Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “The eyelid kept twitching?” She had no solution to this minor problem. There was no way that they could go to the hospital for this either.

  “Old Qiao, are you around?” Sounds could be heard from outside the house.

  “Old Tan, what’s the matter?” Qiao Dongliang could recognize the voice of Old Tan, his neighbor it the quad. He put down the bowl and chopsticks and went out. “Come in and have some water. Is anything the matter?”

  “I have no time for water.” Old Tan shook his head. “Old Qiao, there’s bad news. Your elder daughter, Qiao Zijin, had a fall and it seemed to be quite serious. She has been sent to the hospital. Ding Jiayi said she was worried that Qiao Zijin might suffer from a concussion. She was so scared that she burst into tears. I don’t know the exact situation. We have to wait for the doctor’s diagnosis. The situation did not seem right, so I came to inform you.”

  “What? Zijin had a fall? What do you mean by concussion?”

  “I don’t know. It seemed to be quite serious.” Old Tan shook his head.

  “Nan Nan, do you know what ‘concussion’ is? Is it very serious?” Qiao Dongliang panicked and looked toward Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Nan had a shock when she heard that Qiao Zijin fell and had a concussion. She spilled the porridge in the bowl. “C-concussion?”

  “Yes, concussion.”

  “Nan Nan, what is concussion?” Qiao Dongliang looked at Qiao Nan. Among the three people who were present, Qiao Nan was the most educated. He could only ask Qiao Nan for an explanation.

  “There are different severities of concussion. If it is just a mild concussion, there will not be much of a problem, and a short rest will do. But if it is a serious fall……” Then, it would be fatal.

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  “No, I have to go to the hospital to take a look!” Qiao Nan had not finished her sentence, but Qiao Dongliang had already understood her meaning. In other words, if the fall was serious, his elder daughter would be in trouble.

  “Yes, you should hurry to the hospital. Remember to bring along some money. If need be, you must not save on the money.” Old Tan sighed. The Qiao family had been down on their luck these few years. Misfortunes befell the family one after another.

  “Right, I will bring some money.” Qiao Dongliang took all the money at home, put on his clothes, and was about to leave.

  Qiao Nan stood up. “Dad, shall I go as well?”

  “No, you shall stay at home. If your sister’s situation is not serious, I will be back soon. You must not tire yourself out. In case your sister’s condition is serious, you still have to go to school today. Studies are always more important.” Qiao Dongliang put on his clothes and headed outside with Old Tan, telling Qiao Nan to stay behind. “Old Tan, is it the same old hospital?”

  “Yes, it’s the hospital you went to last time.”

  “Alright, let’s go.”

  Qiao Nan leaned against the door frame with a look of worry as she watched Qiao Dongliang and Old Tan left the house.

  But the next instant, Qiao Nan gaped in shock. “Wait, that’s not right. Mom and Dad are not well-educated. If Dad doesn’t know what a concussion is, how would Mom know about it?”

  By the time Qiao Nan realized that the situation was not right, it was already too late.

  Qiao Dongliang was very worried about Qiao Zijin. He pedaled as fast as he could and rushed to the hospital in no time. “Hello, do you have a patient by the name of Qiao Zijin? I am her father. I would like to know how my daughter is right now. What’s her condition? Is she okay? Did she have a concussion? Is it serious?”

  “Qiao Zijin?” The nurse paused momentarily. There was a strange expression on the face. “There is such a person, but……”

  “So how is she doing now?”

  “Well……” The nurse twitched the corners of her lips. She was about to continue when a voice interrupted their conversation.

  “Dad!”

  “Zijin?” Qiao Dongliang turned and saw Qiao Zijin standing right behind him. She smiled at him and looked perfectly fine. “Zijin, are you okay? I heard that you fell down. Where did you hurt yourself? Does your head still hurt? Tell me if you feel uncomfortable. What did the doctor say?”

  “Dad, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Qiao Zijin’s eyes flashed a glimmer of victory. She knew that her father still cared a lot for her. “I might have been too nervous and stressful for my studies. This morning, I fainted and fell. Mom was so worried that she sent me to the hospital. Dad, rest assured. I am in good health, and there isn’t anything wrong with me.” Most importantly, she managed to get her father to come out of his ‘hiding place’.

  Qiao Zijin grabbed the arm of Qiao Dongliang. “Dad, I am back from school this week. Why didn’t you come to see me? Mom said that you have moved. Where did you move to? Why did you ignore me?”

  “Are you really okay?” Qiao Dongliang did not believe her words. He looked at her intently. “If you don’t feel well, you must let me know. Don’t hide it from me. I heard from Nan Nan that concussion is not to be taken lightly.”

  Qiao Zijin smiled. It was rare that Qiao Nan’s intelligence would actually aid her in her plan to get her father to come looking for her. “I am fine. The doctor said so. It’s just that I am under a lot of stress. I will be fine after some rest. Dad, since I am fine, shall we go home?”

  “No, let me get more information from your doctor.” Qiao Dongliang wanted to know the details as this concerned his daughter’s life.

  He needed to hear from the doctor himself that Qiao Zijin was fine.

  “What’s there to check? Can’t you see that it is so crowded at the hospital? The doctor is busy with the patients. Anyway, the doctor said that Zijin is fine. Are you hoping for something to happen to her?” Ding Jiayi was full of anger at the sight of Qiao Dongliang. “Alright, stop wasting the doctor’s time. The doctor needs to check on other patients. Everything is fine, so let’s go home.”

  “Dad, let’s go home. I have been away for half a month. I miss you, Dad,” Qiao Zijin said with a smile. She dragged Qiao Dongliang to the Qiao’s house in the quad.

  By the time Qiao Dongliang returned to the courtyard house, it was already late in the afternoon.

  “Dad, you are back. I will be off to school then.” Qiao Nan carried her bag in silence and prepared to go out.

  Qiao Dongliang looked embarrassed. “Nan Nan, aren’t you worried about your sister’s condition?”

  Qiao Nan smiled reluctantly. “Dad, rather than worrying about my sister, I am more concerned about your wallet.”

  “You knew about it?” Qiao Dongliang was shocked. He was not as shocked when he realized that Qiao Zijin was fine.

  Qiao Nan smirked. How could she not know? When she realized that her mother could not possibly have known about concussion, she was reminded of how her mother would always come up with tricks to get money from her time and time again in the previous life. “Dad, I am going to school. Dad, you know what my mom did previously. The school lent us this place to live in, so it will not be appropriate for mom to come here. Perhaps, you should consider moving back to the quad.”