Chapter 26 - Old Master Li

Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun “held hands” as they went upstairs to the second floor, and then turned into a somewhat dimly lit corridor.

This small red-walled building had a distinctive pre-Soviet architectural style.

The corridor was in the middle, the walls were very thick—three to four times the thickness of a normal building’s walls—and each floor was quite high, making the interior of the entire building appear very rugged.

Most buildings in this pre-Soviet architectural style were constructed in that era.

The advantage was that they were solid and durable, cool in the summer and warm in the winter, comfortable to live in.

Of course, there were disadvantages, such as high construction costs and insufficient lighting.

lived in the suite at the end of the corridor on the right.

When they reached the door, which was open, they saw a not too large, not too small living room.

The room contained a set of wooden furniture that had some signs of peeling paint.

An old black-and-white TV set rested on a wooden table with drawers against the wall.

Ye Fan, who had excellent vision, also saw the brand label in the middle under the black-and-white screen of the TV—it was a “PANDA” brand, a once dominant force in the Chinese TV market.

Although the living room was simple, it was very neat.

There seemed to be nobody in the living room.

Li Zhaojun knocked on the open wooden door and called inside, “Grandpa, Grandpa.”

At this moment, a healthy-looking old man with white hair emerged from the kitchen.

Seeing Li Zhaojun and Ye Fan, he immediately greeted them with a smile on his face, “Hehe, little Zhaojun, little Fan, you’re here.

Please come in quickly.”

“Grandpa Liu, hello,” Li Zhaojun and Ye Fan greeted him respectfully, both with smiles on their faces.

It turned out that the old man was not Old Master Li but instead Liu Tiezhu, who had always been a personal bodyguard to Old Master Li.

Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun’s act of pretending to be a loving couple was almost a wasted effort.

Liu Tiezhu took the two bags of fruit from Ye Fan’s hand and, while placing them on the table, said, “The old chief was just reading in the study and got tired.

He’s now resting in the bedroom.”

After setting down the fruits, Liu Tiezhu poured two cups of tea for Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun, then said, “You two sit in the living room for a while, watch some TV.

I need to cook.”

“Okay, Grandpa Liu, you go ahead, don’t mind us,” Li Zhaojun said with a smile, completely devoid of her usual aloof demeanor at the corporation, her smile full of commonality and her laughter joyful.

Ye Fan couldn’t help but sneer internally: She’s really good at pretending.

It’s a shame not to go for an Oscar with acting like that.

After Liu Tiezhu returned to the kitchen to continue cooking, only Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun were left in the living room, eyeing each other.

With Old Master Li resting, it was not possible to turn on the living room television, and since Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun weren’t on good terms, there was no conversation, hence the room was eerily quiet.

Due to the architectural style, little light entered through the corridor door, and the windows at the back of the living room were old-fashioned and small.

With limited light entering and electricity being conserved by not using the living room lights, the room was rather gloomy.

Sitting in silence and unwilling to speak, the living room became even more silent and shadowy, and Ye Fan could even hear his own breathing and heartbeat.

Fortunately, the time passed quickly, and after about fifteen minutes, a series of violent coughing sounds came from one of the rooms.

Li Zhaojun sprang up suddenly, all grace forgotten, and dashed into the room.

Ye Fan, a step slower, followed her in.

Inside, he saw Li Zhaojun carefully helping an old man with a thin frame, sparse white hair, and many age spots on his face, scalp, and backs of his hands.

The old man wore a faded military uniform with several patches.

Although he was now sitting up, he continued to cough violently as if trying to expel his very insides, his forehead veins bulging, and his face, neck, and scalp turning red and purple with evident agony.

Li Zhaojun, her pretty face tense, tenderly stroked and patted the old man’s back to ease his discomfort and stop the coughing, but it was ineffective.

Desperation made her tear up, nearly breaking into cries, a stark departure from her usual strong woman demeanor.

Ye Fan frowned slightly and stepped forward.

Channeling his Inner Strength, he massaged two pressure points on the old man’s body.

Almost instantaneously, the old man managed to stop coughing and took a weak breath.

Seeing that Ye Fan had stopped the old man’s coughing, a wave of gratitude surged in Li Zhaojun’s heart.

Ye Fan, supporting the old man, quickly instructed Li Zhaojun, “Quick, get Grandpa a cup of warm water.”

“Okay, okay,” Li Zhaojun responded somewhat flusteredly, hurriedly taking a thermos from beside the bed, poured a cup of warm water, then carefully helped the old man drink.

Liu Tiezhu, who had been cooking in the kitchen and heard the coughing, had also rushed over, and together they supported the frail old man.

After drinking a couple of sips of warm water, the old man didn’t drink anymore.

He took a long breath and said, “I’m fine now.”

“Grandpa…” Li Zhaojun called, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, her voice quavering.

The old man lifted his eyelids, looked at Li Zhaojun, and smiled, “Girl, why are you crying?

It’s just a cough.

I’m not dying.”

“Mm.” Li Zhaojun nodded vigorously, holding back her tears.

The elder then turned to Ye Fan, smiling kindly, “Little Fan, you’ve come to see this old man.”

“Haha, Grandpa.” Ye Fan called out with a smile.

“Let’s sit in the living room,” said Old Master Li.

The others naturally followed.

As they sat down on the wooden sofa in the living room, Old Master Li seemed to regain a lot of energy.

Though his face was covered in wrinkles, it looked lean and his eyes were not as cloudy as those of most elderly people.

“Grandpa, you were coughing so badly just now, are you sick?

Should we go to the hospital for a check-up and treatment?” Li Zhaojun asked worriedly.

waved his hand, smiling, “No need.

It’s just part of getting old.”

Liu Tiezhu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Zhao Jun, actually the old chief’s cough has been going on for a while now and it’s getting more serious…”

“Tiezhu!” Old Master Li suddenly called out with authority.

Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun both felt a powerful and dignified presence.

Liu Tiezhu shrank back in fright, but then plucked up the courage to say, “Old Chief, even if you criticize or punish me afterwards, I have to say it today, your illness can’t be delayed any longer.”

He then told Li Zhaojun about the medical check-ups performed by the healthcare doctor that revealed Old Master Li’s condition.

After hearing this, Li Zhaojun became very anxious and, holding Old Master Li’s arm, pleaded, “Grandpa, let’s go to the hospital for treatment right now.

It’s still not too late.”

, however, shook his head firmly, refusing, “It’s useless.

When one gets old, the body declines, and various diseases appear.

It’s a natural physiological phenomenon.

Even if the cough is cured, other ailments will keep arising.”

“Grandpa is over ninety years old and is already in his twilight years.

If I don’t open my eyes one day, there’s nothing to be sad about, let nature take its course.” He spoke very openly, “Going to the hospital to prolong life, not only would I suffer, but it would also be a waste of the nation’s money.”

“If I die, I die.

Why bother using up a lot of national resources and finances unnecessarily!” He emphasized.

He was a senior retired official of the state, enjoying lifetime free healthcare.

held absolute authority in the Li family, imposing and commanding.

Li Zhaojun wanted to persuade him further, but one stern look from Old Master Li immediately deterred her, leaving her only able to worry silently.

Suddenly, Ye Fan said, “Grandpa, I have a way to relieve your cough without going to the hospital or taking medications.”

“What way?” Liu Tiezhu asked eagerly.

Li Zhaojun also turned to look at Ye Fan, her eyes full of hope.

Earlier, when Old Master Li was coughing severely, although she was panicked, she clearly saw Ye Fan rub two spots on Old Master Li’s body, immediately stopping the cough.

“Hehe, the method is very simple, just massage a few acupoints every morning and evening,” Ye Fan said with a smile.

He was a master of ancient martial arts and his level had reached the mid-stage of Inner Strength, naturally knowing all of the human body’s meridians and acupoints like the back of his hand.

’s eyes lit up, asking, “Which acupoints?

Teach this old man.”

Earlier, when he was nearly out of breath from coughing, he distinctly felt Ye Fan press on his body twice, and the effect was immediate, so he believed Ye Fan was not just talking casually.

“Liu Grandpa, please remember these acupoints,” Ye Fan said as he pointed out the acupoints on Old Master Li’s body, continuing, “Massage these acupoints in the order I showed you every morning and evening until the area feels sore and swollen.”

Liu Tiezhu watched intently, memorizing them, and Li Zhaojun also paid close attention to remember them.

“If Grandpa’s cough becomes severe, apply some pressure and rub these two acupoints,” Ye Fan continued, pressing on the two acupoints he had manipulated earlier in the room.

After a while, Liu Tiezhu remembered them and said gratefully, “Xiao Fan, thank you.”

“Thank you, Ye Fan,” Li Zhaojun also said gratefully.

Ye Fan turned to Li Zhaojun and said with a smile, “What’s there to thank me for?

Grandpa is my grandpa too.”

Li Zhaojun nodded, thinking to herself, “This annoying guy, although lazy, superficial, childish, and shameless, is not entirely useless.”

“Eh, how does he know all this stuff?” Curiosity arose in her heart.

(This chapter is added to congratulate Lanshengsan on becoming the helmsman of this book.)