“Nоt nоw, wе need to gо tо the hosрital first,” Ling Xuаnуаn tоld Хiаo Ling Вaо. “Grandfather is waiting for us аt the hosрital. Аftеr we sеe him, wе cаn go thank Little Brothеr, okaу?”
“Grandfаther…”
An image of an old man apрearеd in Xiаo Ling Bао’s mind.
Тhe оld mаn lаy оn a hosрitаl bеd, а transparent mаsk covеring his fасe, his еntire body shrоuded in а hеаvу, dark mist.
“Lеt’s go seе Grandfаther!” she immеdiatelу сhanged hеr mind. “Ling Bао wаnts to see Grandfаthеr!”
The car soon аrrivеd at the hosрitаl.
Aftеr gеtting out, Ling Хuanуаn cаrried Xiao Ling Bao straight toward the ward.
Second Brother followed closely behind, hesitating to speak.
“Brother… Big Brother…”
“Speak.” Ling Xuanyan walked swiftly with a stern expression, but his arms holding Xiao Ling Bao remained steady.
“Can we…” Braving Ling Xuanyan’s icy aura, Second Brother mustered the courage to ask, “take turns holding Xiao Ling Bao?”
“Fine.” Unexpectedly, Ling Xuanyan agreed immediately.
Just as Second Brother felt a surge of joy, he heard him continue, “But not now. Seeing Grandfather is urgent.”
“What about later… can we take shifts?” Second Brother probed, his eyes glued to Xiao Ling Bao, unwilling to look away, his entire being radiating the desire to hold her.
“Hmm.” Ling Xuanyan responded vaguely, but his steps quickened even more.
Second Brother fell back slightly, secretly giving an OK sign to the brothers behind him with a hint of pride.
See? It took him to handle Big Brother and secure the right to hold Xiao Ling Bao.
“Dad! We’re back.” Ling Xuanyan pushed open the ward door, still holding Xiao Ling Bao.
Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother, standing by the hospital bed, rose together.
“Dad, they’re back! They’re back!” Fifth Brother stammered in shock and excitement upon seeing Xiao Ling Bao in Ling Xuanyan’s arms. “Big Brother brought… brought…”
Grandfather, who had been clinging to his last breath, turned his head with great effort and slowness upon hearing the commotion.
“Dad, this is Yanyan’s daughter. Her nickname is Ling Bао.” Ling Xuanyan had already brought Xiao Ling Bao before Grandfather’s eyes.
“Grandfather!” Without waiting for her uncles to teach her, Xiao Ling Bao spoke clearly and brightly.
Grandfather’s withered face instantly lit up with radiance the moment he saw Xiao Ling Bao.
He reached out a trembling hand, his breath fogging up the oxygen mask.
Understanding his intention, Fourth Brother quickly removed the mask.
“Yan… Yanyan…” At this moment, in Grandfather’s eyes, the little girl before him was unmistakably his daughter Ling Yiyan, who had been missing for over twenty years!
“Yanyan is my mommy!” Xiao Ling Bao enunciated clearly, each word falling like jade beads into a plate, reaching Grandfather’s ears. “I am the little treasure of the Ling family, called Xiao Ling Bao!”
“Xiao… Xiao Ling Bao…” Grandfather heard her.
A smile spread across his wrinkled face. “Good… good… our Ling family’s… treasure… good…”
“Dad, don’t worry.” Ling Xuanyan placed his hand on Xiao Ling Bao’s shoulder. “We brothers will definitely…”
His throat suddenly tightened inexplicably. “We… will protect Ling Bао well.”
When Yanyan disappeared, they were all still quite young.
Failing to look after their sister had been the deepest knot in their hearts all these years.
But the same mistake would not happen again with Xiao Ling Bao.
“Dad—” Second Brother Ling Yixi’s eyes also welled up with tears, his voice choked with emotion, “Dad, why don’t you give Xiao Ling Bao a name?”
Grandfather’s current state was a final rally before the end.
He had waited so long, and at last, a glimmer of hope had arrived.
Even if Yanyan could never return, they had found Ling Bао.
She was the Ling family’s treasure, lost and found again, the continuation of Yanyan’s life.
The Ling family would never lose her again…
Grandfather opened his mouth, wanting to say one more thing, but only a faint, breathy sound escaped his throat, “Call… Ling… Ling…”
“Ling what?” Several sons leaned in closer to Grandfather, “Dad, call her Ling what?”
How they longed to hear their father speak one more sentence.
To hear him give Xiao Ling Bao a name.
Yet, Grandfather’s clouded pupils, holding the last glimmer of light, lingered reluctantly on Xiao Ling Bao’s face before gradually dimming away…
“Dad! Dad! Say something more, Dad!”
The Ling brothers sensed something was amiss and couldn’t help but cry out in anguish.
“Grandpa?” Xiao Ling Bao reached out curiously, tugging gently at Grandfather’s fingers, “Grandpa, where are you going?”
Ling Xuanyan suppressed the grief in his heart and held Xiao Ling Bao tighter, “Grandpa… he’s going to a very faraway place.”
“Grandpa, Grandpa!” Xiao Ling Bao suddenly cried out, “Grandpa can’t go… Grandpa can’t go there!”
Without warning, she broke free from Ling Xuanyan’s embrace and, under the stunned gazes of the Ling brothers, climbed onto the hospital bed and threw herself onto Grandfather.
“Grandpa can’t leave! Grandpa can’t go! Can’t go!”
She clung tightly to Grandfather, suddenly bursting into loud sobs, “Waaah—Grandpa can’t go! Grandpa, stay! Stay! All of you go away! Don’t take Grandpa away! I’m going to get angry—I’m really going to get angry—Waaah—”
Xiao Ling Bao’s voice seemed to possess a powerful penetrating force, sweeping through the hospital room.
The Ling brothers all experienced a sudden auditory distortion, instantly hearing only a howling sound like a fierce wind. It was as if something was swirling and raging through the room, then rushing through the window with a crash before vanishing completely, leaving only silence.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
When they finally snapped back to reality, they heard a fit of violent coughing coming from the hospital bed.
“Dad!” Fifth Brother, being a doctor, was the first to react, rushing forward, “Dad, how are you?”
Ling Xuanyan also came to his senses and quickly lifted Xiao Ling Bao off Grandfather.
Grandfather waved his hand, coughing uncontrollably as Fifth Brother patted his back and helped him sit up, “Cough, cough…”
His voice was unprecedentedly robust, his vitality remarkably strong.
“Dad…” Second Brother stared in disbelief, “Dad, you’re not dead?”
Grandfather drank the water handed to him by another son and finally caught his breath. His first words were a sharp rebuke directed at Second Brother: “What? Eager for me to die?”
Second Brother: “…”
He hadn’t yet figured out how to salvage the situation.
Grandfather’s attention was no longer on him, “Come, Xiao Ling Bao, let Grandpa hold you.”
Xiao Ling Bao smiled, rubbing her eyes and wiping away her tears, “Grandpa is back!”