Faced with this sudden turn of events, the seven-year-old twins could no longer hold back. They threw themselves into their older brothers’ arms and burst into loud sobs.
Who could be more pitiful than them?
Their parents were clearly alive, yet had forgotten only the four of them.
The fifteen-year-old’s eyes also grew misty, on the verge of tears. Only Wen Yu, the eldest, clenched his teeth and held himself together. As the eldest, with his younger siblings needing support, he could not afford to lose control. Otherwise, the family would truly fall apart.
“Your parents likely suffered memory loss due to head trauma from the accident,” the doctor concluded objectively.
“Then when will they recover their memories?”
“That is hard to say. Each person’s physical condition and triggers differ, so the recovery time varies.”
“Then how can we help them recover?”
“Talk to them more about the past, and let them be in familiar environments. That might help their memories return sooner.”
Xia Zhi stared at the doctor, really wanting to shout that she had not lost her memory at all and did not need any of this.
After the doctors and nurses left, the ward fell into a deathly silence once again. Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke.
The four children had already gone through a brief emotional journey, from shock and disbelief to reluctantly accepting that their parents no longer remembered them.
Wen Yu clenched his fists tightly, forcing a smile. “Dad, Mom, since you’ve forgotten us, do you at least remember each other?”
He looked at Xia Zhi. “Mom, do you remember Dad?”
Xia Zhi paused at the question and glanced toward Wen Shihan. He was her boss, and they had just gone through such a terrifying elevator accident together. Of course she remembered him.
“I remember.”
Wen Yu then looked at Wen Shihan. “Dad, do you remember Mom?”
Wen Shihan glanced at Xia Zhi and said, “I remember.”
Out of his sight, Xia Zhi quietly let out a breath of relief. It was good that Wen Shihan still remembered her, otherwise, in this unfamiliar situation, she would not even have someone to consult.
Wen Yu smiled in relief. “It’s enough that Dad and Mom remember each other. Since you’ve forgotten us, let’s get to know each other again.”
As he spoke, Wen Yu pulled his three younger siblings to his side and began introducing them to Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan. “My name is Wen Yu, I’m seventeen, your eldest son. This is Wen Lun, he’s fifteen, your second son.”
He pointed at the two much shorter children. “They are twins. The boy is Wen Le, the older twin, and the girl is Wen Yi, the younger twin. They are seven this year.”
“And you are our parents. Mom, your name is Xia Zhi, you’re forty-five this year. Dad, your name is Wen Shihan, you’re fifty.”
Xia Zhi fell silent.
Wen Shihan also said nothing.
Xia Zhi seemed unable to believe what she had just heard. She asked Wen Yu in shock, “How old did you say I am?”
“Forty-five.”
“No.” Xia Zhi bit down on the word. “I’m only twenty-five this year, still in the prime of youth. Don’t make me older than I am.”
Wen Yu fell silent.
Wen Lun fell silent.
Wen Yi fell silent.
Wen Le fell silent.
Wen Yu and Wen Lun exchanged a glance, both seeing the same realization in each other’s eyes. This was bad. Their mother’s memory had stopped at age twenty-five, a time before either of them had even been born. No wonder she did not remember them. She still thought she was twenty-five.
“What about Dad? Dad, how old do you think you are now?” Wen Lun turned to ask Wen Shihan.
Instead of answering directly, Wen Shihan said, “Bring me this year’s calendar.”
“Oh.” Wen Lun obediently went to fetch it, thinking that his father must have also forgotten his age.
Wen Lun placed the calendar on the table between the two hospital beds. Xia Zhi stretched her neck to look at it. The moment she saw the year printed on it, her vision went dark, and she almost fainted.
In bold black print, the calendar read:
2042.