Chapter 454: Credit
"Uncle, I don’t have school tomorrow, so I can stay a little longer today. I’ll come over early tomorrow, so you just wait for me to wash your face for you."
"You’re a grown man, and I still have to wash your face, hands, and feet for you. It’s fine for a little while, but not for too long. You’d better wake up soon, or I’m going to make fun of you later."
Little Tang Mo was usually a quiet boy, but he became much more talkative around Wu Sheng, chattering away without a pause.
He was only a little boy, but because he had taken care of Su Li before, his movements were quite skilled as he cared for Wu Sheng.
Whenever he came, he would make Su Li and Wu Qihua rest, insisting on taking over the caregiving himself unless it was something he couldn’t do.
"I’m a big kid now. I can take care of him, too." Those were Little Tang Mo’s exact words.
Little Tang Mo chattered away the moment he entered the hospital room, his hands busy with one task after another.
Su Li and Wu Qihua watched him as they ate their dumplings, their eyes filled with amusement and comfort.
"This child... he’s just so precious."
Wu Qihua had always been fond of Little Tang Mo, but it had been the kind of affection one feels for a younger-generation child.
But now, watching Little Tang Mo bustle about, she felt for the first time a sincere desire to treat him as her own grandson.
’Having one of your own blood is wonderful, of course, but even if he isn’t, having a grandson like this wouldn’t be bad at all, would it?’
At his age, how many children—even one’s own—could be as capable as him? Yet Little Tang Mo was.
Looking at Su Li, and then at Little Tang Mo, she believed the boy would always be this way.
’The child is father to the man. Such a good boy, so endearing.’
Su Li saw the loving look in Wu Qihua’s eyes and smiled faintly.
"Wu Sheng and he always love to bicker whenever they see each other. Now that Wu Sheng is hurt, he’s so anxious and heartbroken for him."
Su Li’s stomach was still hurting, so she ate her dumplings slowly and didn’t have many.
Wu Qihua, watching Little Tang Mo, actually ate a little more than usual.
They hadn’t brought many dumplings, and there were a few left over, which they planned to heat up and eat later.
Tang Yuanxiao checked the time and left, saying he would be back in the evening to pick up Little Tang Mo.
For the past couple of days, Tang Yuanxiao had been staying in the apartment across from Su Li’s.
When he had first rented the place, he had been in a hurry and paid two years’ rent upfront. That was why there hadn’t been any new tenants.
He never had the chance to move in back then, and the apartment had long since been covered in dust. It was only by a stroke of luck, needing to be close by to look after Little Tang Mo, that he was living there again.
After Tang Yuanxiao left, Su Li began to consider hiring a helper.
Tang Yuanxiao or Li Hongqin and the others could only help out for a short time.
They were all busy; long-term help wasn’t an option. And as for Wu Sheng, there was no telling when he would wake up.
Although Su Li believed in her heart that Wu Sheng would wake up soon, she had to be practical and plan for the worst.
Su Li brought the matter up with Wu Qihua. "...We need to find someone trustworthy and reliable."
Because of a bad experience from Wu Sheng’s childhood, Wu Qihua was dead set against hiring a helper for her own home, but she didn’t object in this case.
"If it’s someone trustworthy and reliable, then yes, that would be fine. It would take some of the pressure off you. I know more people, so I can help you keep an eye out for someone."
Su Li nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Auntie."
"Silly girl, there’s no need for ’thank you’ between us at a time like this." Wu Qihua patted Su Li’s hand.
Wu Sheng’s grave injury had brought her and Su Li much closer.
"After tomorrow, we both have to go back to work and school. Su Li, I want to talk to you about taking turns watching over Wu Sheng."
"Taking turns?" Su Li asked.
Wu Qihua nodded. "Yes. Wu Sheng is recovering now, and in his condition, he can’t be left alone. But we can’t both just waste away at the hospital doing nothing. That’s not realistic."
She felt the same as Su Li. As much as she wished Wu Sheng would wake up at any second, she had to prepare for other possibilities.
"Starting the day after tomorrow, let’s take turns caring for Wu Sheng. There are many things at my school that I can’t get away from, and you have your own career and studies. You can’t let everything come to a halt just because of him."
"I remember you saying your classes are mostly in the morning. From now on, you go to your classes in the morning, and I’ll come take care of Wu Sheng."
"Then, when you’re done with classes in the afternoon, you can take over, and I’ll go to work. I’ll arrange my work schedule for the afternoons."
Su Li looked at Wu Qihua, and after a moment’s pause, she nodded.
"Okay."
Although she wanted to stay by Wu Sheng’s side every single moment, she knew she had to be rational.
If even Wu Qihua, his mother—who surely wanted to stay with him even more than she did—was suggesting this, how could she possibly refuse?
Seeing Su Li agree, Wu Qihua let out a sigh of relief.
She looked at Wu Sheng. "Just as you said, Wu Sheng will definitely wake up. He wouldn’t be able to bear leaving us behind."
"He probably hasn’t woken up yet because he’s just too exhausted. He didn’t get a single full night’s sleep during those days in Wucheng. He’s probably just so tired that he needs to sleep it all off. We’ll just give him the time to catch up on his rest. Let him sleep for a few days."
Her words brought a small smile to Su Li’s lips. "Yeah."
The doctor had also said that Wu Sheng had expended a tremendous amount of physical energy and had also suffered a severe injury. He might only wake up once his body’s functions had mostly recovered.
Afterward, Wu Qihua went to use the phone first to ask around about a helper for Su Li. When she returned, it was Su Li’s turn to go out and make a call.
After her call, Su Li rubbed her stomach, which was still faintly aching. In the end, she bought some stomach medicine and took it.
After taking the medicine, the pain slowly subsided, and Su Li was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
She was terrified something was seriously wrong with her stomach again.
Stomachaches, stomach cancer... Su Li had suffered more than enough from them in her past life.
Once her stomach pain subsided, Su Li didn’t rush back to Wu Sheng’s room. Instead, she went to check on Little Hei.
From what had happened, Wu Sheng had been so gravely injured because he’d saved Little Hei. Su Li’s feelings toward the boy were complicated.
Aside from a couple of quick glances, Su Li hadn’t gone to see Little Hei properly yet.
When she reached Little Hei’s room, Su Li peeked in from the doorway. She saw Little Hei’s parents, their faces haggard and etched with guilt.
Little Hei’s parents had come to the Imperial City with Wa Wa Lian and his group. The fact that their son was injured and might never wake up—that he could become a vegetable—had already plunged them into despair.
On top of that, Wu Sheng was in the same state for saving Little Hei, which only made them feel more pained and guilty.
They owed their survival to Wu Sheng and his team, but now Wu Sheng was injured because of their son.
One could only imagine the pain and torment they were feeling.
Su Li had originally intended to go in and see Little Hei, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to enter the room.
She looked at the boy lying in the hospital bed, just like Wu Sheng, and then at his parents beside him. Finally, she sighed and turned to leave.
Over the next two days, Wu Sheng’s condition continued to improve. His wounds were healing, and his complexion looked much better, but he still hadn’t woken up.
Su Li and Wu Qihua stuck to their plan: Wu Qihua kept watch in the morning, and Su Li in the afternoon. The arrangement went smoothly.
On the seventh day after Wu Sheng’s surgery, a Wednesday, the doctor came for his rounds. After checking on Wu Sheng’s recovery, he announced that his stitches could be removed on Friday.
Getting his stitches removed meant he was healing well. For Wu Qihua and Su Li, this was very encouraging news.
Not long after the doctor left, even more encouraging news arrived in the hospital room.
Although Wu Sheng was injured, his heroic act of saving a life would not be forgotten.