the hallway, Commander Guan was pacing back and forth anxiously, holding the cigarette that Ding Ning gave him and sniffing it now and then. But he was no longer intoxicated with it.

Guan Jianfeng leaned against the wall and stared at the white ceiling, his eyes unfocused. These young nurses coming and going would look at him with pity and concern. They didn’t know why this prince charming who often appeared in this sanatorium seemed so devastated.

Guan Shilin put her palms together and prayed silently for her mother. It was true that she appeared to have every confidence in Ding Ning before. But she also knew it was cancer after all. No matter how powerful Ningning was, she still was not sure about the outcome.

“Jianfeng, how long has it been?”

Commander Guan took out his lighter several times to light the cigarette but failed each time. Now his sudden question pulled Guan Jianfeng, who was out of his wits, back to reality.

“20 minutes.”

After Guan Jianfeng answered, he was surprised to find that his father’s voice now became dry and hoarse, which made him feel bad.

“Only 20 minutes? I thought an hour had passed.”

Commander Guan said. Seeing his bloodshot eyes, Guan Jianfeng felt a throb of pain.

He knew it clear how much his parents loved each other, so he dared not to imagine what would happen after his mother died. His father, who was as great and dependable as a mountain, had been the mainstay of their family. Would he then collapse all of a sudden?

Thinking of this, Guan Jianfeng suddenly regretted not stopping Ding Ning from treating his mother. Although his mother would certainly die without Ding Ning’s treatment, his father could at least get some buffer time to accept the reality.

But now, his mother was very likely to die after Ding Ning’s treatment to her failed. Could his father bear such a blow? The answer was no. At least, even he was less prepared for his mother’s death.

Guan Jianfeng’s heart was filled with anxiety now, or even, he had some sympathy for Ding Ning. Since his father loved his mother so much, his father might vent his anger on Ding Ning if his mother died when the treatment failed. Guan Jianfeng believed that his father was very likely to shoot Ding Ning dead at that time.

It was not because Guan Jianfeng cared about Ding Ning. Instead, he concerned about his father. Though his father was the commander of Garrison Command, he would have to face a trial in a military court if he killed Ding Ning.

When Guan Jianfeng was worrying about the gains and losses, Guan Shilin thought much less and simpler. She supported Commander Guan and comforted him with determination, “Dad, don’t worry and wait patiently. I believe Ningning will cure mom.”

“Ningning? Have you two met before?”

Commander Guan said mischievously. It didn’t know if he wanted to talk to someone to divert his attention because he was highly nervous now.

“No. But I know him for I am a member of his fan club. He is an excellent doctor with superior skills. All members of our fan group call him Ningning.”

When Guan Shilin noticed that his father joked with her a little, she couldn’t help blushing. Shyly, she stamped on the ground and explained.

Seeing his daughter’s delicate and charming appearance, Commander Guan was suddenly touched. “My daughter is 19 years old. If she gets into a relationship now, she can get married two years later when she reaches the marriage age.”

“Though Ding Ning’s family background is modest, it doesn’t matter at all. He is a handsome and capable man who can make a perfect couple with my beautiful daughter.”

It was said that a daughter was like a warm jacket for her father. Whenever Commander Guan thought that his daughter would marry someone in the future, a surge of bitterness would suddenly strike him. But as a man who had a broad outlook on life, he could let go of this negative emotion with ease.

Since her daughter’s marriage was inevitable, he might as well actively deal with it and find a suitable husband for his daughter as soon as possible.

With him, ordinary young people were always timid and reserved. They even dared not to take a big breath.

However, Ding Ning was neither cringing nor arrogant. He, who was not a flatterer, behaved politely and even dared to joke with him.

Hence, Commander Guan had a perfect feeling about Ding Ning. In Commander Guan’s opinion, a man should act manly like Ding Ning. He looked down upon those young men who acted as the yes-men when they faced someone powerful.

Thinking of this, he glanced at his son with dissatisfaction. His son was fine all over, but Commander Guan had not been displeased with his son’s thoughtfulness. With too many thoughts in his mind, Guan Jianfeng always appeared to be irresolute and hesitant. He would be very nervous when he was in significant events. Frankly, unlike Commander Guan, his son was a little weak and was incapable of making big decisions. Commander Guan was very dissatisfied with this.

Guan Jianfeng was puzzled by his father’s unpleasant glance and secretly felt wronged. Since his father always liked thinking in diverging directions, he didn’t know what he had done wrong offended his father.

Guan Jianfeng was a bit weak, but he should not take all the blame. Instead, his horrifyingly, strict dad was to blame for that.

Since childhood, this grumpy dad was as tender and soft as water to his mother and sister. He had been obedient to them in every matter. In contrast, Commander Guan was used to picking faults with his son, who was an eyesore in his eyes. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” was the motto that Commander Guan particularly believed. He would beat up Guan Jianfeng because of the small mistakes that he made. Every two days, his father would give him a blow, and every three days, a sound beating.

That was why Guan Jianfeng was haunted with fear all day long. He would always think twice before making a final decision, lest he should do something wrong to get beaten up. Over time, Guan Jianfeng developed a weak character.

This was probably the so-called tough love. Commander Guan had great expectations for Guan Jianfeng, his only son, so he was much stricter to him.

However, since Commander Guan was a military man, he was used to rough and straightforward training methods. Thus, he mechanically applied these tactics of the army to his children’s education. Besides, Lyu Mengwan was always brisk and hurried so that she would neither spoil her children. The high pressure given by this couple was mostly responsible for the type of person Guan Jianfeng became.

As Guan Shilin saw the grievance in her brother’s eyes, she couldn’t help flashing a toothless smile. She didn’t take pleasure in her brother’s misfortune, and neither did she think such a thing was unusual. In fact, she was accustomed to seeing such a scene. According to their dad, boys were sturdy who needed beatings to grow up healthy and sound.

“Creak!”

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The closed ward door suddenly opened, and the three of them turned to look back in unison. There was a sense of depression in the air and a complex atmosphere of tension, expectation, hesitation, and anxiety.

Unconsciously, Commander Guan swallowed, his throat trembling violently. While watching Ding Ning stepping out softly, he wanted to ask what had happened, but he found that his throat was too dry to make any sound.

Guan Jianfeng opened his mouth but hesitated to say anything. He was scared. He was afraid that he would hear something that he did not want to hear.

Instead, Guan Shilin rushed forward, her eyes glowing with anticipation. In a quivering voice, she asked, “Ningning, my mother…”

Ding Ning, whose face was pale, looked at her. Just as her hands and feet turned cold because of nervousness, he gave her a big smile and said, “She is all right!”

“She is all right! She is all right!”

With these four words echoing in their ears, the father, the son, and the daughter were stunned, their eyes glistening with tears.

“Is it true that my mom is all right now?”

Suddenly, Guan Shilin asked joyfully in a much higher voice than usual. She was the first to react and awoke the father and son, who still froze in disbelief.

“Swoosh!” In a big stride, Commander Guan got into the ward. In a deep voice, he called with a feeling of sheer delight, “Wan’er, Wan’er, how do you feel?”

“I’m fine. I’ve never been better. He is indeed a miracle-working doctor.”

From the ward, there came Lyu Mengwan’s loud and vigorous voice. Hearing this, Guan Shilin covered her small mouth and cried out all of a sudden, crouching on the ground regardless of her image.

Guan Jianfeng felt weak all over as if all his strength was gone. Slowly, he slid along the wall and collapsed to the ground, grinning foolishly. Tears were all over his face that was in an ecstasy of delight. He cried with joy.

Ding Ning felt extremely depressed when he looked at the different reactions of the three members of the Guan family. He had a feeling of being left out as if he had smashed his fist into a pile of cotton. “Oh, come on! It took me a lot of work to turn my face pale which could make people think I have overused my energy!” Ding Ning muttered in his heart.

But now… Even the best actor winner would turn into a good-for-nothing if there was no audience.

Ding Ning felt that it was all so unnecessary for him to stay here. While covering his wounded heart, he left alone with a sad face. It was getting late, but he hadn’t eaten anything yet.

“Well, judging by Commander Guan’s present state, it is unlikely that he will treat me to a meal. I’d better ask Mayor Du to treat me instead.” Ding Ning thought.

But when he went back to Hu Quan’s ward, Ding Ning found that Xu Minglu squatting on the ground was devouring a packed meal like a migrant worker. “Alas!” Ding Ning lamented secretly. “It seems that I have to get dinner by myself.”

“How is it going?”

Ding Ning asked in a low spirit.

“Ah, what’s wrong with you? Are you okay?”

When Xu Minglu saw Ding Ning appeared with a ghastly pale face as if he had just been raped, he instantly stood up and asked in surprise.

“I’m okay. I have consumed too much energy just now to treat a patient. I can get well after some rest. Where is Mayor Du?”

Ding Ning smelled the fragrance of the packed meal and couldn’t help swallowing a little. “Soy-braised pork! It smells great!”

“Mayor Du has gone to do a massage for his wife. I am here to watch the interrogation. But until now, Hu Quan has only admitted that it was only a traffic accident caused by his drunk driving in a bad mood. He was willing to admit his guilt, but he refused to say anything else. It seems that I have to stay up all night here to watch.”

A little depressed, Xu Minglu picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into his mouth, the fragrance of the grease overflowing all of a sudden. Ding Ning’s throat moved, and he forced himself to look away from the tempting scene.

“By the way, Mayor Du told me before leaving that Commander Guan would invite you to dinner tonight, so I didn’t order a packed meal for you. How about your dinner? How good was the feast that Commander Guan invited you to?”

Xu Minglu smacked his lips and said with envy, “I heard that the cooks in this sanatorium are descendants of the royal chefs of the previous imperial court. They can even make a full, formal banquet, combining both Manchurian and Chinese delicacies. The country especially hires them to serve those big shots of the military. Ordinary people can never have the luck to enjoy the superb food they cooked, no matter how rich they are.”

Ding Ning said with a grimace, “Bro, stop torturing me, please. Not to mention the food made by the royal chefs, I haven’t even seen a packed meal. Now I am so hungry that I even want to take bites out of you.”

“Ah!”

Xu Minglu was much frightened by Ding Ning’s words. He then continued, “It can’t be! Hasn’t Commander Guan invited you to dinner?”

“I have been invited, but he is a bit tied up at the moment. The dinner is probably off. Well, forget it. I should leave now. If I stay hungry a little longer, I will be dead.”

While rubbing his growling stomach, Ding Ning said, bowing his head with sorrow.

“No, please don’t go. If you’re away, I will be very boring here.”

Xu Minglu grabbed him quickly. “How about this? I call someone to send you a packed meal now, and you stay with me at night. Is that okay?”

“Will you be here alone tonight?”

Ding Ning asked, looking at him in surprise.

“That’s not true. There are several comrades in the criminal police team interrogating Hu Quan. I’m not an expert at that. I stay here only to get the first-hand information so that I can report it to Mayor Du in time.”

Xu Minglu answered, a little helplessly. Working as a secretary, he didn’t have a fixed working time. All his time arrangements should be centered around the leader that he served rather than himself.

Ding Ning patted him on the shoulder to show that he was his fellow sufferer, saying, “Hurry up and order the meal for me. I want five packed meals.”

“Okay, as long as you’re willing to stay with me tonight, let alone five packed meals, I’d like to treat you to fifty of them.”

Xu Minglu said with a brilliant smile and called immediately to order the food.