Chapter 2: Why is your son malnourished?

Jiang’an City, First Hospital.

Tang Xiao lay on the hospital bed, receiving nutrition IVs, still unconscious.

A bandage was wrapped around his forehead.

A large group of Tang family members surrounded the attending physician.

The doctor looked at the report in his hand: “You are Tang Xiao’s family, right?”

“Yes, doctor, we are Tang Xiao’s family.”

“How did the patient get injured?”

“Uh… a book hit him.”

Tang Rushan felt embarrassed; he hadn’t expected Tang Xiao to be so fragile.

Besides, who told Tang Xiao to contradict him?

The doctor said, “Tang Xiao’s bleeding has stopped, and he received four stitches. Make sure to disinfect the wound and prevent a secondary infection.”

“Okay, doctor.”

The doctor confirmed the report several times; although he had some doubts, he still said, “He fainted due to long-term malnutrition, compounded by excessive blood loss in a short period. You need to ensure he gets more nutrition in the future.”

“Malnutrition?”

Everyone was astonished.

Tang Rushan was the most skeptical: “Doctor, that’s impossible.”

The doctor looked at the report: “A person who is 1.8 meters tall weighing only a little over 120 pounds. Isn’t that thin? The lab results confirm the same.”

“You are his family, right? He has been malnourished, and you didn’t know? I see you have a big belly; you don’t even know how your own child is doing?”

Tang Rushan instinctively pulled in his stomach, awkwardly chuckling.

The doctor thought it strange that this wealthy-looking family had let their child get so malnourished.

After the attending physician left, Tang Rushan’s face immediately fell, and he questioned a middle-aged woman nearby.

“Li Jie, why is Tang Xiao malnourished? You’ve been cooking all this time; explain yourself!”

This was too embarrassing; the Tang family was a prominent household.

How could his son be malnourished? It was too shameful!

Li Jie, the family’s maid, felt a bit awkward.

“Sir, this… sigh. Young Master can’t eat…”

When Tang Xiao first came to the Tang family, several sisters didn’t like him at all.

Tang Xiao noticed that whenever he ate with his family, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was very oppressive.

When Tang Xiao wasn’t around, everyone would laugh and chat.

Tang Xiao felt sad, and to make everyone happy, he would only eat a little at each meal and leave the table early.

He didn’t want to make everyone unhappy because of himself.

Moreover, the Tang family had a house rule: no eating outside the dining table.

He didn’t care whether others strictly followed this rule.

To please his family, he adhered to the house rules strictly.

As a result, Tang Xiao grew thinner and thinner.

Everyone frowned as they listened, beginning to reflect.

Did we really treat Tang Xiao this way? It shouldn’t be… We didn’t pay attention usually…

Is Tang Xiao really that kind of person?

They couldn’t believe this truth.

But Tang Xiao’s thin arms were a fact.

Zhang Ping’s heart swelled with sympathy as she held Tang Xiao’s hand.

“This silly child, what a pity.”

But Tang Xin disagreed.

“Mom, don’t be overly emotional. What if he’s just picky? Li Jie might have been fooled by him.”

She probably forgot that when Tang Xiao first arrived, he wasn’t thin.

Who remembers? Who cares?

In their impression, Tang Xiao was not a good person.

Li Jie could only awkwardly smile: “Hehe…”

She was just a worker; what could she say?

Even if she knew Tang Xiao was a very good child, what difference would it make?

Zhang Ping said, “You all go back for now; I’ll stay here with Tang Xiao.”

Tang Zijian quickly interjected, “No, Mom, you all go back. I’ll stay here with my brother.”

“Zijian, you haven’t finished your homework. I’ll stay here; besides, Tang Xiao’s injuries aren’t severe.”

After a lengthy exchange of politeness, everyone eventually left without anyone staying behind.

Li Jie was the last to leave.

…

Tang Xiao slept through to the next morning.

Looking at the pale sheets and finding no one beside him, he sighed.

He was used to it.

Although he had given up on his obsession, he still couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

What kind of people are they in this family?

This broken family, I never want to go back!

Dingling~

Tang Xiao’s phone rang; it was his grandmother, Deng Yinglan, calling.

Deng Yinglan was the one who adopted Tang Xiao eighteen years ago.

Now nearly seventy years old, she had no children and sold boiled eggs and sweet soup at a stall by herself.

Though not wealthy, for sixteen years, the old woman had devoted herself to raising Tang Xiao.

When Tang Xiao found his biological parents, Deng Yinglan was even happier than he was.

She urged Tang Xiao to hurry home and reunite with his parents.

Without any blood ties, Grandma Deng had given all her love to Tang Xiao.

“Hello, hello! Xiao Xiao, can you hear me? Hello, hello!” Grandma Deng’s voice was loud over the phone.

Older people often shout when they talk on the phone, afraid the other end can’t hear them.

“Hello… Grandma, it’s Xiao Xiao, I can hear you…”

Hearing his grandmother’s voice, Tang Xiao could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down his face onto the blanket.

“Hello! Xiao Xiao, are you happy? Is it fun in the city?”

“…… Grandma, I’m doing well. Everyone… everyone is treating me well…”

Tang Xiao’s tears flowed freely, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

This is how mature people are: they endure great grievances outside but don’t want their loved ones to worry.

Fortunately, Grandma’s hearing wasn’t very good, so she didn’t notice the problem in Tang Xiao’s voice.

“That’s good, that’s good. I wouldn’t have called; it was Gu Xiaoxi who helped me call you!”

Many elderly people can only answer calls and not dial out themselves.

Dialing a specific number can be quite challenging for them.

“Gu Xiaoxi? Grandma, please thank Gu Xiaoxi for me…”

“Gu Xiaoxi is thoughtful. Tang Xiao, when are you coming back to see me… Grandma wants to see you…”

In the past two years, Tang Xiao hadn’t visited Grandma Deng very often.

The Tang family disliked him contacting Deng Yinglan and even more so disliked him going out on his own.

Tang Xiao could only secretly make a few phone calls.

Hearing that Grandma missed him, Tang Xiao was stunned for a second before shouting into the phone.

“Right now! Grandma, I’m coming back now!”

“What? What did you say? I didn’t hear clearly?”

“Grandma, don’t talk. Wait for me to come back!”

“What?”

Grandma Deng’s hearing was, after all, not very good.

Tang Xiao hung up the phone and struggled to put on his shoes.

“Doctor! Nurse! I want to be discharged! Help me remove the IV! I won’t take any more!”

What a damn Tang family!

What a damn family.

My real home is in the coal machinery factory community!

My real family is Grandma Deng!

Having faced death, Tang Xiao finally understood what was truly important!

He would never return to the Tang family again.

…

Coal Machinery Factory Community.

It was an old community, only about ten kilometers from the Tang family’s mansion.

Deng Yinglan’s house was left by her deceased son.

The entire house was only about forty to fifty square meters.

Tang Xiao grew up in this small house.

In the kitchen.

Grandma was cooking, and Tang Xiao helped by peeling garlic.

Grandma kept smiling, her mouth never closing.

The two of them chatted casually.

But when Tang Xiao spoke to his grandmother, he tried to show only half of his face.

Because on the other side of his forehead, there was still a bandage.

Tang Xiao removed the bandage, and fortunately, his bangs covered it a bit, so it wasn’t very obvious.

He didn’t want Grandma to worry about him.