She probably came to see Jiang Chengli, didn’t she? How deeply devoted!
Yan Songyu didn’t want to engage further with her, so she simply nodded and left.
Feifei clung to Yan Songyu’s neck, whispering in her ear, “Mommy, that auntie keeps staring at me.”
Yan Songyu glanced back at Zhou Yue, who flustered and immediately lowered her head.
“It’s because our Feifei is so beautiful and adorable that the auntie couldn’t help but look.”
Feifei’s little face flushed pink, her dark almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she looked at Yan Songyu, “Really?”
“Of course! Feifei is the cutest girl.”
Blushing, Feifei buried her face in Yan Songyu’s ash-brown wavy hair, “Mommy is the most beautiful!”
“Then we’re the most beautiful mother-daughter pair!” Yan Songyu proudly played along with Feifei.
Watching Feifei cling to Yan Songyu affectionately, Zhou Yue felt both happy and bittersweet. Unconsciously, she followed Yan Songyu’s steps. She hadn’t intended to disrupt Feifei’s life, but every time she saw Feifei, she couldn’t resist wanting to get closer.
“Mommy, will Daddy be okay?” Feifei suddenly asked.
Yan Songyu gently patted Feifei’s back, “Don’t worry, Daddy is already fine. He just needs to stay in the hospital for observation a bit longer before coming home.”
Feifei breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.”
Jiang Chengli was already awake, frowning with his eyes closed as he rested. The pain from his wounds made him wish he could faint, but having slept too much, he couldn’t fall asleep again just yet.
“Honey, how are you feeling?”
The moment she entered the room, Yan Songyu switched to a concerned expression.
Jiang Chengli blinked. It hurts!
“So you’re doing okay, right?”
Jiang Chengli blinked again. No, it hurts! It’s awful!
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. You’ll recover soon.” Yan Songyu smiled reassuringly and led Feifei closer to the hospital bed, “Feifei wanted to see you too.”
Only then did Jiang Chengli turn his attention to the little girl beside Yan Songyu. The child’s eyes were glistening with tears, probably frightened.
Seeing her father lying weakly in the hospital bed, his head and arm wrapped in bandages, Feifei’s golden teardrops fell one by one, “Daddy, does it hurt?”
Jiang Chengli felt a warm ache in his heart. After all, she was his daughter—so young yet already caring for her father.
Feifei stepped forward and held Jiang Chengli’s uninjured right hand, leaning over the bed to blow gentle puffs of air, “Daddy, I’ll blow on it to make it better. You need to get well soon!”
Jiang Chengli managed a strained smile and squeezed Feifei’s hand, as if trying to comfort her.
“Alright, sweetie, we shouldn’t disturb Daddy anymore.” Yan Songyu pulled Feifei back, “Daddy needs proper rest to recover quickly, understand?”
“Okay.” Feifei nodded obediently, “Daddy, I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Please stay alert tonight.” Yan Songyu instructed the caretaker.
Caretaker: “Of course, Miss Yan. Don’t worry.”
Only after watching Yan Songyu’s back disappear into the elevator did Zhou Yue hurriedly peer through the door.
Having lost too much blood, Jiang Chengli had indeed fallen asleep again quickly. Though worried, Zhou Yue didn’t dare approach any closer.
On their way home, Feifei suddenly patted her head and said, “Mommy, we have a parent-teacher meeting next week.”
“Okay, Mommy will definitely make time to go.”
“But Mom…” Feifei hesitated, “The teacher said both parents should come. There will be competitions, but Dad is still sick. What should we do?”
Yan Songyu held her daughter’s chubby little hand and suggested, “Dad definitely won’t be discharged from the hospital next week. How about Mom takes you to the competition instead?”
Feifei shook her head. “Mom has her own competition, Dad has his own competition, and there’s also the family competition at the end. If Mom participates in all of them, you’ll get too tired.”
“Mom isn’t afraid of being tired. I’d be thrilled to have my precious daughter’s competition slot all to myself.”
“But I don’t want Mom to be tired.” Feifei’s little face scrunched up. After thinking for a moment, her eyes suddenly lit up. “Mom, can I ask Uncle Feng for help?”
Yan Songyu’s initial instinct was to refuse, but seeing the hopeful look in Feifei’s eyes, she finally relented. “Then Feifei can go ask Uncle Feng herself and see if he has time.”
Feifei happily clapped her hands. “Okay! Uncle Feng will definitely agree. He likes me the most!”
*
“Cough, cough~”
The little girl on the ground slowly regained consciousness. Zhou Mu twitched and coughed up bloody water, two teeth conspicuously visible in the bloody fluid.
She climbed up and gently touched her badly swollen left cheek. “Sss—”
She couldn’t even manage to frown—it hurt too much!
Not only did her face hurt, but her teeth ached as well. The inside of her ears hurt even more, with occasional bouts of “buzzing” sounds. Moreover, the swelling on her left face had reduced her left eye to a narrow slit, making it difficult to see clearly.
Zhou Mu sat numbly on the ground, tears streaming uncontrollably that she couldn’t wipe away fast enough.
Why?
Why, why, why?
Zhou Mu screamed helplessly in her heart. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong? She didn’t understand why she could only wear other people’s old clothes? She didn’t understand why she couldn’t go out to play like other children?
She didn’t understand why she had so many chores every day? Other mothers didn’t let their children near the kitchen or handle fire and knives, yet these were daily tasks she had to complete.
She didn’t understand why her mother didn’t love her like Auntie Sun loved Xia Mingyang? Everyone said she was much more well-behaved and sensible than Xia Mingyang.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—
Zhou Mu’s stomach growled.
With blurred vision, she looked at the long-cold food on the table, climbed onto the chair, and began eating in small bites. The potatoes were blackened with a burnt taste, the vegetables were bitter, and the rice resembled thick porridge—but for her current state, it was just right.
Even though her stomach had stopped growling, why couldn’t her tears stop? It must be because she hadn’t eaten enough. If she ate more, she wouldn’t be hungry anymore, and if she wasn’t hungry, she wouldn’t cry. Yes, she needed to eat more!
Zhou Mu shoved large mouthfuls of food into her mouth, but the movement tugged at the injuries on her face, making it hurt even more. Tears fell one after another into her bowl.
Finally, she lost her temper, sweeping all the bowls and plates from the table onto the floor. She slumped over the table, letting her tears soak through her sleeves.
The moment Zhou Yue opened the front door, she saw the mess on the floor and instinctively began cursing. “Zhou Mu! Have you eaten too much and have nothing better to do? Smashing bowls and chopsticks, wasting food—don’t you know our family’s situation? Either pick up the food from the floor and eat it, or don’t eat for the next few days. Starving to death would serve you right!”
But even after she finished cursing, Zhou Mu, who was slumped over the table, remained completely still. In the past, he would have flinched and moved at the sound of her voice.
Zhou Yue approached with a dark expression, but the moment her gaze fell upon Zhou Mu’s face—now so swollen and bruised it was barely recognizable—her anger instantly dissipated. An indescribable feeling, somewhere between guilt and heartache, welled up inside her. “Xiao Mu? Mu Mu?”
Zhou Mu still didn’t wake. Panicked, Zhou Yue reached out to touch him—he was burning up!