By the time they reached the entryway, Ji Yuqing finally let go of Tang Yan’s hand in a fluster, her expression a little uneasy as she urged, “Hurry up and change your shoes, we’re going to the hospital.”
“Oh!” Tang Yan blinked in surprise, then quickly pulled her shoes out of the cabinet and sat down to change. By the time she was done, the front door was already open and Aunt Ji’s car honked twice. Not wanting to keep her waiting, Tang Yan grabbed the door and rushed out.
This was only the second time since she’d arrived in Huadu that she was going to the hospital for herself—the first being last year when she had an upset stomach. Aunt Ji was focused on driving and said nothing, while Tang Yan kept the window rolled down, gazing outside. The weather was perfect—not too hot or too cold—and the breeze felt pleasant.
“There are so many cars out today,” she remarked, watching the long line of traffic inch forward.
“It’s the weekend—what do you expect? And this is one of the better roads,” Ji Yuqing replied.
But traffic wasn’t the only issue. The hospital was packed—overflowing with people. The lobby was a sea of adults, children, seniors, men, women—voices filled the air in every dialect imaginable, and crying children added to the chaos.
Tang Yan had never registered for a hospital visit by herself. She always thought the process was complicated, but following Aunt Ji today, she realized it wasn’t that bad. After receiving her registration slip, Aunt Ji led her upstairs to the outpatient clinic. Only then did Tang Yan realize Aunt Ji had registered her under a specialist. It felt like a bit much for what she thought was just a cold…
After a round of tests, they ruled out any viral flu and gave Tang Yan a fever-reducing IV and some medicine.
With the IV drip in place, she knew she wouldn’t be done anytime soon. She glanced at Aunt Ji, who was seated nearby, head down, busy with her phone—likely handling work. Guilt crept up on Tang Yan.
“Aunt Ji, I’m fine now. Once the drip finishes, I can go home by myself. You should go back to work.”
Ji Yuqing looked up, paused for a second, and replied, “It’s alright. I’m not in a rush. I’ll wait.” She glanced up at the IV bag.
Tang Yan pressed her lips together and stayed quiet. After a moment, Ji Yuqing spoke again, head still lowered. “I’ll probably be pretty busy for a while.”
“That’s okay, really. Aunt Ji, I can take care of myself,” Tang Yan said quickly.
“I might not be home much. You don’t have to come back on weekends—it’ll save you the trouble of running back and forth,” Ji Yuqing added.
“It’s not a bother.” Though it would be more convenient to stay in the dorms, Tang Yan didn’t want to. If she gave in now, would Aunt Ji really send her away? “I can manage just fine. You don’t need to worry,” she insisted.
Hearing that, Ji Yuqing said nothing more.
After the treatment, they picked up the medication and grabbed takeout from a small restaurant on the roadside. Ji Yuqing barely had time to take a bite before grabbing her car keys and rushing out again, leaving Tang Yan alone at the dining table.
Because it was food Aunt Ji bought, Tang Yan didn’t want to waste it. She forced herself to finish it, took the medicine, then headed to her room to lie down. The meds must’ve kicked in quickly—she fell asleep soon after.
Meanwhile, Ji Yuqing drove alone to the nursing home where her mother stayed. She’d asked the two caretakers to step out so she could be alone with the old woman for a while.
By the quiet lakeside, the old woman sat on a bench, muttering to herself as she stared out across the water. No one could make out what she was saying. Ji Yuqing sat beside her, holding her hand and staring into the lake too.
After a long silence, she finally spoke. “Mom, if it were you… what would you do?”
The elderly woman, who had been calm all this time, suddenly erupted like a child, yelling, “No one is allowed to take my things! No one!”
Startled, Ji Yuqing quickly comforted her. “No one’s taking anything from you. No one.”
It took a while for the old woman to calm down. Then, thinking from another angle, something clicked in Ji Yuqing’s mind. She looked at her mother’s profile and whispered, “Mom, I know what I need to do now.”
What her mother had lost, she would take back for her.
Before this, Ji Yuqing never really cared. Whether the Shen family was good or bad—it had nothing to do with her. But that man had owed her mother far too much. She wasn’t doing this for herself, but for the woman who had raised her.
“Ma’am, ma’am! We have guests!” A maid came rushing in.
The lady of the house was in the middle of a beauty treatment, reclining on a chaise lounge. She scolded, “Why are you in such a panic? Who is it?”
Just as she spoke, a commotion broke out outside the villa.
Ji Yuqing had gotten help to lift her mother from the car into a wheelchair. Her hands rested on the handles as she looked up at the familiar building—it had been a long time since she last came here.
Upstairs, Shen Yuyin heard the commotion and rushed to the window. Peeking outside, her eyes widened in shock. She quickly straightened herself up and headed downstairs.
When the lady of the house stepped out and saw who had come, she was stunned. Her expression soured instantly. “Didn’t you say you��d never step foot in this house again?”
Ji Yuqing smiled slightly, calm and composed. “I’m just bringing my mother to visit an old acquaintance. Who said we were coming home?”
Not to be outdone, the woman crossed her arms and sneered, “Oh, right—I almost forgot. This hasn’t been your home for years.”
She clearly had no intention of letting them in. But just then, Shen Yuyin stepped out and stood at the doorway. “Dad said to let them in.”
The woman turned around in disbelief. Her own daughter had just sided with outsiders. “Yuyin! What do you think you’re doing?”
Shen Yuyin ignored her and continued, “Dad already knows they’re here. He’s waiting for them in his room.”
Their father, now dependent on a ventilator, could no longer speak—but his mind was still sharp. Because of this, Shen Yuyin’s mother hadn’t dared to go too far yet. As long as he was alive, the will could still be changed.
With no choice, she unwillingly stepped aside and let them in—these two people she hated most in the world.
Without hesitation, Ji Yuqing pushed her mother through the front doors.
Later, the woman turned to Shen Yuyin, who was still outside, and snapped, “How could you side with outsiders against your own mother?”
Shen Yuyin shrugged innocently. “Mom, weren’t you the one who told me to find them so they could see Dad one last time? I’m just doing what you taught me.”
“I didn’t mean—” The woman took a deep breath, not wanting to lose face in front of the household. “Get back to your room. Don’t go anywhere today.”
“I’m going to Dad’s room,” Shen Yuyin muttered, rolling her eyes as she walked inside.
The woman was furious. Ji Yuqing and her mother’s sudden arrival had thrown her off completely. That old woman—was she really still alive?
It had been years since she last saw him. Back then, he was still strong and commanding. Ji Yuqing never imagined that once-mighty man would now be this weak and frail.
She stood there, maintaining a careful distance between the wheelchair and the hospital bed. The old man on the bed looked visibly emotional when he saw them—his eyes welled up, and he reached out a thin, trembling hand, trying to get closer.
Ji Yuqing’s emotions were all over the place. She had once hated this man so much, and yet now, she just found him pitiful. In the end, emotion overtook reason. She pushed the wheelchair forward just a little, enough for the old man to touch her mother’s hand.
But her mother no longer remembered him. She simply found it amusing and didn’t resist his grip.
If it weren’t for the audience in the room, Ji Yuqing honestly wasn’t sure if she could keep her composure. She wasn’t even sure she could carry this through with dignity.
The old man was overwhelmed. Tears poured down his face. A nearby nurse gently wiped them and tried to calm him down.
Ji Yuqing looked up at the ceiling, fighting to hold back her own feelings. After a long pause, she sniffed and said, “I’ve done everything I needed to do.” Then she looked down at her mother and whispered, “Mom, let’s go home now.”
Shen Yuyin quickly asked, “You’re not staying a little longer? Dad was so happy to see you both.”
Ji Yuqing turned away coldly. “No.”