Free Web NovelChapter 198: Chapter 198: Night at the Hospital
Neither Sun Jiaming nor Gu’er slept that night.
After Grandma Sun fell fast asleep, Gu’er and Sun Jiaming talked for a long, long time. They spoke of the past and of the future, saying everything they wanted to say.
The two of them came to understand each other better, and their hearts grew closer.
The next day, Lin Shan came over very early. He brought food for Gu’er and Sun Jiaming, and chicken soup for Grandma Sun.
"You two have a bowl as well. Your mom went out last night to buy an old hen and got up bright and early today to stew it. She wanted to come over herself, but I told her I’d bring it, so she didn’t."
Lin Shan had Gu’er and Sun Jiaming each drink a bowl of chicken soup. He noticed that after just one night, Gu’er already had dark circles under her eyes, and his heart ached for her.
"I’ve really troubled your wife. To think that my hospital stay has caused you all so much trouble."
Grandma Sun said to Lin Shan, moved. She had previously worried that since Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao were from the city, they might be difficult to get along with in the future. But now she saw that Lin Shan was a warm-hearted and down-to-earth person, and Chen Fengjiao was wonderful for being willing to wake up so early to stew chicken soup for her.
"Aunt Sun, please don’t say that. We’re the younger generation; it’s what we should do. Please just focus on getting better and don’t worry about anything else. Your good health is a blessing for us juniors."
Lin Shan looked at Grandma Sun with a kind expression. He had almost no elders left on his side of the family. If Gu’er married Jia Ming, this Aunt Sun would be considered his elder. It was only right for him to be filial and respectful.
"Yes, yes."
Grandma Sun’s eyes glistened with tears. She was in the hospital, and her own son didn’t even know yet. It was Lin Shan who was bustling about, helping with everything. ’What a good man,’ she thought.
Lin Shan stayed for a little while longer before heading to work. Even though it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month—the Lantern Festival—he still couldn’t take the day off. He had to be at his unit for inspections and to arrange work.
"Gu’er, there’s nothing much for you to do here. You should go home and get some sleep. Look at the dark circles under your eyes."
Grandma Sun urged Gu’er to go home.
Gu’er looked at Sun Jiaming, and Sun Jiaming nodded at her.
"Alright then, I’ll go back and sleep for a bit. I’ll come back this afternoon to relieve Brother Jia Ming."
Gu’er agreed.
When she got back to the Lin Family home, Chen Fengjiao’s heart ached seeing the exhaustion on Gu’er’s face. ’Taking care of the elderly is never simple. Sometimes you have to do it for years, even decades. It can drag a person down to their grave. That’s why I never wanted Gu’er to find a family like this.’
"Go get some rest. I’ll call you when the food is ready."
Chen Fengjiao wanted to complain, but she knew her daughter’s temperament, so she didn’t say much. She just took Gu’er’s hand and told her to rest.
"Thanks, Mom."
Gu’er said thanks, not for herself, but because her mother had been willing to stew chicken soup for Grandma Sun and make breakfast for her and Sun Jiaming.
"You silly girl. I’m your mother, what are you saying such foolish things for? Now, go to sleep." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Chen Fengjiao shot Gu’er a look.
Gu’er lay down on the kang, and she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She slept very soundly. When she got up and went out, she discovered someone else in the living room. She had slept so deeply that she hadn’t even heard when Li Zhi arrived.
Gu’er smiled at Li Zhi, then went to wash her face.
Li Zhi watched Gu’er. She had just woken up; her hair was a bit messy, and she hadn’t washed her face yet. But Li Zhi just found her beautiful, so real. ’She’s willing to stay up all night for a paralyzed old woman from her village, and she’s even considering not going to Russia with me because of it.’ Li Zhi felt that Gu’er possessed a quality other girls lacked. Most girls would run as far away as they could from a situation like this, but not Gu’er. ’Her character is truly wonderful. If I married a wife like this, my parents would be so happy... What a shame, though.’
Seeing Li Zhi staring at Gu’er with that dazed yet admiring gaze, Lin Sui’er gritted her teeth. ’What’s so great about Lin Gu’er? She’s just from some village. I don’t know what Li Zhi even sees in her.’ At this thought, Lin Sui’er puffed out her newly developing chest and called out coquettishly to Li Zhi, "Brother Li, have some of this! It’s really sweet."
She pushed the snacks on the table in front of Li Zhi, trying to get him to stop looking at Gu’er.
When Gu’er returned after washing up and combing her hair, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 2:30 in the afternoon.
"I was going to wake you up for lunch," Chen Fengjiao said, "but Li Zhi told me to let you sleep. You must be hungry, right? I’ll go heat up some food for you. You can chat with Li Zhi for a bit."
Saying this, Chen Fengjiao stood up to heat up the food for Gu’er.
Gu’er looked at Lin Sui’er, who was chattering nonstop with Li Zhi. She was constantly offering him this and that to eat, doing everything she could to keep him from having a chance to talk to Gu’er.
Gu’er and Li Zhi couldn’t help but chuckle. They both felt a bit helpless. Sui’er’s childish crush, while immature, was also rather cute.
After eating, Gu’er picked up the soup Chen Fengjiao had prepared and got ready to head to the hospital.
"I’ll go with you. I’d like to see Grandma Sun, too."
Li Zhi had also gone to the door to put on his coat. His main reason for going was to see Sun Jiaming. ’I want to see if he has three heads and six arms, how he managed to captivate Gu’er.’
"I’m going too!"
Lin Sui’er shouted.
"You get back here! What’s so great about a hospital? Today is the fifteenth, you can’t just be running around."
Chen Fengjiao called out in displeasure. She couldn’t stop Gu’er from going, but Sui’er was another matter.
Lin Sui’er watched forlornly as Gu’er and Li Zhi left, stomping her foot in anger, but there was nothing she could do.
On the way, Gu’er explained the general situation to Li Zhi. If there were no major issues with Grandma Sun, they would buy tickets to Dalian for the next day.
When they arrived at the hospital, Li Zhi and Sun Jiaming met in the hospital room.
Sun Jiaming struck Li Zhi as honest and sincere, but otherwise unremarkable. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Gu’er introduced the two of them.
"Hello."
Sun Jiaming nodded and greeted Li Zhi with a sincere smile.
Li Zhi was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Sun Jiaming to speak first. Moreover, his gaze held no jealousy or resentment. ’This means he knows about me and trusts Gu’er. I guess this man has his merits after all.’
Grandma Sun also beckoned for Li Zhi to sit and asked him some questions in a kindly manner.
Li Zhi answered each one, his tone just as warm.
He watched Gu’er feed Grandma Sun the soup, spoonful by spoonful. He watched as Gu’er and Sun Jiaming, though they didn’t speak much, understood each other with just a simple exchange of glances.
In that moment, Li Zhi understood profoundly: Gu’er and Sun Jiaming were the real couple. They belonged together. To them, he was truly just an outsider.
After work, Lin Shan also stopped by. He asked about her condition, and once he knew Grandma Sun’s illness wasn’t too serious, he was relieved. He left the hospital together with Li Zhi.
That evening, Gu’er tried to get Sun Jiaming to go home, but he refused, saying that since it was the fifteenth, he wanted to stay at the hospital with his grandmother and Gu’er.
On the night of the fifteenth, the sound of firecrackers echoed outside. Bright red lanterns were hung high, and joyous laughter could be heard from many homes. But Gu’er spent her night in the hospital.
She stood by the window and looked back. Grandma Sun was lying on the hospital bed, sleeping with a serene expression. Sun Jiaming was slumped on the sofa, also fast asleep. The corners of her mouth curved up. ’As long as the person you love is by your side, does it really matter where you are?’
---
Thank you to Haifeng sea·breeze for the peace charm, and to Ning Zhihai and Dingdingdangdang3 for the likes. Thank you to Zhainü Mao’er, wenzhouzzp, and Jialebi Haidao 78 for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.
