Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

Xu Hu stood to the side, watching the doctor administer glucose to Aunt Lin, the nurse give Chen Jingming a fever-reducing injection, and perform physical cooling methods. After completing these tasks, the doctor gave a few instructions and then left.

The ward fell silent instantly. Xu Hu moved a stool and sat quietly between the two beds, keeping watch. About half an hour passed, and Aunt Lin slowly opened her eyes. Seeing this, Xu Hu immediately stood up, walked over, and leaned down to ask:

"Aunt Lin, how are you? Are you feeling better?"

Aunt Lin had just woken up and was still a little dazed. Her eyes darted around for a while before she came to her senses and looked at Xu Hu in front of her, weakly asking:

Do you know me?

Xu Hu nodded upon hearing this and said softly:

"Aunt Lin, I'm Mr. Chen Jingming's driver. On our way back, we found you unconscious in the middle of the road, so we brought you to the hospital."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lin pondered for a moment before realizing who Chen Jingming was. She then slightly turned her head to look and saw Chen Jingming lying in the next bed. She asked softly:

"What's wrong with him?"

"President Chen had a high fever and fell into a coma. He just received an injection to reduce the fever."

Xu Hu explained softly. After hearing the explanation, Aunt Lin nodded slowly, forcing a smile, and replied:

Thank you.

Xu Hu shook his head, then reached out to tuck the blanket around Aunt Lin, and said with a smile:

"It's alright, you should rest first."

Aunt Lin nodded, closed her eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep again.

Seeing that Aunt Lin was sleeping peacefully, Xu Hu slowly sat up, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two hospital beds, his heart filled with doubt. He had never understood why Chen Jingming paid so much attention to Aunt Lin. Back in the capital, Chen Jingming would frequently inquire about Aunt Lin's condition through him.

Night quietly faded, and dawn broke. The next day, Chen Jingming slowly awoke, slightly opened his eyes, and gently turned his head, only to see a woman lying beside his bed. After a careful look, he didn't recognize her and was immediately startled. He tried to pull his hand back and sit up, only to find that his hand was being tightly gripped. The slight movement had also woken Aunt Lin.

Aunt Lin looked up at Chen Jingming, then released his hand and asked with a smile:

"woke up."

Upon recognizing Aunt Lin, Chen Jingming breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face, and replied:

"You're awake. What happened?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lin recounted the events of the previous night. Chen Jingming's fragmented memories became increasingly clear, and he then asked:

"Aunt Lin, are you alright?"

Aunt Lin smiled, then a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face. She raised her hand to smooth a stray hair from her cheek, stood up, and said softly:

"I'll go get the doctor."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly turned and left the ward. Chen Jingming watched Aunt Lin's departing figure, completely puzzled, unable to understand what had caused her to be so embarrassed.

He stared blankly at the ceiling for a few minutes, lost in thought. Xu Hu came in with breakfast and, seeing Chen Jingming awake, exclaimed happily:

"Mr. Chen, are you awake?"

Chen Jingming nodded, glanced at Xu Hu, then looked outside the door. Seeing that no one was around, he asked in a low voice:

"Old Xu, what happened after that last night?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hu put down his breakfast, scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, then turned around to look around. After confirming that no one was around, he leaned down and whispered:

"Mr. Chen, not long after you received your fever-reducing injection yesterday, you started talking nonsense. I took care of you at first, but then Aunt Lin got up to use the restroom and came back saying she'd take over for a while, and I didn't think much of it. Who knew you'd suddenly grab her hand and keep calling 'Mom'?"

Upon hearing the last few words, Chen Jingming immediately closed his eyes. At that moment, he finally understood why Aunt Lin had looked so flustered and embarrassed.

Xu Hu noticed Chen Jingming's eyes twitching slightly and sensed his embarrassment. He quickly straightened up, coughed awkwardly twice, and changed the subject, continuing:

"Mr. Chen, I've put breakfast on the table. The doctor already checked on you this morning, and your fever has completely subsided. Just rest for a few days and you'll be fine. I'm going to the restroom to wash my face."

After saying that, Xu Hu turned and left. Only when the footsteps faded into the distance and the ward became completely quiet did Chen Jingming slowly open his eyes, support himself on the edge of the bed, and slowly sit up.

He leaned against the wall, raised his hand to rub his cheek, and slowly calmed himself down. A moment later, Aunt Lin brought the doctor in.

The doctor first gave Chen Jingming another full examination. After confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong with his body, he said:

"You can be discharged now. Just go home and rest for a couple of days. Remember to keep warm."

Chen Jingming nodded, and the doctor turned and left. The ward fell silent instantly, leaving only Chen Jingming and Aunt Lin in the room. The atmosphere was extremely awkward. Chen Jingming opened his mouth, but didn't know how to start the conversation.

Seeing this, Aunt Lin simply smiled gently and then said:

"Where's your driver? Let's pack up and go back."

Chen Jingming was taken aback by her words, but then realized that Aunt Lin was being considerate of his feelings, so he said:

"He went to the restroom, he should be back soon."

Aunt Lin nodded upon hearing this, then sat down in a chair, head down, seemingly lost in thought. Chen Jingming didn't say anything either, waiting quietly. About ten minutes later, Xu Hu walked in. Seeing the quiet atmosphere between the two, he was about to speak when Chen Jingming interrupted him first:

"Old Xu, you can go back now. Go and settle the bill."

Upon hearing this, Xu Hu immediately replied:

"Mr. Chen, I've already settled the bill this morning, so we can leave at any time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming immediately got out of bed, picked up the breakfast from the bedside table, looked at Aunt Lin who was still silent with her head down, and spoke gently:

"Aunt Lin, let's go."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lin stood up, nodded slightly to the two of them, and walked out the door first. Chen Jingming and Xu Hu followed closely behind, and the three of them left the hospital together and got into a car.

The car smoothly drove away from the compound. Chen Jingming quietly looked at the scenery outside the window for a while, then turned to look at Aunt Lin beside him before asking:

"Aunt Lin, why did you leave the film studio alone and faint on the street due to low blood sugar?"

Aunt Lin hadn't expected Chen Jingming to suddenly ask about this, and after hesitating for a moment, she told him the truth:

"I went to see my son, so I got back late."

Chen Jingming frowned upon hearing this. He remembered that when deceased villagers passed away, they were usually buried together in the back hill; the village had designated a cemetery there. So, he asked with a puzzled expression:

"Aunt Lin, I remember that when people from our area passed away, they were buried in the back hill. Didn't the village designate a special cemetery area for them?"

Aunt Lin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, not expecting that this person who had returned from America would know about these old stories in the village. So she slowly began to explain:

"Didn't you expropriate the village, the surrounding hills and fields to build a film and television city? The leaders said that the scattered graves affected the planning and the visual appeal, so they moved all the old graves to a public cemetery."

"Huh?" Chen Jingming exclaimed softly after hearing this. He then realized that the root of the problem ultimately lay with him. He looked guilty, nodded awkwardly, and after a moment of silence, softened his tone and said:

"Aunt Lin, I've heard a little about your son's situation. I live alone most of the year, with no one to take care of me, which makes daily life quite inconvenient. Could you come and take care of me for a few days?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lin turned to look at Chen Jingming, then gently shook her head, politely declining:

"Mr. Chen, I'm just a country woman, I don't know how to take good care of people, so I won't trouble you."