Chapter Fifty-Five: What Should I Do If Zhong Di Misunderstands Me? (Seeking Recommendations)

The next morning, before the alarm even rang, Zhong Di was already up and working, much to Shao Hong’s surprise. He wanted to finish his tasks early, as today he’d accompany his father to Kulun City. Last night, he and his sister had agreed to leave the hospital promptly at ten.

“Zhong Di, besides circumcision and applying the foliar fertilizer, is there anything else?” Shao Hong asked once they’d nearly finished the chores. When it came to orchard management, Shao Hong lacked experience and often needed Zhong Di’s advice.

“Uncle Zhang should be here soon. Just tell him: do two cuts for the circumcision, five centimeters apart. The rest is staking the jujube shoots and fixing the chicken coop. That’s all for now,” Zhong Di replied after a brief thought, listing the urgent tasks.

The chicken coop was set up on the third plot to the west. Zhong Di planned to dig a small fish pond in the second plot—a realization that struck him during the recent fish release.

“Alright, it’s almost time. You’d better head to the hospital!” Shao Hong urged. Zhong Di nodded and left. As he did, Uncle Zhang arrived, and he left the remaining arrangements to Shao Hong.

Driving his electric tricycle to the hospital, it was nearly nine. His sister and brother-in-law hadn’t arrived yet. They’d called earlier, saying they’d be there around half past nine.

“I thought it over last night. Once my leg heals, I’ll work in the field,” Zhong Tian told Zhong Di as soon as he arrived. The money he made now was nothing compared to his son’s earnings; there was no point in continuing. Better to accept that he was getting older.

“What about you, Mom?” Zhong Di turned and asked his mother.

“You haven’t bought the land yet. I’ll wait until you do before resigning,” she replied, her eyes resolute. Zhong Di knew this wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly.

Not long after, his sister and brother-in-law arrived. Strangely, his father didn’t argue with his sister this time.

“Where’s Xiaoxi?” Zhong Di asked his brother-in-law while his sister and parents spoke together. It looked as if an argument might erupt, but soon everyone was smiling. The conflict had been resolved, and Zhong Di felt relieved. Inviting his sister had been the right call. At that moment, the family atmosphere finally eased.

“Her grandmother’s looking after her. By the way, the money you’re owed will be transferred in a couple of days. Thank you for that,” Chen Chen said, having calculated the profits from recent deliveries—quite a tidy sum.

“We’re family. Let’s get going for Dad’s checkup. Say something nice to him later; he’s stubborn but always thinking of you, especially Xiaoxi. He adores her. Every time she visits, he pretends to be indifferent, but he’s always secretly watching her.”

“I understand.” After a few words with his brother-in-law, his parents finished talking. With Zhong Di and his brother-in-law supporting him, their father left the hospital and got into the truck.

With two rows of seats, the truck could hold five including the driver. His brother-in-law drove, Zhong Di sat in front, and his mother and sister looked after their father in the back.

Shache County was not far from Kulun City; less than an hour later, they arrived at the Kulun City People’s Hospital. After an hour-long examination, all that remained was to wait for the results.

They waited for hours.

In the ward, his father was eating an apple his sister had peeled for him, a rare smile on his face—one Zhong Di hadn’t seen in a long time.

“A family member of Zhong Tian, please,” a resident doctor called from the doorway.

His mother had gone to buy food, and his brother-in-law had stepped out for a moment. With only his sister and father left, Zhong Di went.

“How is my father? Is there a problem?”

“Fortunately you came for a re-examination. There is a minor issue—if left unattended, it could affect his walking in the future. Simply put, it’s a small cartilage injury. A minor surgery will suffice.”

“I see. When will the surgery be scheduled?” Since the problem was found, there was no sense in delay.

“The operating rooms are quite busy recently. I’ll put you on the list, but I can’t say exactly which day. You’ll have to go home and wait,” the resident replied, frowning at the crowded schedule. Oddly, there had been an unusual number of bone injuries lately, and the orthopedics ward was nearly full—a rare occurrence.

Zhong Di understood and could only agree to wait in the hospital. Though he wasn’t an expert, he could tell the injury wasn’t too serious.

Leaving the office, he headed back toward the ward.

“Zhong Di? Is that you?”

A familiar voice called from behind. It was Su Rou. Today, she was dressed simply, nothing like the fashionable Sun Miao-miao, but Zhong Di could tell she was a natural beauty who needed no adornment.

“I thought I was mistaken—it really is you. A relative of mine hurt his leg, so I came to visit. What about you?”

“My father as well—a cartilage injury that needs surgery.”

“When? Is it scheduled?” Su Rou’s concern was evident, though she didn’t know why she felt so anxious.

“They said the operating rooms are busy and told us to wait.”

“Let me make a call, see if we can get your father in earlier. Orthopedics, right?”

“No need. If my father goes first, someone else will be pushed back. That wouldn’t be right. We’re all patients here; waiting a couple of days is fine,” Zhong Di refused. Su Rou probably knew someone in the hospital, but unless it was urgent, he didn’t want to take advantage.

“Still, I’ll make a call. The sooner he’s treated, the better. The head of orthopedics is my uncle.”

“Su Rou, what have I always taught you? How can you abuse your privileges?” A deep, middle-aged voice interrupted. Approaching was a man in his forties, looking younger than Zhong Di’s father.

“Dad... I... I was wrong,” Su Rou admitted quickly.

“Young man, what’s your name? Your attitude just now was correct and admirable.”

“Hello, sir. My name is Zhong Di. I have something to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.” Seeing the situation, Zhong Di decided to slip away. He didn’t know exactly what Su Rou’s father did, but the man’s bearing spoke volumes.

Since Su Rou had introduced him to Yang Yi, and later brought her friend Lin Xiao to the orchard, Zhong Di had suspected her family was at least influential if not wealthy.

“Very well. Take care. Come visit us when you have time.”

“I will.” With that, Zhong Di left.

“Dad, you’re always warning me not to bring boys home, so why did you say that?” Su Rou complained after Zhong Di left. Her father’s words made it sound as if she was always bringing boys home, when in fact she’d never done so. What if Zhong Di misunderstood?

“Afraid he’ll get the wrong idea? I usually forbid you because most of your friends are either spoiled or lack character. But I think that young man is different,” her father said, glancing in the direction Zhong Di had gone.

“Oh, you just think he’s like you—doesn’t like special treatment, isn’t that right, Mr. District Chief?” she teased.

“Go on, enough nonsense. I’ll deal with you when we get home.”

…

When Zhong Di returned to the ward, his mother was back with food, and his sister and father were chatting happily.

“Zhong Di, what did the doctor say?” Zhong Hui asked as soon as he entered. She and their father had finally spoken openly over the past days. In hindsight, there had been nothing to be so stubborn about—just pride.

“Don’t worry, let me explain. Dad has a minor cartilage injury—he’ll need a small procedure, nothing major.”

Zhong Di tried to be as clear as possible, knowing that a poor explanation might make his mother panic.

“What? A surgery? Oh, Zhong, at your age, why burden the children? I told you to stop working, but you’re so stubborn!”

As expected, no matter how Zhong Di explained, his mother was still distressed.

“Mom, don’t worry, it’s just a minor cartilage procedure—really minor.”

“Even a minor surgery is still surgery!”

…

Half an hour later, with Zhong Di and Zhong Hui’s reassurance, their mother finally stopped crying.

The surgery would take a few days to schedule, and their mother took more leave from work. The factory couldn’t complain—everyone faces family emergencies at times.

By afternoon, Zhong Di and his sister and brother-in-law returned to Shache County. They all had work, and their mother would look after their father.

That’s what a partner is for—a spouse can stay by your side, but children can’t always be there.

By the time Zhong Di returned to the orchard, night had fallen. Based on the day’s progress, the circumcision was done, the foliar fertilizer applied, the chicken coop secured—only the jujube shoots remained.

“You wouldn’t believe it, Zhong Di—Uncle Zhang kept insisting today that for strong jujube growth, we should girdle the trees, not just make cuts. I told him we’re following your plan,” Shao Hong reported.

“He’s right about girdling,” Zhong Di replied.

“Then why did we just make cuts?” Shao Hong was puzzled—if girdling was correct, why not do it?

“First, our jujube trees haven’t been properly managed for years. Girdling would weaken them; I’m worried the trees would die before the fruit ripens. Second, I want to experiment—to see the difference between girdling and cutting. Techniques aren’t set in stone; we should always seek innovation.”

That was Zhong Di’s conviction.