To not become a burden, Chen Danian learned to walk with his hands . When no one was home, he would abandon the wheelchair and grit his teeth in pain, binding his legs as he moved forward with his hands propping up his body . This practice exhausted him, but he needed to act unfazed when his family was back .
However, there was no way to keep it a secret for long . Yingying eventually discovered it .
One afternoon, Yingying returned ahead of time and saw Chen Danian in the stairwell moving upwards with his hands . At that instant, Yingying’s tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt in front of Chen Danian and wailed .
“Dad! Sob!” Yingying cried .
However, Chen Danian laughed . “Silly girl, why are you crying? You are already so old, yet you cry like you are a hundred-kilogram fatty . ”
Yingying was tickled by Chen Danian’s words, but her tears continued streaming down . “Dad, why are you out here? If you want to come out, tell me . I’ll take you down . Also, where’s your wheelchair?”
“Silly girl . I just wanted to get some air . Is there a need for that? Besides, your dad isn’t a cripple . It’s just going downstairs, so why would I need your help?” Chen Danian laughed . “Silly girl . Daddy could walk with his legs, so Daddy can also walk with his hands . If Daddy can stand up with his legs, Daddy can also stand up with his hands . ”
“Dad, I feel bad seeing you like that . Wait for me . I’ll get you the wheelchair . Besides, the doctor said that if you do physiotherapy on your legs, there’s still a chance of recovery . ” As Yingying spoke, her eyes were darting around . Clearly, the doctor had never said anything like that .
However, Chen Danian laughed out loud . “Silly girl . You are Dad’s child . Do you think I can’t tell when you are lying? Don’t worry . Dad can still take this tiny bit of setback . It’s just a pair of legs anyway . Dad still has his hands! As for a wheelchair, do you really treat me as a cripple? Daddy isn’t going to sit in a wheelchair in the future . Only cripples sit in wheelchairs . Daddy is fine! If you don’t believe me, we can compete . These hands of mine might not be slower than those short legs of yours!”
“My legs aren’t short,” Yingying said, peeved .
Finally, Yingying competed with Chen Danian in a race, and obviously, Chen Danian was no match for her . However, Yingying didn’t run very fast either . She stayed behind Chen Danian and when she saw how much effort he took to climb up the stairs, her eyes turned moist without her realizing it . She knew that Chen Danian was doing that solely to reduce her guilt .
Yingying followed behind while covering her mouth, trying hard not to cry out loud . All she did was follow silently .
Seeing her father’s optimistic and diligent attitude, Yingying gradually got over her psychological trauma .
The dark clouds that hung over the family gradually dispersed as a result .
Squirrel asked, perplexed, “Master, why doesn’t he use a wheelchair? There’s no need to insist on using his hands when his legs are broken, right? Why do I feel like that’s a bit unnecessary?”
Fangzheng shook his head without providing an explanation .
However, Lone Wolf raised his head and said, “It’s a form of dignity, the dignity of a man . If the mind doesn’t crumble, there’s nothing that can beat us down! He is likely using his own way to prove himself . But more importantly, it’s to show Yingying that he hasn’t been taken down and that life is still filled with hope . He wanted to make Yingying not feel guilty and get over her psychological trauma . From the looks of it, he succeeded . ”
Squirrel listened as though he vaguely understood .
However, Fangzheng nodded slightly in agreement with Lone Wolf . He continued . “There’s a kind of pain known as a painless pain, a type of tears known as tearless tears, a kind of love known as unspoken love, a type of responsibility known as silent responsibility, and a type of laughter known as a man’s laughter . This is what makes a man . Men hide their misery inwardly, but release their laughter to prop up a happy family . ”
When the others heard him, all of them fell into deep thought .
Salted Fish suddenly asked, “Then what about women? Do they not do anything?”
Fangzheng shook his head and said, “No matter how powerful a man is, he is just a pillar . To make the family warm and beautiful, it still relies on the woman . Together, they form bliss . ”
As an ancient bachelor, Salted Fish knew nothing about this . His fish brain couldn’t fathom those words .
Red Boy patted him on the head and said, “Enough . Stop thinking about it . I didn’t understand when I first came either . Follow Master more often and observe . When you have nothing to do, go on the Internet and learn . You will learn it sooner or later . ”
“Internet? The glass rectangle you play with all the time?” asked Salted Fish .
Red Boy nodded . Like an elder brother, he brought Salted Fish to the side and began teaching him .
The scenes before them changed again as Chen Danian grew older and older . Although his smile remained as his daughter grew older, he turned increasingly forlorn .
After Chen Danian returned from work, Chen Danian sat there, watching his daughter as though she was still young . It appeared as though he could never look at her enough and would never get sick of it .
Chen Yingying said with a rueful smile, “Dad, if you keep looking at me like that, I might not have the appetite to eat . ”
Chen Danian chuckled foolishly . “Seriously? Dad watched you grow up, so how can you lose your appetite from a short look?”
“Enough . You crazy old man . Eat,” Bi Ruxin berated .
Only then did Chen Danian start eating, but instead of looking at Yingying, he kept serving her food . It frightened Chen Yingying so much that she hurriedly asked, “Dad, are you ill? Your behavior is scaring me . ”
Bi Ruxin said with a smile, “What nonsense are you saying? This old man is as fit as a fiddle . He went for a physical examination the day before yesterday . His results were better than mine in every category . ”
Only then did Chen Yingying feel relieved . However, she still felt that Chen Danian had been a little odd recently .
Deep into the night, Chen Danian sat on the bed and kept staring at Chen Yingying’s photo .
Bi Ruxin asked out of curiosity, “Danian, what’s wrong with you?”
Chen Danian sighed and shook his head without saying anything else before falling asleep .
With the new year arriving, a bashful Chen Yingying finally brought back an equally bashful boy . The boy was good in every aspect, satisfying Bi Ruxin’s expectations greatly . Only Chen Danian kept drinking silently with an ugly expression . He only spoke when Bi Ruxin secretly pinched him .
“Little Lu, it’s important to have feelings, but your career is equally important . You are now in the beginning stages of your career . You can always delay the wedding a little…” Chen Danian said .
“Dad, we already discussed it!” Chen Yingying cried out .
For the first time, Chen Danian glared at Chen Yingying and continued . “You are a girl, so why are you in a rush to get married? It’s not like I’m not letting you get married . It’ll just be a few days later . ”
Towards the end, Chen Danian’s eyes turned red . After another glare, he turned his head and lifted it slightly to prevent his tears from falling . He muttered . “Sigh, I’m getting old . My body can’t take it any longer . I need to rest . ”
With that said, Chen Danian rolled away in a wheelchair and returned to his room .
“Mom, what’s wrong with Dad?” Chen Yingying asked .