Hu Lei did not know that Grandpa Huo was planning to "rescue" her from Zhong Feng. However, she could sense that he seemed a little livelier. She attributed it to the fact that he had heard that his old friend was around. Though she was disappointed that she had not learnt anything about their history, she felt at ease and happy with this elder.Unfortunately, she could not stay for too long. After cleaning up, she could only bid him farewell and promise to visit on another day. The old man was naturally unwilling to see her go, but he did not know how to proceed.
As he watched her put away her lab coat, he felt a sting in his heart. She did not look like Ming, but he could still a shadow of him when he was a boy. He had chosen to forget about this son years ago. However, there was no parent who could truly forget about their beloved child.
"Little girl, what happened to your father?" He asked suddenly.
Hu Lei did not find it strange because she had mentioned Hu Ming when she had first come for the tea. However, she did not know why he was curious. She felt a familiar flash of pain in her heart and her head as she remembered that old scene.
She shook her head a little to dispel the ghost.
"He died about a year ago." Her eyes looked down.
She missed the terrible shock and pain that appeared on the old man"s face. He had suspected this fact because Hu Lei had spoken about Hu Ming with a sad look in his eyes and in a past sense. However, it still felt like a stab in the heart.
"I am sorry." He croaked out unnaturally.
Hu Lei forced out a smile and looked at the man. He looked pale and pained. She wondered whether he was concerned about her or it was something else. Either way, she could not help feeling warmth because he had shown his care.
"It"s alright. My father lived his life fully and unapologetically." This was the truth.
"I would have liked to see him." The old man left out the word "again".
The differences between father and son were irreconcilable. However, Huo Ming, who had changed his name, was still his son. He had hoped that they would have a chance to see each other again. Now, there was no hope.
Hu Lei did not want to talk about her father anymore. When she thought of him, her head hurt, and there seemed to be a war in her soul. She wanted to remember the happy times she had with him and preserve his memory. However, she was unable to eliminate the anger and hate which came from the pain he had caused her.
She felt her mood plummeting, and her heart becoming a little unstable. She decided that it was time for her to leave. Moreover, she had her appointment. Therefore, she spoke a few words of farewell to the apologetic grandpa and left the Apothecary.
Behind her, Elder Huo sat down heavily with a look of weariness in his eyes. He had lived a healthy life, so he always looked healthy and energetic. However, thinking about his son and his death seemed to leave a mark in his entire being.
His mind drifted back to Ming"s childhood. When he was born, he had been a little genius from the beginning. Moreover, he was pa.s.sionate about medicine. He had been the best of all the children in his generation.
Unfortunately, as he grew up, he had forsaken the core teachings of the Huo Clan. Unlike some older families in the medical field, the Huo family embraced modern medicine and encouraged their offspring to pursue success in every field. However, it was forbidden to partake in any practices which did not emphasise on the value of human life.
Hu Ming grew to be a smart young man, but that also made him somewhat indifferent, even apathetic, to human life. He believed in making any necessary sacrifices to ensure advances in the medical field. He always believed that the death of a few for the sake of humanity was a small sacrifice.
The old man sighed. He had tried to correct his ways as early as possible. It had seemed to work for a while. But Ming could be stubborn. His choices became more outrageous, causing a lot of disharmony in the family. Finally, his decision to marry Lu Liang had caused an irreparable rift…
Now, Ming was gone. And there was nothing he could do to repair the gap between them.
The elder decisively picked his sleek smartphone and dialled a military number.
"You are still alive?" A loud and gruff voice spoke out.
"If you are still alive, why can"t I be?" Elder Guo responded testily.
"Your temper has only gotten worse with age. What do you want?"
"Ming is dead. I want to find out what happened to him." His voice did not display special emotions.
"When did this happen?" The gruff voice became a little more solemn.
"I am not sure. I found out from his daughter. She said that he died about a year ago."
"You have a granddaughter?"
Elder Huo laughed in satisfaction. He had not had the luck of having granddaughters until now.
"If you are good to me, I might introduce her to your grandson." He boasted, forgetting that Hu Lei did not have an idea that they were remotely related.