"Is this the place?" Richard asked as he looked at the doorplate for hospital bed number XX, his expression calm as he walked into the ward.
His father and grandmother had been waiting there for a long time. They were silent, their faces shadowed by worry… Only the old man remained optimistic, even managing to make small talk.
"Oh, it's nothing. I feel much better after the biopsy!" he said.
"Didn't the doctor say you should stay in the hospital for observation for two weeks?"
"It's nothing—no serious illness!"
The old man's face was somewhat greenish, yet he maintained a cheerful tone. Dark circles hung heavily under his eyes, and his pallid complexion spoke of sheer exhaustion. Richard had never thought that the word "livid" could describe a face so accurately. This was terrifying… It seemed that after a serious illness, a person's face could really turn green.
"Oh… my grandson is here!"
"No, didn't I tell you it's nothing?"
"Why did you call Xiao Chen back?"
"Grandson, I heard you bought some gold a few years ago and made a profit… as expected, you're the only sharp one in the family. You're far more capable than your father!"
Richard glanced sideways at his father without saying a word. His father's old habit hadn't changed: whenever there was a small gain or some money to brag about, he would boast about it endlessly.
Richard sighed softly. But before long, his father grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the ward. His grandmother followed, clearly intending to discuss matters she didn't want the old man to hear.
"Son… I know what you want to scold me about, but let's not discuss that today."
"Your grandfather's illness isn't simple this time. The doctor said it's very likely at the terminal stage."
"Terminal stage?"
Richard had never expected this cancer to lie in wait and then strike so decisively. Terminal stage likely meant the cancer had begun to spread. At this point, it was almost like being sentenced to a suspended death.
"I saw him perfectly fine last month. How can it already be terminal?"
"At that time, he could still go to the village and play cards… Did it just collapse all of a sudden?"
His father remained silent. His grandmother wiped tears from her eyes, but eventually spoke, her voice tinged with reproach and fury.
"Oh… if he doesn't make it this time, the old man truly spent his whole life working for you three sons, working himself to death!"
"You three sons, whatever you touch, you lose money… In the early years, when the market was good, he earned a little for you. But as soon as he divided the family property… one by one, you kept losing money, and the old man still had to shoulder the burden!"
She seemed on the verge of a hypertensive attack. Luckily, she carried antihypertensive medication; otherwise, she might have truly fainted from anger.
His father hurriedly tried to calm her. Even he hadn't expected this turn of events.
"Mom, don't be anxious. The second and third brothers will be back in a few days too."
"Let's talk about future matters later. For now, calm down. Don't make yourself sick from anger!"
Listening to them, Richard guessed that his two uncles hadn't done much better financially. This was normal. Adding his father and two uncles together, they couldn't match even one high school graduate, whereas his grandfather had completed high school. Back in his day, that was nearly equivalent to a university-level intellect.
One could clearly see the gap in ability. Although the three brothers were bosses in name, without the old man, they could not hold anything together. Accounts were mismanaged, profits miscalculated, strategies nonexistent, and planning chaotic. Investments relied entirely on going all-in, profits on intuition, and success on luck—while losses relied solely on their own incompetence.
Richard couldn't even bother scolding them. If they had shown even a little initiative, his grandmother wouldn't have been so angry. Some people became rich purely by luck… others by having a competent father to support them.
"Xiao Chen, come in!"
"Since you're here, it's a good chance to talk to you. Some things are better said to you—your father wouldn't understand even if I told him."
Richard walked in silently. Before he could speak, his father warned him:
"Don't tell the old man about his condition. He doesn't know how serious it is yet. He thinks it's just a minor ailment! You must absolutely not tell him it's pancreatic cancer."
"A minor ailment?" Richard almost laughed. What kind of IQ is this? The difference in education between you and your father is obvious. You really think you can fool the old man?
Pulling the curtains, Richard noticed the old man's livid complexion had darkened further. Deprived of sunlight, his aura seemed even closer to death.
"Oh! Your dad probably told you not to say anything, right?"
"I guessed it already. I'm seriously ill this time! Among the three brothers, your family worries me the least. Your dad is unreliable; it'll be enough if he doesn't hold you back. Don't count on him!"
"Originally, I wanted to leave something for you, but now… this illness will likely cost a lot."
He coughed dryly twice, bile from the biopsy flowing through the tube into a dark red bag.
"I heard the doctor mention pancreatic cancer… I looked it up. That thing is the king of cancers. I'm literate; I know how to use a search engine. Looking at those two's complexions, I know I'm seriously ill, and I don't have much time left. Sigh… what a pity."
"Grandfather always said the body is the capital of revolution, yet I turned out to be the one who least valued my own body!"
Richard forced himself to stay calm, holding back his emotions.
"Later, your grandmother needs a checkup too. Just now, I noticed a strange odor from her mouth; she might be ill as well. Make sure she gets thoroughly checked. I'm sick, that's my problem. But if she falls ill too… then it's truly over."
Richard nodded. Even now, his grandfather remained rational. His father got angry over problems, his uncles vented. But his grandfather handled matters with reason. The gap was enormous.
"If I'm gone, take good care of your grandmother. She's never had a day of happiness—she's only suffered for the brats she raised."
Richard thought: it was thanks to his grandfather that he could now be a wargamer. Without capital, investments and wealth management were jokes.
"Don't worry, Grandfather. You don't need to tell me these things. After you get better, you can just keep Grandmother company. Let the descendants handle their own problems."
"That's true," the grandfather said after a pause.
"But Xiao Chen, you don't need to comfort me. I know this time is serious. You also know your dad can't keep secrets. In the future, you can only rely on yourself. Even if it's lonely, it has to be this way."
For some reason, Richard's bitterness vanished. In its place was a calm sense of fearlessness. He had nothing to fear—he had the special medicine.
He carefully took out a Rubik's cube from his pocket that stored the medicine and removed an oval-shaped capsule.
"Grandfather, take this! It's an experimental drug imported from abroad. The success rate isn't high, but maybe… there will be a miracle!"
For someone dying of a terminal illness, any medicine was worth trying. Even with risks, it was better than waiting for death.
"Sigh… Xiao Chen, I know. You don't need to comfort me with a little pill like this! How lucky would I have to be to just stumble upon a cancer cure? I can't rely on a 'blind cat hitting a dead mouse'!"
Still, he took the pill. After all, what could be worse than the current situation?
An extra-large IV bag hung above his head, injecting milky white medicine into his body while bile drained through the tube. Even like this, he was still alive.
The room was quiet; other patients needed rest. His grandfather only spoke a few sentences before resting.
Modern humans could inherit property, but not ability. Most second-generation rich kids couldn't handle succession; as soon as they took over, everything collapsed.
Richard walked out of the ward, feeling ironic. Without this panacea, the elder would have buried the younger. Even his great-grandmother would have suffered a heart attack upon learning of this.
"Grandson, are you okay?" his grandmother asked, concerned. His father was shooed to the windowsill, sulking silently.
"I'm fine… just talked to Grandfather a bit. Grandma, don't overexert yourself. At your age, you should enjoy retirement. Don't tire yourself out, only to leave us first!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" she sighed, but tears fell again.
"What a hard life! Your grandfather's illness likely came from overwork. If only your father and uncles were a little more capable…"
"Forget it. The doctor said Grandfather has a few months left. Come visit him more during this time!"
Richard nodded. He would visit—but at home, after his grandfather took the panacea and was discharged.
By evening, Richard had just returned home when his father called. His grandmother excitedly told him that the old man had improved dramatically. The new report showed cancer cells almost completely cleared. All health indicators were excellent—even better than many young people. Bone age showed only 30-something. In less than four hours, his grandfather went from dying to completely healed.
"Son, that Doctor Sun from before asked for your number. He may come visit; he seemed anxious. I don't know why."
"Is that so? Well, it's good Grandfather has recovered. But you mustn't tell anyone about this. If others see him now, they'll doubt he was ever sick. The fewer people who know, the better. That medicine isn't simple; don't talk about it, got it?"
Richard didn't expect his father to keep secrets anyway. The important thing was that his grandfather recovered. Doctor Sun noticing the miracle was unsurprising.
"Sigh… maybe I should submit part of the laser rifle design blueprints to the Seven Sons of National Defense. Whether they look or not doesn't matter; once I master the energy magazine technology, I can make money anyway!"
Richard's concept of money had grown indifferent. The chessboard would bring him too many things to change the era. And this was just the beginning.
"If you want to read advance Chapter.
Please Visit: https://www.patreon.com/c/Dinos2_0"