My College Teacher is My Children's Mom

「On the other side.」

An Lan, dressed in her pajamas, came downstairs. Seeing her mother chuckling to herself, she couldn't help but ask, "Mom, what are you laughing at?"

While tidying up, An Lan's mother said with a laugh, "I'm laughing about Yu Xi's mother. She just told me that Yu Xi and Lin Feng went out to run some errands, leaving the children at home."

"Lin Feng said he'd be back to cook at noon. She didn't want to trouble her son-in-law, so she asked me to come over and help!" she continued. "I guess she's still embarrassed to cook in front of him after cracking that clay pot last time. She probably asked for my help this time just to give Lin Feng some peace of mind!"

After all, having someone at home who could cook would surely set her son-in-law at ease.

An Lan couldn't stop laughing. "I bet Auntie was at her wit's end to come up with that plan."

"That's what I think too," her mother said, still smiling.

In the car, Zhang Yuxi received a message from An Lan and couldn't help but smile. She turned to Lin Feng and said, "My mom got An Lan's mom to come over. Guess what for? To cook for the babies."

Lin Feng withdrew 50,000 yuan in cash from the bank and drove to the Third Hospital. At a supermarket across from the hospital, he bought some fruit. Seeing someone else buying milk and bread, he bought some as well. Then, he went to the adjacent flower shop and bought a bouquet, only then realizing that some of the flower baskets already included fruit.

"Hey, Brother, I'm here!"

"Alright, I'm waiting for you at the entrance to the inpatient department."

After he hung up, the man arrived in less than ten minutes. A haggard, disheveled man with an unkempt beard got out of his car. He was exceptionally warm when he saw Lin Feng. "Young man, what brings you here?"

Lin Feng smiled. "I said I'd come see your kid when I had the chance!"

The man was both touched and happy. "Thank you for the thought! You could have come empty-handed; there was no need to bring all this!"

"Brother, what floor is your child on?" Lin Feng asked with a smile.

The man snapped out of his daze. "Oh! I'll take you there! Here, let me carry those for you!"

The hospital had a pervasive, inescapable smell of disinfectant. Zhang Yuxi disliked it; the odor made her feel uncomfortable. In the elevator, the smell was even more potent, and her discomfort intensified.

Lin Feng seemed to notice her distress. He swept an arm around her, pulling her into his embrace. She snuggled close to him. Inhaling the faint scent of his cologne, the disinfectant in the air no longer seemed so foul. The sense of security he radiated dispelled her unease. Instead, she felt steadiness, happiness, and a sense of reliance.

In the elevator, two women who seemed to know each other were talking. Woman A was middle-aged, carrying several lunch boxes and a few bags of steamed buns, likely on her way back from the cafeteria.

"What did your doctor say? Do you need to stay in the hospital?"

Woman B, about the same age as A, wore an expression of pained numbness. She spoke with a choked voice. "The doctor told us to take her home. We'll just see how long she can hold on. He said staying in the hospital is just a waste of money. We'd be better off using it to buy her nice things to eat while she still has an appetite."

Woman A's eyes filled with pity and sorrow, but also a flicker of hope. "We're waiting for today's lab results to see if it's cancer. If it is, they told us to be mentally prepared. The conservative estimate is seven to eight hundred thousand. But there's still a fifteen percent chance it might not be cancer! We're hoping we're part of that lucky fifteen percent."

Woman B's face was a mask of cold despair. "We're beyond saving. There's no hope at all. The cancer cells have spread throughout her body; it's all lumps. All we can do is wait for the end."

DING. The two women exited the elevator.

The remaining people in the elevator were lost in complex thoughts. In a corner, someone began to cry quietly, their sobs eventually escalating into hysterical wails. No one asked what was wrong; he seemed to be venting his grief.

"My… my family member… passed away this morning…"

Zhang Yuxi turned and buried her face in Lin Feng's chest. She couldn't bear to listen to the cries or look at the man's grief-stricken face.

The man they were with took a deep breath and managed a smile. "We're here!"

The hospital room had four beds, all occupied by patients. The ward was messy, with belongings scattered everywhere. The air was a mixture of disinfectant, old food, and even the stench of smelly feet. The smell that hit them upon entering was truly indescribable.

A curtain was drawn around the innermost bed by the window.

"His mom is giving him a sponge bath," the man explained. "She'll be done in a minute." As he spoke, he cleared off a cabinet to make space for the bouquet and fruit. He then placed the two cartons of milk against the wall. After tidying up, he unfolded a small cot. "Please, sit."

Zhang Yuxi shook her head. "I'm fine standing."

Lin Feng said to the man, "Brother, you look exhausted. You should be the one to rest."

Not wanting to delay, the man sat down and smiled wearily. "When you're taking care of a sick child, there's no way to not look worn out. Thanks to you returning that money, we were able to pay the fees. He had the procedure yesterday. The doctor said it was a success. As long as he recovers well, there shouldn't be any problems."

Speaking of the money, the man didn't know how to express his gratitude.

Lin Feng felt he hadn't done much. The children had found the money; he had just done what was right.

Just then, the curtain was pulled back, revealing a boy of about eight or nine lying on the bed. A woman of average height stood beside him. "I'll go pour out this water!"

The man pointed at Lin Feng. "Son, this is the uncle, and it was his children, who found the money and gave it back to Dad!"

The little boy was very mature. "Thank you, Uncle!" he said. "If it weren't for you, my dad would never have found the money, and I couldn't have had my surgery."

Lin Feng smiled. "How old are you?"

"Nine!"

"Well, keep up the good work. The doctor says you'll be able to go home soon."

A pure, sweet smile appeared on the child's face. "Mhm, I will!"

As a mother herself, Zhang Yuxi couldn't bear to watch this. Her eyes reddened and her nose tingled. The child's smile moved her to the verge of tears.

Discreetly, Lin Feng placed a paper bag at the head of the child's bed.

"This is a gift from your uncle and auntie," he said softly. "Wait until after we leave to open it, okay?"

The child's eyes sparkled. "Mhm, I'll be good!"

With that, Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi left hand in hand.

As soon as they were gone, the child eagerly asked his dad to open the bag.

"It's a little dinosaur plushie, and a robot... huh?" The man's voice caught. "There's a stack of cash... it's 50,000..."

It had clearly been left on purpose.

"What are you standing there for?" the woman said urgently. "Hurry up and give it back to them!"

The man finally snapped to his senses, grabbed the bag, and sprinted out of the room, chasing them all the way to the inpatient department lobby. He ran over frantically and tried to return the money in the bag to Lin Feng.

"Young man, I can't take this! Please, take it back!"

Lin Feng was a little surprised but didn't accept the money. He just smiled faintly. "Let's just say this child and I were fated to meet. Use the money to buy him some nutritious food so he can recover well."

But the man remained firm. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I absolutely cannot take this money! Your money doesn't grow on trees, either! You worked hard for it! I'm already eternally grateful that you returned the money you found. I can't possibly accept this, no matter what!"

Lin Feng was at an impasse, so Zhang Yuxi stepped in.

"Brother, how about this? You can write us an IOU. When you're more financially stable, you can pay us back then."

Before the man could protest, Zhang Yuxi cut him off. Her tone shifted, becoming like a teacher's—firm and allowing no room for argument.

"Don't be so quick to refuse. Think about the follow-up medical expenses; you'll still need a lot of money. Even when he goes home to recuperate, you'll need money for good food. His diet has to be nutritious! Look how expensive things are now—a pound of pork costs over thirty yuan. Take this money and use it where it counts!"

The man was so moved he was speechless, managing only to repeat, "Thank you, thank you…"

He went to the information desk to get paper and a pen. "I'll write you an IOU..."

Zhang Yuxi thought for a moment. "Since we're lending it to you, let's make it a hundred thousand. We'll add another fifty."

The man shook his head vigorously. "Fifty thousand is enough. The doctor said after a week of observation, if there are no major problems, he can go home to recover. We just have to contact the doctor if anything comes up. Once we're home, his grandmother and mother will be there to take care of him, and I can go out and find work. Once I have an income, everything will get better."

Zhang Yuxi nodded. "Alright. Call us if you run into any trouble."

The man wrote the IOU, pressed his thumbprint on it using an ink pad he found, and handed it to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng accepted the note. "We have to go. You should get back to your son."

The man bowed deeply to them before turning to leave.