Although the day wasn't exactly chaotic, Jian Dan and Cheng Chao were constantly on the road and never had a moment's rest.
The moment she relaxed and sat down on the edge of the bed, Jian Dan felt completely drained. This fatigue came quickly, and she didn't even want to move a finger. In a short while, her eyelids were almost too heavy to keep open.
Cheng Chao quietly crept closer.
Are you sleepy?
Cheng Jin also glanced out the window.
"It's already this late? Oh dear, are you all hungry?"
There was a woman giving birth and a baby nearby. It hadn't even been half an afternoon, and he'd already gotten into the habit of speaking in a high-pitched voice.
"Cheng Chao, take your sister back to rest, and bring her back to us after she finishes eating. Have Xiao Wu make some chicken soup and bring it over."
"Young man of the Lin family, you can eat with us for the next couple of days. After you're discharged from the hospital, your uncle will get you some good food to take back to Mingzhu and help her recover."
They're a bunch of guys, so don't expect them to be particularly attentive to taking care of people—that's highly unlikely. The fact that they could think of so much already surprised Jian Dan; they really are meticulous despite their rough exterior.
After a long drive and another half-day at the hospital, the child was exhausted. After eating dinner, he fell asleep quickly. Xiao Wu went to the hospital to deliver food, while Jian Dan and Cheng Chao tidied up and talked.
"Why did you suddenly decide to come looking for me? Did something happen?"
Simple, yet still somewhat frightened, she sighed.
“When I took the child up the mountain, she was thinking about catching pheasants and said she wanted to eat the roast chicken you made. But then I realized that you haven’t come for so long and I haven’t heard from you, so something was wrong.”
In the past, when you went out or on a mission, your uncle would always send someone to let you know. Besides, how could you go so long without any news? I'm starting to have some wild thoughts. Did something happen? Are you injured?
We happened to run into a few wild boars on the mountain, wasn't that perfect? The reasons were all there.
It was quite a coincidence; I had only been there a short while when my uncle's car came out, otherwise I would have had to wait a long time.
Cheng Chao's thought process is a little different from others. Others' first reaction is, "My sister is so thoughtful, I must be touched."
Cheng Chao's first reaction was to frown.
"You two went deep into the mountains again? Don't you have any meat at home?"
It's quite simple to see that Cheng Chao has had to put in a lot more effort since they recognized each other.
"Don't worry, don't worry, nothing's wrong."
Don't you know how good I am? Xin Xin has been practicing with me too. If anything happens, she'll be a lightning-fast tree climber.
"You? Can't you just not go up the mountain?"
Cheng Chao herself knew that this request was a bit unreasonable. She lived at the foot of the mountain, so how could she not go up the mountain? Besides, if she hadn't gone up the mountain before, no one would have discovered those things until now.
Simple nodded repeatedly.
"Yeah, yeah, it's okay, I won't go any further in. I'll just dig some wild vegetables or gather some firewood on the outskirts."
It was obvious this was a half-hearted attempt to appease him. Cheng Chao sighed wearily. Sure enough, he couldn't persuade him.
"Don't be arrogant. Always prioritize your own safety; everything else is secondary."
"Xin Xin is too young. If something happens to her, it would be good if she didn't become a burden to you. You must not be careless."
This time, the simple attitude became much more serious.
"I know, don't worry."
Don't you know how good I am? I know my own abilities.
By the way, Uncle Jian should wake up around tomorrow. How long will you be staying here to take care of him? Until he's discharged?
"We'll see. The commander should be here tomorrow. We'll see how to arrange things. What's wrong? Are you going back?"
His tone was full of reluctance, but he also knew that the girl might feel uncomfortable having her child there.
"Don't worry, I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to buy you some things. Do you have any food at home? I still have some food coupons; I'll buy you some rice."
"Buy some candy,"
"Peach shortbread, chicken cake, and stuff like that,"
"Which flavor of canned food do you like? Yellow peach? Or hawthorn?"
"Oh, right, the supply and marketing cooperative here sells ready-made clothes. I'll go check it out tomorrow and buy a few outfits to take home..."
It was a typical parental nagging, and Jian Dan didn't interrupt, just listened quietly, occasionally chiming in. To be honest, she actually quite liked this kind of nagging.
"OK,"
“I figured we had nothing to do anyway, and we were just causing trouble for you guys. Zhuzhu will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow or the day after, right? We’ll go back with her.”
"Uncle Jian should be here soon. If he wakes up tomorrow, we can rest assured."
Cheng Chao finished up, tidied up the kitchen, and pushed the simple dish out.
"You don't need to worry about that. Go wash up and go to bed early. The room is ventilated for you. There's a fan on the kang (heated brick bed). Draw the curtains in a bit, and just leave the small window open to keep mosquitoes out."
"Lock the door at night. I'll stay in this room. If I go out, Xiao Wu will be there, and my uncle might come over too. Just call if you need anything; everyone here can hear you."
It's rare to find a life so well-organized and manageable; it's truly worry-free and effortless.
I slept soundly through the night, and when I opened my eyes the next day it was already broad daylight. I could hear voices in the yard, and that's when I realized I was outside.
As soon as she sat up, the child next to her rubbed his eyes and sat up, his little head covered in sweat and his hair plastered to his forehead.
"Sister, it's hot,"
In summer, it's not so cool in the mornings, and the room can feel a bit stuffy.
I simply wiped her sweat and then gently fanned her with a fan.
"Get up first, open the curtains, and the breeze will come in."
When the two of them finished getting ready and came out, breakfast was already laid out on the table outside: a bowl of thin porridge, a bowl of mixed cornbread, and a bowl of pickled vegetables.
Not only Cheng Chao was there, but Cheng Jin and Lin Zhengde were also there. This made Jian Dan a little embarrassed. After helping the child wash up, she quickly sat down and took the spoon for the porridge.
"Uncle, Uncle Lin, we overslept."
"It's okay, it's okay. I was just tired yesterday, it's normal to sleep more."
Lin Zhengde also said,
"You're all still growing, so hurry up and eat. Xin Xin, are you hungry?"
Xin Xin didn't stand on ceremony, her lips were soft and sweet.
I'm hungry!
Cheng Chao greeted them.
"Let's eat. I've saved some for Xiao Wu, and the chicken soup is ready too. Just take it with you later."
After taking a bite of her cornbread, Jian Dan suddenly remembered that there were two patients at the hospital and asked, "..."
"Uncle, is Uncle Jian awake?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with smiles.
"She's awake! She woke up in the middle of the night last night. She saw a doctor, and the inflammation has subsided, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
"Brother, is Sister Zhuzhu doing well too?"
Honestly, in all sorts of movies, TV dramas, and novels, you can easily find stories about hospitals deliberately reporting the wrong child, only to have it discovered eighteen years later, followed by a series of love-hate entanglements. This kind of plot is nothing new.
However, even if they did do it at this point, without surveillance or phone calls, frankly speaking, finding them would be no less difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. If they were determined to hide it, it would be incredibly easy for them to make it impossible for you to find them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
