The ward was really lively. Xu Ruantang's forehead was throbbing. Li Shuyang stood up, holding Xiaobao, and walked to her side, handing her a stool.
"Please sit down. This is a corner. She won't be here for a while."
Xu Ruantang really wanted to sit down; the corner was safe too. She smiled at Li Shuyang and said, "Okay, thank you."
Lu Xiaozhao broke free from Jia Shuling's hand, ran to Lu Shishen, hugged his leg, and shrank back.
Jia Shuling felt she had been humiliated, but she had to force a smile, which made her smile look distorted.
Lu Shishen picked up Lu Xiaozhao and looked at Xu Ruantang in the corner, saying, "Comrade Xu, then you should take good care of yourself. We'll be leaving now."
"Okay, take care."
Jia Shuling watched Lu Shishen leave with bated breath, and even said goodbye to Lu Xiaozhao in a high-pitched voice.
Only after Lu Shishen was out of sight did she return to the ward.
In the ward, Li Shuhe was holding a bowl of bone broth and insisted on feeding it to Xu Ruantang.
Xu Ruantang obliged and took a sip. "I can do it myself, my hand is fine. And these, take them with you when you leave. I'll ask the doctor later, maybe I can be discharged today."
Jia Shuling said with a forced smile, "Why are you leaving the hospital? The wedding is canceled anyway, so you might as well stay in the hospital for a few more days. That way, you can enjoy being waited on by others."
"Ruan Ruan is my friend. What's wrong with taking care of a friend who's injured?" Having learned her lesson last time, Li Shuhe retorted without holding back this time: "Sister Jia, don't you have any friends? Have you never experienced being cared for by a friend?"
Jia Shuling wasn't angry, and continued sarcastically, "Hey, how can I compare to my third niece-in-law? I'm not trying to be mean, Ruan Tang, but you're really unlucky. The banquet was just about to start, and you've managed to get it canceled because of your meddling."
"Shuling, you are so lucky. Marrying Chen Gang is your greatest blessing. Unlike Wang Xiuxiu, who married Lu Shishen!"
A woman's voice came from outside the door, followed by a flurry of seven or eight people entering.
Liu Xue brought along her sisters-in-law who had eaten with her last time, each carrying something. Xu Ruantang looked over and saw that Zhang Li, heavily pregnant, had also come along.
Compared to the last time I saw her, her belly seemed to be a bit bigger.
Liu Xue has always been sharp-tongued. She doesn't provoke trouble, but she's not afraid of it either, and she doesn't give Jia Shuling any face at all.
When Jia Shuling turned around and saw so many people, all her competitive and argumentative spirit vanished. She gave a soft snort and remained silent.
"Ruan Tang, your sisters-in-law brought you chicken soup and fish soup. Drink more soup so your bones will grow faster."
"Yes, and the meat inside too, we ate it all as well."
"If you feel greasy, your sister-in-law brought some homegrown cucumbers. You can eat one to cleanse your palate."
The sisters-in-law each chimed in with their own words, and soon the table next door was piled high with food.
Good heavens, chicken soup, fish soup, bone broth—it's like the animals are having a meeting!
"Sisters, I appreciate your kindness. I just drank the bone broth that Shuhe brought, and I can't drink anymore. I'll take all of this back for the children so they can get some nourishment."
When Cheng Dan entered, she was also taken aback by the huge crowd.
The next second, he frowned, his voice tinged with impatience: "Everyone, this many people are not allowed in the ward. Please leave."
"Dr. Cheng, we've just come to visit you and will be leaving soon."
"Right, they didn't say we couldn't visit patients, did they?"
"Besides, this isn't Dr. Cheng's ward, so why are you putting on airs here?"
"Hmph, they just think that with Commander Chen gone, our Ruan Tang is easy to bully."
Before Cheng Dan could say anything, she was already being labeled with such a serious accusation, which immediately angered her.
Just as she was about to retort, someone in the ward exclaimed, "Hey! Ruan Tang, what happened to your mouth?"
Xu Ruantang met the gaze of her sister-in-law and immediately understood. She said frankly, "Hey, it's just a small matter. Those who know, know! Sister-in-law, I'll get shy if I say too much."
"Wow, Commander Chen is really something! Girl, tell me more about it! Those lips look swollen!"
"I never would have guessed that Commander Chen had such a passionate side."
These women, who have all had several children, speak without any restraint.
Xu Ruantang was almost amused by her sisters-in-law's exaggerated acting, and she had to purse her lips tightly to keep from laughing out loud.
Cheng Dan was so angry that she left. Her eyes were red, and she walked away very quickly.
Jia Shuling rolled her eyes at everyone and then chased after them.
The women didn't stay long; they had children at home, so they hurried back.
Li Shuhe asked Xu Ruantang, "Ruantang, the banquet has been canceled. Aren't you sad?"
Xu Ruantang was still worried about what to do with all this food! She had managed to get her sisters-in-law to take the soup back, but they insisted on keeping everything else, and she couldn't possibly finish it all!
Hearing this, she looked up at Li Shuhe, her eyes full of confusion: "Huh? What's there to be sad about? The banquet is just for others to see. I'd be happy to have some peace and quiet if I didn't have one."
Otherwise, she would be exhausted from faking a smile all day.
Li Shuyang was holding Xiaobao and fiddling with the radio when he glanced at Xu Ruantang without making a sound, and a relaxed smile appeared on his lips.
Since they were both fine, they stayed in the ward with Xu Ruantang.
Around noon, Tang Wan and Chen Zheng arrived, bringing food and soup.
The four adults simply ate a meal in the ward; the soup and vegetables were more than enough for them.
Tang Wan was less than three months pregnant and was experiencing severe morning sickness. She couldn't even drink a sip of soup, and the smell made her feel uncomfortable.
Xu Ruantang took out the tender cucumbers her sister-in-law had given her, and Tang Wan ate one, which relieved her discomfort.
Xiao Bao ate complementary food at home in the morning, and then had formula made for him at noon. He was probably hungry from playing, because he snuggled up in Li Shuyang's arms with the bottle and gulped it down in just a few minutes.
Li Shuyang was much more reliable than Li Shuhe. He took care of Xiaobao's eating, drinking, and toileting the whole time, and even played with the child.
"Brother, peel an apple for your wife. She should be able to eat it."
Xu Ruantang reminded Chen Zheng, and Chen Zheng went to peel it.
Tang Wan handed Xu Ruantang an envelope. "Ruantang, Mom asked me to give this to you. She was supposed to come over, but she has a cold and a fever, and she hasn't dared to leave her room for the past two days, for fear of infecting everyone."
There are children and a pregnant woman at home, and someone is sick in the hospital; none of them can withstand a cold.
With her godmother still injured, Tang Wan and Chen Zheng finally managed to persuade the two of them to stay at home.
"Mom is sick? Is it serious?" Xu Ruantang took the envelope and saw that it was full of money. She quickly stuffed it back to Tang Wan.
Tang Wan didn't take it. "It's not serious, just a bad cough. This money is what Mom gave you, take it."
Chen Zheng peeled an apple, pulled Tang Wan to sit down, handed her the apple, and said with a smile to Xu Ruantang, "Please accept this as a token of my mother's appreciation. She already feels guilty that she couldn't come."
"Yes, Mom told me to tell you to focus on recovering first. Once you're healed, she and Grandma will choose a time to hold another banquet for you."
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