Saint Seiya

On Saturday, Xu Bin accompanied his parents home, turning on the television early and waiting. The old couple, Xu Mingtang and his wife, sat with him in tacit understanding, watching TV together. Noticing his slightly tense demeanor, they made no comment.

It wasn’t until the Le Guang Band appeared on Star Avenue that Mrs. Xu exclaimed in surprise, “Xiao Bin, why are you on TV?”

Xu Bin finally saw through his mother’s exaggerated performance. “Did you… already know about this?”

Put on the spot by his direct question, Mrs. Xu was momentarily at a loss. Xu Mingtang, however, smiled assuredly. “Let’s watch the show first.”

The first song performed by the Le Guang Band was still “Little Little.” With top-tier sound equipment and cinematography, the live experience was worlds apart from the performances on the local channel.

Xu Mingtang and his wife were shocked. They never expected such a beautiful song to come from their own son. An ordinary young man standing on stage, illuminated by the spotlight, suddenly appeared vibrant and handsome.

They had never seen Xu Bin so confident. In their eyes, Xiao Bin was a child who needed constant reminders and care. But it turned out, he had quietly grown up, becoming a man who could decide his own fate.

Xu Mingtang had always felt fortunate that Xu Bin didn’t have a rebellious streak in his youth. Compared to others, their relationship had always been friendly. Only now did he realize that rebellion, whether early or late, comes to every child, and in the end, their life belongs to themselves.

When the song ended, Xu Mingtang couldn’t help but applaud. “That was great. Really wonderful.”

Seeing the sincerity in his father’s expression, Xu Bin finally relaxed. But he didn’t expect Xu Mingtang to continue, “So this is the song that the girl called Little Little guided you on, right?”

Xu Bin’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “Yes, she’s our music adviser. Without her, the band wouldn’t exist.”

“She’s also your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

Xu Bin was now certain he’d been betrayed by Tang Yiyi. “…Yes.”

“Pick a day and bring her home to meet us.”

“Okay.” No anger, no objections—Tang Yiyi, it seemed, still had some conscience and hadn’t sold him out completely.

Xu Mingtang furrowed his brow and was silent for a while before asking, “If you really can’t find a wife who practices traditional medicine, have you thought about the future of the clinic?”

Xu Bin nodded. “I have.”

“Oh?”

“Dad, it’s hard to grow just relying on one person’s strength. You know how many private hospitals have opened in Yicheng these past few years? Most of them specialize in one field, like the ENT hospital, women and children’s hospital, eye hospital. But there’s not a single private traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Yicheng.”

“Shengshi Hall is a long-established brand in Yicheng. If we really want to expand, there will be investors willing to talk to us. By then, we can hire doctors, provide benefits just like public hospitals. Exceptionally skilled doctors could even become partners. Business management and medical expertise are different skills—they’re not mutually exclusive.”

Mrs. Xu excitedly interjected, “So Shengshi Hall might one day become a big traditional Chinese medicine hospital, not just a small clinic?”

Xu Bin nodded. “Exactly. Shengshi Hall will always belong to the Xu family as long as its owner is a Xu. As for the medical skills, they should be inherited by the most suitable person, whether their surname is Xu or not. Someone like Yiyi, who’s upright, has a solid foundation from her TCM degree, and, most importantly, a passion for the field—I believe she can not only inherit the Xu family’s medical skills but also take them further. She’s much more suited than I am.”

“What if she can’t contribute to Shengshi Hall?” Mrs. Xu was still reluctant.

Xu Bin, however, had no such concerns. “Whether she works at Shengshi Hall or not, she’ll never forget calling you ‘Master’ once. In the future, if a descendant of the Xu family becomes her disciple, I believe she’ll teach them everything, just as you taught her.”

“You both think highly of her, so I will trust her too.”

“And Dad, I think you should take on more apprentices, people like Yiyi. You’ve always had a good eye, and your skills shouldn’t be kept to yourself.”

Xu Mingtang listened quietly to Xu Bin’s vision for Shengshi Hall. He had devoted his life to medicine and never thought about management. Now, comparing the two, he realized how much times had changed, leaving outdated ideas of family inheritance far behind.

He couldn’t help but take a deep breath, patting Xu Bin’s shoulder. “What did you sing for the second round?”

When the lyrics rang out—“If I clip on a climbing rope, let me scale from 10 to 500 meters without pause and hold your hand at the summit, watching the sunrise and welcoming a chubby baby into the world”—the old couple burst into delighted laughter.

Xu Bin clenched his fists. Having cleared this hurdle, he knew he must prepare for the next.

Meanwhile, at the noodle shop, Tang Yiyi and the others crowded around the TV, equally amazed by Xu Bin and the band’s performance.

When they were eliminated in the second round and the host invited final remarks, Xu Bin said, “Thank you to our teacher, Little Little. Her guidance and encouragement brought us this far. Thank you to our parents and wives for your understanding and love, allowing us to be ourselves freely.”

Er Dong let out a long sigh of relief. “Who’d have thought guessing would actually work? Xiao Bin is safe now. His parents must be so moved.”

Tang Yiyi also sighed in relief. “He’s safe, so am I. Otherwise, who knows how much longer I’d have to play the groundhog.”

Uncle Chen was grinning from ear to ear. “Who’d have thought Huangjuelan Alley could produce a musician!”

“He’s not a musician, he’s a singer,” Er Dong corrected him.

“Same thing.”

“It’s not the same at all. There’s a big difference.”

Qin Baike clapped his hands. “The show’s over. Back to work.”

And so, an autumn night in Huangjuelan Alley quietly passed, both peaceful and restless.

Xu Bin’s appearance on television became the talk of the alley for days. Little Little was officially brought by Xu Bin to the clinic to meet Xu Mingtang and his wife. He was the talk of the town: not only had he been on TV, but his girlfriend was beautiful—he seemed to have reached the pinnacle of life.

But as always, life has a way of throwing a curveball when least expected. Things took a sudden turn, from the peak to the valley and then soaring halfway to the sky again. The Xu family’s affairs became the hottest topic in the alley.

Five days after Xu Bin brought Little Little home to meet his parents, her mother and father arrived unannounced at the clinic to visit Xu Mingtang.

That afternoon, just after five, Zuo Chengjiang packed up and left work. Tang Yiyi was tidying up the day’s prescriptions when she saw Little Little’s parents walk in.

Little Little’s mother asked, “Is Dr. Xu upstairs?” Tang Yiyi nodded, and the couple headed straight up. Tang Yiyi thought this wasn’t how these meetings should happen. Weren’t such occasions supposed to be ceremonious? Who just shows up without an appointment?

She sent Little Little a message: “Your parents are at the clinic looking for Master. Did you know?”

After sending it, she quietly crept to the foot of the stairs to eavesdrop.

Xu Bin, reading upstairs, was startled to see Little Little’s parents. With introductions made, the two sets of parents met formally, though Little Little’s mother was already a regular at the clinic.

“Dr. Xu,” Little Little’s father began, “We only recently heard from our daughter that she and Xiao Bin are dating. They’ve been together for a while. Today we came specifically to visit—somewhat abruptly. But after hearing from her mother about your family’s situation, I felt we should clarify things. If you can’t agree, it’s not too late for them to break up.”

“Clarify what? You insist on a breakup?” Xu Mingtang asked.

“My daughter was born with congenital heart disease. We had surgery done when she was just a few months old.”

“What? Congenital heart disease?” Xu Mingtang and his wife turned to Xu Bin, who avoided their gaze.

Mrs. Xu asked, “She had surgery. Is she well now?”

“The doctors say she’s recovered well, but for over twenty years, her mother and I have always been careful. We never took any chances. Our daughter’s never done any strenuous activity, never been allowed to get angry, never experienced great joy or sorrow. We arranged everything for her as best we could, and she happily accepted it. But now she’s in love and will live with someone else. We’re very uneasy, especially because we can’t risk her getting pregnant—it would be fatal. Given your family’s situation…”

“The Xu family must have children,” Mrs. Xu blurted out.

Xu Mingtang turned to Xu Bin. “You knew all this beforehand, didn’t you?”

Xu Bin nodded, bracing himself. Xu Mingtang’s face turned ashen. “Our medical skills can be inherited by someone outside the family, as long as the owner’s surname is Xu. I can accept that. But if the Xu family has no descendants, I cannot.”

“Dad, there’s in vitro fertilization and surrogacy. We can solve this issue.”

“Do you know how much harm egg retrieval causes to a woman’s ovaries? And IVF only has a fifty percent success rate. Do you think surrogacy is so simple?” Xu Mingtang was nearly shouting.

“We won’t let Little Little do anything that harms her. We’d rather she never has children,” her mother said firmly.

“There’s also the matter of whether it’s a boy or a girl. Who can guarantee a boy? Your family’s reproductive expectations are too much. Our daughter can’t handle it,” her father added.

Xu Mingtang chuckled darkly. “The Xu family has always had a single male heir per generation, but there has always been a son to inherit the practice because we have a secret prescription that ensures the birth of a boy. So as long as a child can be born, I can guarantee it will be a boy.”

Xu Bin was stunned. “There’s such a prescription?”

Xu Mingtang shot him a glare, his opinion of his son’s maturity now overturned.

Mrs. Xu said, “If Little Little is so precious, then perhaps our family doesn’t have the fortune to accept her.”

Little Little’s mother replied, “Then let’s leave it at that. We absolutely cannot agree to their relationship.”

Little Little’s parents rose to leave. Xu Bin jumped up and shouted, “What do you mean, your approval? Little Little and I want to be together. If we can’t have children, then we’ll adopt.”

“Impossible,” Mrs. Xu retorted.

“I can’t let you do as you please on this matter,” Xu Mingtang said resolutely.

Little Little’s mother raised her voice, “A woman is not just a childbearing tool! Are child-free families not allowed to live?”

Five people, each with their own view, argued fiercely.

Suddenly, a loud voice cut through: “Enough! Stop arguing!”

Everyone turned to the staircase. At some point, Little Little had arrived, panting slightly from her run. Her father cried out, “Who told you to run?”

She walked over and said to her parents, “I’ve been running for a while now, and all my recent hospital tests are normal. The doctor said I can live just like a healthy person.”

Her mother exclaimed in panic, “You’re being reckless!”

Ignoring her mother, Little Little turned to the Xu family. “Uncle, Auntie, I want to be with Xu Bin because we love each other, not to be a childbearing tool. In your eyes, is having a child more important than your son’s happiness?”

Mrs. Xu replied, “Children are really important to the Xu family.”

Little Little said, “As for children, I’ll let nature take its course. If one comes, we’ll welcome them. If not, we’ll still live a good life.”

“How can that be…” Mrs. Xu tried to argue further.

Little Little stepped up to Xu Bin. “Thank you for not giving up on us just now.”

Xu Bin took her hand. “I never intended to give up.”

Finally, Little Little turned to the four parents, who were all seething, and announced, “One last thing—don’t worry. I… am already pregnant!”

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck the four elders, leaving even Xu Bin gaping in shock. “How long?”

“I didn’t know at first. My periods have always been irregular. I’ve been nauseous lately, so the doctor did an ultrasound today. It’s about two months.”

“Let me check.” Xu Mingtang took her wrist and had her sit down, feeling her pulse carefully. After a while, he declared with joy, “It’s been two months. It’s a boy. The heartbeat is strong and healthy. Little Little, don’t worry. Move in with us. I’ll take care of you and make sure you and the baby are safe. Your heart isn’t as weak as your parents think.”

“So now we should hurry and get married?” Mrs. Xu interjected.

“Let’s go register tomorrow. For now, focus on a safe pregnancy.” Xu Bin helped Little Little downstairs, then paused and turned to her parents. “Dad, Mom, come home with us. Let’s discuss the wedding.” With that, he helped Little Little down the stairs.

Little Little’s parents, stunned silent since her arrival, now repeatedly confirmed with Xu Mingtang, “Is she really alright?”

He replied, “I’ve been a doctor for over forty years. I assure you, she’s perfectly healthy. Come, let’s go discuss the wedding. We can’t let her marry quietly, can we?”

Thus, the two families, anxious yet happy, left the clinic in peace.

Tang Yiyi watched with a tumult of emotions. She had always known Little Little was a fighter, but she hadn’t expected her to be this strong. The people she’d met in Huangjuelan Alley were truly not to be underestimated.