Chapter 235: Memory
For three consecutive days, that man remained in a deep coma.
Zhang Zhaodi fed the medicinal soup into the man’s mouth, and just after finishing, Jiang Jing came in to check on him again.
“Jing’er, is this man really okay?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. He suffered a severe head injury before, and this time he hit himself again, so new wounds on top of old ones, plus the drug he was given, that’s why he needs time to condition his body. Once the residual poison in his body is expelled, he’ll wake up.”
Just as Jiang Jing finished speaking, Su Rende, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
He suddenly sat up and vomited toward the side.
“Urgh…”
He vomited up a puddle of foul blood.
Zhang Zhaodi patted the man’s back and said to Jiang Jing, “Is this the residual poison being expelled?”
“Yes, Mom, he’s fine now.”
“That’s good.” Zhang Zhaodi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the face in front of her and said coldly, “Since you’re awake, leave soon! You passed out in front of my home door, and it was my family who saved you. My daughter saw to you and gave you medicine, I served you by feeding you medicine and soup, all added up, it probably cost two taels of silver. You have a sachet at your waist, I’ll just take two taels of silver directly, that settles the account.”
Su Rende stared at the woman in front of him without blinking.
“What are you staring at me for? Did you hear what I said?” Zhang Zhaodi glared at Su Rende.
This man looked exactly like her dead ghost man from home, but no matter how similar he looked, he wasn’t him, so it was still best to have him leave early.
“Who are you?” Su Rende asked.
“What’s it to you?” Zhang Zhaodi said fiercely, “Don’t tell me you want to freeload at my home?”
“No…” Su Rende’s head throbbed with pain, and he painfully pounded it a few times. “It hurts so much… my head…”
“Jing’er, what’s wrong with him?” Zhang Zhaodi asked.
“His head suffered a heavy blow before, there was still some blood clot blocking his brain, and this time he knocked himself, dispersing the blood clot. His brain is recovering, but this takes time—either three to five days for full recovery, or a year and a half, it’s uncertain.”
“Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. We’re just too kind-hearted and picked him up.”
“Mom…” Su Yaoguang strode in. “How is the man you picked up…”
Su Yaoguang swallowed the rest of her words.
“General Su?”
Su Rende recognized Su Yaoguang: “It’s you, little lady.”
“You know each other?” Zhang Zhaodi asked.
“Mom, he’s the Great General Who Protects the Nation.” Su Yaoguang said, “Last time I went to him for justice, and he upheld fairness for me.”
“So you’re the Great General Who Protects the Nation.” Zhang Zhaodi said, “Thank you for helping my daughter last time. Of course, that’s what you should do. As the Great General Who Protects the Nation, if the female relatives in your mansion bully common people, that’s your failure.”
Su Yaoguang and Jiang Jing exchanged a glance.
Zhang Zhaodi seemed especially angry today.
Su Rende looked at Zhang Zhaodi and said, “I don’t know why, but I feel like you look somewhat familiar.”
Zhang Zhaodi’s heart trembled: “Maybe because I look too ordinary, faces like this are everywhere on the street, so it gives General Su such an illusion.”
“Does Madam dislike this general so much?”
“You’ve been lying here letting us serve you for three days, what do I owe you?”
Su Rende was embarrassed: “This general will be grateful for Madam’s kind deed.”
“No need, just leave early.” After Zhang Zhaodi finished, she said to Jiang Jing, “Watch him, and once he’s gone, find someone to clean here, make it spotless, and dispel the sickly aura.”
“Got it, Mom.”
Su Yaoguang could tell that her mom really disliked General Su. Was it because he was a military general, or because of last time?
After Zhang Zhaodi left, Su Rende looked at Su Yaoguang: “Does your mom dislike me so much because of last time?”
“Mom might just be in a bad mood lately, not intentionally targeting the general.”
“By the way, little lady, what’s your name?” Su Rende asked, “I didn’t get a chance to ask last time.”
“My name is Su Yaoguang.”
“Su? You’re surnamed Su too?”
“Yes!” Su Yaoguang smiled, “But my Su is very ordinary, unlike General Su’s Su, which is famous throughout the world.”
“Haha…” Su Rende was amused by her.
For some reason, he felt this little lady was very likable.
“By the way, General Su, how did you end up like this?” Su Yaoguang asked.
Su Rende frowned, thinking of something, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
“I probably shouldn’t have asked, sorry.”
“There was a little incident at home, nothing major, I can handle it once I’m back.” Su Rende said, “We’re quite fated, I didn’t expect to be saved by your family. By the way, what’s your mom’s name?”
“My mom is surnamed Zhang.” Su Yaoguang said, “General Su, how are you feeling now? If anywhere is uncomfortable, I can send someone to the general’s mansion to get people to come pick you up. But you’ve been missing for three days, how come no one came looking for you?”
“Just three days, no one’s taken it seriously yet. In another day or two, people will start searching everywhere.”
He sometimes stayed in the military camp for days, so he often went several days without showing up. In such cases, the people in the military camp thought he was out on duty, while people outside thought he was training troops in the camp. With mismatched news on both sides, naturally no one timely noticed that their great general was missing.
Jiang Jing lowered her voice and said: “What do we do now? Mom wants General Su to leave early.”
Su Yaoguang felt a bit awkward.
Su Rende said: “I should head back too, or my people will start worrying.”
“Then I’ll see you out.”
“Okay.”
Su Rende left Peach Blossom Workshop, and before leaving, he glanced at the shop’s sign.
This was that little lady’s shop. When he came out just now, he saw the shop packed with people; clearly, the little lady had a knack for business.
As he turned, he saw Zhang Zhaodi chatting and laughing with several women. She smiled very gently, not at all like the cold face she gave him.
Su Rende touched his beard: “Could it be because my full beard is a bit scary?”
When Zhang Zhaodi looked up, she saw Su Rende’s departing figure.
Although she knew he wasn’t her dead ghost man, looking at that face still made her a bit sentimental.
How could there be such a similar person in this world?
Actually, he wasn’t that similar.
Her man was much thinner, not as sturdy, not as imposing. He smiled foolishly, and was extremely clumsy when trying to cheer her up. But such a man had done his utmost to scrape together the betrothal gift, marrying her from her bloodsucking parents’ hands, finally freeing her from that family.
She was willing to be a widow for over a dozen years, not just because she had her daughter as a thought, but also because she cherished his goodness and could no longer look at other men.
