Gui Yuanzhang didn't wake up until the next morning. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, besides his son and daughter-in-law, was a familiar young man—the doctor who had taken him for the coronary angiography. He remembered this doctor's surname was Xiao; he spoke with a very gentle tone and always had a smile on his face. He had even helped him contact the most authoritative expert in interventional cardiology to perform the surgery himself.
Gui Yuanzhang looked in Xiao Lou's direction and said in a hoarse voice, "Dr. Xiao, thank you so much this time. If you hadn't persuaded me to have a thorough coronary artery examination, this aneurysm wouldn't have been so easy to find."
Xiao Lou stepped forward, helped Gui Yuanzhang lie down on the bed, and said with a smile, "Mr. Gui, you're too kind. The surgery went so smoothly; it shows you're very lucky."
Gui Xiujie stepped forward and said, "Dad, Mr. Shao also came to see you personally yesterday during the surgery. He just sent me a WeChat message asking if you were awake yet, and if it's convenient, he'd like to visit you this afternoon."
Gui Yuanzhang Upon closer inspection, Gui Xiujie asked, "Mr. Shao? The young boss who gave you the medical check-up card?"
Gui Xiujie lowered his head in shame, "Yes, it's all thanks to him this time. I've neglected your health. Without this full-body check-up card, I can't imagine the consequences. The doctor said your aneurysm could rupture at any moment."
Gui Yuanzhang, however, remained calm, patting his son's hand with a smile, "Birth, aging, illness, and death are the natural course of life. You don't need to feel guilty. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Just like Dr. Xiao said, I'm tough, hahaha." His
hearty laughter filled the entire ward.
Seeing his optimistic demeanor, Xiao Lou finally felt relieved. Perhaps it was because Gui Lao had long since accepted life and death that he made that choice in the card world. Now that everyone had worked together to save his life, allowing him to live a few more years, he could only hope that he could be this happy every day from now on.
***
In the afternoon, visitors flocked to the ward.
Besides some of Gui Lao's friends, Shao Qingge and Yu Hanjiang also came to visit him personally.
Gui Yuanzhang was meeting the two young men for the first time, but he liked both Shao Qingge's demeanor and Yu Hanjiang's temperament very much, and couldn't help but praise the two young and promising individuals.
Shao Qingge respectfully said, "Mr. Gui, I really admire your calligraphy."
Yu Hanjiang also said, "I've always admired your ink paintings. I wanted to buy some at the previous auction, but I couldn't."
Gui Yuanzhang was overjoyed, stroking his chin and laughing, "How come I suddenly have so many young fans! I thought calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting were only things that old men and women like to dabble in."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Senior, your calligraphy is indeed excellent. My father even has your cursive script of 'Jiang Cheng Zi' hanging in his study." Shao Qingge
then said, "I wonder if I could request a piece of your calligraphy?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, "No problem. I'll write one for you, Mr. Shao, after I'm discharged from the hospital. What would you like me to write?"
Shao Qingge thought carefully and said, "May wealth flow in from all directions?"
Everyone: "......"
Gui Yuanzhang had written so many characters, but no one had ever asked him to write "May wealth flow in from all directions"! However, Mr. Shao was a businessman, so it was quite normal for him to write these four characters. Moreover, directly admitting his love for money proved Shao Qingge's frankness, which was far better than those hypocritical people who pretended to be noble when they actually loved money. Thinking this, Gui Yuanzhang smiled and agreed, "No problem!"
Due to the successful surgery, Gui Yuanzhang recovered quickly and was discharged from the hospital three days later.
Upon arriving home, Gui Yuanzhang picked up a brush and wrote a calligraphy piece for his "number one fan," Shao Qingge, with the inscription "May wealth flow in from all directions." He framed it and sent it over. Shao Qingge said, "I will definitely treasure it. I hope to earn even more money in the future, thanks to your kind words, Master Gui."
Gui Yuanzhang also painted a picture for his "number two fan," Yu Hanjiang, depicting the scene of "An old man in a straw hat and raincoat, fishing alone on a snowy river." The ink painting was grand and vividly portrayed the desolation of winter. Yu Hanjiang liked it very much and had it framed and hung in the study of their new home where they lived together.
As for Xiao Lou…
after much thought, Gui Yuanzhang also sent him a calligraphy piece with the inscription "A miraculous cure."
Gui Yuanzhang thought the phrase "miraculous healing hands" was perfect for a doctor.
Xiao Lou, however, was both amused and exasperated upon receiving it . To help Gui Yuanzhang with his medical checkup, he had pretended to be a doctor, acting as a guide for his classmates for several days. In reality, he was a forensic pathologist!
Yu Hanjiang pointed at the words with a serious expression and said, "If a forensic pathologist can bring the dead back to life, then the corpses you dissect can be brought back to life on the spot, right?"
Xiao Lou gave him a helpless look: "You always look so serious when you're joking?"
Yu Hanjiang asked doubtfully, "Am I joking?"
Xiao Lou: "......"
It seemed Xiao Lou could only secretly keep Gui Yuanzhang's "miraculous healing hands" as a keepsake!
***
In the days that followed, Gui Yuanzhang's health improved steadily. His regular hospital checkups revealed that his heart function was recovering rapidly, and his electrocardiogram was completely normal.
He couldn't engage in strenuous activity after heart surgery, but fortunately, he had never enjoyed strenuous activity anyway. His favorite pastimes were chess and fishing, both of which were good for his health, so Gui Xiujie didn't object.
Years ago, Gui Yuanzhang had bought a house in the suburbs, nestled against the mountains and by the water, in a particularly beautiful environment. He planned to move there to retire. Although his son and daughter-in-law were very filial, Gui Xiujie felt that having two generations living together would be a burden on the younger generation. Unable to dissuade him, Gui Xiujie insisted on hiring a caregiver and visiting her weekly.
Gui Yuanzhang initially wanted to save time by contracting the renovation to a design company, but Shao Qingge introduced him to a friend who was a very talented designer who could design according to the old man's preferences and offer a 30% discount!
Gui then met with Mo Xuemin and told him about his preferred style. Old Mo designed with great care, working through the night to produce a preliminary plan. Gui Lao praised him, "Mr. Mo, you truly are a professional designer. I hadn't even thought of these nooks and crannies. With your renovation, the house not only feels more spacious but will also be much more comfortable to live in." Old Mo
, touched by the praise, said earnestly, "I'm glad you like it."
Gui Lao asked, "What about the design fee..."
Old Mo smiled and said, "No need for money. Our studio is currently offering free design services to clients for promotional purposes. As for the renovation, I can personally supervise the work. I'll find a renovation team I know well; they won't rip you off on materials or furniture."
Gui Yuanzhang was completely relieved: "That's wonderful, thank you very much, Mr. Mo."
With the house renovation left to Old Mo, Gui Yuanzhang, bored, went fishing at Nanchuan Lake.
While fishing, he met two young men. One was tall and very handsome, with a hint of roguishness in his eyes when he smiled; the other was refined and always had a serious expression.
The two sat next to Gui Lao fishing for an entire afternoon without catching a single fish.
So, Lu Jiuchuan ran over and eagerly asked for advice: "Senior, you caught three fish in just one hour, while we've been fishing for half a day and haven't seen a single one!"
Gui Lao chuckled and said, "Your fishing rods were cast too close, and your bait wasn't right. Fishing requires a calm mind and some technique... Come, let me teach you."
The two listened attentively and actually caught one.
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior, I've finally learned! My home is nearby, how about I treat you to fish tonight?"
Gui Yuanzhang readily agreed, "I caught several too, we can have a whole fish feast tonight."
Lu Jiuchuan personally cooked a pot of fish soup for Gui Yuanzhang, who praised it highly, "Delicious! This is the freshest fish soup I've ever had! Little Lu, right? I didn't expect you to be such a good cook."
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I was in the army, and I learned some cooking skills from the mess hall when I was in the army. Haha, it's effective, senior. If you like, let's go fishing together sometime, and I'll make you some soup."
Tang Ci didn't say anything, but she diligently drank the whole pot of fish soup.
A few days later, Gui Yuanzhang's grandchildren came to visit him. The two children were very excited, chattering non-stop. The granddaughter said that at the dance center where she used to take classes, there was a teacher surnamed Qu who was particularly gentle and willing to come to her home to teach her according to her class schedule, and the fees were very cheap, a rare bargain. Teacher Qu was beautiful and kind-hearted, and her Latin dance was superb; the granddaughter decided to learn from her.
There was also an aunt surnamed Chu who taught her a few moves of Taekwondo, so she wouldn't be afraid of boys bullying
her anymore when she grew up. Her grandson happily said that he met a coach surnamed Long at the gymnasium who not only taught him table tennis and badminton but also took him to play a game of children's soccer. He said he would go to the gymnasium every weekend from now on.
Seeing the children so happy, Gui Yuanzhang couldn't stop smiling.
Life went on peacefully like this.
Gui Yuanzhang's WeChat friends list grew larger and larger.
First, there were three "fans"—Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, and Shao Qingge—who liked his calligraphy and paintings and had helped him solve his heart problem; then came interior designer Mo Xuemin; then he added "fish buddies" Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci; later, his grandchildren recommended the WeChat accounts of the teachers they had met to their grandfather, and Gui Yuanzhang added Long Sen, Qu Wanyue, Chu Huaying, and others as friends.
Finally, there were two high school students, Ye Qi and Liu Qiao, who excitedly asked to take a photo with Gui Yuanzhang at an art exhibition.
Sixteen-year-old boys and girls had actually heard of him! Gui Yuanzhang was incredibly proud!
For some reason, good things seemed to be happening all the time lately; he kept encountering people who were kind to him. Gui Yuanzhang wondered if it was just good luck lately? Or perhaps he had done something good in his past life that allowed him to live a smoother life even at his advanced age, even managing to have a rare heart aneurysm diagnosed and cured early?
The doctor said that as long as he paid attention to his diet and rest, and had regular checkups, the probability of a heart attack in his condition would be very low. During his last hospital visit, he even met an 80-year-old man who had also undergone heart surgery a long time ago and was still living a good life. Gui Yuanzhang felt that he might live to be seventy or eighty. He
used to think that birth, aging, illness, and death were the natural course of life. He had experienced both hardship and happiness in his life, and now he had a large family and had achieved success in his career. Everyone dies eventually; it was best to let nature take its course and there was no need to pursue longevity.
But now, he felt that life was becoming more and more interesting, and he actually wanted to live a few more years.
When Shao Qingge had free time, he would visit Gui Yuanzhang at his place to chat about stocks and business. This young man had indeed accomplished something, building Jiangzhou's largest fund company from scratch. Gui Yuanzhang admired Mr. Shao's humor and often invited him to his home.
Yu Hanjiang was more serious, but he would also make time to play chess with the old man. Usually, Yu Hanjiang would come with Xiao Lou. Gui Yuanzhang considered himself a decent chess player, but he was surprised by Yu Hanjiang's meticulous thinking and strategic moves, often winning against him. The two were evenly matched, and the old man Gui enjoyed Yu and Xiao's visits.
Lu Jiuchuan had gone to the army and had very little time off, but whenever he was on leave, Gui Yuanzhang would always see him and Tang Ci at Nanchuan Lake. Little Lu's fishing skills were getting better and better, and his fish soup was becoming more and more delicious...
Gui Yuanzhang greatly admired the energy of these young people.
Over time, he gradually began to wonder why so many young people had suddenly shown him such great goodwill during that period.
Once, Gui Yuanzhang won a game of chess against Yu Hanjiang. Smiling, he put down the pieces and turned to Xiao Lou, who was peeling apples for them, asking, "Xiao Lou, I feel like your timing is a bit too coincidental. You, President Shao, Captain Yu, Mr. Mo, and Xiao Lu, Xiao Tang, etc… do you all know each other?"
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance. Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Senior, actually we have a WeChat group. There are people from all walks of life in the group. Everyone likes playing escape room games, and we gradually got to know each other. Because Captain Yu, President Shao, and I all admire you, and the others have long admired your name, everyone was a little excited when they met you."
Gui Yuanzhang suddenly realized, "There's a group! Escape room? Is that a game?"
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, if you're interested, senior, why not join our group?"
Gui Yuanzhang immediately took out his phone: "Okay, add me in."
—Xiao Lou invited "Gui Tu" to join the group chat.
The group grew from 11 people to 12.
This was their team at its most complete.
Aside from Gui Yuanzhang, everyone else had mixed feelings. As Xiao Lou sent a "welcome" emoji in the group chat, the other members followed suit, and the chat was instantly flooded with flowers and applause.
Gui Yuanzhang greeted everyone with a smile, then asked, "What kind of game is an escape room? Can an old man like me play it?"
Xiao Lou replied, "Sure, a not-too-bloody and thrilling mystery escape room. Are you interested, senior?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, "I'd like to broaden my horizons with games for you young people."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang for his opinion, and seeing him nod, he decisively made a decision: "How about this, during winter break, when Xiao Ye and Xiao Liu are on vacation, we can all get together and play a real-life version of an escape room. Since you have a heart condition, I'll choose a mystery escape room with a less thrilling theme. What do you all think?"
Everyone excitedly typed "No problem!" in the chat.
Gui Yuanzhang glanced at the group chat; it was called "Card Escape Room."
He figured these young people were probably gathered together because of escape room games. They come from all walks of life, and now, after joining, the age difference in the WeChat group is astonishing—from 60-year-old men to 16-year-old teenagers!
But what does it matter?
"Friendship across generations" has existed since ancient times. He likes these young people, and he believes that a 60-year-old and a 16-year-old can also be friends.