Chapter 96 - 93 The Lame Leg
Chapter 96: Chapter 93 The Lame Leg
“The Huang Family was once labeled as leftists, and the entire clan suffered extremely cruel persecution. The old man had just come back from the front lines of the Vietnam War, bearing injuries, when he was dragged into protest marches. It was during those times that his legs were crippled by the Red Guards with their clubs.”
Crippled by others!? Huo Sining was shocked as she widened her eyes. She looked up at the old man in the wheelchair who was chatting and laughing, imagining the scene where her granduncle was beaten to the ground, crying out in vain, and her heart immediately filled with bitterness and compassion.
There was a depth in Su Jinyuan’s eyes as he solemnly said, “The injury to his back also began at that time, leading to a chronic condition. After seeing many doctors without finding a cure, he suffers unbearable pain whenever it rains, which is why the old man rarely visits the humid South.”
At that moment Huang Chengyi was sitting in the wheelchair, slowly pushing the wheels forward.
“Perhaps the greatest regret of my uncle’s life is the loss of his legs. Decades of paralysis, he’s never stood up for half his life. His old comrades who went to the Vietnam battlefield with him are now high-ranking generals, yet he got nothing, not even the use of his legs.”
Hearing Huo Sining and Su Jinyuan whispering, Huang Jialin couldn’t help but interject, “Last year when uncle went to visit his comrades, I saw him in the study holding an old photo from before the Vietnam War, secretly crying by himself.”
Neither Huo Sining nor Su Jinyuan had heard of this, and they were both surprised, their eyes widening as if they wanted to say something.
At that moment, Su Jinyuan really wanted to do something for his grandfather, but he quickly lowered his head in silence, realizing his own idea was ridiculous.
Decades had passed, and it wasn’t just him trying — many methods had been tested to no avail. He understood all too well that his grandfather’s leg was completely beyond repair.
Huo Sining stood behind Huang Jialin, her heart indescribably heavy.
“You young folks haven’t experienced those years, you don’t know the suffering of the world. In recent years, my uncle’s mindset has improved a lot. In the early days, every time we talked about treating his leg, he would get his hopes up like a child, ending in disappointment every time. The old man was a tough guy in his youth, who would have thought that becoming disabled, he would become so anxious and discouraged in his old age? ”
Hearing Huang Jialin’s words, Huo Sining felt an inexplicable ache in her heart. Although she had just met Huang Chengyi for the first time, the old man’s tumultuous fate filled her with pity. A thought suddenly crossed her mind — her Spiritual Energy could heal external injuries, but could it also treat paralyzed legs and chronic old ailments?
The more she thought about it, the stronger Huo Sining’s idea became. She felt that it might be worth a try.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲ0νǤο.ᴄο
The group arrived at Xianyu Shop, where Wu Jun had just sent off a wave of customers who came to buy hairy crabs. Seeing so many new visitors, especially the owner’s elders, he immediately became somewhat restrained and awkward, unsure where to look.
Being a military family, the Huang Family was naturally very sensitive to the military’s presence. Noting Wu Jun’s stiff posture standing in the shop, before the two old men could say a word, Huang Jialin paused in his steps, sized Wu Jun up and down, and suddenly asked, “Young man, you’re from the military, aren’t you? Which military region did you retire from?”
Wu Jun was startled and, blushing, awkwardly glanced at Huo Sining, stammering without knowing what to say.
Huang Jialin frowned, “What, you can’t even say which division you’re from?”
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“Reporting to the commander, I am from the Falcon Special Warfare Team of the 14th Corps in the Yunli Military Region, codename Vulture.”
Huang Jialin was rather surprised and gave Wu Jun a curious glance, “You’re a special forces soldier? The 14th Corps specializes in jungle warfare, what’s your rank?”
Wu Jun hesitated momentarily and stood at attention somewhat stiffly, “Reporting to the commander, I am a Second Lieutenant, the deputy company commander.”
This seemed a bit off. The kid wasn’t that old, and since he was a special forces soldier and a Second Lieutenant, why would he just retire like that?
Huang Jialin wanted to ask more, but Huo Sining, knowing the reason and seeing Wu Jun looked a bit uncomfortable, quickly diverted the subject, “Uncle, does anyone at home like ornamental fish? How about Wu Jun introduces some to you? You can see which variety you like, and I’ll scoop some up for you to take back?”
Huang Jialin could see there was something off about the kid and noticed Huo Sining making signals at him. Although he was curious, he ultimately refrained from prying further.
However, Huang Jialin was a rough man with little interest in those colorful fish. Huang Chengyi and Huang Chengxin, on the other hand, were older brothers with childlike curiosities, and upon seeing so many fish, they instantly perked up, peppering Wu Jun with questions about what kind of fish they were and from which countries the species came.
With Wu Jun and Su Jinyuan there to accompany them, Huo Sining felt at ease leading the other few people upstairs. Passing through the back hall, they saw the wild creatures being kept in the three large ponds. Huang Hongying couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “So many hairy crabs, when will we ever finish eating them!?”
Hearing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but laugh, “Most of these are for sale, we can’t finish eating them ourselves.” Saying that, Huo Sining suddenly had an idea and proposed, “Coincidentally, this batch of hairy crabs and fresh wild river fish were just stocked the day before yesterday, they taste very good. How about everyone eats here at noon? I’ll do the cooking, how does that sound?”
“Great, I want to eat the crispy fish cooked by Ningning!” Su Qingqing was the first to respond upon hearing Huo Sining’s suggestion. She had tasted Huo Sining’s cooking before and was particularly enamored with the crispy fish.
Concerned about Huang Chengyi’s chronic illness, Huo Sining waited until Su Jinyuan brought Huang Chengyi upstairs to rest. Seeing Huang Jialin seemingly about to give the old man his medication, Huo Sining suddenly approached Huang Chengyi and softly said,
“Great uncle, while I was in Rongcheng, I once took an old beggar as my master. He taught me many special fish farming techniques and passed on to me a unique Qigong Massage method that can help open up the blood vessels and vitalize blood circulation. I’ve never tried it on anyone else, but if you trust me, I would like to give it a try on you!”
As soon as Huo Sining spoke these careful words, everyone’s expression changed and they looked nervously toward Huang Chengyi.
If anyone else had made such a proposition, Huang Chengyi might have slammed the table and cursed, but since it was Huo Sining who said it, unaware of his condition and genuinely worried about him, his outburst would have seemed like an unreasonable tantrum.
Yet thinking of his own leg ailment, a pained expression involuntarily flashed across Huang Chengyi’s eyes. He forced a smiling face and said,
“Silly girl, I know whether my illness can be cured or not. Over the years, your uncles and aunts have sought medical advice everywhere. If it were curable, it would have already been cured. Even the top doctors of Huaxia Country have only managed to prolong my life. I’m already fortunate to have survived this long. By now, I have no expectation of my leg recovering. I only hope to live a few more years to see all you children well-settled, married, and having kids.”
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