Chapter 472: Gathering?

Chapter 472: A Gathering?

The aunt asked everyone to sit first, then told Yun Pohuai to go upstairs and help the old man down.

Due to his blood sugar and blood pressure issues, the old man now had a special diet for every meal, as there were many things he couldn’t eat. But seeing so many younger family members around him made him happier than indulging in rich foods.

Yun Pohuai’s son had just started kindergarten. Though he hadn’t met Lu Hanchuan many times, he still recognized his uncle.

"Uncle," Yun Haoxiang greeted Lu Hanchuan obediently—a polite little boy.

His sister-in-law, Jiang Shanshan, reminded him, "Haohao, say hello to Auntie too."

"Auntie," Yun Haoxiang called out. With his beautiful, elegantly upturned phoenix eyes and fair complexion, he looked really cute.

Ye Xiaoxiao smiled and greeted the little boy, "Hello, Haohao."

Yun Haoxiang leaned against his mother, hiding his face shyly.

He was a very reserved child. Whether his personality resembled Yun Pohuai’s or not, Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t sure, but it was definitely different from Lu Hanchuan’s. Lu Hanchuan must have been a mischievous kid when he was young.

Only after Grandpa Yun came down did everyone start eating.

Lu Hanchuan and Yun Pohuai occasionally chatted about military matters at the table but mostly ate quietly.

Grandpa Yun didn’t eat much, clearly showing a poor appetite.

"Grandpa, you’re eating so little," Lu Hanchuan remarked, concerned, and tried to persuade him to eat more.

But the old man wouldn’t listen. "I eat several small meals a day. You all eat more—don’t worry about me."

His aunt explained, "Dad needs to eat smaller, more frequent meals now. We’ll make him something else if he gets hungry later."

The fact that the old man could still eat on his own was already a sign of relatively good health.

Hearing this, Lu Hanchuan stopped insisting.

Lu Hanchuan’s uncle was still in the military and hadn’t returned today. However, he called that evening to check in and spoke with Lu Hanchuan about a few things.

Lu Hanchuan said, "I can stay at most a week—I can’t linger here for long."

Having this much time off was only possible because it was the Spring Festival, and with Deputy Regimental Commander Li and the Political Commissar on the island, they could handle affairs.

Lu Hanchuan’s uncle understood his situation—military life wasn’t exactly free.

"Stay at home for a few days and spend more time with Grandpa. The doctor said a happy mood can help ease his condition."

Lu Hanchuan naturally agreed.

His uncle then asked, "I heard Xiao Xiao is also a doctor—and a very skilled one at that."

Lu Hanchuan: "Grandpa's ailments are age-related, and traditional Chinese medicine can only provide auxiliary treatment. Xiao Xiao did provide a dietary remedy though."

His uncle was well-connected, knowing that many people sought appointments with Xiao Xiao. Her reputation as a "young miracle doctor" had spread. Being family, he naturally trusted her.

"Then let's give it a try. Your grandpa is getting older and shouldn't be overexerted. Dietary therapy is definitely the most suitable."

Since Uncle said so, after hanging up, Lu Hanchuan passed along Xiao Xiao's remedy to the family nutritionist.

The nutritionist, who also had some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, found it more scientifically sound than her previous formula.

"I'll try this recipe for Grandpa first."

The nutritionist was a refined, knowledgeable woman in her forties, speaking deliberately.

Lu Hanchuan nodded. "I appreciate your help."

After delivering the recipe, Lu Hanchuan went upstairs to find his wife and saw his cousin's wife Jiang Shanshan in their room.

Ye Xiaoxiao looked at Lu Hanchuan. "We're just catching up."

Lu Hanchuan understood. "Then I'll go find my cousin in the study. Don't let me interrupt."

It wasn't appropriate for him to listen in on women's conversations.

Jiang Shanshan had come to talk about pregnancy matters with Xiao Xiao and to see how she's doing.

"You must be exhausted after such a long journey today."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Not really. We rested along the way."

Jiang Shanshan observed that Ye Xiaoxiao didn't seem tired at all—no signs of travel fatigue, and she didn't even look pregnant.

"How far along are you? There's no visible bump yet."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Just over two months. Not showing yet."

Jiang Shanshan: "You're glowing. When I was pregnant, my complexion suffered, and I got stretch marks on my stomach. Even years after giving birth, I still haven't fully bounced back."

Ye Xiaoxiao carefully examined Jiang Shanshan's complexion. Her skin tone was indeed somewhat dull. With her round face and fine lines that weren't noticeable unless closely inspected, she looked much better than many hardworking women her age, especially in her thirties.

The stretch marks on her stomach were still quite visible years later.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You've kept yourself up well. As for the stretch marks, I can send you some special cream that should be effective."

"Great! Is it a brand I know?" Jiang Shanshan had tried many brands herself, but none had significant fading effects.

Ye Xiaoxiao replied directly, "It's a product from Huarong Company."

After their whitening cream took off, they launched many beauty products, including stretch mark creams.

At the time, products like this were scarce, so Huarong's stretch mark cream flew off the shelves immediately upon release.

Though Jinhai was close to Beijing, the product's popularity made it hard to find before production expanded.

Jiang Shanshan had heard of Huarong's products. "I know this brand. We still have some whitening cream at home, but I haven't heard of their stretch mark cream."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "It probably hasn't reached here yet. I'll mail it to you from Beijing."

Jiang Shanshan looked at Xiao Xiao tenderly: "Thanks, Xiao Xiao."

Ye Xiaoxiao, perhaps due to professional habit, checked Jiang Shanshan’s pulse to examine her health.

"Sister-in-law, you have some low qi and blood levels, which also affects your complexion. You might benefit from some herbal medicine to balance it out."

Jiang Shanshan gazed at Ye Xiaoxiao in pleasant surprise: "Yes, the doctor I consulted before said the same, but the medicine didn’t help much."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Then let me write you a prescription, sister-in-law. You can try it."

Compared to her father-in-law, Jiang Shanshan wasn’t as well-informed—after all, the name "Miracle Doctor Xiao Xiao" was only known among top officials.

But Jiang Shanshan knew Ye Xiaoxiao was trained in Chinese medicine and trusted her.

"Great, I’ll give it a shot."

"You’ll be staying here for a few days, right? Tomorrow, I’ll show you around."

From their conversation, Jiang Shanshan found Ye Xiaoxiao very easy to get along with and warmly invited her, "It’s freezing out, so we’ll stick to indoor spots."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Sure thing."

...

Meanwhile, Yun Pohuai and Lu Hanchuan were also chatting.

"There’s a meetup in Tianjin soon. Come with me."

Lu Hanchuan: "What kind of gathering? Like, a booze thing?"

Yun Pohuai took out a list: "Just a networking thing in our circle. No harm in going."

After scanning the list, Lu Hanchuan recognized a few familiar names.

Well, since we’re here, might as well check it out.