Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

Director Li kept urging the driver to go faster, and they sped all the way to the hospital.

He used all his connections and finally managed to get a highly experienced expert to come.

When Director Li and the experts rushed back to the steel rolling mill, Mr. Shi's condition had stabilized considerably.

He leaned back in his chair, his face still somewhat pale, but he was no longer in as much pain as before.

The hospital's experts conducted a thorough examination on Mr. Shi, listening to his heart and lungs, pressing his abdomen, and carefully inquiring about his condition.

Finally, the experts reached a similar conclusion to the factory doctor: based on the surface symptoms, it seemed like acute stomach cramps, but the specific cause needed to be determined through further detailed examinations at the hospital.

"Mr. Shi, your health condition is no longer suitable for high-intensity work," the expert said seriously. "I suggest you stop working immediately and be hospitalized for observation and treatment."

"No!" Old Shi refused without even thinking. "I can't be hospitalized."

"Old Shi, your health is the most important thing!"

Deputy Factory Director Yang anxiously advised from the side.

"That's right, Old Shi's health is the foundation of everything!"

"Get some rest first, then you can get back to work!"

Director Li nodded hurriedly at this moment.

The students who came with Master Shi also spoke up.

"Mr. Shi, take a rest!"

"Yes, leave this to us!"

"That's right, Elder Shi, we can also accomplish some simple tasks!"

The students looked at Old Shi with worried eyes.

"Yes, Mr. Shi, the machine can be installed anytime, but if your health collapses, it will be a huge loss to the country!"

The workers echoed this sentiment.

Looking at the concerned faces of everyone, Old Shi felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"I know my own body best. It's just that my old stomach problem has flared up again. I'll be fine after a rest."

"The installation of these machines depends on me. The project is at a critical stage, and I can't leave."

Old Shi waved his hand and said stubbornly.

His attitude was firm and left no room for doubt.

Deputy Factory Director Yang and the expert exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

They realized that, in Mr. Shi's eyes, work related to national development was often more important than his own life.

Finally, due to Elder Shi's insistence, everyone had no choice but to compromise.

The specialist prescribed him some medicine to relieve his stomach pain and repeatedly told him to rest and not to overexert himself before Dr. Li sent him back to the hospital.

Deputy Director Yang was worried and advised Mr. Shi to go back to his room and rest. Mr. Shi finally agreed and personally escorted him back to the expert guesthouse, arranging for two people to take care of his daily needs.

The storm seemed to have subsided just like that.

……

It was late at night.

Old Shi lay alone on the bed in the guesthouse, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Although the stomach pain had subsided, a deeper sense of powerlessness enveloped him.

He stared at the ceiling with his eyes open, his gaze complex and sorrowful.

Old ailment?

Stomach cramps?

He gave a bitter smile to himself.

Only he himself knew that his body had long been on the verge of collapse.

A year ago, during a physical examination, the doctor clearly told him that he had stomach cancer.

Life has at most one to two years left.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for him.

But he didn't tell anyone, including his family.

He asked the doctor to keep it a secret, and then, as if nothing had happened, continued to throw himself into his demanding work.

It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of death, it's just that he still had too many unfinished things to do.

The industrial base of the motherland was still so weak, which was only a short time after its founding, and there were still so many technical problems waiting for him to overcome.

How could he fall down? How dare he fall down?

He came to Beijing this time to oversee the technical transformation project of the steel rolling mill, and he came with the mindset of giving it his all.

He wanted to make one last contribution to the country in the final moments of his life.

However, her body eventually couldn't hold on any longer.

His sudden collapse in the workshop today is a dangerous sign.

He could feel death approaching him step by step.

"God, please give me a little more time..."

Old Shi closed his eyes and prayed silently in his heart.

"Even if... even just a few more months, so I can personally install and debug these machines, so I can see them go into production smoothly, I would die without regrets..."

He thought of the eager eyes of the young workers in the workshop during the day.

He thought of the meticulous care that Deputy Factory Director Yang and the others had shown him.

He then thought of the young man named Cheng Shuhai in that small restaurant in Nanluoguxiang.

That spicy chicken and that boiled fish were the most delicious hometown dishes he had ever eaten in his life.

That smell brought him, a wanderer far from home, a long-lost warmth.

If only... if only I could eat his cooking again.

Old Shi sighed, his stomach starting to ache again.

He knew that his time was truly running out.

……

The next day, Deputy Factory Director Yang and Director Li arrived at the guesthouse early in the morning to visit Old Shi.

Seeing that Old Shi looked much better than yesterday, the two finally felt relieved.

"Mr. Shi, how are you feeling today?"

Deputy Factory Director Yang asked with concern.

"I'm much better, thank you for your concern." Old Shi smiled. "Director Yang, Director Li, I have a favor to ask."

"Mr. Shi, you said you would do it, and we will definitely do it for you if it's within our power!"

Director Li patted his chest and guaranteed.

Looking at them, Old Shi said somewhat embarrassedly, "I...I would like to eat Chef Cheng's cooking again."

"Mr. Shi, these are minor issues!" Deputy Director Yang readily agreed. "I'll have Director Li arrange it right away!"

For Deputy Factory Director Yang, this was an incredible stroke of good news.

The fact that Old Shi is still thinking about eating means that his health is not a big problem.

He immediately gave Director Li a wink.

Director Li understood immediately and said with a smile, "Mr. Shi, what would you like to eat? I'll go tell Chef Cheng right away and have him make it for you!"

Old Shi thought for a moment and said, "I still prefer spicy chicken. That flavor is so refreshing."

"Okay! I'm going right now!"

After Director Li finished speaking, he ran out excitedly and told the driver to drive straight to Nanluoguxiang.

Deputy Factory Director Yang stayed at the guesthouse to talk with Old Shi.

He was planning in his heart that once Old Master Shi was fully recovered, he would definitely find an opportunity to prepare a generous gift and personally visit that young Master Cheng.

This young man is not only an exceptional cook, but he also managed to leave a lasting impression on someone like Master Shi. He is definitely no ordinary person.

We absolutely must make good friends with them!

Perhaps in the future we can ask them to cook for the leaders.