Publish Time: 2026-07-03 01:32:00
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«Chapter 539: Never As Sweet As Childhood
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The woman held her son and cried for a long time. Wang Xingsheng also cried tears of joy. His mother’s leg ailment had been their family’s deep worry for many years. Seeing hope now, they couldn’t hold back their tears.
Manager Wang rushed over.
“The noodles are here, the noodles are here…”
Manager Wang looked flustered, thinking of his wife’s condition all the time.
He had hurried so much on the way that soup had spilled all over him.
Seeing Mr. Chen already sitting in the courtyard, he quickly asked, “Mr. Chen, how is my wife’s leg?”
Chen Changsheng said, “No big trouble now. After a few days of rest, she’ll be able to stand again.”
When Manager Wang heard this, he got very excited.
“Thank heavens, thank heavens!”
In his hurry, he even forgot to say thanks and rushed into the house.
Three bowls of noodles sat on the table.
Chen Changsheng went to the kitchen and brought out two pairs of chopsticks and a small bowl.
“Since no one has eaten this early morning, I specially asked Manager Wang to cook three bowls of noodles. Eat.”
Ruyi had just eaten Candied Hawthorn and naturally had a big appetite when she saw the noodles.
“Time for noodles!” Ruyi smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating.
Chen Changsheng placed some noodles in the small bowl and set it before the tabby cat, Lihua.
Lihua sniffed and then began eating too.
Ordinary cats wouldn’t eat this, but Lihua usually wasn’t picky. It had no such concerns.
But after just two bites,
Wang Xingsheng walked out of the house and knelt before Chen Changsheng.
“Mr. Chen, please accept my bow.”
This startled Ruyi.
As Chen Changsheng saw this and was about to speak,
Wang Xingsheng knocked his head on the ground three times without another word.
Chen Changsheng sighed and looked over. He saw Wang Xingsheng’s eyes were slightly red, tear tracks clearly visible on his face, and his forehead had turned red from knocking, even oozing some blood.
“Young sir, please rise quickly.”
Before Chen Changsheng could help Wang Xingsheng up,
Manager Wang came out pushing his wife.
Once before Chen Changsheng, they both knelt with a thump.
“Mr. Chen saved my wife. Wang will never forget such great kindness. Please, accept my bow too…”
Chen Changsheng froze for a moment, seeming a bit startled.
Ruyi eating noodles also froze in place.
The woman seated in the wheeled chair bowed her head slightly and said, “This old woman thanks you for this life-renewing kindness.”
Chen Changsheng snapped back to himself and said, “Please get up! All of you, please get up!”
Ruyi also came back to her senses and quickly stood to pull them up.
A moment later, both father and son stood.
Of course, tears of gratitude fell once more. The young man was the most emotional, thanking them nonstop. Like before, he vowed again to “work like an ox or a horse.”
But this wasn’t just polite talk.
When he said it, he truly meant it. His mother had been low in spirits these past years, and her health had worsened. This cure felt like having her life saved. Filled with filial love, he thought: as long as his mother was cured, what did it matter if he had to work like an ox or a horse?
When everyone’s feelings settled down a little,
Chen Changsheng said, “Madam’s injury isn’t fully healed yet. Manager Wang and young sir needn’t be so agitated. Have a cup of tea and rest a while.”
Hearing this, Ruyi said, “I’ll brew some tea.”
She picked up the teacups and went to the kitchen.
Seeing this, father and son gradually calmed down.
Chen Changsheng then added, “Also, Manager Wang and young sir must remember: the long bandages on Madam’s legs cannot be removed for half a month, and they must not get wet. Otherwise, the wound might fester and threaten her life.”
“We’ve remembered it. We have,” Manager Wang nodded repeatedly.
Then he spoke again, “Mr. Chen cured my wife, but I don’t know how to repay you. Over the years running the noodle shop, I’ve only saved some silver coins. I’ll have someone bring them over this afternoon. You really must accept it.”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng quickly waved his hands. “Where do such words come from, Manager Wang? I had a very good friendship with your late father. This was just a small effort. Why use all your family’s wealth? Even if you truly bring it over, I absolutely will not accept.”
“But…”
Manager Wang looked very anxious, like he must repay this debt somehow. If not with money, then with something else.
Beside him, Wang Xingsheng quickly said, “Surely Mr. Chen must charge a fee for treating patients?”
“Yes, yes! The consultation fee!” Manager Wang said.
“The consultation fee…”
Chen Changsheng stroked his chin, glanced down at the noodles on the table, and said, “Aren’t there three bowls of noodles right here?”
Manager Wang paused.
Chen Changsheng seemed to remember something else and smiled. “Ah, and there’s also that jar of rock candy.”
The three of them looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.
Wang Xingsheng knelt again and said firmly, “Your honor is beyond measure!”
Just then, Ruyi came out with freshly brewed tea.
“Tea is ready…” she paused midway.
How had everyone knelt again in the short time it took to brew a pot?
The most carefree one in the courtyard was probably the tabby cat.
It just kept lowering its head, eating from the small bowl without stopping.
It ate until the bowl was empty.
Lihua lifted its head and looked around.
“Meow?”
With this soft call, everyone’s mood gradually softened.
A small table, a few people sitting around it.
Poured some tea, and started talking.
Feeling much more comfortable.
…
Half an hour later, the three from the Wang family said goodbye and left.
As they departed, they thanked Chen Changsheng once more and promised to visit again another day.
Chen Changsheng specifically told them not to bring gifts; he wouldn’t accept their money either. Only then did they stop insisting.
After seeing the guests off, Chen Changsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down in the courtyard.
Ruyi also sighed and stretched her limbs.
Ruyi asked, “Uncle Chen, how do you handle situations like this so calmly?”
“Hmm?” Chen Changsheng seemed puzzled.
“If it were me, I’d panic as soon as they knelt down. I wouldn’t even know what to say.”
Though she managed an Embroidery Workshop, such a display of profound gratitude was a first for her.
Chen Changsheng smiled and asked, “Don’t you think they are very dear people?”
“Dear?”
“Mm.”
Chen Changsheng said, “Actually, Madam Wang is quite old already. You’ve grown up, Ruyi, and seen much these years. You should also know how children or relatives often treat elderly people in other families when they become paralyzed or disabled.”
Ruyi paused upon hearing this, and her expression darkened.
Chen Changsheng continued, “Manager Wang was willing to spend all his family’s money for this, and his son knocked his head again and again, even saying he’d work like an ox or horse without complaint. That kind of love is truly rare.”
Ruyi shook her head, her gaze seeming distant.
“When I was little, I always thought such things were simply… what should be done.”
Loyalty, propriety, and righteousness – these she learned from books. But filial piety was something she felt, deep down since childhood, was simply right. That conviction never changed.
Chen Changsheng said, “I also think it should be that way. But we cannot deny that certain other realities exist. You, Ruyi, only need to focus on being your best self.”
“I understand that,” Ruyi replied.
She then remembered something. “The Candied Hawthorns… Uncle Chen, you haven’t eaten yours yet.”
Chen Changsheng smiled warmly. “I’ll eat it now.”
«Chapter 539: Never As Sweet As Childhood
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