Chapter 152 Worry in the Smile
"Daddy, what's your gift?" Lan Sizhui took Wei Wuxian's hand and skipped into the house, his little face full of anticipation. The reservedness he had just felt when he saw his grandfather had long been thrown out of the window.
Wei Wuxian smiled as he was being pulled by him. Just as he was about to speak, his throat felt itchy and he couldn't help coughing softly.
“Ahem…”
The cough was not violent, but it was a bit suppressed and hoarse, and it was particularly clear in the quiet corridor.
Lan Sizhui's smile froze instantly, and he stopped abruptly. He turned and looked at Wei Wuxian, his body slightly hunched, his face growing paler in the shadows of the corridor as he covered his mouth with a handkerchief. His heart, which had just been immersed in joy, felt like it had been gently pricked by something.
"Daddy?" Lan Sizhui's voice was filled with a hint of cautious worry. "What's wrong with you?"
Wei Wuxian coughed a few times and then stopped. He put down his handkerchief and smiled at Sizhui, trying to cover it up. "It's okay, I just caught a cold. It's nothing serious."
But his smile seemed forced against his pale face, especially the lingering fatigue in his eyes, which he couldn't hide.
Lan Sizhui stared at him intently, his small brows furrowed tightly.
He remembered how his uncle had said, "Your father was so worried about you that he vomited blood," after he had skipped school; he remembered how his eldest uncle and his great-uncle always hesitated to speak when they mentioned his father; he remembered how his father's arms trembled slightly when he hugged him just now...
In the past, my father always smiled and said, "I'm fine," but his face was rosy and his eyes were bright. He was never like he is now, where a slight cough would make people feel scared.
"Daddy, are you... still sick?" Lan Sizhui's voice lowered, and his small hands gently grasped the corner of Wei Wuxian's clothes, his fingertips slightly cold.
Wei WuXian felt a warm, yet also somewhat bitter feeling in his heart. This child was still so sensitive.
He squatted down, looking Sizhui in the eye, and tried to sound relaxed. "It's just a slight cold, it'll be fine after some rest. Look, isn't Daddy back to accompany you?"
“But your face is so pale…” Lan Sizhui’s fingers gently touched Wei Wuxian’s cheek, as if to confirm something. “Even paler than the last time you were sick.”
He didn't know the severity of Wei Wuxian's injuries, nor did he know what it meant to have his spiritual power sealed, let alone the terrible backlash that nearly took his father's life. But he could tell that the pale face signified weakness, and he could hear the discomfort hidden in the cough.
He only knew that his father was injured, and seriously injured.
"Is it because of me?" Lan Sizhui's eyes suddenly turned red, his voice choked with sobs, "Is it because I ran around last time and made you angry that your illness got worse?"
Wei WuXian hadn’t expected him to think this way. His heart tightened, and he quickly shook his head: “It has nothing to do with you, really. It was Daddy who was careless and didn’t take good care of himself.”
He held Sizhui's little hand and looked into his eyes seriously: "Sizhui has realized his mistake. Be a good boy in the future, and Daddy will get better soon, right?"
Lan Sizhui looked at his serious eyes and nodded, half understanding, but tears fell: "Yes! I will be good! I will help Daddy get medicine, help Daddy cover the quilt, help Daddy..."
He wanted to say so many things and do so many things, as if that would help his father get better soon.
Wei Wuxian watched him anxiously shedding tears, his heart warmed and ached. He reached out and pulled Sizhui into his arms, gently patting his back: "Okay, Daddy will wait for us, Sizhui, to take care of him."
Lan Sizhui leaned in his arms, his little hands tightly around his neck, and whispered, "Daddy, you have to get better soon."
“Okay.” Wei WuXian kissed the top of his head, his voice gentle yet firm, “You’ll definitely get better soon.”
Standing not far away, Lan Wangji watched the father and son embrace, his eyes filled with worry but also with a hint of relief. Sizhui had grown up and understood how to care for others.
Perhaps, this setback is also a growth opportunity for the child.
The sunlight passed through the window lattices in the corridor and fell on the two people, giving them a faint golden glow.
Wei Wuxian held the little guy in his arms, feeling his dependence and love, and his heart was suddenly filled with strength.
For the sake of this child, for the sake of Lan Wangji beside him, and for the sake of all those who care about him, he must get better soon.
must.
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