Ning Luomei's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Ning Zhanshan. Normally, she was extremely afraid of her father, and she couldn't comprehend how Ning Zhanshan, who had been comatose that very morning, prepared to kick the bucket at any moment, suddenly stood up before her eyes.

"It seems you all couldn't wait for me to die," Ning Zhanshan said sternly to Ning Luomei, "to die quickly, so you could clear the place for yourselves."

"Dad, you're finally awake. How do you feel? You have no idea how worried Luomei and I were when you were in a coma," Qin Han quickly reacted. He walked over with a smile plastered on his face and said to Ning Zhanshan.

"Worried? Worried you wouldn't get your hands on this property deed, right?" Ning Zhanshan snorted coldly.

Qin Han's warm approach met with a cold reception, leading him to an awkward smile. After stealing a glance at Ning Zhanshan's indifferent expression, he promptly shut his mouth, not saying another word.

"Dad... What Qin Han and I did was all for your sake..."

Ning Luomei didn't finish her sentence before Ning Zhanshan snorted again. "I heard everything you said earlier. I never realized it before, but your skins are indeed thicker than city walls."

"Dad, you fainted this morning, so you didn't know. As soon as you fainted, Luoxi brought a stranger to discuss selling off your possessions," Ning Luomei said. "This Medicine Shop is your life's work. How could we let it be destroyed in Luoxi's hands? Qin Han and I wanted to persuade Luoxi, but who knew the wild man she brought with her was so rude, he even broke Qin Han's finger."

"Yeah, Dad." Qin Han quickly stood out. "Look, my finger is broken..."

Ning Luomei continued, "We had no choice but to ask for the help of Uncle. Dad, you might not believe us, but you can't possibly not believe Uncle, right?"

"Big Brother, this matter..."

"Old Two, they are confused, are you also confused?" Ning Zhanlun just started to speak when Ning Zhanshan cut him off.

Ning Zhanlun had been raised by his older brother since he was a child, so he didn't dare talk back when Ning Zhanshan spoke.

At this point, Ning Zhanshan turned his head to Ning Luomei. "So, the man Luoxi brought is helping her fight for the inheritance?"

By now, Ning Luomei could only insist on her story; she nodded, "That's right."

Slap...

Ning Zhanshan walked over, swung his hand, and slapped Ning Luomei squarely on the face.

"Dad..." Ning Luomei was stunned by the hit.

"The person Luoxi asked for help cured my illness, he is my lifesaver. But you kept calling him a wild man just now, and now you're saying he is here to help Luoxi steal the inheritance. I cannot tolerate this!"

Cured?!!

Ning Luomei looked at Ning Zhanshan, doubting her own ears. Ning Zhanshan was in the late stages of cancer; it was a terminal disease. How could anyone possibly cure such an illness?

Qin Han blinked in astonishment.

Although Ning Zhanshan seemed to be in good spirits, Qin Han assumed it was merely a fleeting improvement. Yet there was Ning Zhanshan, claiming he had recovered from his illness.

"Big Brother, is your illness really cured?" Ning Zhanlun asked, looking at Ning Zhanshan in shock.

"I'm a traditional Chinese medicine doctor; do you think I wouldn't know the state of my own illness?" Ning Luo Mountain said, turning his gaze back to Ning Luomei.

"Luomei, I'm so disappointed in you. When I was gravely ill, you didn't come to take care of me for even a day, and when I was close to leaving this world, you were pressuring Luoxi for the property... I really regret having such a daughter! From now on, get out of my sight! Leave!"

Ning Zhanshan had a fiery temper, and Ning Luomei knew he was seriously angry; she didn't dare stay any longer.

Without a word and not daring to utter even a peep, Ning Luomei and Qin Han walked out with tails tucked.

"Luoxi, you've been wronged." Ning Zhanshan walked over to Ning Luoxi and tenderly stroked her hair.

Ning Luoxi couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "Dad, it's wonderful... your illness is gone... it's wonderful..."

"This period has been hard for you; Dad knows all about it..."

"Dad..." Ning Luoxi threw herself into Ning Zhanshan's arms and wept.

Ning Zhanshan was the pillar of the family, and when he was diagnosed with cancer, it felt like their world had collapsed. From that day on, every matter at home was shouldered by Ning Luoxi.

The hardships of all this were well known only to Ning Luoxi. She had never expected that her father might recover one day, and even as she wept in his arms now, it felt like a dream.

"It's wonderful... just wonderful..." Ning Luoxi repeated over and over, crying.

...

To thank Ding Fan for saving his life, Ning Luoxi prepared some food and drinks at noon. Since Ning Zhanshan had fallen ill, the home had not seen such liveliness as it did today for a long time.

The sky over Ning Luoxi used to be overcast, but now, for Luoxi, it was as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun. Ning Zhanshan's illness was cured, and the household had its sky back.

Ding Fan wasn't pretentious. Since they were sincerely grateful, he stayed.

A table full of dishes was laid out, and after Ning Zhanshan and his elder brother Ning Zhanlun took their seats, Luoxi invited Ding Fan to sit down before she sat next to him.

"Benefactor, if it weren't for your help, I'm afraid I would've already gone to report to King Yama by now. I toast to you!" While speaking, Ning Zhanshan picked up his wine glass and stood up.

"I merely did what came naturally, sir, so there's no need for such courtesy." Ding Fan immediately stood up, picked up his glass, and drained the drink offered by Ning Zhanshan.

Merely did what came naturally?

Ning Zhanshan didn't believe that Ding Fan had acted so casually. He knew the nature of his own illness, and to him, Ding Fan's comment seemed only a matter of politeness.

But in fact, Ding Fan had no intention of being polite. He couldn't return to Dancheng any time soon, and he had come to Dongcheng solely for the storage ring around Luoxi's neck. So indeed, he had merely done what came naturally.

At this time, Ning Zhanlun was also quite happy. He toasted Ding Fan and apologized. If Ning Zhanshan hadn't appeared, he might have believed Ning Luomei's words and indeed made things difficult for Ding Fan.

Ding Fan actually found the characters of Ning Zhanshan and Ning Zhanlun admirable; they were straightforward, and dealt with people sincerely, which was very much to Ding Fan's liking.

"Let's not be so formal with 'benefactor.' It's quite a mouthful. Just call me Ding Fan."

"That's good, it feels more intimate," Ning Zhanshan nodded. "Ding Fan, when did you meet my daughter Luoxi?"

Ding Fan was startled; he hadn't expected Ning Zhanshan to ask this question.

"Yesterday, I had some business in Dancheng. When I was traveling to Huai City, Luoxi and I were on the same bus."

Upon hearing this, Ning Zhanshan's eyebrows slightly rose. The journey from Dancheng to Dongcheng was almost a thousand kilometers. According to Ding Fan, he had only gone to Dancheng yesterday and had arrived in Dongcheng today.

Ning Zhanshan didn't believe that Ding Fan had rushed all this way just to treat an old man like himself. In his view, Ding Fan must have taken an interest in his daughter, Ning Luoxi.

Now, Ning Zhanshan scrutinized Ding Fan carefully – handsome features, a distinguished air, and an extraordinary temperament...

As he gazed, Ning Zhanshan couldn't help but smile. A daughter at home invites a hundred suitors. Luoxi had been very pretty since childhood, and after turning eighteen, she had become even more graceful and poised. There had been countless suitors at the Ning Family's door.

Ning Zhanshan had never been impressed by any of them, but now, he thought that Ding Fan, in front of him, was a perfect match for his daughter.

"What? Is something wrong?" Ding Fan, seeing Ning Zhanshan smiling at him, was a bit puzzled.

"Ding Fan, may I ask if you currently have a girlfriend?" Ning Zhanshan asked with a smile.

Ding Fan blinked, not having anticipated such an out-of-the-blue question from Ning Zhanshan.

"Well... I don't, actually. I had a fiancée before, but we've since split up," Ding Fan said.

"That's good..." Ning Zhanshan nodded on the side.

"Huh?" Ding Fan looked at Ning Zhanshan, puzzled.

Ning Zhanshan paused, quickly realizing that his words were somewhat inappropriate. "I mean, fate cannot be forced. Sometimes, it's a matter of destined kinship without a shared fate. But don't worry, I think your opportunity will come very soon..."

With the conversation having reached this point, Luoxi couldn't misinterpret Ning Zhanshan's intentions – he was trying to set her up with Ding Fan.

"Dad, let's eat. It'll get cold if we wait too long..." Luoxi hurriedly served Ning Zhanshan a piece of meat.

Ning Zhanshan laughed. "Alright, I shall use this piece of meat to stuff my mouth then."

Luoxi's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. She stealthily glanced at Ding Fan beside her and, noticing that he didn't seem to react out of the ordinary, she felt slightly relieved.

Indeed, Ding Fan wasn't thinking about such matters. He was pondering how to ask Luoxi for the storage ring.

The meal was pleasantly concluded amid the joyous atmosphere. Under such circumstances, it didn't seem appropriate for Ding Fan to ask about the ring.

After dinner, Ding Fan went for a walk with Luoxi, a program that Ning Zhanshan had ardently arranged for his daughter.

It was evening, and Luoxi and Ding Fan arrived at a park. There were many people strolling around after dinner. Walking shoulder to shoulder, they resembled a couple.

"Brother Fan, you're such a nice person. Why did you break up with your fiancée?"

Ding Fan looked at Luoxi.

"I owed her too much. It might be better for her this way..." Ding Fan said softly.