"Not yet. The whole family is still over there." With so many people around every day, thereās so much bacteria; itās no wonder if they get infected.
"Go on, have a look. Otherwise, they might gossip about you again later. The old lady has grown quite temperamental with age. Sheās not only talkative, but sleeps little too. She insists on chatting with me at night, giving me no time to rest. And thatās not all; sheās the first to wake up in the morning, and sheās just as chatty. During the day, she grabs anyone she sees and talks non-stop. If you ask me, we should never have let them stay together in the first place. Just look at her now, talking endlessly day and night ā how can the old man rest well? If you ask me, the old manās infection has something to do with her mouth; sheās spreading quite a bit of bacteria."
Lin Wan chuckled, thinking her godmotherās words were sharper than she had expected.
"Go ahead. Your godfather is there too. Remember, if the old lady says something hurtful, donāt take it to heart; just treat it as nonsense. Youāre pregnant now; you canāt let a few words from her affect your health."
"Got it, godmother. Han Yi and I will go take a look, and weāll come back to keep you company later."
"You donāt need to stay with me. I have just one more bottle to finish, and then Iām done."
"Auntie, if youāre tired, go ahead and rest. Weāll go out and give the nurse some instructions to keep an eye on the IV."
"No need. There are other patients in the ward; if thereās anything, they can help out." Sheās not in a private ward this time, having caught a cold unexpectedly. The private room was long gone, and she was assigned a bed in a shared room. The person in the next bed is quite sick, on an IV, and sleeping constantly.
Han Yi gave some directions and took Lin Wan and Little Star to the door of Old Mr. Meiās ward, where Old Mrs. Mei was pulling Mei Langchi and his wife aside, talking about their shortcomings.
"Those raised by your side and those outside arenāt the same, are they? Just look, your grandfather and I have been sick for so many days, and they only came over on the first night. We havenāt seen them since, let alone having them care for us. Just look at your grandfather now, in this condition. Weāve notified them multiple times, but theyāre indifferent. None of them compares to you, Xiao Chi. In the future, neither your grandfather nor I will rely on them; weāll depend entirely on you."
"Grandma, rest assured. Your grandson will not be like them." Mei Langchi knows how to comfort and how to speak.
Ye Qing stood by with a faint smile, not saying much. It wasnāt that she didnāt want to talk, but she simply couldnāt. Sheād been sick for days, on an IV for three of them, and her cold still hadnāt cleared up.
Her voice was hoarse, and whatever she might say sounded grim and unpleasant. She was just hanging around Old Mr. Mei and Old Mrs. Mei.
She spent the majority of the day there, heading home at noon, seizing the moment when no one was around to secretly find the key to Old Mr. Meiās study cabinet.
Moreover, sheād devised a plan. Now, with Old Mr. Mei and Old Mrs. Mei hospitalized and no one at home, everything could be handled more appropriately.
"Mom. Canāt you stop ranting for a bit? Dad has just fallen asleep, so take a break. And itās wrong to keep talking indirectly ā whether itās about Xiao Yi or Junzi, neither should be blamed. Junzi is far away in Z City, caught up in winter competitions, and is busy with work, completely unaware of whatās happening at home. You insisted on calling him, and once he found out, he barely managed to get a few days off after reporting to his superiors. Heās already en route, and as for Xiao Yi, he came here already carrying tasks. Is he supposed to take leave at will? That day, you called him back as if something major had happened, but what did he find? Just a mess of senseless chaos. Today, you and Dad are in this mess because of your own doing.
These days youāve been fussy about this and that, rejecting the caretakers we hired and insisting we stick with you. Havenāt we, your children, fulfilled your wishes by staying with you? My brother and I have strong physiques and can manage the sleepless nights, but Xiao Qian canāt keep enduring this. Now youāve made her sick."
"Second child, you care for your wife and son, but now you blame your own mother? You ungrateful child! How can you be so heartless? Are you implying your mother shouldnāt be sick? Shouldnāt have your wife take care of me? Is this how a son should behave? You, a soldier, put the values taught by the army to waste, treating your parents like this. Is this what you should do as a son?"