Following this brief accident, the Chief's condition took a sudden turn for the worse, plunging him into a comatose state. Respecting his final wish, no one brought up the matter of taking him to a hospital in the mainland, opting to let the old man live out the rest of his time on this island instead.
The incident with Chen Ru cast a pall of gloom over the house, leaving everyone anxious and unsettled as they feared that Song Zhuyu and Chen Ru would pack up their belongings and leave Shenci altogether. But fortunately, Chen Ru reassured them that he harbored no ill feelings and Song Zhuyu also urged everyone to put the accident behind them. Only then could they feel relieved.
"I've asked my elder brother, sister-in-law and Shuren," Ma Boliu informed them with a weary shake of his head. "None of them have witnessed such behavior from the Chief before, and they're the ones who spent the most time with him so…"