Return to position
The next morning at 8 o'clock, Aunt Yang arrived. Zhiwei explained the situation to her, gave her the keys, and told her to put her things away and then go and familiarize herself with the surrounding area, such as the market, bus stop, and riverside park.
Aunt Yang asked, "Should I go to the market and buy an old hen, make soup, and take it to the hospital for my wife?"
Zhiwei said, "That's fine. Make the soup light and use less salt. Just add whatever you need." She gave the aunt a bank card, and all future expenses would be deposited into the card so she could use it as she saw fit and just report the expenses weekly.
Zhiwei thought that they had been busy coming to Beijing for surgery, but they had only brought their personal belongings. Now that her mother was going to stay in Beijing for several months, she would probably have to go back to Shanghai to pick up her things. When Aunt Yang returned from grocery shopping at 11 o'clock and the soup was ready, she took Aunt Yang with her in a taxi to the hospital, so that she could familiarize herself with the way.
When they arrived at the ward, Xu Anyi was just about to have lunch. Zhiwei ladled some soup from the earthenware pot for her mother. Although it wasn't a thermos, the soup was still piping hot because it hadn't been cooked for long. The chicken soup had been skimmed of oil, leaving only a pale yellow hue, with no visible oil droplets. A few bamboo fungus floated on the surface, and a few red goji berries were scattered around as garnish. Xu Anyi, who was tired of hospital food, ate with great relish.
Zhiwei had lunch with her mother and then let Aunt Yang go for a stroll around the neighborhood to familiarize herself with the hospital departments and the surrounding environment, and have lunch there as well.
In the afternoon, the doctor came to remove Xu Anyi's stitches. The wound also needed to be treated with medication to prevent infection. Zhiwei didn't dare to watch, so she let Aunt Yang learn how to take care of the wound from the hospital's caregivers.
After the stitches were removed, Zhiwei saw the doctor out. The doctor told her that, depending on her recovery, she could probably be discharged on Monday. Zhiwei knew that wards in hospitals like this were always in short supply, and that allowing them to stay for so long was already a great convenience.
As Zhiwei was leaving in the evening, she told her mother that she would go back to Shanghai that night to pack her things and bring them to Beijing. She would return Sunday night and pick her up from the hospital on Monday. Xu Anyi was also very happy to hear that she could finally be discharged. After all, even though it was a private room, the soundproofing wasn't very good, and she could only walk a few steps in the hallway at most, which had been quite stifling.
After Zhiwei returned home, she told Aunt Yang that the door installers and fresh air system installers would be coming over the next morning, and asked her to make sure they were ready. Xu Anyi was going for chemotherapy around 3 PM, so Zhiwei could go a little early to the chemotherapy facility with the caregiver, as she would inevitably have to go there in the future, and it was good for her to familiarize herself with the process.
Aunt Yang is a very capable person. In just one day, she had taken care of everything at home in Beijing perfectly, and even knew the prices of seasonal vegetables at the market.
Zhiwei felt somewhat relieved. She returned to Shanghai alone and efficiently packed up her mother's winter and spring clothes, her usual skincare products, a few books, and the silver-framed photos of mother and daughter on the bedside table, filling two large suitcases. On Sunday evening, she returned to Beijing with this heavy "home".
Aunt Yang took the box and put everything away as instructed. The once slightly cold room was instantly warmed by these familiar objects.
That night, she still had the energy to finish her schoolwork. Youth is wonderful; it allows for such overexertion.
The next day, she picked up her mother from the hospital. In the taxi, Zhiwei gently put her arm around her mother's shoulder, and her hand touched something slightly bony, which made her heart ache. Xu Anyi, on the other hand, was in high spirits. She found the new house to be clean and bright, and it was rare to have an east-facing balcony with a view of the riverside promenade. She liked it much more than her old house in Shanghai.
Where did you find such a fine house?
"Your daughter is naturally very capable," Zhiwei said with a smile.
Xu Anyi smiled and didn't press the matter further. She wouldn't ask what her daughter didn't want to say.
Lunch was a light and refreshing meal prepared by Aunt Yang, consisting of three dishes and a soup. Xu Anyi praised, "Aunt Yang's cooking is really good; it's rare to see someone from the North make something so light."
"I used to work in a family in the South, and I learned a bit there," Aunt Yang replied respectfully.
In the afternoon, Xu Anyi urged her to return to school. Zhiwei only said that the ticket was booked for tomorrow. That night, she squeezed into her mother's bed, and they slept in each other's arms as they had when they were children. In the middle of the night, Xu Anyi woke up and saw her daughter's delicate profile, and couldn't help but gently stroke it. Time flies, the little girl has grown into a young woman, how could she not grow old? She tucked Zhiwei in and quietly went to sleep.
Before leaving, Zhiwei called Jingnan and asked her to look after her mother. Jingnan readily agreed.
Zhao Youlin also called, suggesting they return to the US together. Zhiwei politely declined, saying she wouldn't dare trouble herself further. She knew perfectly well that this Miss Zhao was Li Fuqiang's person; her attentiveness was a matter of propriety, and she couldn't take politeness for granted.
While waiting at the airport, Jingnan came to see her off. Zhiwei kept her eyes closed to rest the whole way, but the young man sitting next to her kept trying to chat her up, so she simply put on an eye mask for some peace and quiet.
The flight landed in Newark in the afternoon. As soon as she exited the gate, she was surprised to see Li Fuqiang personally waiting for her. Slightly surprised, she stepped forward and gently hugged him. This spontaneous intimacy flattered him, but he simply and steadily escorted her back to her apartment.
"Are you going to class tomorrow?" he asked.
"I need to take two weeks off, and I'll have to make up the classes I missed. There's only one class tomorrow, so it won't be a problem."
"Let Lao Wu pick you up and drop you off, so you don't tire yourself out." His words were full of concern.
That evening, her roommate May came home. Seeing that she was already back, she hugged her and asked about her aunt's condition.
"The surgery was successful, but regular chemotherapy will be necessary afterward," Zhiwei replied calmly.
May hesitated for a moment, then said, "On the Friday after you left, I saw Johnny at the coffee shop. He asked about you, and I just said that you had gone back to your country because of family matters."
The name Johnny sounded like something from another era. She had been so preoccupied with her mother's illness that she had almost forgotten him. Hearing it now, however, stirred no emotion within her.
Indeed, women shouldn't be too idle. When they're busy, they can forget all their past relationships.
Seeing that Zhiwei's expression was normal, May didn't bring it up again. Zhiwei then asked about the progress of the internship project. May said that the hard decoration was almost completed and the painting could be done in another week. Zhiwei planned to go to the studio to check it out after class tomorrow.
She emailed her advisor, Maggie, to let her know that she had returned to school and that her internship on Wednesday would be two hours shorter.
Zhao Youlin returned to New York the next day. Qian Dayou couldn't help but wonder, "Since you came back in such a hurry, why didn't you travel with Miss Shen?"
You Lin rolled her eyes at him: "Why should I be the one to fawn over President Li? I'd rather give him a chance to do so."
Qian Da thought to himself, "This woman is meticulous; no wonder the boss values her so highly."
On Wednesday morning, Lao Wu's car was already waiting downstairs. After finishing her class, Zhiwei went straight to the studio. May was already busy with other projects. Zhiwei reviewed the project information, confirmed the painting and flooring procedures with Michael, and agreed to start painting the roof next Thursday. The light gold glow-in-the-dark paint she ordered had also arrived; two small cans, quite expensive.
Life seems to have returned to normal, but some things are different now.
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