Chapter 189: Promise to Travel Together
Si Zhui's fever subsided very slowly, and it took two days of repeated bouts of restlessness before he finally calmed down. During these two days, Lin Yan stayed in the ward almost constantly, handling remote matters for the New York branch while keeping an eye on the patient in the hospital bed.
He would calculate the time to remind the nurse to change the dressing, would find ways to get Si Zhui, who had no appetite, to eat a few more mouthfuls of porridge, and when the other woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, he would reach out and gently pat his back, like comforting a frightened little animal.
Si Zhui looked at him with one hand bandaged (the doctor said the palm was red and swollen and needed to be fixed) and the other hand typing quickly on the laptop, and his heart felt warm and bitter.
"Brother Lin, go ahead and do your work. I'm fine." He leaned against the head of the bed, looked at the string of peach wood beads he had given to Lin Yan on his wrist, and whispered.
Lin Yan raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on his face for two seconds. After confirming that he looked better, he closed the computer and said, "No rush, I'll deal with the rest tomorrow." He picked up the peeled apple next to him, cut it into small pieces with his uninjured left hand, inserted a toothpick and handed it to him, "Have some fruit."
Si Zhui didn't answer. Instead, he stared at his bandaged right hand: "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Lin Yan smiled and stuffed the fruit plate into his hands. "But you, if you don't get better soon, I'm afraid your trip to New York will be delayed."
When Si Zhui mentioned New York, his eyes lit up, but then dimmed quickly. "Actually... it's okay not to go. Work is more important." He paused, his voice lowered. "I shouldn't have been so willful."
Lin Yan looked at his cautious expression and sighed inwardly. This child always puts other people's feelings first, but forgets that he deserves to be treated well.
He reached out and ruffled Sizhui's hair with his uninjured left hand. "I promised to take you there, and I will definitely go. I can adjust my work, but I can't break my promise to you."
Si Zhui raised his head and met his serious eyes. There was no perfunctory expression in them, only full of determination. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He lowered his head and ate the apple in small bites, but his eyes slowly reddened.
On the day of discharge, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian came to pick them up. Seeing Lin Yan's hand still bandaged, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but mutter, "You kid, don't you know how to take care of yourself? If you really can't do it, let your assistant share more of the work."
"It's okay, Uncle Wei, it won't affect anything." Lin Yan said with a smile.
On the way back, Si Zhui kept holding Lin Yan's uninjured left hand. Occasionally, his fingertips touched the string of peach wood beads, and he felt a little more at ease.
After arriving home, Lin Yan began packing his luggage for New York. Si Zhui moved a small stool to sit beside him, watching him put his suitcase and documents into the suitcase one by one. Suddenly, he whispered, "Brother Lin, can I help you with something?"
"No, just sit still." Lin Yan took out a thick coat from the closet. "It's colder in New York than here, so I need to bring you some more clothes."
Si Zhui looked at him packing seriously and suddenly remembered the stupid things he did before he got a fever. His cheeks flushed slightly: "I'm sorry, Brother Lin, before..."
"Let's not talk about the past." Lin Yan interrupted him, turned around and looked at him with gentle eyes, "But you have to remember, no matter what happens in the future, you must not hurt yourself again. If you are really afraid that I will leave, just tell me directly, I will find a way to take you with me, or..." He paused, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "I can give you ten video calls every day."
Si Zhui was amused by him, his eyes curved into crescents: "I don't want ten, two is enough."
"Okay, two is two." Lin Yan nodded with a smile and put a folded sweater into Si Zhui's small suitcase. "This is the one you said looked good last time. Take it with you."
Si Zhui watched him skillfully pack his luggage, and suddenly an indescribable warmth welled up in his heart. It turned out that being cared for by someone was such a concrete feeling—remembering your favorite clothes, remembering the parting you dreaded, remembering every word you said.
At night, Si Zhui lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He quietly got up and walked to Lin Yan's door, where he saw the light was still on.
He pushed open the door and saw Lin Yan sitting at the desk, carefully painting two wooden carvings with his left hand - they were two identical little kites, carved with two little people holding hands.
"Brother Lin, are you still awake?"
Lin Yan turned around and saw him wearing teddy bear pajamas with messy hair. He smiled and said, "It will be ready soon. We will each take one of these two kites to New York."
Sizhui walked over and looked at the delicate carvings on the wooden kite. His eyes lit up: "Is this little person me?"
"Yeah." Lin Yan nodded, "That's me."
Si Zhui looked at the two little people holding hands, and suddenly felt that no matter how far away they went, as long as they had this kite, it would be as if Brother Lin was always by their side.
"Let me help you." He picked up the small brush next to him and, imitating Lin Yan's example, carefully painted the kite with varnish.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a warm and tranquil light on the two focused figures. The two small kites on the wooden table glowed warmly under the light, like two hearts nestled tightly together.
Si Zhui suddenly understood that a sense of security is never about being bound, but about knowing that the other person is caring about you no matter how far apart you are; it is about knowing that there is someone standing behind you no matter what difficulties you encounter.
And his brother Lin is teaching him to feel at ease little by little in his own way.
"Alright." Lin Yan put down the brush, looked at the two finished kites, and nodded with satisfaction. "We'll take them with us when the paint dries."
"Yeah!" Si Zhui nodded vigorously, yawned, and gradually felt sleepy.
Lin Yan looked at his dazed appearance, smiled and picked him up: "Let's go to bed, we have to catch a plane tomorrow."
Si Zhui leaned against his chest, smelling the familiar woody scent, and soon fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, he and Brother Lin were holding hands, standing under the Statue of Liberty, holding the two little kites in their hands, smiling with great joy.
As the night deepened, the only sound in the room was the steady breathing. Two small kites lay quietly on the desk, as if telling of a promise of companionship and care.
Tomorrow, they will embark on a new journey together. This journey is filled with trust, understanding, a slowly growing sense of security, and indescribable tenderness and protection.
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