An hour later
Fu Huaixu pushed the door open, his hands laden with various food bags.
Shen Zhaoning and Duole looked at him, their faces wearing identical expressions of astonishment, even the roundness of their widened eyes was exactly the same.
He walked into the hospital room and carefully piled the large and small bags onto the not-so-spacious bedside table.
“I bought lunch,” Fu Huaixu turned around, his gaze shifting between Shen Zhaoning and Duole.
His voice was much softer than before, carrying a barely noticeable hint of hoarseness and hesitation. “I didn’t know what Duole likes to eat, so… I bought a bit of everything.”
As he spoke, he untied the exquisitely packaged bags, taking out the contents one by one.
The table was soon filled with food: vegetable porridge, mushroom and chicken porridge, pork rib soup, steamed egg with shrimp…
Shen Zhaoning watched him silently, her fingertips unconsciously curling. Her anxious heart suddenly felt as if it had been gently nudged by something soft.
She thought he had already left, but she hadn’t expected…
Duole opened his big, round eyes wide, looking at the table full of delicious food. He sniffed with his little nose and tentatively asked Shen Zhaoning, “Mommy, can I eat?”
Shen Zhaoning looked at Fu Huaixu. “Thank you, sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Fu Huaixu smiled, walking up to Duole and softening his tone even further. “Little one, what’s your name?”
“Uncle, you can call me Duole!” the child answered crisply.
“Then, shall Uncle carry you over to eat?”
Duole immediately turned to look at Shen Zhaoning, his big eyes blinking. Only after seeing her give a slight nod did he stretch out his arms and lean toward Fu Huaixu. “Okay! Thank you, Uncle!”
Shen Zhaoning pulled out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned Duole’s little hands, saying gently, “Alright, you can eat now.”
Beside them, Fu Huaixu watched her eagerly, his tone tinged with a hint of grievance. “What about me?”
Shen Zhaoning sighed helplessly, pulling a wet wipe from her bag and handing it over. “Here, wipe your own hands.”
Fu Huaixu took the wet wipe, the corners of his lips curling slightly. He wiped his slender fingers slowly and deliberately, his every movement exuding an indescribable air of elegance and refinement.
Afterward, the three of them gathered around the small table to finish the meal. The air was filled with a faint warmth, and for a moment, it felt just like a cozy, ordinary family of three.
Not long after lunch, the doctor came by for a follow-up examination. After confirming that everything was fine, they were cleared to be discharged, with instructions to return in a few days to have the stitches removed.
Shen Zhaoning bent down to pick up Duole and was about to walk out when Fu Huaixu reached out to take him. “Let me carry him.”
“No need, I can manage,” she said without stopping, walking straight out of the hospital room.
Just as she turned the corner in the hallway, she ran straight into Shen Cheng’an.
Seeing her, Shen Cheng’an paused, his face immediately showing concern. “Zhaozhao, why are you at the hospital?”
Shen Cheng’an was at the hospital today to give a lecture as part of an exchange program.
“Brother,” Shen Zhaoning called out.
Hearing the voice, Duole in her arms immediately turned his little head and called out crisply, “Uncle!”
Shen Cheng’an quickly walked up to them, looking down at the bandage on Duole’s forehead, his brow furrowing. “What happened to Duole?”
“He accidentally fell and got three stitches on his forehead. We just finished the follow-up and were about to take him home,” Shen Zhaoning replied.
Shen Cheng’an reached out and gently touched Duole’s soft little cheek, softening his voice as he asked, “Does it hurt?”
Duole immediately patted his small chest with a thumping sound, “Uncle, I’m a brave boy, I’m not afraid of pain!”
“Mhm, our Duole is the best.” Shen Cheng’an praised with a smile.
Only then did his gaze fall on Fu Huaixu standing nearby. He vaguely felt the face looked somewhat familiar and turned to Shen Zhaoning, asking, “And this is?”
“He’s a friend I knew from before.” Shen Zhaoning answered quickly.
Upon hearing Shen Zhaoning’s reply, Fu Huaixu felt a pang in his heart—now, he was merely an old acquaintance to her.
He glanced at the doctor’s name tag pinned to Shen Cheng’an’s chest, giving a slight nod as a form of greeting.
“Brother, you must be busy, so I’ll take Duole home first.”
“Alright.” Shen Cheng’an waved to Duole again, “Be good, Duole. I’ll come see you when I have time.”
“Goodbye, Uncle!”
As soon as Shen Cheng’an’s figure disappeared around the corner of the hallway, Shen Zhaoning turned to look at Fu Huaixu, “Thank you for today. I can drive back on my own.”
Fu Huaixu’s gaze fell on the child in her arms. Duole’s little head was nodding, his eyes half-open and half-closed, clearly on the verge of falling asleep. “With him asleep like this, it won’t be convenient for you to drive alone.”
“It’s fine. The car has a safety seat installed, and the way home isn’t far.” Shen Zhaoning gently patted Duole’s back, her voice kept very soft.
Fu Huaixu’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. He wanted to say something more, but the words that came to his lips were swallowed back. In the end, he only murmured softly, “Alright then, be careful on your way back.”
“Okay.” Shen Zhaoning responded without saying anything more. Holding Duole, she turned and walked toward the parking lot.
Upon returning home, Shen Zhaoning carefully placed the sleeping Duole into the children’s bed and tucked in the blanket. Remembering Duomi, who was still at kindergarten, she knew he would be worried if he found out Duole had fallen.
Shen Zhaoning took out her phone and sent Teacher Li a message about picking up the child early. Grabbing her keys, she headed out.
As Duomi walked out of the kindergarten with his small backpack, he spotted Shen Zhaoning standing at the entrance at first glance. He ran over and threw himself in front of her, his little face filled with guilt, “Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t take good care of my brother.”
Shen Zhaoning crouched down, ruffling his soft hair, her tone gentle, “Sweetheart, how could this be your fault? Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Even though you’re the older brother, you’re only a few minutes older than Duole. You’re still a little kid yourself.”
As she spoke, she took the small backpack from Duomi’s shoulder and held his little hand with her other hand, “Mom knows you must be worried about Duole at school, so I came early to pick you up and take you home.”
“Come on, sweetheart, let’s go see your brother.”
“Okay!” Duomi nodded vigorously, tightly gripping his mother’s hand.
At six in the evening, family members gradually returned home from work. As soon as Xie Yunshu stepped through the door, she saw Duole sitting on the carpet building with LEGO bricks, a conspicuous bandage of white gauze wrapped around his forehead.
Xie Yunshu’s heart clenched sharply, and she almost rushed over at a run.
“Oh, my precious Duole!” She crouched down, carefully cupping the child’s face, her eyes filled with anxiety and heartache, “What happened to your forehead? How did you get hurt? Does it hurt?”
Duole looked up at the sound, revealing a carefree smile as he comforted in a childish voice, “Grandma, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I didn’t even cry.”
Shen Zhaoning chimed in from the side, “Mom, he accidentally fell at kindergarten today and hit the steps. He needed three stitches.”
“Oh, my poor little darling, my heart aches for you,” Xie Yunshu said, pulling Duole into her arms and giving him a gentle squeeze.
She then turned and instructed Wang Ma, “Wang Ma! Tell the kitchen to prepare a few extra dishes the little ones love for dinner tonight. They need nourishment!”
“Right away, ma’am.”
Then, looking over at Duomi, she added with a smile, “And our Duomi should have some extra nourishment too. You’ve been working hard with your studies lately.”
Xie Yunshu glanced at Duomi, who was quietly reading nearby, and said, “Our Duomi should also eat more, grow tall and strong.”
The two little ones replied in unison, “Thank you, Grandma!”
“Mom, don’t spoil them too much. Kids can easily get indigestion if they eat too much at night,” Shen Zhaoning interjected.
“It’s fine. We’ll just have a little bit of everything,” Xie Yunshu replied.