"How did you know? That was spot-on," Xu Lin asked, looking at Lin Jiang as they left.
"Just a wild guess." Lin Jiang had already thought of an excuse.
"My mom has the same issue. I’ve gone with her for a few check-ups, and it’s almost always in the same spot. I just took a shot in the dark, mostly because I didn’t want you to have to get an ultrasound and worry."
"Well, your guess was so good it gave me a scare."
"Don’t sweat the small stuff." Lin Jiang changed the subject and handed her the car keys.
"Go wait for me in the car. I’m going to the pharmacy to get your medicine."
"Go on, I’ll transfer you the money later," Xu Lin said with a nod.
"You don’t have to be so formal with me."
"Okay, then I won’t stand on ceremony."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, couldn’t you at least pretend for a little longer?"
"You wish."
Xu Lin took the car keys and got in the car. Lin Jiang went to a nearby pharmacy to buy medicine.
The pharmacy wasn’t far, just diagonally across from the hospital. He spent over 300 yuan to buy two boxes of Ursodiol for Xu Lin, along with a bottle of mineral water.
"Hm?"
Just as he finished his purchase and was about to leave, he saw an elderly couple on the other side of the pharmacy.
It was Chen Jingxian’s parents.
They were also his former father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Lin Jiang had a very good impression of the old couple. Even though he didn’t have much money, they never served fewer than six dishes whenever he came over for a meal.
He especially remembered the first time he visited their home, when Old Chen had brought out his treasured Maotai.
Knowing he was working hard all by himself in Zhonghai, they would always call him over during the holidays or whenever they cooked something special.
Even though he was now divorced from Chen Jingjia, Lin Jiang’s heart was still filled with gratitude for them.
Just then, the old couple also saw Lin Jiang, and their faces lit up with joy.
"Uncle, Auntie..."
Lin Jiang greeted them first. The smiles on the old couple’s faces instantly faded.
Now that he and their daughter were divorced, he was no longer their son-in-law. It was only right for him to call them "Uncle" and "Auntie."
"Are you here to see a doctor, too?" Chen Jianguo asked, glancing at the medicine in Lin Jiang’s hand.
"My gallbladder’s been acting up, so the doctor prescribed some medicine," Lin Jiang said with a smile.
"A lot of people have gallbladder problems these days. Especially you, working such long hours. You have to take care of yourself," said Wang Minxia.
"I will," Lin Jiang replied with a smile. "What’s bothering you two? Is it serious?"
"It’s the same old problem. My blood pressure is a little high, and my old medication isn’t working as well anymore, so the doctor prescribed something new," said Wang Minxia.
"You two need to be careful as well. Don’t be careless with your rest and diet," Lin Jiang advised with a smile.
"Uncle Chen, especially you. You can’t be drinking every day anymore."
"I haven’t had a drink since you two divorced. SIGH..."
Lin Jiang gave an awkward laugh, not knowing what to say.
"This is my fault. I didn’t raise my daughter right. For her to cause that kind of scene at the wedding... not only did you lose face, but your mother was humiliated, too. Our Chen Family has wronged you," Chen Jianguo said, his face full of apology.
"Please don’t say that. I had my own faults, too. You can’t put all the blame on her."
"You foolish boy. Even now, you’re still defending her. You think I don’t know what she’s really like?" Chen Jianguo grumbled.
"It’s for the best that you’re divorced. You can find someone better. She wasn’t good enough for you."
"She’s a good person, we just weren’t a good match."
"Xiaojiang," Wang Minxia said earnestly.
"We really did spoil Jiajia, but I can promise you, her heart is in the right place. It’s just that society’s influence these days is... not great. It’s led her astray. What do you think about this..."
Wang Minxia paused. "We’ll go back and have another talk with her. We’ll get her to settle down and focus on building a life with you. What do you say?"
"Well..."
Lin Jiang gave an awkward smile. "Auntie, please don’t. It’s impossible for us to get back together."
"SIGH..."
Wang Minxia sighed again, feeling a pang of regret for her daughter.
"Don’t sigh," Lin Jiang said comfortingly.
"Even though we’re divorced, that doesn’t mean our connection is gone. If you ever need anything at home, just give me a call. I promise I’ll be the first one there to help."
"You’re a good boy..."
Wang Minxia wiped away a tear. "Please, apologize to your mother for us. Our family was in the wrong."
"There’s no need for that. Please don’t dwell on it. Just go home, eat well, sleep well, and try not to think about it."
"Sigh, alright."
Lin Jiang helped the old couple out of the pharmacy. Because Xu Lin was in the car, he didn’t offer to drive them home.
At the roadside, Lin Jiang hailed a taxi and helped them into the back seat.
"Huasheng Garden, please."
Lin Jiang held up his phone, scanned the QR code on the dash, and paid 100 yuan. "Driver, please take your time. You can give them the change."
"You got it."
"What are you doing? We can’t let you pay for our taxi." Chen Jianguo hurriedly fumbled in his pocket for money to give to Lin Jiang.
"It’s nothing."
Taking two steps back, Lin Jiang waved at the old couple. He watched the taxi leave before returning to his car, where Xu Lin was taking pictures of her legs.
"You can admire yourself later. Take your medicine first. Space out the doses—you’ll need to take it again tonight."
As Lin Jiang handed her the medicine, he also twisted open the water bottle for her.
Xu Lin nodded and took the pills.
"Are you going back to the shop later?" Lin Jiang asked on the way back.
Xu Lin looked at her watch. "No, I’m not. I have to go get my car and pick up Xuanxuan from school."
"Why go through all that trouble? I’ll just drive and get him."
"We should probably try to avoid that," Xu Lin said.
"My son has already started asking questions. He says that I’m always smiling from ear to ear whenever I see you. I’m worried he’ll let it slip one day."
"Xuanxuan needs to learn some tact."
She shot Lin Jiang a playful glare. "It’s not that he needs tact, it’s that he’s getting in the way of your fun, right?"
"Now, now, don’t put it that way. What we have is a... deep and friendly exchange. It requires our mutual effort."
"Tch."
Lin Jiang drove into the underground garage of her apartment complex. Xu Lin got her own car, then leaned over and gave Lin Jiang a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I’m heading out."
"Okay, drive safe."
Xu Lin left, and Lin Jiang drove back to the shop.
"Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang, you’re finally back! I have to tell you something," Li Yuanyuan said, rushing over in a fluster.
"What’s wrong?"
"Around noon, I went out to buy ice cream and saw the owner of Spring Harmony Noodle Shop."
"Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?"
"I saw him as clear as day."
"Where did you see him?"
"By the side of the road. He was sitting in his car, staring at our shop," said Li Yuanyuan.
"I have a bad feeling about him. Do you think he’s going to come and get revenge on us?"
Lin Jiang thought for a moment. "It’s possible. It all depends on whether he has the guts."
"I’ve seen it happen before. Back in my hometown, there were two small supermarkets. One was doing really well, so the other one got jealous. They went over in the middle of the night and trashed the place. They did it several times, and in the end, the successful supermarket was forced to shut down."
"This is Zhonghai. He’d have to think twice before trying something like that here."
Lin Jiang said nonchalantly,
"By the way, keep an eye out for any good servers or chefs."
"Brother Jiang, are you planning to expand the shop?"
"It’s just an idea. I’m looking into it first. Always good to be prepared."
"How many are you looking for, specifically?"
"Hmm..."
Lin Jiang thought for a moment. "Two for the front of house, and one more for the kitchen. We can hire more if that’s not enough."
"You got it."
Li Yuanyuan left, and Lin Jiang rubbed his eyes.
’This X-ray Vision is making my eyes go blurry.’
’Good thing it’s under my control. When I try to ignore it, the effect isn’t as strong.’
’Otherwise, looking at walking anatomical specimens all day would definitely make me sick.’
’But this ability is definitely a lot more interesting than my old one of seeing tags.’
He casually picked up the glass cup on the table. He could see its inner texture and structure with perfect clarity.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bowl and a porcelain one. Looking at their different material structures, Lin Jiang thought he could probably make a living as an antiques appraiser.
’This is really interesting.’

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