Chapter 462 - 461: From Free to No Upper Limit

Nurse: Call me if you need help with anything else.

"Thank you, Miss Yun."

To Yun Zijin, a hundred yuan was no different than a dime.

After the nurse left, Yun Zijin unfolded her silver needle pouch.

Seeing the dense array of silver needles inside, Lu Yunque felt his skin crawl. ’Thank god I’m not the one getting acupuncture,’ he thought, immensely relieved.

Lu Yunzhou felt much the same, but he maintained a placid expression, showing no signs of unease.

Yun Zijin selected a needle from the collection, seemingly at random, and with a swift motion, inserted it into one of Lu Yunzhou’s acupoints.

"Brother, be sure to tell me if you feel any discomfort."

Lu Yunzhou nodded. "Don’t worry. I can take it."

While she worked, Lu Yunque discreetly returned to the kitchen to check on the herbal medicine he was brewing.

Lu Yunzhou was unable to walk because the neurons in his legs were damaged. For him to stand again, Yun Zijin had to regenerate his nerves.

But before regenerating them, she first had to completely destroy the existing damaged neurons to make way for new ones. (Author’s note: This is completely fictional and has no medical basis. Please do not take it seriously.)

Both the destruction of the old neurons and the regeneration of new ones would be excruciatingly painful for Lu Yunzhou.

"If it’s too much to bear, you have to tell me."

Seeing the veins bulging on Lu Yunzhou’s forehead, Yun Zijin couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. But this was a crucial ordeal he had to endure if he ever wanted to walk again.

"I... can... take it..."

As Lu Yunzhou forced out those few words, the veins on his forehead bulged even more prominently.

This session lasted for a full half hour, and Lu Yunzhou’s agony continued for just as long.

"Today was the first treatment, which is always the most painful. The next one won’t be as agonizing."

It will still hurt, of course, but the pain will pale in comparison to today’s ordeal.

By the time the treatment was over, Lu Yunzhou’s clothes were soaked with sweat. Yun Zijin suggested awkwardly, "Maybe you should... let Lu Yunque help you take a bath?"

He certainly couldn’t bathe on his own, so Lu Yunque was naturally roped into being the helper.

Huo Yue Lan arrived just as Lu Yunque came out from helping Lu Yunzhou with his bath.

Seeing Lu Yunque lifting Lu Yunzhou into bed, Huo Yue Lan hurried inside. "Why didn’t you call the caregiver to help?"

The Lu Family was not short on money; even at their own private sanatorium, they had hired a caregiver to help Lu Yunzhou with his daily needs.

"It was more trouble to call the caregiver. I was already here, so it was no bother."

Besides, what hadn’t the two of them seen of each other? This was nothing new.

"I brought you all some dinner. Eat up while it’s still hot."

Knowing that both Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque were there, Huo Yue Lan had deliberately brought enough for three.

"Thank you, Mom," came one voice, while another said, "Thank you, Auntie."

Hearing that Huo Yue Lan had brought them dinner, their faces lit up with pleasant surprise.

"Go on, eat. I brought all your favorites."

Huo Yue Lan had already eaten at home before she came.

Lu Yunque took the thermal containers from Huo Yue Lan and raised the overbed table. He took out all the dishes and distributed bowls and chopsticks to everyone.

"You all eat first. I’m going to go for a walk outside."

It was always a little awkward to watch others eat, or to be watched while eating, so Huo Yue Lan tactfully stepped out of the room.

"This is for you," Lu Yunque said. "You’re the patient, so there’s a lot you can’t eat."

Lu Yunque could tell at a glance which dishes were for him and Yun Zijin and which were specifically for Lu Yunzhou.

Looking at the rich fish and meat dishes in front of Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque, then at the plain porridge and simple vegetables before him, Lu Yunzhou had to admit he was envious.

"Zijin, now that I’ve started treatment, does my diet have to be..."

’Surely it doesn’t need to be this strict,’ Lu Yunzhou thought.

’If he really had to eat nothing but porridge and vegetables for a month or two, he’d probably go crazy.’

"You still need to be careful until you’ve recovered, but you’re not limited to just porridge and simple vegetables. Most lightly flavored dishes should be fine."

Lu Yunzhou’s eyes lit up at her words. Lightly flavored was perfectly fine by him; he didn’t eat much spicy food anyway.

’Looks like I can suggest to Mom that the family chef make my meals a little more interesting next time,’ he thought.

Huo Yue Lan, who had been timing her return perfectly, came back in just as the three of them finished eating.

Lu Yunque gathered everyone’s bowls and chopsticks, packed them into the thermal containers, and set them aside to take home for the housekeepers to wash.

Huo Yue Lan, having returned from outside, glanced at Yun Zijin, looking as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating.

Yun Zijin knew. ’She must have found out that I gave Lu Yunzhou acupuncture.’

"Auntie Huo, please feel free to say whatever is on your mind."

"My little sparrow told me you gave Zhouzhou acupuncture today. How... how is he now?"

Huo Yue Lan didn’t blame Yun Zijin for acting without getting everyone’s consent. She just asked about Lu Yunzhou’s condition.

"The nerve death is quite severe. The treatment process involves destroying all the dead nerve tissue and regenerating it, so it can be rather painful. But as long as Brother cooperates with the treatment, standing up again shouldn’t be a problem."

However, Yun Zijin couldn’t guarantee whether he would recover to his former condition.

But to Huo Yue Lan, as a mother, it didn’t matter whether Lu Yunzhou could return to his former state. All she heard was that her son had a chance to stand again—that he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

"Zijin... Thank you so, so much. If it weren’t for you... I don’t know... I don’t know how I would have faced this..."

Overcome with emotion, Huo Yue Lan hugged Yun Zijin tightly and couldn’t bear to let go.

"Mom! Mom!"

Lu Yunque couldn’t stand seeing Yun Zijin monopolized for so long and tried to intervene from the side.

Yun Zijin took the opportunity to slip out of Huo Yue Lan’s embrace. "Auntie, it’s because Brother is incredibly fortunate. You know the saying, ’One who survives a great catastrophe is destined for good fortune.’ That must be about him."

Under the circumstances at the time, Lu Yunzhou was incredibly lucky to have even survived.

"Zijin, I absolutely won’t let you do this for free. What’s your usual consultation fee? I’ll give you double."

Yun Zijin held up one finger.

"Ten million? Then I’ll give you twenty million."

With that, she pulled out her phone to transfer the money to Yun Zijin.

Yun Zijin quickly stopped her. "I only collect my fee after the treatment is successful. If there’s no cure, I don’t take a single cent. There’s no rush, Auntie."

Normally, Yun Zijin’s fee was indeed ten million per treatment, though it could fluctuate under special circumstances.

It could be as low as free, or have no upper limit.

Initially, Yun Zijin had felt too awkward to ask for payment. Strictly speaking, she was Lu Yunzhou’s sister-in-law. If word got out that she charged family for treatment, what would people think of her?

But since Huo Yue Lan had offered it herself, Yun Zijin certainly wasn’t going to refuse.

Treating Lu Yunzhou meant she couldn’t take on other patients. The income she would lose during that time would be far more than ten million, so Yun Zijin felt no guilt in accepting the twenty million.

"Your rules are your rules, but my rule is to pay before treatment. Just accept it, don’t worry. Even if, in the end... even if... I absolutely won’t ask for it back."