Zhao Feiyang also got out of the car, taking two boxes of tea from the back for him to give to Elder Xu. Xu Chunliang accepted the tea, inviting him inside, but Zhao Feiyang said he had other matters to attend to and would visit another day—mainly because he and Xu Chunliang had little in common now.

The car drove on towards the sunset for a while before Zhao Feiyang, suddenly feeling restless and irritable, asked the driver to stop and decided to walk back along the boardwalk of the Ancient Yellow River.

The weather was unusually warm today. Leaning against the stone rail by the river, Zhao Feiyang watched the river, now turning green, and recalled Xu Chunliang’s words. He suddenly realized that it had been a long time since he had contacted Xu Ying. He even forgot to send her New Year blessings, and she hadn’t either. Although he was reluctant to admit it, time and space were quietly widening the distance between them.

Zhao Feiyang took out his phone and dialed Xu Ying’s number. No one answered the first time. He waited a minute and called again.

This time, Xu Ying answered: "Feiyang, how come you have the time to call?"

"Isn’t it a bit late to wish you a Happy New Year now?"

Xu Ying said meaningfully, "As long as you have the heart, it’s never too late."

They both laughed simultaneously. Zhao Feiyang told her about his upcoming marriage, hoping this close friend would come back to Dongzhou to attend his wedding.

Xu Ying’s reaction was genuine; she directly told him she might not have the time.

Zhao Feiyang realized that Xu Ying seemed much more distant from him. He also no longer felt the urge to speak freely with her as before. Time and space had unknowingly created a barrier between them, and after a few polite exchanges, they ended the call.

The sunset remained unchanged, the water flowed as before. As Zhao Feiyang watched his own elongated shadow, he wondered if the only thing that had changed was himself.

As Xu Chunliang walked into Huichun Hall, he saw his grandfather dispensing medicine to someone, a sight he had seen less of recently.

Xu Changshan patiently finished preparing the medicine for the patient and then saw him out the door. It was a habit Elder Xu had developed over many years.

Upon returning, he saw Xu Chunliang drinking tea. Xu Changshan joked, "Back at last?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "Now I understand what it means to be torn between loyalty and filial duty. The leadership gave me three days off. Why are you personally seeing patients today?" It had become rare recently for his grandfather to personally consult patients at Huichun Hall, as Elder Xu was entering a semi-retired state.

Xu Changshan informed him that Zheng Peian was taking his aunt to the high-speed rail station and would be back shortly.

While they were chatting, Zheng Peian walked in from outside: "Chunliang’s back?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Just arrived."

Zheng Peian suggested they go out to eat, but Xu Changshan, having little appetite due to his age, told them to go ahead while he stayed home to rest. He remembered something, saying that Hidden Lake Villa had sent a letter for Xu Chunliang yesterday.

Xu Chunliang opened it to find a house occupancy notice. The villa Xu Jiaxuan had bought for him on his last visit was ready for move-in. With the next few days off, he planned to handle the turnover procedures tomorrow.

Xu Chunliang and Zheng Peian didn’t go far, opting for a newly opened homestyle restaurant next door. Despite being from different generations and having a twenty-year age gap, they were well-matched in temperament, having become close friends who could speak freely with each other.

Xu Chunliang noticed Zheng Peian seemed down today, remembering he had just seen off his aunt, Xu Jiawen, guessing that his mood was likely related to her.

After two glasses of wine, Zheng Peian revealed the truth: he had confessed his feelings to Xu Jiawen today but was rejected. Xu Jiawen clearly told him that she wasn’t considering relationships currently, focusing instead on taking care of her family, suggesting he channel his excess energy into his career.

Zheng Peian had thought he stood a chance after Xu Jiawen’s divorce and her return to work in the mainland, but it seemed she still only regarded him as a friend. Feeling dejected, he even thought she looked down on him for being unambitious, a man in middle age with an unsuccessful career. It was no wonder she wasn’t interested in him.

Xu Chunliang intentionally said, "A forced relationship is not sweet. Since my aunt has no interest in you, you shouldn’t insist. How about I introduce you to someone else?"

Zheng Peian looked at him in astonishment: "Are you even speaking like a human?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "How is it not? There are plenty of other fish in the sea; you can’t hang yourself on one tree."

"I’m not like you, double-dealing. I can’t do this half-hearted thing. I’m set on your aunt. To me, no other woman in the world can compare to her."

"Love is about mutual affection. If she doesn’t like you, no matter how hard you try, it’s in vain."

"Haven’t you heard that sincerity can break through stone?," said Zheng Peian, drinking a glass of wine to regain his resolve. "Don’t think I’ll give up on your aunt easily. I’ve held on for decades; I can handle the rest of my life. Didn’t she tell me to focus on my career? I’ll show her my achievements."

Xu Chunliang gave him a thumbs-up, admiring Old Zheng’s unwavering dedication, and encouraged him, "In my opinion, my aunt isn’t uninterested in you. It’s just that she recently got divorced and has a daughter, unlike you, being a bachelor. She has her concerns."

Zheng Peian nodded, "I think so too. Do you think if I accomplish something in my career, there would be no barriers between us, and your aunt would accept me?"

Xu Chunliang really couldn’t bear to hit Zheng Peian any further and encouraged him, saying, "I think so too."

Zheng Peian said, "By the way, do you really think your aunt likes me?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Xu Chunliang said, "Nonsense, if she wasn’t interested in you at all, would she support my grandpa taking you as an apprentice? You’re always showing concern for nothing, do you think she can’t see through your motives?"

"I’m just showing concern for nothing? I like her, well, you’re smart, an outsider can see more clearly. So, tell me, does she like me?"

This question stumped Xu Chunliang, so he prevaricated, "Well, she doesn’t dislike you."

"Not disliking means liking." Zheng Peian felt slightly better.

They drank a glass of wine together, and Zheng Peian remembered a widely spread rumor recently. He asked Xu Chunliang if he had just set up Changxing. Now, many people say this kid is biting the hand that feeds him, advising Xu Chunliang to be more restrained because he’s still temporarily transferred from Changxing, and his position is still at Changxing Hospital. There’s no benefit in offending the director.

Xu Chunliang briefly explained the situation, telling Zheng Peian that he was with Zhao Feiyang when he returned today. There’s no animosity between them, and Zhao Feiyang even invited him to his wedding.

Zheng Peian said, "Zhao Feiyang and his wife’s reputation isn’t great now. Changxing has turned into their family business. It’s better to keep some distance from them in the future."

Xu Chunliang said, "I wasn’t particularly close with them anyway."

Zheng Peian said, "You might not know this, but Pei Lin is already a director in Jiayue Department Store. If it weren’t for Zhao Feiyang, what qualifications would she have to join Jiayue’s board or become the general manager of Huanyan Health?"

Xu Chunliang knew Jiayue Department Store and Huanyan’s actual controller was Tang Jingwei. It was obvious to anyone that there was an exchange of interests involved. But since he had temporarily left Huanyan, he couldn’t be bothered to comment on Huanyan’s issues. Zhao Feiyang and his wife could do whatever they wanted.

Although he and Zhao Feiyang weren’t friends, they weren’t enemies either. On the way back today, he deliberately brought up Xu Ying to let Zhao Feiyang and Xu Ying have a good talk. In his view, Xu Ying sees things clearly, and Zhao Feiyang should listen to her.

Xu Chunliang said, "Don’t feel so unbalanced. Zhao Feiyang made his choice the day he resigned from public office."

"He can make choices for himself, but he can’t make choices for all our staff. What right does he have to bet all our healthcare workers’ futures?" Zheng Peian expressed the thoughts of many at Changxing.

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Uncle Zheng, you didn’t use to think like this, what happened?" Actually, he knew that Zheng Peian probably got a bit stimulated after being rejected by his aunt.

Zheng Peian said, "Sometimes, I really feel like quitting, but now they don’t allow suspending pay and position anymore, otherwise I’d also want to venture out."

Xu Chunliang said, "Planning to leave Dongzhou?"

Zheng Peian said, "Not necessarily leaving. Changxing Hospital’s Traditional Chinese Medicine department is neither thriving nor perishing. The hospital itself doesn’t pay much attention, so I can’t earn much staying here. I might as well take a chance elsewhere."

Xu Chunliang said, "Then it’s perfect, you can expand Huichun Hall, and make something big out of it."

Zheng Peian said, "That’s not what I mean."

Xu Chunliang said, "Express your thoughts, and I’ll communicate them with grandpa later."

Zheng Peian said, "Although Huichun Hall is a long-established brand, it’s still too small. The current Huichun Hall is just a small clinic. If we want to develop, we must expand scale and investment."

Xu Chunliang said, "Are you planning to open a hospital?"

Zheng Peian said, "I have that idea. There’s a ready-made hospital in Dongzhou’s Chemical Machinery Factory that closed down due to poor management. I want to contract it and open an obstetrics hospital."

"Obstetrics..." Xu Chunliang was taken aback. He thought Zheng Peian wanted to open a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital, but it turns out he wanted to open an obstetrics hospital.

Zheng Peian said, "Obstetrics is the most profitable now, high profit and low risk."

Xu Chunliang said, "Hold on, are you saying you want to use the Huichun Hall’s name to open an obstetrics hospital?"

Zheng Peian said, "No, we’re not talking about the same thing. Huichun Hall is Huichun Hall, and the obstetrics hospital is the obstetrics hospital. How could I use Huichun Hall’s name to open an obstetrics hospital?"

Xu Chunliang sized up Zheng Peian, confirming he wasn’t deranged. His aunt’s rejection had clearly stimulated Zheng Peian, and he wanted to achieve something to show Xu Jiawen that he didn’t want her to look down on him.

Xu Chunliang said, "You better not discuss this with grandpa. If you were opening a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital, he might agree, but an obstetrics hospital, haha! Aren’t you afraid of being expelled from the apprenticeship?"

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