Chapter 248
Chapter 248
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 248
>Chapter Title: Sun Xiaoqin
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“Mom, wake up. Come on, wake up.” In a daze, Sun Xiaoqin seemed to hear her son calling out to her.
She thought she was dreaming again. But when she rubbed her eyes and sat up from the recliner, she was shocked to see Li Huowang on the bed, looking right at her.
“Son? You’re finally clear-headed again?”
Sun Xiaoqin hurriedly grabbed the calendar nearby and jotted something down.
“Son, look at this. The intervals between your clear moments seem to be getting shorter. Does that mean your illness is almost cured?”
Li Huowang looked at her with a smile and nodded.
“Yeah, maybe it really is getting better.”
“That’s wonderful! Oh, right, are you hungry? Have an orange? Sigh, when you’re not clear-headed, you keep babbling nonsense all day. I have no idea if you’re even eating enough.”
Sun Xiaoqin pulled a bag of small mandarin oranges out from under the recliner—packed in a red plastic bag—and peeled one with her hands.
“Mom, I’m not hungry. Have you been here with me this whole time?”
Sun Xiaoqin sat on the edge of Li Huowang’s bed and gently stroked his face with her right hand, which carried the fresh scent of orange peel. She looked at him with heartache.
“Don’t worry, Mom’s right here. Doctor Wang said that if I stay by your side and you see me every day, it can help your condition improve.”
“Don’t listen to him. He’s just a fraud.” As he gazed at his mother before him, Li Huowang’s voice trembled slightly.
“Alright, alright, alright. Mom will listen to you. We won’t hire him anymore. Look what he did to my son’s face. Once we save up enough money, we’ll go abroad and find the best doctors.”
Hearing her tone, which was like coaxing a child, Li Huowang’s lips twitched slightly. Finally, tears slowly slid down his cheeks.
“Son, don’t cry. Why are you crying? Did that Wang Wei bully you while I was gone? Tell me, and I’ll go sort him out!”
Sun Xiaoqin’s eyebrows shot up in an instant, and the defiant woman from before returned.
Li Huowang shook his head vigorously, unsure if he was denying her words or trying to shake off his tears.
“Mom, my hands are a bit numb. Can you untie them for me?”
“Sure thing! Right away!” Sun Xiaoqin immediately started untying the wide cloth straps around Li Huowang’s wrists.
She didn’t even consider the possibility that Li Huowang might go mad and attack her. After all, he was flesh of her flesh.
Controlling his newly freed hands, he rubbed his numb wrists and wiped the tears from his face.
Then Li Huowang reached into his blanket and slowly pulled out the golden box he had brought from the other side.
“Mom, here. These are all for you.” Smiling Li Huowang explained softly as he pressed the golden box into his mother’s arms.
“This... this...” Staring at the contents of her arms, Sun Xiaoqin was clearly panicked. Her mind was a whirlwind. Where on earth did all this gold come from?!
Li Huowang took a small gold ingot from the box, held it in his palm, and placed it before Sun Xiaoqin. With longing in his eyes, he said:
“Mom, look. With these, you can not only buy back our house, but also buy a few more.”
“You could even buy some shops to collect rent from. Then you and Dad won’t have to work anymore—you’ll have money coming in every month.”
“And you always said you wanted to travel abroad after retirement, right? Now you don’t have to wait. You can go right now. With all this gold, you can go wherever you want.”
After saying this, Li Huowang pulled a pair of exquisite jade earrings from his pocket and offered them with both hands.
“Mom, this is the birthday gift I owed Nana. Please pass it on to her for me. And also, tell her...”
Li Huowang paused here. Memories from before flashed through his mind, and his expression twisted in conflict. He finally took a sharp breath, forcing back the emotions that were about to erupt.
“Mom, please tell her: Nana, I’m sorry. Don’t wait for me anymore.”
Hearing her son say these things, Sun Xiaoqin truly began to panic. He sounded just like he was leaving final instructions.
She hurriedly set the golden box on the bed and rushed to the door, shouting into the empty hallway outside:
“Doctor! Duty doctor, come quick!”
She rushed back in, cradling Li Huowang’s hands in her own, choking as she said:
“Son, what’s wrong with you? Did something happen? Tell Mom! I’ll figure it out for you! No matter how big the trouble, I can handle it. Don’t scare me like this!”
Li Huowang smiled at his tearful mother and placed the golden box between them, holding it with both hands.
“Mom, why are you crying? You should be happy. Look at all this gold. We’re rich now.”
“I don’t want gold! I want my son back!” Sun Xiaoqin lunged forward, clutching Li Huowang’s head and sobbing loudly.
Hearing her cries, Li Huowang’s heart ached like it was being stabbed. He even considered not eating the Black Tai Sui anymore, staying here forever so they could be together always.
But when he recalled Bai Lingmiao’s swollen face from before, he turned his head away forcefully.
“I can’t abandon reality for a false illusion! I have to take responsibility for myself!”
“But...” Li Huowang hugged his mother tightly, feeling the intensity of her emotions. “It feels so real. Could it really be fake?”
Just then, Li Huowang saw Wang Wei in white clothes enter the ward with his students.
Li Huowang smiled at him.
“Doctor Wang, I’m leaving. We probably won’t meet again. How about a bet?”
“You say this side is reality, right? If you’ve got the skills to make me wake up clear-headed again, I’ll admit this really is reality.”
Holding his mother, Li Huowang said his final words with a smile and slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he found himself back in the vast Qingqiu. Gazing at the blue sky and green earth, Li Huowang took a deep breath.
Once the others untied the chains binding them, Li Huowang scanned their faces one by one. He shoved the golden box into Sun Baolu’s arms and turned toward the tent holding the Black Tai Sui.
Chun Xiaoman watched his back with a worried expression. Just moments ago, when he’d had his hysteria, he’d been crying and laughing.
“Hurry and follow him, keep an eye on him. Senior Brother Li seems different today.”
Soon, when they reached the tent, they saw their Senior Brother Li clutching the Black Tai Sui’s flesh, his emotions surging.
“Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong? Didn’t you say eating this can temporarily cure the hysteria? This is good news. Why’s he crying?” No one answered Sun Baolu’s words.
They all stood there silently, watching as Li Huowang wept loudly while devouring the bloody flesh in huge bites.