The group walked through a long corridor and arrived at the hospital’s inpatient department. They thought there would be very few people in the inpatient department, but once they entered, they found it was crowded with people, with nearly every ward full of patients, and of course, they were all elderly. Each of them was full of energy, chatting and laughing, and some were even gathered together playing chess and cards. "Are all these people inpatients?" Taozi was quite surprised. Even Shen Siyuan was a bit puzzled. These elderly people were all spirited and did not appear to be typical inpatients. "I know this," Lu Zimo immediately said. "Grandpa says they have medical insurance, so staying in the hospital doesn’t cost them anything, which is why they stay for a period every year." "Why is that?" Taozi still felt a bit puzzled. "What’s there not to understand? They treat the hospital as a nursing home or a convalescent hospital. Since the state is footing the bill, they have food, drinks, and caretakers, and they can also make friends here..." Shen Siyuan pointed at the noisy crowd, and Taozi suddenly understood. "But they’re clearly not sick; doesn’t the hospital care?" Taozi, though enlightened, still felt confused. "Why should they? For the hospital, it’s a source of income. As long as they receive money, it doesn’t matter who pays. Besides, the state finds this hard to control as most elderly people have some minor conditions, a bit of medication, a ten-day to half-month stay, and no one can find fault..." This was practically a perfect closed loop, and Taozi listened, wide-eyed, as she gained new insights. "These people have time, have pensions, and live carefree lives." Taozi felt mixed emotions upon hearing this and didn’t know what to say for a while. "My grandpa doesn’t have a pension or medical insurance, so it costs a lot of money," Lu Zimo suddenly said. As he said this, it seemed he was explaining to the others that his grandpa was not like those people. Shen Siyuan reached out to pat her head but offered no comfort. This is how the world is—some are good, some are bad, some are sweet, some are bitter. There’s no universal harmony. He’s not a saint, and he helps when he can but doesn’t lament over these things. Moreover, these fussing old people are rather annoying, as they seem like freeloading parasites. But in reality, when they were young, most of them worked diligently and even contributed to the country, so in their old age, they deserve these benefits. Dou Dou and Tang Tang, the two little ones, were very curious about the hospital, looking around all the time. When they passed by a dental clinic, the dental models in the glass showcase startled them. The various crooked and missing teeth were strange and bizarre, and Dou Dou found them scarier than the skulls she had seen in the Netherworld. Even Tang Tang stopped her foolish grin and hugged Shen Siyuan’s leg. Although she was innately extraordinary, she was just a child. Thus, Shen Siyuan simply picked her up and then beckoned to Dou Dou. Unexpectedly, the little one directly shook her head and refused. "You can hold Tang Tang, but I won’t let you hold me," she sulked. "Oh dear, that makes me sad," Shen Siyuan playfully teased. But Dou Dou didn’t catch the meaning and instead proudly said, "I won’t comfort you unless you beg me." "Do you think I would beg you?" Dou Dou heard this, glanced at Shen Siyuan from the corner of her eye, and then sighed, "I think you won’t." "Good that you know." "If it were my dad, he would." "The key is, I’m not your dad." The most update n0vels are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 "You can be. I’ll ask my mom to marry you, then you would be." Taozi was embarrassed to hear this, "It seems I didn’t punish you enough earlier, spouting nonsense." "I mean it seriously, I’m not lying." She thought her auntie believed she was lying. Shen Siyuan couldn’t help but laugh, and even Lu Zimo covered his mouth to snicker. "You can’t say such things carelessly..." Taozi pinched her little ear and began to scold her. Seeing this, Tang Tang immediately turned her little face and offered her own ear to Shen Siyuan for a pinch. Shen Siyuan, finding it amusing, reached out and pinched her little ear. Only then did she show a satisfied expression. Shen Siyuan was in a mix of tears and laughter—what a peculiar quirk. Lu Zimo’s grandpa was on the third floor. They climbed the stairs, and immediately upon entering, they found this floor’s inpatient department unusually quiet. "Grandpa says most people here are truly sick," Lu Zimo said. "I can’t let grandpa see me." He concealed himself around the corner. Now, besides Shen Siyuan and Dou Dou, Taozi and Tang Tang couldn’t see him anymore. Taozi was already used to it, and even Tang Tang was not surprised by his disappearance. With Lu Zimo leading the way, the group came to the ward where Lu Zimo’s grandpa was staying. The inpatient environment was poor, with as many as four beds in a room, and there were also hospital companions and various items, making it quite cramped. At that moment, there were four or five people in the ward, all from one family, and they were chatting with an elderly person by the door. Additionally, there was another elderly person by the window on the far side. He was thin, dressed in hospital clothes, and sat on the bed quietly looking out the window as if in a daze. This was likely Lu Zimo’s grandpa. Sure enough, Lu Zimo went straight to the elderly man and squeezed into his embrace, calling out grandpa. But unfortunately, his grandpa couldn’t see him and naturally couldn’t hear his call. "What should we say?" Taozi turned to Shen Siyuan, curiously asking. They couldn’t just walk up without a reason; they needed an excuse. Shen Siyuan thought for a moment and looked down at Dou Dou beside him. "Why are you looking at me? I’m still not reconciled with you," Dou Dou pouted, feeling indignant. Shen Siyuan didn’t pay her any attention and directly walked toward Lu Zimo’s grandpa. By then, Taozi understood Shen Siyuan’s intention and promptly followed. Seeing them both go in, Dou Dou looked around and hurriedly ran in too. "Wait for me, I’m not angry anymore; don’t be petty..." The family by the bed, near the door, all looked curiously at the group of them. Shen Siyuan approached Lu Zimo’s grandpa’s bedside and glanced at the head of the bed. On the bedhead was a small note with the name Lu Jiawang, which was Lu Zimo’s grandpa’s name. "Hello, sir," Shen Siyuan greeted the elderly man. "And you are?" The old man peered at them with cloudy eyes, scrutinizing them. Lu Jiawang was so thin he looked like a skeleton wrapped in skin, and because he was skinny, his eyes bulged, making them appear exceptionally large. Tang Tang, nestled in Shen Siyuan’s arms, was a bit afraid to look at him. But Dou Dou was not frightened at all, staring at him curiously. After all, she’d seen more skeletons than living people. "Our Dou Dou is friends with your Zimo, and we hadn’t seen your Zimo in a long time. After inquiring, we learned that..." Shen Siyuan intentionally left his sentence unfinished, while Lu Jiawang automatically filled in the rest in his mind.