The Young Urban Doctor

Standing beside Ling Ruonan, Luo Liansheng was dressed as usual, in a robe with the lapels crossed, his hair coiled into a bun on top of his head, exuding the demeanor of an immortal about him.

“Ling’er, you’re back,” Ling Ruonan said as she wiped her eyes, which had turned red at the sight of Luo Ziling’s excitement. “Your grandfather came this afternoon. I didn’t tell you on the phone because I wanted to give you a surprise.”

“Ling’er, did you miss Grandpa?” Luo Liansheng laughed heartily seeing how excitedly Luo Ziling looked at him, his eyes red with emotion. “How did you learn to cry? Good boy, you’ve changed so much in less than two months I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Grandpa,” Luo Ziling walked up to Luo Liansheng and called out before biting his lip hard to keep the tears in his eyes from falling.

After school started, he had written several letters to Luo Liansheng but had not received any replies, which made him very worried that something unexpected had happened to his grandfather.

Yet, he believed his grandfather couldn’t possibly have met with an accident, since his grandfather’s martial arts skills were stronger than his, and even his wilderness survival skills were superior. He guessed that his grandfather hadn’t stayed in the small mountain village but had gone elsewhere, perhaps to wander or to treat others, and that he would see his letters once he returned home.

Although the small mountain village was remote, the postal carrier would still visit from time to time, delivering letters or parcels to the villagers.

He never expected to encounter his grandfather in Yanjing, and at his mother Ling Ruonan’s home, no less.

In the past, although he was often separated from his grandfather, he would wait at home for him to return. His grandfather would not stay away for long, usually just ten days to half a month at most. Luo Ziling had never been apart from his grandfather for more than half a month. Having been raised by Luo Liansheng since childhood, his grandfather held an irreplaceable place in his heart, a presence that was both fatherly and motherly, which made Luo Ziling feel that his grandfather was even more significant than his mother Ling Ruonan.

Not having seen him for nearly two months, he missed him terribly. Before going to sleep, he often thought of his grandfather, recalling moments they had spent together, and even frequently saw his grandfather in his dreams, gathering herbs on the mountain, practicing martial arts, writing, and playing the flute together. Once, he had dreamt about martial arts practice and unwittingly kicked the upper bunk so hard that he almost knocked Li Fuming, who was asleep on it, to the floor, scaring the poor guy half to death.

“Ling’er, are you surprised?” Ling Ruonan asked as she saw Luo Ziling’s emotional reaction. Wiping away her own tears and smiling, she quickly pulled his hand, “Grandpa missed you too, otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to come here.”

“Grandpa, I feel like I’m in a dream,” Luo Ziling said in a daze, staring at Luo Liansheng’s benevolent face, “I wrote you letters, but never received a reply. I’ve been so worried.”

“After you left, Grandpa also went out, and since then, I haven’t returned home,” Luo Liansheng said, patting Luo Ziling’s head with a smile. “I’ve been thinking about you too, worrying that you might not be used to living in Yanjing. I just didn’t expect that you would meet your mother so quickly. I was thinking that maybe during the New Year or your great-grandfather’s birthday, you two might see each other.”

While speaking, he glanced at Ling Ruonan who stood to the side, “However, you and your mother meeting so early has made some people uncomfortable, and it has put others in a difficult position.”

“Dad, I was too anxious, but I couldn’t bear to see Ling’er being bullied like that,” Ling Ruonan said, her face turning slightly red, her explanation somewhat shy: “But rest assured, I won’t let him be hurt again.”

Calling Luo Liansheng “Dad” in front of Luo Ziling still felt a bit unnatural for Ling Ruonan.

After all, she had never formally married Luo Xusheng.

In the past, she was too embarrassed to do so, but now she was willing to call him that. It just sounded a bit awkward and unnatural as she did.

Ling Ruonan called him this way, and Luo Liansheng looked a bit surprised because Ling Ruonan had never called him like this before. However, he immediately agreed with a cheerful laugh, “No problem, since you, his mother, are here, and Yue is quite smart, no one will be able to bully him.”

“Dad, I haven’t done well enough, I failed to protect Ling’er.”

“It’s good for him to be tempered a bit,” Luo Liansheng didn’t mind and chuckled before he continued to look at Luo Ziling with affection.

“Dad, Ling’er, let’s sit down and talk,” Ling Ruonan took Luo Ziling by the hand and then called out to Luo Liansheng, “Yue just went to treat Li Haiyang, I will fill you in on some details.”

“How is Li Haiyang’s illness?” Luo Liansheng asked Luo Ziling, before explaining, “Actually, he had sent someone to invite me to treat him a while ago, but I didn’t agree. I was quite angry about some past issues, and I also wanted to use his influence to help you establish yourself more easily in Yanjing, so I let you go to treat him.”

Luo Ziling was surprised to hear Luo Liansheng say this, as some of his speculations were confirmed, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how well his grandfather had planned everything.

He didn’t conceal anything and recounted the whole process of treating Li Haiyang.

“Hehe, I didn’t expect that before you came to the Capital, you had also saved an underling of Li Haiyang,” Luo Liansheng said with a chuckle as he stroked the beard under his forehead, “That’s really interesting indeed.”

“Dad, why don’t you and grandson have a chat alone, and I’ll go prepare dinner with Wuyue.” Ling Ruonan stood up, “Later, you and Ling’er can have a drink, we’ve got some fine Yuezhou Taidiao, a ten-year vintage.”

“Alright, I will have a talk with Ling’er,” Luo Liansheng didn’t refuse and agreed readily.

Ling Ruonan immediately summoned Wuyue, who was waiting outside, and went to the kitchen to cook with her.

“Ling’er, your mom mentioned that you’ve been hanging out with the granddaughter of the Yang Family?” Luo Liansheng brought up the topic first.

Upon hearing this, Luo Ziling felt embarrassed but did not deny it and briefly described his interaction with Yang Qingyin to Luo Liansheng.

After speaking, he added, “Grandpa, initially we were unaware of each other’s identities, and just enjoyed hanging out together before planning to go out and have fun. I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.”

The smile on Luo Liansheng’s face faded, and he gazed steadily at Luo Ziling, finally letting out a long sigh, “Ah, why do the men of the Luo Family always meet women who are difficult to bring home as brides? Your mother must have told you about the past, right? Hehe, your grandmother, your mother, they were both from influential families, and in the end, it brought so much resentment and enmity. Now, I never imagined that the same situation would happen to you again.”

Seeing the complexity in Luo Liansheng’s expression as he said these words, Luo Ziling felt a shiver in his heart, knowing his grandfather, who rarely showed his feelings openly, must have been deeply affected by something that touched a vulnerable spot in his heart.

Luo Ziling believed that the impact of the relationship between his grandfather and his grandmother from the Chen Family was still significant in his grandfather’s life.

All of a sudden, he didn’t know what to say!