Chapter 22: The father with the broken bone, what does it mean to be a "husband-killer"?
Gu Chen'an's tears came so quickly that everyone in the courtyard was stunned. Finally, Ji Wei calmly asked, "Is Gu Zhiyuan seriously injured?"
"A broken leg, is that considered okay?" Yang Lin, standing at the door, glanced at Gu Chen'an, who was crying bitterly, and carefully chose his words.
Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief, but then asked, "Which hospital is he in now?"
"It's at the town's health center. Do you want to go there now? I can take you there." Yang Lin had just returned from the hospital.
"We're quite familiar with the town's health center, so I won't take up your time," Ji Wei politely declined his offer.
"Okay, I'll head back now. If you need anything, feel free to come to my office." Yang Lin said this before leaving.
"Mom, let's go see Dad now." Gu Chen'an's tone was somewhat anxious.
"Wash your face first before we set off." Because of his crying, his face looked like a little kitten's.
"Oh, I'll go right now." Gu Chen'an wiped away his tears and ran to the well to fetch water.
Ji Wei originally wanted to pack some things to take him, but she didn't know where to start, so she decided to go to the hospital to check on his condition first.
In the hospital room, Gu Zhiyuan's leg had just been put in a cast. His colleague was still cursing beside him: "He really is a butcher, so barbaric. If you hadn't shielded Uncle Wang, with his small frame, he'd probably be dead." Realizing something was amiss, the colleague quickly explained, "That's not what I meant."
"It's alright, I know you're just standing up for me. Nobody knew he'd suddenly attack." Today, as usual, he went to the countryside to collect slaughter tax with Uncle Wang, an older colleague from the bureau. Unexpectedly, the man got into an argument with Uncle Wang, and they even started pushing each other. Uncle Wang was an older colleague who was about to retire, and he naturally couldn't stand the man's provocation, so the simple pushing and shoving escalated.
"I'm fine now, you can go home first." Gu Zhiyuan didn't want to delay his time off work.
"I'll leave when your family arrives. I hope Yang Lin can't find your place." The colleague scratched his head, wondering why they hadn't arrived yet.
"Dad!" The door to the ward was pushed open, and Gu Chen'an rushed in like a gust of wind. He stared at Gu Zhiyuan's leg, which was in a cast, and tears fell again: "Does it hurt, Dad?"
"Daddy's not in pain, don't cry." Gu Zhiyuan comforted him somewhat awkwardly. At this moment, Ji Wei led Lulu in and immediately noticed his right leg in a cast.
"Your family is here, so I'll head back now." The colleague sitting next to me got up to say goodbye and leave.
Ji Wei saw him out and thanked him. Only after entering the ward did she ask, "What happened?"
Gu Zhiyuan briefly explained what had happened, then reassured them, "The problem isn't serious, you don't need to worry."
"These people are really something, they'll do anything." Ji Wei said, her brows furrowing even more.
"He lied about the data, trying to pay less money, but Uncle Wang found out and got angry." This was the first time Gu Zhiyuan had encountered something like this.
"What did the doctor say?" Ji Wei's gaze fell on his leg in a cast.
"He mainly needs to recuperate; he should be able to be discharged tomorrow."
"That's good. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go see if there's anything to eat around here." Hearing that she should be able to be discharged tomorrow, Ji Wei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"No need, my colleague just got me some food at the hospital cafeteria," Gu Zhiyuan quickly stopped her.
Seeing that Gu Chen'an was staring at his legs, Gu Zhiyuan rubbed his head and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I can go home tomorrow."
"Ji Wei, it's getting late. You should take them home first. They have school tomorrow." Gu Zhiyuan didn't want them to see his vulnerable side.
"And what about you?" Ji Wei glanced at him hesitantly.
"I'm fine here." Gu Zhiyuan pointed to the cane by his bedside.
Ji Wei was somewhat surprised: "When were you preparing this?"
"Yang Lin just brought him over; he also fell off his bike and injured his leg last year." This saved him a lot of trouble.
"Are you really okay on your own?" Ji Wei hesitated, wondering whether she should send the two children to the school dormitory and have someone look after them while she stayed to keep them company.
"Don't worry, sister, if your man needs anything, you can ask me for help," the family member in the next bed said.
The words "your man" momentarily stunned Ji Wei, but Gu Zhiyuan, still on the bed, smiled and said to the person next to him, "Then thank you, brother."
"It was nothing, just a small favor. It's fate that we met here." The man next to them waved his hand.
"I want to stay," Gu Chen'an whispered, staring at his leg in a cast. He wanted to stay and take care of his father.
"If you stay, won't there be no man to protect Mom and your sister at home? Have you forgotten what you said before?" Gu Zhiyuan didn't refuse directly, but instead coaxed him gently.
Sure enough, Gu Chen'an hesitated. Gu Zhiyuan continued, "Don't worry, everything's fine here. You and Mom go back. You have school tomorrow. I'll be home when you come back at noon tomorrow."
"Really?" Gu Chen'an asked.
"Of course it's true, let's go back quickly." Gu Zhiyuan urged them to go back again.
“Then I’ll take them to school tomorrow and then come over,” Ji Wei said.
"Okay." Gu Zhiyuan did not refuse her kindness.
The health center wasn't far from where they lived. On the way back, Gu Chen'an, who had been looking downcast, suddenly realized something: "Mom, will Dad stay home for a long time this time?"
"I guess so?" Ji Wei wasn't too sure either.
"Then he definitely can't go to the countryside!" Gu Chen'an said, a slight smile playing on his lips. Wouldn't that mean Dad could stay home every day?
"Then we definitely can't go." Ji Wei noticed the change in his tone and felt a pang of sadness. He lacked parental companionship so much; Lulu in her past life was probably the same. No wonder she hated herself later. It was only then that Ji Wei realized Lulu had been very quiet the whole way. She quickly looked at Lulu and saw that the little one was constantly rubbing her eyes, looking extremely sleepy. She couldn't help but chuckle, picked up the little one, and whispered, "You can sleep soon."
"Mom, I'll sleep with you tonight too. I'll protect you." Gu Chen'an said the last sentence with a hint of guilt.
"Great." The wire bed from the dorm has been brought back; we can just open it up, put on the mattress, and use it.
In the hospital, after they left, Gu Zhiyuan slowly leaned back. The pain in his calf made it difficult for him to fall asleep. When his family member next to him drew the bed curtains, he didn't forget to say to him, "Young man, just call me if you need any help later."
"Okay, thank you, brother." Gu Zhiyuan said, but his mind was already thinking about going home tomorrow. Ji Wei not only had to take care of the child, but now she also had him. It seemed like he was always troubling her.
That night, Gu Zhiyuan didn't sleep well because of the pain from his fracture. When Ji Wei came, she immediately noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked, "Is the pain keeping you awake?"
"No, it's just that I'm not used to it yet," Gu Zhiyuan shook his head and denied.
"Did the doctor prescribe painkillers?" Ji Wei asked, handing him the porridge she had brought.
"It shouldn't be open." Gu Zhiyuan remembered that he only took blood-activating pills yesterday.
"Then let the doctor prescribe some after I'm discharged." Ji Wei had experience with fractures in her previous life, so she naturally knew how painful it was.
Meeting her concerned gaze, Gu Zhiyuan swallowed back his words of refusal: "Okay."
"Brother Gu, are you feeling better today?" Yang Lin entered the ward and found Ji Wei there. He nodded to her and called her sister-in-law.
"It's alright, you'll be discharged soon. Come back in a month for a check-up to remove the cast," Gu Zhiyuan repeated what the doctor had said that morning.
"Uncle Wang was supposed to come see you, but he went to the police station early this morning to deal with yesterday's matter," Yang Lin explained to him about why Uncle Wang didn't come.
"Work is important, don't worry about me here, you go back to work."
"We're relieved to have your wife here. I'll head back to work now." Yang Lin's visit was arranged by his superiors, and he had work to do, so he left quickly.
"Should I go and complete the discharge procedures first?" Ji Wei still had class in the third period, so she needed to hurry.
After Ji Wei left, Gu Zhiyuan asked the older brother of the family next door to help him get out of bed. It was his first time using crutches and he was still a little unaccustomed to it, but at least he could walk on his own with the help of crutches, which he could accept.
To be honest, Ji Wei was a little worried about leaving a person with limited mobility at home, and she hesitated about whether to hire a neighbor to come and help for a few days.
Before she could express her thoughts, Gu Zhiyuan said, "You go to work, I can manage on my own."
"Are you really okay on your own? Why don't you ask the neighbors to help look after you?" Ji Wei suggested.
"No need, I can go anywhere with my cane, but could you please go down to the second floor and get the book for me?" Gu Zhiyuan planned to pass the time by reading.
Ji Wei went to the location he specified and picked up the books. She glanced at the books in her hand; they were all related to tax law. Ji Wei thought to herself, "He's quite dedicated to his job."
Before going to school, Ji Wei confirmed with him again that he would be fine on his own before going to school. News of Gu Zhiyuan's fracture spread quickly. In addition to his colleagues and superiors visiting him, the neighbors also expressed their condolences. Only Zhang Xiaojun's family was gloating.
Although Gu Zhiyuan had a fracture, with the help of crutches, he was almost like a normal person. Thinking of this, Ji Wei felt a little guilty and decided to check on the injured student more when she got home that night. On her way home from school, she noticed that Gu Chen'an seemed a bit down. She was puzzled; Gu Zhiyuan hadn't gone to work these past two days, and he had been very happy. What was wrong?
Gu Chen'an was lost in his own thoughts and didn't notice Ji Wei's gaze. However, Lulu, who was next to him, asked directly, "Brother, are you unhappy?"
"I'm not unhappy," Gu Chen'an shook his head.
"You're lying, and that's why I'm unhappy." Lulu snorted, unhappy that he wasn't telling the truth.
"I really didn't," Gu Chen'an denied.
“Okay, Lulu, everyone has their own little secrets, and we should respect others.” After saying that, she looked at Gu Chen’an and said, “Chen’an, no matter what happens, we will support your decision and choice.”
"I understand, thank you, Mom." Gu Chen'an paused for a moment, then nodded quickly.
Ji Wei didn't press the matter further. After taking the two home, she went to the kitchen. Gu Chen'an stared at her back, then came to Gu Zhiyuan's side and lowered his voice to ask, "Dad, what does 'husband-killing fate' mean?"
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Author's Note: [Upright-eared rabbit head] Recommending my friend's novel, it's quite long, everyone should check it out: "Dad is Male-Dominated, Mom is Female-Dominated [1960s]"
by this pen name
After transmigrating, I became a supporting female character in the future's control group, squatting at the entrance of the village, worrying endlessly about family relationships.
My mother, a general from a matriarchal society, possessed immense strength and could kill a wild boar running down from the mountain with a single punch.
My father was a prince from an ancient society, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possessing both wisdom and courage.
They all felt that they were the head of the household responsible for providing for the family, and that their partner should stay at home to support the husband and raise the children, not appear in public, and not violate traditional wifely virtues. This led to a frenzied internal struggle over the issue.
I'm just a useless corporate slave who died at my post.
For the sake of my wonderful life, I've decided to be a caring daughter-in-law and help my parents keep track of each other's progress.
"Dad! Mom got another twelve centimeters today. She's so capable! No wonder she's the head of our family!"
"Mom! Dad earned ten yuan this month, that's amazing! He truly is the pillar of our family!"
My mom/dad: Looks like I'll have to try harder tomorrow!
Ah, what a harmonious and wonderful family!
The female lead? What female lead? I don't know her!
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