I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 24 – Mother and Daughter

Tang Lingwu’s family villa had only three floors, and the decor wasn’t particularly luxurious—in fact, it even felt a bit outdated.

“This is my grandfather’s old house…” Tang Lingwu said softly. “My dad doesn’t live here. He stays in the provincial capital.”

“What about your mom?”

“The doctor said it’s better for her to stay in a familiar environment.”

Zheng Fa had been wondering about this for a while. With Tang Lingwu’s academic performance and her family’s financial situation, she really shouldn’t be attending Qingshui High School.

Thinking about it now, she was probably staying here to be with her mother.

On the first floor of the villa, a maid was cleaning, but she moved so lightly that she didn’t make a single sound.

The house was so quiet that it felt uninhabited, and the sound of their footsteps echoed emptily in the spacious space.

“My mom is resting on the second floor,” Tang Lingwu led them up the stairs. “She can’t sleep at night, so she ends up dozing off most of the day.”

Upon reaching the second floor, Zheng Fa finally saw Tang Lingwu’s mother.

Before coming here, he had expected her to be in poor condition.

After all, from Tang Lingwu’s descriptions, her mother had some hysteria, suffered from insomnia, and was highly controlling.

In his mind, someone like that wouldn’t be completely unkempt or deranged, but she would likely appear mentally drained.

But reality was different—

Tang Lingwu’s mother was reclining on a nearly flat sofa, draped in a broad, soft bath towel.

A thin trail of smoke curled up from the incense on the coffee table, filling the room with a soothing fragrance.

At the end of the sofa, a delicate-looking young woman in her twenties was kneeling, gently massaging her face and scalp.

Hearing the footsteps of Zheng Fa and the others, Tang Lingwu’s mother sat up slightly. The bath towel slipped from her shoulders, revealing the spaghetti-strap dress she was wearing underneath.

Her features bore an 80% resemblance to Tang Lingwu’s, though her figure carried a more mature charm.

At first glance, she even looked healthier than Tang Lingwu had the night before—her complexion was clear and rosy, her posture was relaxed, and she exuded an air of vitality.

Even Tang Lingwu was stunned, staring blankly at her mother.

Tang Lingwu’s mother stood up and first extended her hand toward Old Bai, speaking politely, “Professor Bai, thank you for taking care of Xiao Wu.”

Old Bai shook her hand lightly twice.

Then she turned to Zheng Fa, giving him a slight nod instead of offering a handshake, but her tone was still friendly. “You must be Zheng, right? My surname is Ye, you can just call me Sister Ye.”

Zheng Fa froze, then turned to Tang Lingwu in confusion. “Sister… Ye?”

“Call her Aunt Ye!” Tang Lingwu protested, clearly displeased at being downgraded a whole generation. She turned to her mother and said, “Mom, he’s here to help you! Do you have to act like this?”

“What did I do?” Aunt Ye rolled her eyes slightly and muttered, “I had a guest coming over, so I got a massage and did a spa treatment to freshen up a bit. What’s wrong with that?”

“…”

Zheng Fa glanced at Old Bai, feeling that Aunt Ye was much livelier than he had imagined.

But upon closer inspection, he noticed that her seemingly radiant complexion was actually the result of makeup, her lazy posture was meant to mask her sluggishness, and her right hand trembled occasionally, a sign of nervous fatigue.

Aunt Ye turned to Old Bai and said, “Professor Bai, you see, I’m actually fine… Xiao Wu is just making a fuss over nothing.”

Zheng Fa suddenly understood her mindset.

On one hand, she probably still didn’t fully trust him and had only agreed to this visit because of Old Bai’s reputation.

On the other hand, she seemed to be in denial about her condition.

“Mom! You promised me!” Tang Lingwu, realizing her mother’s reluctance, grew upset.

“Look at me, I’m doing much better today, aren’t I?”

“Every time we go to the hospital, you refuse to go unless I force you.” Tang Lingwu was truly angry now. “This time I brought someone to help, and you’re doing this again?”

“…”

Aunt Ye fell silent.

Zheng Fa looked at Tang Lingwu, then at Aunt Ye.

It seemed like, between the two of them, Tang Lingwu was the one taking on the role of caretaker.

Aunt Ye also seemed to realize she was in the wrong. She sat back down on the sofa, remaining quiet for a long time before finally speaking. “It’s useless…”

“Mom, you—”

“I’ve seen every kind of specialist, both here and abroad. I take medicine like it’s my daily meal, but it hasn’t helped much. I used to be able to sleep two hours a night, but now, as soon as I open my eyes, I stay awake till morning,” Aunt Ye said. “Xiao Wu, I know you’re worried about me… But all these years, you’ve actually been the one taking care of me.”

Old Bai opened his mouth as if to say something.

“Professor Bai, I appreciate your kindness, but you’re not sick—at least not with what I have.”

“…”

“There’s no need for your student to treat me, and you don’t need to force me to go to the hospital anymore,” Aunt Ye suddenly said. “I contacted a hospital abroad this morning. My flight is tomorrow, and the day after that, I’ll be admitted. Since you don’t have to take the college entrance exam, your father will come pick you up and take you to the provincial capital.”

It seemed that Aunt Ye had finally decided to let go of her control over her daughter. But at the same time, Tang Lingwu was about to leave here too.

“I know I have problems, and I try to restrain myself. But when I’m with you, sometimes I just can’t control myself—I overthink things and end up pushing you to do this or that,” Aunt Ye said softly. “Just visit me when you have time in the future.”

Tang Lingwu was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, “Then why did you do all this today…?”

“I wanted my daughter to remember her mother looking her best.”

Zheng Fa fell silent.

In Aunt Ye’s eyes, Tang Lingwu’s trust in him probably meant she was at her wit’s end, grasping at straws.

She didn’t believe in Zheng Fa, nor in Tang Lingwu’s desperate attempts, but seeing how hopeless her daughter had become, she finally decided to remove herself from her daughter’s life so she wouldn’t hold her back.

“Well, since you’re already here, make yourselves at home,” Aunt Ye said, forcing a smile at her silent daughter. “I asked the maid to prepare a few dishes. Let’s have a meal together—it can be my farewell dinner.”

“Mom, just give it a try!” Tang Lingwu pleaded in a hushed voice.

Aunt Ye glanced at her daughter, looking a little helpless. “Fine, I’ll try. What do I have to do?”

Her face showed no trace of hope.

Once the others had been asked to leave, only Tang Lingwu, Aunt Ye, Zheng Fa, and Old Bai remained on the second floor.

“Aunt Ye, just sit on the sofa and close your eyes… I’ll give you a quick massage.”

Zheng Fa had no intention of openly revealing his cultivation abilities.

Tang Lingwu seemed to understand, so she simply explained that Zheng Fa knew some traditional Chinese medicine techniques and could treat illnesses by stimulating acupuncture points on the head.

Aunt Ye nodded and turned her back to Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa could see that from her neck down to her back, her muscles were visibly tense, as if she were nervous.

Especially when Zheng Fa’s hands touched her head, she visibly shuddered, clearly uncomfortable.

Zheng Fa pretended to press a few acupoints while channeling a Tranquilizing Talisman from his dantian. The Nourishing Mind Talisman’s runes flowed from his fingertips and into the back of Aunt Ye’s head.

The head in Zheng Fa’s hands suddenly became heavier. When he looked down, Aunt Ye had already fallen asleep.

They carefully placed her on the sofa and waited nearby.

About ten minutes later, Aunt Ye finally woke up.

She looked dazed, as if she couldn’t tell whether it was day or night, but there was still a faint smile at the corners of her lips.

“Mom? How are you feeling?”

Aunt Ye looked up at the ceiling, then turned to her daughter.

Tang Lingwu was smiling at her.

Aunt Ye abruptly turned her head toward Zheng Fa’s hands, staring at them as if they were priceless treasures.

“Zheng, can you massage me again?” she asked eagerly, like an addict craving another drink.

“Mom… that was way too fast of a change!” Tang Lingwu looked utterly speechless.

Just earlier, her mother had stubbornly refused treatment, and she had felt helpless.

Now, she was suddenly putting all her trust in Zheng Fa…

Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing.

“Aunt Ye, this type of treatment shouldn’t be done too often,” Zheng Fa shook his head.

The Nourishing Mind Talisman was best used once a week for gradual recovery. Doing it too frequently wouldn’t have any additional benefits.

Aunt Ye blinked, then suddenly stood up and walked into her room.

When she returned, she was holding a bank card, which she casually slapped onto the coffee table.

Zheng Fa glanced at the bank card.

Then he looked at Tang Lingwu and Aunt Ye.

All he could say was—like mother, like daughter. Even their bold gestures were the same.

“How much did Xiao Wu even offer you?” Aunt Ye, seeming to guess his thoughts, said, “That was just pocket money.”

Zheng Fa: …I think we have very different definitions of ‘pocket money.’

“It’s not about the money. Really, once a week is enough—there’s no need to overdo it.” He thought for a moment and still shook his head.

Aunt Ye stared at him for a moment, then suddenly said, “Can I ask you to come once a week from now on?”

“Mom? You’re not going abroad anymore?” Tang Lingwu asked in surprise.

“I’m not going!” Aunt Ye smiled. “That nap just now was the best sleep I’ve had in ten years—it felt like my brain just got a spa treatment. No hospital has ever made me feel this good!”

Zheng Fa remained silent, lost in thought.

“If you think the payment isn’t enough, we can negotiate!” Aunt Ye said anxiously.

Seeing Tang Lingwu’s nervous expression, Zheng Fa finally gave a slight nod. “I’ll come again next week, but you should still go for a check-up to see if it’s really effective.”

In a way, Aunt Ye was also an experiment for him—he wanted to see if the Nourishing Mind Talisman truly worked in the modern world.

“Alright! I’ll go to the hospital for a check-up.”

Aunt Ye agreed without hesitation.

She didn’t seem at all like the person Tang Lingwu had described—the one who refused to visit hospitals.

After a moment of thought, Zheng Fa said, “Let’s wait until the check-up results are out before we talk about payment.”

—

Aunt Ye and Tang Lingwu saw Zheng Fa and Old Bai off as they got into the car.

As the taillights disappeared into the distance, Aunt Ye suddenly let out a soft sigh.

Tang Lingwu looked at her mother in confusion.

“From now on, you should stay on good terms with Zheng Fa,” Aunt Ye said. “He’s also taking supplementary lessons with Professor Bai, right? You should go too—even if you don’t pay attention to the lessons, you still need to be there.”

“Mom?” Tang Lingwu was stunned.

“Do you know why I decided not to go abroad?”

“Because Zheng Fa’s massage skills are amazing.”

“Massage…” Aunt Ye gave her daughter a look, then pursed her lips. “Fine, if you want to call it that, go ahead. Just remember—whether it’s business or life, the most important thing is finding the right people. And once you do, you can’t hesitate to invest in them.”

“…”

“Meeting someone like him is an incredible stroke of luck. If I went abroad, you’d have to go to the provincial capital… and that would be a complete waste, wouldn’t it?”

Tang Lingwu’s eyes widened.

“I just don’t know what Zheng Fa likes… Money? Property?” Aunt Ye muttered to herself before giving her daughter a rather disappointed look, her tone suddenly carrying a hint of preference for sons over daughters. “What a shame—he doesn’t seem to be into women.”

Tang Lingwu: …Mom, don’t you think you’re being a bit extreme?

Just a moment ago, you didn’t believe anything.

Now you believe everything?

—

Xuanwei Realm – Senior Sister Zhang’s Residence

Zheng Fa had been summoned by Senior Sister Zhang.

She looked at him seriously and said, “Uncle Pang said… he’s not interested in The Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique anymore.”

“Huh?”

“He wants you instead,” she said, her brows furrowed.

Zheng Fa’s expression slowly changed.

“…Does Uncle Pang have some kind of special interest or something?”

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