"You know perfectly well what I'm going to do, so why do you still have to ask that question?"
Unable to move while held firmly in his arms, Xu Ruantang tilted her head and glanced at Chen Ji. "Come with me to the hospital tomorrow."
Chen Ji's eyes were deep. "Okay."
He seemed to have something to say, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say it.
Xu Ruantang had a nightmare that night; she seemed to be herself, yet she also seemed not to be herself.
She sank to the bottom of the water, watching the face that looked exactly like hers struggle and sink helplessly to the bottom.
At the last moment, the girl she was watching opened her eyes, her gaze filled with resentment and anger.
Xu Ruantang woke up with a start, her body covered in sweat.
Chen Ji's large hand encircled her waist, and heat emanated from him continuously.
When Xu Ruantang looked up, she saw Chen Ji sleeping soundly with his eyes closed in the moonlight.
She gently removed the hand from her waist, went downstairs to take a shower, and then came back to lie down.
She lay there with her eyes open for a long time, her mind filled with the memories of the original owner from those years.
There are scenes of him being slapped for accidentally knocking over his rice bowl when he was just old enough to understand things, and scenes of his mother picking his arm and tapping his forehead to scold him.
She has memories of the whole family sitting at the dinner table eating meat while she gnaws on a dark-colored steamed bun in front of the stove in the kitchen.
The more she thought about it, the clearer her mind became, her heart churning with unknown emotions that felt suffocating.
The feeling of wanting to cry but being unable to, and having nowhere to vent her anger, lingered in her heart ever since the Xu family came to Beijing.
In fact, her constant dealings with the Xu family and her failure to take swift action to resolve the matter were not in line with her usual style.
Perhaps because it involves blood ties and family affection, Xu Ruantang simply didn't know how to handle this situation.
Finally, after she had struggled twice, she was pulled into a strong embrace.
Chen Ji's voice was lazy and slightly hoarse: "Hot?"
"No, you can continue sleeping." Xu Ruantang had her back to him, so she didn't know that Chen Ji's eyes were already open.
Chen Ji's eyes were clear. "Turn around."
When Xu Ruantang turned over, resting her head on his arm, Chen Ji stroked her hair and asked, "Want to hear my advice?"
Xu Ruantang pursed her lips and remained silent.
She resists giving advice from others, even her closest friends, because without firsthand experience, it's impossible to fully empathize.
"It's just a suggestion," Chen Ji said in a deep voice.
"you say."
Chen Ji didn't speak directly, but instead lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Wife, you said you believe in karma, and I believe it too. Evil people can't have a smooth life forever, but if they affect your state of mind, you'll likely be led by the nose."
If you go to a certain point, you might lose sight of your original intentions.
Xu Ruantang remained silent for a long time.
“But I’m not reconciled, and neither is she.” Xu Ruantang moved closer to Chen Ji. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
Chen Ji was incredibly clever; when he told her about Lu Lei's affairs outside, he knew exactly what she would do.
He acquiesced.
Chen Ji also disliked having such people around him.
He could have done it himself, but he made her do it because he wanted her to vent her anger.
Early in the morning, Xu Ruantang and Chen Ji had breakfast at home.
He made so much porridge that the two of them couldn't finish it all, so Xu Ruantang packed it up and took it to the hospital.
Pushing open the ward door, the overwhelming smell of stinky feet almost made Xu Ruantang faint.
The floor of the private room was covered with bedding, a messy pile of things.
Xu Sheng's wife sat on the ground, holding and comforting her wailing child.
The hospital bed that should have been for the child was occupied by two healthy men, Xu Sheng and his father.
Upon hearing the sound, Xu Sheng immediately sat up in bed.
Mr. Xu frowned first, then slowly looked in the direction of the sound, his face full of dissatisfaction.
Xu Ruantang went straight to the window and opened all the windows to let in fresh air.
"Sis, you're here!" Xu Sheng got out of bed, put on his shoes, and said to the woman on the floor, "Didn't I tell you to tidy up all this stuff? Why are you so slow? You can't do anything right."
Xu Sheng turned his gaze and immediately saw the man behind Xu Ruantang.
Even though he was dressed casually, the man's demeanor was different from theirs.
Especially his eyes; even a single glance at Xu Sheng would send shivers down one's spine.
"Is this my brother-in-law?" Xu Sheng stood there with a fawning smile, rubbing his hands together as he spoke.
Xu Ruantang gave a soft "hmm" and turned to look at her father.
Mr. Xu was quite something; he had just been frowning in displeasure, but now he was all smiles, his face crinkling with wrinkles. "You're here, why did you bring anything?"
The man didn't speak, so he couldn't very well call him "son-in-law."
"This is breakfast, Ruan Tang asked me to bring it."
Chen Ji reached out his hand, and Xu Sheng quickly took the lunchbox, saying, "Thank you, brother-in-law!"
Looking at his stern-faced son-in-law, Mr. Xu was momentarily speechless.
Yesterday, I rehearsed how I would put on airs and scold my son-in-law for not showing up for so long, but the words stuck in my throat and I just couldn't say them.
Just then, Xu's mother returned, carrying several large white steamed buns in her hands.
Before the person even got close, the voice came: "Dad, get up and eat breakfast! The steamed buns in the cafeteria here are so expensive, it's highway robbery! It's highway robbery! What is that brat up to, abandoning us here and not caring about us?"
"Cough cough."
Xu Sheng quickly pretended to cough, trying to cover for his mother.
However, Xu's mother was like a loudmouth, saying, "When she gets here, I'm going to teach her a lesson!"
Stepping into the ward, Xu's mother immediately saw the man with a cold and stern face.
She was stunned for a moment, then turned her head and saw Xu Ruantang, and instantly understood.
"My wife brought porridge, so you didn't have to eat in the cafeteria."
There was a moment of silence in the ward. Xu's father glared at Xu's mother and said with a forced smile, "That's just how her mother is, don't mind her."
"Alright, let's go eat." Xu Ruantang stood by the window in the ward. "We'll go find the doctor and be back in a bit."
More than an hour later, Xu Ruantang slowly returned to the ward.
Xu Sheng quickly patted the bed, "Sis, how is it?"
Xu Ruantang pulled up a stool and sat down. "Did the doctor tell you that Xu Qian's illness was caused by not getting timely treatment for his previous fever?"
Xu Sheng nodded, his expression somewhat grim.
Mr. Xu's face stiffened. "It's already like this, what's the use of saying all this? He just keeps asking if we can get better!"
Xu Ruantang nodded, "It can be cured, but we'll have to wait and see. The doctor only told us about a method because he knew the Chen family."
Xu Sheng's face lit up with joy. "What method?"
“There is a medicine and fixation device from abroad that can cure the disease, but it costs 35,000 yuan.”
"What!?"
"They want me dead?!"
"The Chen family is so powerful, can't they put in a good word for us and get the doctor to charge less?"
The whole family was talking at once, making Xu Ruantang's ears hurt.
She frowned. "It's impossible to get it cheap. After all, it's not the doctors who make the money. Doctors are unwilling to talk about these kinds of medicines and machines unless you know them well."
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