TATSD Chapter 106

Lin Tai, eager and hungry, was worried that Ji Wei might run off, so he tightly held onto Liu Yimian’s arm and walked ahead. However, Liu Yimian kept turning around to glance at Ji Wei from time to time, which slowed their pace.

“He’s a grown man, are you afraid he’ll get lost?” Lin Tai drawled, his tone showing his impatience. They were almost at the Fuxing Tower for the full-duck banquet, and this guy didn’t seem excited at all.

If it weren’t for his luck, he wouldn’t even get to eat!

Ji Wei, however, wasn’t in a hurry. He knew where the Fuxing Tower was and wasn’t worried about getting lost. He walked leisurely behind them, maintaining a pace just slow enough so that they could see him whenever they turned around.

Yongan Street was bustling, with the largest academy in the nearby town located at the edge, several alleyways leading into the area, crowded with people, shops, and street vendors.

As Ji Wei walked, he couldn’t help but marvel at how grand this town was. Although he had visited Daxi Town more than once, he had always been in a rush and had never had the chance to stop and appreciate the place.

This time, he wasn’t in a rush to leave. He couldn’t help but admire Old Master Zhang’s good eye. In such a short time, he had made a decision that had led to such a prime location. Without connections, such a feat would have been impossible.

When they could finally see Fuxing Tower in the distance, Lin Tai excitedly pointed at the fluttering colorful flags and said, “See that? That’s it! It’s the only three-story restaurant in Daxi Town, very impressive for hosting guests!”

Liu Yimian followed his gaze and saw a building that was almost identical to the nearby shops on the first floor. The second floor had a hexagonal, angled design, which was half the size of the first floor. By the third floor, it got even smaller, probably only large enough for a single banquet.

A look of awe appeared on his face without him realizing it. This wasn’t his first time seeing Fuxing Tower, but it had only ever been a brief glimpse before, and he hadn’t dared to look at it more than that. Now, though, he was going inside, and he couldn’t help but feel happy about it.

“Hurry up!” Lin Tai waved at Ji Wei from the door of Fuxing Tower, urging him impatiently.

Ji Wei, feeling helpless, took a big step forward toward Fuxing Tower, but as he passed an alleyway, someone suddenly came rushing out and bumped into him. Before he could get a good look, he heard a panicked scream.

“Mother! Are you alright?” Sun E, flustered, scrambled to get up from the ground and check on the elderly woman behind her.

She was already struggling under the weight of the elderly woman on her back, walking carefully, and when they bumped into Ji Wei, they both fell. The elderly woman stumbled backward, and her face turned pale from the pain, unable to speak clearly, only shaking her head to show that she wasn’t seriously injured.

“Hang in there, I’ll take you to the doctor right now!” Sun E’s eyes were red. Her mother had been bedridden for years, and her younger brother was still away.

Just a moment ago, her sick mother had suddenly started convulsing and fell out of bed. If she hadn’t heard the noise and rushed in, she might not have noticed in time.

Why had things turned out like this?

The fall had scraped her elbow, making her movements stiff. However, Sun E didn’t care. To take care of her mother, she squatted down, carefully lifted her onto her back, and held her arms, slowly standing up.

Only then did she notice the person she had bumped into? Ji Wei stood about five steps away, frowning and watching them.

Although Sun E was anxious, she knew it was her fault for running into someone. Her face showed her concern, but she still forced a polite apology, “Sir, I’m sorry, my mother is ill. I was just rushing to take her to the doctor. Please excuse us!”

She finished speaking, adjusted her mother on her back, and stepped around Ji Wei.

Maybe because of the fall, Sun E’s mother was weak, almost unable to hold onto Sun E’s shoulders. And since Sun E didn’t have enough strength, they had to stop and rest after just a few steps.

Sun E took a deep breath, determined to push forward. She had almost inhaled fully when she suddenly heard someone approaching from behind, saying, “Miss, how about I help you both get to the doctor?”

Seeing Ji Wei talking to someone, Lin Tai, who had been waiting for him, thought something had happened and ran over. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing, I just bumped into this lady,” Ji Wei said to Lin Tai as Sun E hesitated. “I’ll take them to the doctor. You go ahead and find your father. I’ll catch up soon.”

“I’ll go with you!” Lin Tai immediately agreed without hesitation.

But Ji Wei shook his head. “I can handle it alone. It won’t take long. You should go upstairs first; it wouldn’t be polite to keep your father waiting.”

“Alright, you’re right.” Lin Tai nodded and grabbed Liu Yimian to leave.

Liu Yimian turned around and gave Ji Wei a deep look, then followed Lin Tai without saying a word.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak, but under the circumstances, saying anything would be useless. That aunt was in bad shape, and if Ji Wei could help, he should. Since he couldn’t help, he wouldn’t get in the way.

“Thank you very much!” Sun E didn’t hesitate anymore. There was no man in her family to help, and now someone was willing to lend a hand. There was no reason to turn them down. At most, she would give him some money as thanks later.

After thinking it through, Sun E quickly lifted her mother onto Ji Wei’s back, supporting the half-unconscious woman, and the three of them hurried toward the medical clinic at the end of Yongan Street.

“This is a stroke,” the old doctor said, stroking his sparse beard and shaking his head with a sigh. “She’s too old, and it’s difficult to treat. We can only prescribe some medicine to make her more comfortable.”

Sun E, with red eyes, half-embraced her mother, helping her lean on her shoulder. Her mother’s face twitched slightly, showing a strange and stiff expression, unlike her usual self.

“Just take good care of her; she still has a few years left,” the old doctor comforted, having seen many cases like this in his decades of practice.

Seeing Ji Wei standing nearby, looking concerned, the doctor praised him, “It’s good to have a man in the family. If you hadn’t brought her in, who knows what might have happened.”

The old doctor finished speaking, then picked up his pen and scribbled out a prescription in elegant characters, which caused Sun E to blush deeply. Although she was an older unmarried woman, it was still somewhat embarrassing for her to be mistaken as someone’s wife by the doctor.

Sun E glanced at Ji Wei, noticing that his expression remained unchanged. She sighed in relief and explained, “Doctor, this is a kind-hearted man I met on the road. He saw my mother’s illness and helped me bring her here.”

“Oh, I see, I misunderstood. My apologies!” The old doctor scratched his nose, and then blew on the prescription. “I’ll prepare five doses of medicine for you. Take two doses a day. When you run out, go to the pharmacy with this prescription. After a month, come back and we’ll adjust the medication.”

In addition to the five doses of medicine, the old doctor handed her a small bottle of pills, saying they were emergency pills to protect the heart in case her mother’s symptoms worsened.

Sun E paid for the medicine and bowed repeatedly to thank him. As she prepared to lift her mother, Ji Wei stepped forward and offered to carry her.

“I’ll do it.” Ji Wei knelt carefully, placing Sun E’s mother on his back, bending slightly to ensure she could hold on tightly and wouldn’t slip off. “Since I’ve already brought her here, it won’t take much effort to take her back.”

“Thank you so much for your help,” Sun E said gratefully, unsure of how to express her thanks. “When my brother returns, he’ll be sure to thank you properly.”

Ji Wei didn’t think much of it. He wasn’t very familiar with Sun E and simply followed quietly behind her.

The Sun family’s home wasn’t far from Fuxing Tower. They turned into a small alley across the street, and after only about twenty steps, they arrived. Since he had already brought her here, Ji Wei didn’t mind walking a couple more steps to make sure she was settled in.

Once he had seen her settled on the bed, Ji Wei gave a simple instruction and prepared to leave. However, Sun E realized she hadn’t brought enough money and went back into the house to get some. When she came out, Ji Wei was already gone.

She hesitated for a moment but decided to run after him.

Sure enough, Ji Wei hadn’t gone far, and she spotted his back in the distance. Not knowing his name, she called out, but he turned back.

“Sir, wait!” Sun E ran up to him and pressed a small pouch of money into his hands. “Thank you for your help today. Please accept this token of my gratitude!”

Since she was unmarried, Sun E quickly took a couple of steps back after handing him the pouch, worried that others might see.

“This isn’t necessary.” Ji Wei squeezed the pouch in his hand, easily judging the weight of the coins. He handled money often enough to know there were no copper coins in it, only silver ingots, likely six or seven taels in total. Given that the Sun family lived in a modest alley, this amount of money seemed extravagant, suggesting they had some wealth.

However, this wasn’t his concern.

“It’s just a small matter. No need for such a big reward. Please take it back.” Ji Wei casually tossed the pouch, and Sun E instinctively reached out to catch it. By the time she had it in her hands, Ji Wei had already walked several steps away.

She wanted to chase after him.

Just as she took two steps, Ji Wei’s voice called out from a distance, “Your mother is still inside. You should go check on her!”

Sun E froze and immediately turned back to the house.

By the time Ji Wei reached the top floor of Fuxing Tower, Lin Yaozu’s eyes lit up as he stood to greet him. “Young Master Ji, we’ve been waiting for you!”

“The clinic is at the end of the street. You’ve taken quite a long time,” Lin Tai complained, not entirely pleased.

Since Lin Yaozu was hosting Ji Wei, the other guests couldn’t start eating without him. Lin Tai had tried but was immediately stopped by Lin Yaozu. Left with no choice, Lin Tai craned his neck to look out the window, eagerly awaiting Ji Wei’s arrival.

It felt like they’d been waiting forever.

Lin Tai rubbed his stomach, eyeing the dishes on the table with greedy anticipation.

“I just brought them back. They’re in the alley across the street. It’s not far,” Ji Wei casually gestured.

Lin Yaozu followed Ji Wei’s hand and squinted, as if realizing something, but quickly dismissed the thought.

“What a coincidence,” he muttered.

“You’re late, Young Master Ji. You’ll have to drink three more cups to make up for it!” Lin Yaozu picked up the wine jug and filled Ji Wei’s glass. “Please!”

Ji Wei didn’t hesitate and quickly downed the wine. It was smooth and slightly sweet, with a hint of spiciness, quite different from beer.

Once he set the cup down, Lin Yaozu immediately refilled it. After three cups, Lin Yaozu smiled broadly. “Young Master Ji, your tolerance is impressive! Truly generous!”

“I should thank Mr. Lin for hosting,” Ji Wei replied after finishing his wine and sitting down next to Liu Yimian. “I heard from Lin Tai that it’s quite hard to get a reservation here at Fuxing Tower. Thank you for taking the time to arrange this.”

Lin Yaozu made a gesture for Ji Wei to start, and Ji Wei picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of roast duck to begin the meal.

The duck skin was crispy, and the meat was tender and juicy. Dipped in the sauce, it was savory and spicy, with a rich, lingering flavor.

Ji Wei nodded as he ate, clearly impressed with the taste of the roast duck.