Duan Feifei cried in Guan Wenru's arms for a long time until the grief she had been holding in was released and she slowly stopped crying.
She lifted her face from Guan Wenru's shoulder somewhat shyly, her eyes and nose red from crying.
"I'm sorry, Wenru... I've gotten your clothes all wet."
Guan Wenru took out a clean handkerchief and handed it to her, smiling gently, "What's a piece of clothing? Are you feeling any better?"
Duan Feifei took the handkerchief and wiped her face. Although she was still haggard, a faint light finally appeared in her lifeless eyes.
She nodded.
Guan Wenru took her hand and said, "Come on, take me inside to see Uncle Duan."
Duan Feifei took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and then gently pushed open the ward door.
There were three beds in the ward. Uncle Duan lay quietly on the bed by the window.
He was much thinner than the refined and witty scholar Guan Wenru remembered.
Her cheeks were sunken, her complexion was sallow, and her hair was completely white. Only her eyes, which were looking at her, still vaguely revealed their former shape and spirit, and now they were filled with gentleness and a hint of excitement.
Guan Wenru walked quickly to the bedside, bent down, and called softly, "Uncle Duan, it's me, Wenru. I've come to see you."
Uncle Duan's lips trembled slightly as he struggled to sit up, his voice weak, "Wenru, my good child, you've come... It's so good to see you again..."
Guan Wenru quickly pressed him down, "Uncle Duan, please lie down and don't get up."
She looked closely at the old man, her heart aching. "You've suffered so much."
Uncle Duan shook his head, looking lovingly at his daughter who stood at the foot of the bed, still uneasy. "It's all in the past... It's good that you're back. It's just that poor Feifei suffered so much with us. Her mother and I...we're so sorry for her..."
Duan Feifei quickly spoke up, her eyes reddening again, "Dad! Please don't say that!"
Guan Wenru also spoke up, "Uncle Duan, please don't think like that. Your most important task right now is to focus on recovering and not worry about anything."
I've got everything covered. Fei Fei and I are best friends who grew up together, just like sisters.
From now on, Feifei's affairs are my affairs. I will take good care of her and never let her bear it all alone again.
Uncle Duan's eyes instantly welled up with tears upon hearing this.
He gripped Guan Wenru's hand tightly in return, his cloudy eyes filled with gratitude and entrustment.
"Okay...okay...Wenru, with you saying that, Uncle is relieved. I'm at ease leaving Feifei in your care..."
These few words seemed to have exhausted him, and he was slightly out of breath.
Guan Wenru gently patted the back of his hand, "Don't worry, I think Feifei hasn't been eating well these past few days, she's gotten so thin."
I'll take her out for a hot meal first, and then I'll call my mom. She's making porridge and is going to bring it to you. We'll be back in a bit.
Uncle Duan nodded repeatedly, "Okay... Take Feifei there quickly... She deserves a proper meal... I'm fine here, no need to rush back."
Guan Wenru pulled Duan Feifei, who kept turning back to look at her, and quietly walked out of the ward.
In the corridor, Guan Wenru took Duan Feifei's cold arm. "What do you want to eat? I know a new restaurant nearby that makes really authentic mutton stew noodles. The soup is rich and the meat is tender. Or would you like something lighter?"
Duan Feifei was passively led forward by her friend, feeling the warmth and strength from her arms, and listening to her friend's rambling, ordinary words. Her wandering, helpless heart, filled with bitterness, seemed to have finally found a harbor where she could temporarily rest.
She replied softly, "Wenru, I'm not hungry."
Guan Wenru feigned displeasure, "Look how thin you've become! You have to eat, you have to eat more with me today!"
...
Not long after, Guan Wenru led Duan Feifei into a small restaurant outside the hospital and found a quiet corner to sit down.
She deftly ordered two bowls of steaming hot mutton stew noodles and a side dish.
The noodles were served quickly, with a milky white broth, bright green cilantro, and tender slices of stewed mutton, emitting an enticing aroma.
However, Duan Feifei simply held her chopsticks, staring blankly at the rising steam in the bowl, and didn't touch it for a long time.
Guan Wenru put most of the mutton from her bowl into Feifei's bowl and urged her softly, "Feifei, eat a little. I know you don't have an appetite, but health is the foundation of everything. Uncle Duan is still in the hospital and needs your care. What will happen to him if you collapse?"
Her words struck a chord with Duan Feifei's deepest concern. Duan Feifei finally picked up her chopsticks, mechanically scooped up a few noodles, and put them in her mouth.
She ate very slowly, as if she were swallowing not food, but the bitterness of the past ten years.
As I ate, large tears silently rolled down my cheeks and splashed into the soup bowl.
Guan Wenru sighed and gently wiped away her tears with a clean handkerchief. "Don't just cry. Eat something to have energy. My mom made chicken porridge and some easy-to-digest dishes at home. She'll bring them over to you and Uncle Duan in a little while."
Duan Feifei nodded, choking back tears, and forced herself to eat a few more bites.
The hot noodle soup brought warmth and seemed to melt away part of the icy dam in her heart.
After she had barely eaten half a bowl and put down her chopsticks, Guan Wenru didn't urge her, but just watched her quietly.
Duan Feifei took a deep breath, holding the warm soup bowl tightly in both hands as if it could give her strength. She looked out at the gray sky and finally began that unbearable narration.
“Wenru, you’re right… beautiful girls are a sin in that kind of place… I understood that not long after I got there.”
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