Era: After foreseeing the future, I changed my fate using spatial abilities.

Chapter 64 The Zhang Family

Hospital wards in Shanghai.

After bringing Xiao Qiu to the hospital and finding the bed the old lady had mentioned, Su Ning hesitated for a moment, stopping at the doorway that was only slightly ajar.

Looking down at the urn containing the ashes in his arms, he thought, "If a seriously ill elderly person can't handle the shock and their condition worsens..."

"Sister Ningning, I...I'm scared."

Clutching her hand tightly, tears welled up in Xiao Qiu's eyes without her noticing. Having just experienced her mother's ordeal, she was especially afraid of the familiar words "sickness" and "hospital."

Although they haven't officially met their grandparents yet, their mother mentions them from time to time, so they don't feel like strangers but rather have been looking forward to it for a long time.

"Little Qiu, be good..."

Who are you? Who are you looking for?

Before Su Ning could offer any comfort, a hoarse voice came from behind her asking a question.

Holding a thermos in one hand and a white porcelain enamel basin with a red base in the other, Zhang Qi, wearing glasses, appeared refined and cultured, but his bloodshot eyes and newly sprouted stubble made him look somewhat decadent.

Recalling how Zhang Qin's description of her brother perfectly matched the man in front of her in both physique and appearance, Su Ning turned sideways, took Xiao Qiu's hand, and walked a few steps away from the doorway before stepping forward.

"Hello comrade, are you Zhang Qi?"

"That's me, young comrade. Are you looking for me?"

Somewhat surprised, Zhang Qi nodded and carefully examined the two people in front of him again.

She wore a floral short-sleeved shirt and black straight trousers with her hair in a scorpion braid. She had delicate features, especially her eyes, which were as bright as stars in the night sky. They were so beautiful that she was unforgettable at first glance.

The little girl next to her, wearing a pink dress, looked even darker and thinner. Her features seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen her before.

Is this a novel about him?
Zhang Qi was certain that he didn't know her at all.

"I'm Su Ning, and this is Xiao Qiu. To be precise, Zhang Qin, your sister asked me to..."

"boom--"

"Wait a minute, who did you say?"

The enamel basin in his hand fell to the ground with a loud thud, spinning several times, its sound particularly jarring in the quiet corridor.

Ignoring the several pieces of porcelain that had been knocked and broken from the basin, Zhang Qi put down the handle of the thermos he was holding and anxiously asked repeatedly to confirm.

"Comrade, are you talking about Zhang Qin? The 'qin' in 'qinqi shuhua' (the four arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting)? She's almost 28 now, tall and slender, with adorable crescent-shaped eyes when she smiles... is she... my sister... Zhang Qin?"

He spoke very quickly, yet seemed somewhat incoherent, as if confirming something, but what came out of his mouth was that indelible figure from his memory, so familiar, as if he had said it thousands of times.

It was hope and joy that turned into sadness and disappointment, and disbelief after experiencing it so many times.

'Twenty-seven, almost twenty-eight?'

That night, in complete darkness, with only the faint light of a flashlight, Zhang Qin, with her sickly face, looked as old as a woman in her thirties or forties.

No wonder I call her Aunt Zhang. Her smile is so wistful and self-pitying. She doesn't refute or explain, she just smiles and nods.

What exactly did she experience after escaping from that family in the deep mountains?
It caused her, who should have escaped and regained her freedom, to wither away rapidly, even leaving her with her wounds...

"It's Zhang..."

The words "Aunt Zhang" that were on the tip of her tongue stung her heart. Su Ning pursed her lips, her vision blurry as she looked at Zhang Qi, who was clearly eager but held back from saying anything more, and could only gaze at her with longing.

"Sister Qin lives at No. 18 Huaijiang Lane. Her father is Zhang Fu, her mother is Hu Yingtao, her brother is the refined-looking Zhang Qi, and her family likes to call her 'Nannan' (Little Girl) Zhang Qin..."

"It's my sister! It's my sister, boohoo..."

"Where is she? Why hasn't she come back yet? Did something happen?"

"It's okay, it's okay, as long as she's still here, that's all that matters. Tell me her address, where is she? No matter how far, I'll come pick her up right now! I'll take her home..."

The tears of this grown man in his mid-twenties flowed like a burst dam, and even though his throat was so sore that his words trembled, Zhang Qi still persisted in asking questions.

"She's back."

"You're...you're back? You're home..."

Following her gaze, Zhang Qi managed to utter a few words, but ultimately could not say another.

He shook his head and burst into a manic laugh, tears streaming down his face. After a long pause, he muttered to himself, "No one's home to open the door for her. She might just sit there foolishly on the doorstep again..."

"Bang-"

The commotion in the ward instantly jolted those immersed in endless grief.

The half-open door was opened from the inside, and an elderly couple, supporting each other, walked out unsteadily. "Young lady, you just said my daughter is back, right?"

The loud noise from the enamel basin woke up Zhang Fu, who was lying in the hospital bed, and Hu Yingtao, who had been taking care of him all night and was just closing her eyes to rest.

Before she could even go out to see what was happening, she heard her son talking to someone, laughing and crying, and every word he uttered was about his daughter's name.

Instantly, as if injected with boundless vitality, Zhang Fu, who had been sickly and seemed on the verge of death, immediately struggled to get out of bed.

Just as they reached the door, they heard what the girl who had information about their daughter was saying. Overwhelmed with joy, the two of them were so excited that their hands trembled, their legs went weak, and tears streamed down their faces.

"I, I am Zhang Fu, Zhang Qin's father. Little girl, is my daughter really back? Where is she? Didn't you say she was coming back?"

"dad…"

Her trembling lips caught one tear after another, so bitter and astringent that it was hard to swallow.

Seeing his sick father and overworked mother with their heads full of white hair, Zhang Qi burst into tears like a child who had lost his beloved toy.

"Stop howling! Get lost, you spineless coward!"

Zhang Fu spoke with disdain, but in reality, he was almost moved to tears. Seven or eight years had passed, and finally, finally, he had received accurate news about Nannan.

He could finally die in peace, able to see his daughter one last time…

bah bah bah!
No, this old man still has to struggle for a few more years. His daughter just came back and doesn't know what happened to her, how much she has suffered, or how much she has endured!
She has to live, because only if she lives can her father support her!

The sorrow and depression that had been suppressed for many years dissipated, and it seemed as if the illness had gone with it. My body felt an indescribable sense of ease that I hadn't experienced in a long time.

"Young lady, are you my daughter's friend? She came back with you. So, where is the other person?"

Hu Yingtao kept wiping away the tears she thought she had already cried out, as if afraid that the tears would obscure her view of her daughter, whom she had longed for and who had finally returned home.

"..."

Not knowing how to say it, Su Ning held the urn in her arms so tightly that her fingertips turned white.

The pain of a parent outliving their child is an extreme pain that others cannot truly understand. Yet, just feeling it can instantly bring tears to one's eyes, and even breathing feels suffocating.

"Sister Qin... let me say on her behalf: Dad, Mom, Brother, Nannan is really back this time!"

"No...no, it can't be..."

"You mean, my little girl is here..."

Shock, doubt, and then disbelief.

The elderly couple clutched their chests at the same time, as if they were about to faint from lack of breath.

"Dad, Mom!"

Zhang Qi quickly stood up and helped the two of them to their feet, but the next moment Zhang Fu pushed one of his hands away forcefully.

The elderly man, who was bedridden due to his illness, was now walking slowly but with such determination.

"Daughter, Daddy... Daddy's here to pick you up. Daddy's late. This time Daddy's with you. I'll be with you wherever we go, okay?"

"My little girl, my poor little girl!"

Unlike his wife's heart-wrenching cries, his sudden calmness and the words he uttered were even more chilling.

Su Ning looked around and saw the elderly couple carefully holding the urn, their eyes lifeless, pounding their chests in pain. She squeezed Xiao Qiu's hand and gently pushed her forward a small step.

"Xiao Qiu, quickly call for help."

"Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle," Xiao Qiu obediently called out to them, her eyes red.

Her clear, childlike voice made all three of them look at her at the same time, their grief and sorrow momentarily halting.

"What did you call me?"

"Uncle, big uncle! Mom said that you are the best brother in the world, and you will be Xiao Qiu's best big uncle!"

"You are...Xiao Qiu? My sister's daughter?"

Xiao Qiu nodded, and with her movement, tears splattered on the ground, staining the ground in a flower-like pattern.

"W-what on earth is going on?"

Am I just too easily moved to tears? Why am I crying while writing this? Ugh, I hate human traffickers the most! What a miserable life!!

(End of this chapter)