I joked, "There's a saying that goes 'beauty is a meal'."
She glared at me, handed me the medical instructions, and said in a pretended angry tone, "I am worried about this. I am telling you verbally now that you must not have sex with the patient, as it will aggravate the patient's condition."
My mood suddenly darkened, and I was filled with mixed feelings. It seemed like a distant and extravagant hope to have physical intimacy with Qingwan again. Since we learned that she was pregnant, we became very cautious and did not dare to be reckless. As for the last time we were intimate, the memory became vague and I could no longer recall it accurately.
Yang Ruining noticed my mood and gently comforted me, "Nothing is absolute in this world. If she is in good health, maybe she can give it a try, but she must be extremely careful."
I smiled wryly and said, "It doesn't matter whether we do this or not. Her health is more important."
She cast a suspicious look at me, and seemed to be talking to herself: "At this age, it would be strange if I could control myself."
I didn't respond directly, and walked out of her office with a heavy heart. She ran after me and shouted from behind me, "Do you have my phone number? Call me anytime if you have any questions."
I felt it was necessary, so I turned around and exchanged phone numbers with her.
In order to prevent Qingwan's condition from suddenly worsening during the journey and requiring an oxygen device, Lin Xun borrowed a Volvo S80 equipped with a car oxygen system from a friend, because the friend's child suffered from congenital heart disease, and the system was installed in the car in case of emergency.
Before the outbreak, I accompanied Qingwan to lie by the window and waved goodbye to our daughter through the glass. I solemnly entrusted our daughter to Lin Mushroom and asked her to take care of her during the period when we were not there, until she returned home from the hospital.
After placing Qingwan in the car, I turned around and said to Lin Xun with gratitude: "Thank you for your kindness. If you weren't here this time, I really don't know what I would have done."
Lin Xun waved his hands and said, "Don't say these polite words to me. The most important thing is that you take good care of Qingwan. Don't worry about leaving Xixi to me. I have asked Sister Yun to help you contact a nanny in the county town. Qingwan is really not suitable to get up early and stay up late to take care of a child in her current condition."
I nodded gratefully, and finally couldn't help but bow deeply to him.
Fortunately, although there was dust and dirt along the way, we returned home safely.
As soon as we stepped into the house, Qingwan acted like a child and started to throw tantrums at us.
Her eyes were full of determination, and she insisted on taking a hot bath. It was because during those days in the hospital, she felt that she smelled of disinfectant all over her body, and it was really unbearable to lie there. She has always been a person with some cleanliness obsession. If it were in the past, I would have agreed to this request with a smile and doted on her.
However, this is our bottom line that we cannot compromise on.
She and her mother-in-law had an argument over this, and her voice was filled with a stubbornness she had never had before. I had no choice but to stand up and play the role of peacemaker.
I whispered to her, "Qingwan, you are still in confinement and have just been through a lot of traveling. Your body can't handle it. No, just lie down on the bed and let me wipe your body with a hot towel, okay?"
The mother-in-law also quickly agreed, her eyes full of pity: "Hongjun is right, child, let me help you wipe it."
Qingwan pouted like a sullen child and said firmly, "I don't need you, I'll let Hongjun wipe it for me."
My mother-in-law and I smiled at each other, but in that smile, there was a hint of bitterness and helplessness.
I gently placed Qingwan on the bed, turned and walked to the bathroom, carefully adjusting the water temperature.
My mother-in-law followed me and prepared a towel for me while sighing, "Qingwan has been a well-behaved and sensible child since she was young. How could she suddenly become so willful?"
I comforted my mother-in-law, but I felt mixed emotions inside: "Mom, she is still a patient, so it is inevitable that she is a little irritable and it is normal for her to have a little temper. Let's just be more tolerant of her."
As I said this, I looked up at my mother-in-law, and saw that her eyes were slightly red, and tears were falling drop by drop into the basin, splashing circles of ripples. My heart also felt like something was grabbing it, and I felt very uncomfortable. As a mother, my mother-in-law has endured much more than me.
At that moment, I seemed to understand a lot. In this family that takes care of patients, family members often reach the limit of their tolerance earlier than the patients.
In such a private space as the bedroom, Qingwan stripped herself naked and waited for me to wipe her body with a beautiful smile.
I joked, "How can you still be so dissolute after your life is over?"
"Hearing this, she smiled and said, "We are an old couple. You probably know all the scars and moles on my body better than I do."
I said, "The heating is on at home, but you are in confinement after childbirth, so don't leave it alone. Just cover yourself with a blanket."
As soon as she finished speaking, she gently waved the blanket I had just covered her with and threw it aside, with a slight curl of her lips, pretending to be angry: "Why, are you disgusted by my old age and fading looks and are you tired of my body?
I shook my head helplessly, knowing full well that in this verbal exchange, I would definitely be the one who admitted defeat.
I started from her forehead. Her skin was as delicate as porcelain, except for the scar from the cesarean section, which had already hardened. I carefully went around that scar. She seemed to notice my caution and asked softly, "Is it ugly?"
I stared at the scar and said, "This is a great mother's medal for giving birth to a new life. How can it be ugly? It is incomparably beautiful."
Hearing this, she smiled sweetly, but also with a hint of self-mockery: "You just know how to make me happy. These stretch marks plus the scars must be ugly. But when I think of our baby, all these sacrifices are worth it."
I continued to wipe her skin, not sparing any part of it. Her face flushed with shame, and she uttered small and happy hums. Suddenly, she grabbed my hand tightly, her eyes flashing with desire and shyness, and whispered in a low voice: "Husband, I want to..."
Her every move aroused my impulse, but Yang Ruining's words lingered in my ears, reminding me not to bring any harm to Qingwan on the bed for the sake of momentary pleasure.
I took a deep breath, suppressed the impulse in my heart, continued to wipe her body, and said in an unquestionable tone: "Don't be silly, you are still in confinement after childbirth, and the ulcer on your belly has not fully grown yet. This is not a joke. Don't worry, there is still half a month to wait for you to be one month old. I will make you feel ecstatic every day."
Her eyes dimmed instantly, and she whispered faintly: "Will we do it once less?"
My heart suddenly tightened, as if being held tightly by an invisible hand, the pain was unbearable. I said, "Life is short, and there is nothing that is not done less and less."
She looked out the window, her eyes flashing with a strange light, as if she was casting her thoughts towards the distant and unknown horizon: "I'm afraid that you will forget after a long time. Will you forget?"
Listening to her double entendre, I held her hand tightly, my eyes full of affection: "Don't let your imagination run wild, review the past to learn new things, and when you really forget it one day, we can tutor you once, okay?"
She sighed softly, and that sigh contained too many emotions, including helplessness, reluctance, and a hint of worry. Then, she was silent, as if all her words had become the deepest secret in her heart.
At that moment, I vaguely felt that she might have had a premonition of something, those subtle premonitions about life, love, and parting were quietly spreading in her heart.