Mi Xue and Qu Meilan were also full of praise. Even Long Feng, who had remained silent, couldn't help but nod slightly.

This restaurant wasn't large in scale, but the food was indeed excellent. Gu Fang opened two bottles of wine.

Not knowing Zhang Yang's situation, he didn't dare to ask for more. Two bottles of wine for the four men, averaging half a jin each.

For men whose tolerance was already high, half a jin was merely an appetizer. Just as he opened the bottles, Zhang Yang reached out and took the wine from Gu Fang’s hand.

Under Gu Fang’s surprised gaze, Zhang Yang poured a full glass and raised it to himself. “I apologize for worrying everyone these past couple of days; that was my fault.

The main reason I came this time is to clear up a doubt in my heart. Ten years ago, my mother and I lived here.

However, my mother suddenly passed away that year. For ten years, I never knew the true reason for her death.

I came this time precisely to find that reason!” After speaking, Zhang Yang tipped his head back and drank the wine down in one gulp. By this point, Zhang Yang had figured things out.

Although this trip was his personal matter, he couldn't let everyone worry alongside him. There was nothing to hide about his objective, and stating it sooner was better.

More importantly, he would need everyone’s help moving forward, making it even more essential to reveal the cause. After Zhang Yang finished his drink, Gu Fang and the others exchanged glances again.

They finally understood the purpose of Zhang Yang’s visit. Now they also grasped why Zhang Yang had said yesterday that his childhood ended here, and why he had seemed so melancholic.

Ten years ago, Zhang Yang was still young when he lost his mother. Losing a mother is undoubtedly a devastating blow for any child.

“Zhang Yang, don't worry. We will help you find whatever you are looking for.

You will certainly get what you wish for on this trip!” Gu Fang was the first to respond. He also filled his own glass and downed it in one go.

Immediately following, Li Wei poured his wine. Long Feng looked at them, also filled his glass, but without saying a word, he drank it straight down.

The wine glasses here were not small; each held over three liang. Just one glass from each person used up more than half of the two bottles.

Gu Fang intended to order another bottle, but Zhang Yang refused. They had matters to attend to that afternoon, so there was no need to drink so much now.

They could continue drinking that evening, as they would all be staying here for the next few days anyway. Having voiced his troubles, Zhang Yang’s spirits lifted considerably.

He had thought of another approach: searching hospital admission records and medical files from ten years ago. Zhang Yang's memory from that period was blank; he didn't know if his mother had ever been hospitalized, and even if she had, he didn't know which hospital she might have gone to.

This would require searching hospital by hospital. An Tian wasn't a large city, but there were still quite a few hospitals.

Searching all of them alone would certainly take a great deal of time, time Zhang Yang didn't want to waste. Now that they had so many people, they could certainly split up to search.

Six people could be divided into three groups, effectively tripling their search efficiency. Whether they found the admission records or not, it would save Zhang Yang a significant amount of time.

After lunch, the six of them immediately separated to carry out their plans. Zhang Yang paired with Mi Xue, heading to a hospital near Fushou Hutong.

That area was closest to home, making it the most probable destination if his mother had fallen ill and required admission. Gu Fang and Long Feng formed a team and went to the city's largest hospital to search.

Large hospitals had superior medical resources. If his mother had truly been poisoned, smaller clinics might not have sufficed; therefore, the chance of her going to a major hospital was higher.

By sending Gu Fang and the others there, Zhang Yang wouldn't have to make that trip. Li Wei and Qu Meilan paired up, heading to the Chinese Medicine Hospital.

Zhang Yang's mother worked at the Chinese Medicine Research Institute, specializing in the properties of Chinese herbs, and she herself possessed a solid foundation in TCM, otherwise, she wouldn't have prescribed medicine for herself. Zhang Yang had chosen to attend medical school in university partly due to his mother's influence.

Since his mother understood TCM, there was a possibility she might have visited the TCM hospital. That hospital was slightly more remote, and since Li Wei had lived in An Tian for a while and was familiar with the area, sending him there was most suitable.

Once the groups were set, everyone immediately split up to act separately. The Cherokee was given to Li Wei and his partner.

Zhang Yang drove the Ford, while Gu Fang hired a taxi, as their destination was the closest, making a taxi convenient. Near Fushou Hutong, there were two relatively larger hospitals: An Tian Fourth People's Hospital and An Tian Children's Hospital.

After considering it, Zhang Yang decided to go to the Fourth People's Hospital first. Children's hospitals primarily treat pediatric illnesses; if his mother had indeed gone to a hospital, the likelihood of her choosing the children’s facility was small.

An Tian Fourth People's Hospital was not large; its designation was equivalent to a county-level hospital, much smaller than Changjing Third Hospital. At the hospital, Zhang Yang went directly to the director.

He told the director a story and presented a substantial quantity of high-end gifts. The director quickly agreed to his request and even assigned someone to specifically look through all the archives from ten years ago.

Whether the director agreed because Zhang Yang’s story was touching or because the gifts were genuinely impressive remained unknown. Regardless of the reason, achieving his goal was what mattered; having someone help was certainly better.

The hospital wasn't big, so the archives weren't extensive either. However, the files from ten years prior were somewhat dusty and required careful handling.

Zhang Yang was only looking for his mother's records; if the name didn't match, the file could be set aside, which significantly sped up the process. After a little over an hour, all the archived files from that time period had been reviewed.

Neither the admission records nor the examination logs contained his mother’s name. This result brought a slight disappointment to Zhang Yang, and the smile vanished from his face.

“Zhang Yang, don't rush. We still have the Children’s Hospital.

I noticed that hospital is even closer to where you used to live; perhaps your aunt went there!” As they left the hospital gates, Mi Xue gently spoke, holding Zhang Yang’s hand. Zhang Yang slowly nodded.

He knew Mi Xue was just trying to comfort him. The Children's Hospital was indeed closer, but it was even smaller than the Fourth Hospital.

If his mother genuinely needed treatment, she would surely have chosen a bigger and better facility. Moreover, the distance between the two hospitals wasn't vast.

The ailment his mother suffered back then was not a minor cold or fever that could be treated casually anywhere. Despite his thoughts, Zhang Yang still proceeded to the Children's Hospital.

It was noticeably smaller than the Fourth Hospital, with fewer patients—mostly parents accompanying their children. The director of the Children's Hospital was a woman in her fifties.

After hearing Zhang Yang’s story, she agreed to his request without even accepting the gifts. This director’s own mother had passed away when she was very young, so she sympathized deeply with Zhang Yang.

Furthermore, she began helping him search personally. The director’s personal involvement moved Zhang Yang somewhat.

Looking at this very ordinary children's hospital, Zhang Yang nodded silently. Regardless of whether he found what he was looking for here, it would be good to help this hospital if the opportunity arose.

If nothing else, Zhang Yang could certainly manage to donate some money to help them improve their physical infrastructure. A director who could refuse gifts worth thousands of yuan could not have a poor character.

The Children's Hospital was truly small; all the archives from ten years ago fit into a single box. Zhang Yang selected the necessary months and began searching slowly.

Mi Xue was also flipping through files, while the director organized the materials they weren't interested in, helping them look through them as well. While reviewing the documents, the director shared some memories of her own mother.

“Nothing!” In less than half an hour, Mi Xue finished all the files in her hands and shook her head with some disappointment. Zhang Yang had already finished reviewing his section before her; his mother’s name was not here either.

This caused Zhang Yang’s mood to dip further. At least it proved that whether his mother had been poisoned or sick back then, she had not sought treatment at the nearby hospitals.

“Young man, what did you say your name was again?” The director, sitting nearby reviewing the archives, suddenly called out. Her head was still bowed as she examined an examination record.

After speaking, without waiting for Zhang Yang’s reply, she continued, “There is a child here who was hospitalized ten years ago; the name is Zhang Yang, ten years old, date of birth, home address…” The director’s words made Zhang Yang snap his head up abruptly. He quickly walked over to the director and looked down at the admission record she had found.

The Zhang Yang listed here was himself; his date of birth and home address matched perfectly from ten years ago. In the parent’s name column, the three characters ‘Zhang Shihua’ were clearly written.

“That’s me. I was hospitalized here?” Zhang Yang stared at the admission record in shock.

The hospitalization date was before his mother fell ill, yet Zhang Yang had absolutely no recollection of this admission. Zhang Yang racked his brain, trying to recall something, but ultimately found no clue in his memory.

In fact, he had no memory of ever visiting this hospital. Usually, if he had a minor ailment, his mother could treat it, and they always had medicine at home.

“Zhang Yang, you don’t remember being hospitalized here?” Mi Xue looked at Zhang Yang with some curiosity too. Ten years ago, Zhang Yang was ten.

While a ten-year-old’s memories might be sparse, being hospitalized for several days should be memorable. After all, for a child who rarely visited the hospital, one admission was a major event.

Zhang Yang shook his head blankly; he truly couldn't find any memory. “You stayed with us for five days.

That’s strange; there’s no cause of illness listed, and no medical history, just intravenous injections?” The director pulled out this file and examined it closely. After reading it, she too felt puzzled.

Generally, admission records would detail the patient's condition, treatment, etc., accompanied by corresponding medical charts. This file only contained admission and medication logs, lacking everything else—a clear violation of hospital regulations.

“Auntie, may I have a photocopy of this record?” Zhang Yang had also noticed the anomalies, but he wasn't in the mood to dwell on them right now. This record of his own hospitalization felt like a clue, and Zhang Yang had a strong feeling this particular clue was very important to him.

“No problem. The hospital has a copier; please wait, I’ll have someone make a copy for you!” The director agreed with a smile, while she herself pondered the strange nature of the file.

Such a record violated the rules; if she had discovered it normally, disciplinary action would have been necessary. However, she wasn't the director ten years ago, and it was difficult for her to pursue accountability for old accounts now; who knew if the person in charge back then was even still employed.

Second update, next chapter before 1 AM!