Chapter 0528: Entrustment

After listening to Zhao Fusheng's words, the old man was silent for a long time.

At his age, he had his own way of discerning whether a person's words were sincere or false, and what surprised him was that Zhao Fusheng's speech just now came from the bottom of his heart.

That is to say, this young man before him was truly seeking inner peace in this way.

Looking at Zhao Fusheng's face, the old man could feel that deep inside this young man, as he had said, there was a force.

"You're a good child."

After a long while, the old man said slowly.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and gently shook his head: "Grandpa, I'm not a good person. I'm just doing what I ought to do."

"Many people don't think they should do what they ought to do. You did it, so you are a good person," the old man said slowly. "A good person is not defined by words, but by actions."

Decades of life, through storms and sunshine, as he approached the final moment of life, the old man's perspective on certain things had become different.

Zhao Fusheng remained silent; the old man's words stirred an indescribable emotion in him.

"Go and call Xiaoqian in," the old man said slowly to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, stood up, and went out to call Zhang Qian, who was sitting in the corridor, inside.

"Grandpa, you called for me." Zhang Qian entered and quickly approached the old man's hospital bed.

"From now on, you must listen to Fusheng," the old man said to Zhang Qian. "From now on, everything about the welfare home, listen to Fusheng, understand?"

"I remember, Grandpa." Zhang Qian nodded obediently.

For him, since childhood, obeying Grandpa had become a habit etched into his bones.

Zhang Qian vaguely remembered that when he was little, Grandpa went out to work every day, and every time he came back, he would buy some grapes for him and his younger siblings—grapes at fifty cents a catty, leftovers from the fruit shop. A group of elderly people raising a large group of orphaned children—the hardships and difficulties, whether outsiders pitied or were indifferent, could not be fully described in a few words.

"Go out and wait outside." The old man waved his finger, signaling Zhang Qian to leave.

Zhang Qian walked out directly, and the ward was once again left with only Zhao Fusheng and the old man.

The old man lay on the hospital bed, his cheeks very thin. The disease eroded his meager vitality, making him look like a lamp about to run out of oil, as if he might leave this world, which had made him toil all his life, at any moment.

"You know, I originally would rather die than let anyone help the welfare home, because I knew that once I accepted, given Xiaoqian's character, his life would no longer be his own."

The old man held Zhao Fusheng's hand and said slowly.

Because of his physical condition, he spoke very slowly, each word costing him great effort.

But even so, the old man still insisted on finishing what he had to say.

"The welfare home, from now on, I entrust to you. As for Xiaoqian, I know you are a man of great endeavors. I dare not have any extravagant hopes for you. As long as you don't let him do anything illegal, let him live well, marry and have children, I will be satisfied."

After saying these words, the old man let out a long breath, as if setting down a heavy burden, and slowly closed his eyes...

...

...

When he walked out of the ward, Zhao Fusheng's mood was very heavy.

The old man's words, like the morning bell and evening drum, struck his heart, making Zhao Fusheng realize that sometimes, responsibility is also a kind of pain.

"How is Grandpa?" Zhang Qian quickly came over and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "He's asleep, nothing serious."

The old man's current physical condition was just maintaining life, like a machine that has aged and will eventually break down. The human body also has a limit of endurance; once that limit is exceeded, no matter what medical means are used, it is difficult to reverse.

In the final stage of life, it is often the will to survive that struggles. After all, a living dog is better than a dead lion. Even one more minute is a kind of happiness for someone on their deathbed.

Turning around, Zhao Fusheng walked to the nurse's station and said to the nurse named Yang Panpan: "Nurse Yang, I want to ask, how is the old man's condition really?"

Yang Panpan was startled, then looked at Zhang Qian.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "Don't worry, just tell the truth."

Although she was not a doctor, she was a professional nurse and specifically responsible for taking care of the old man. Zhao Fusheng felt that Yang Panpan should have relatively reliable information.

Yang Panpan's expression was somewhat sad. She sighed and said softly: "Actually, the doctor also examined Grandpa. She said that Grandpa is just maintaining a state that is neither good nor bad. If things continue like this, he probably has less than three months left..."

As she spoke, she lowered her head, obviously in a very bad mood.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, said nothing more, asked her to take good care of the old man, turned around, and left the hospital.

After leaving the hospital, Zhao Fusheng did not choose to take a car but walked along the street.

Zhang Qian was also in a bad mood, silently following behind Zhao Fusheng. The two walked one after the other on the streets of Ninghai.

Since it was August, the weather was very nice. There were many people on the street, jostling each other. From time to time, people passed by Zhao Fusheng and the others, all kinds of people.

"Let's go for a walk in the park."

Standing at the intersection, Zhao Fusheng turned to Zhang Qian and said.

"Okay." Zhang Qian nodded in agreement, and the two walked together toward the nearby Xilin Park.

It was said to be named after a mayor of Ninghai who was killed by bandits after liberation. However, after many years, it was estimated that many people no longer knew the name of this hero, only remembering the park.

There were quite a few people in the park. Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Qian walked around for a while and then sat down on a bench.

"Feeling very down?"

Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked Zhang Qian.

The old man's health was deteriorating day by day. If anyone was most saddened, it was probably Zhang Qian. After all, he had been raised by the old man since childhood, and except for the time he served in the military, he had spent most of his time by the old man's side.

"Yeah, I've never dared to tell anyone," Zhang Qian said slowly.

As the eldest among the peers in the welfare home, he consciously took on the responsibility of the eldest son. The other younger siblings only knew that Grandpa was being treated for an illness, but they did not know the true state of his health.

"Some things, don't always keep them bottled up inside," Zhao Fusheng said lightly. "Over time, it will cause problems."

He knew this better than anyone. No matter what, one cannot keep things bottled up inside for too long, because some things are very hard to bear alone. That feeling of hardship can almost make a person emotionally collapse.