Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Ji Xiaozhuo felt very hot in his drowsy state, and subconsciously rolled away from the heat source to the other side. As he rolled, he rolled into Ji Yan’s arms, his chubby little legs sticking up directly onto his father’s stomach, the force of which woke his father up. Ji Yan felt a little bundle of flesh in his arms and wondered why the little guy had gotten into his arms. You know, this little guy never snuggled into his arms when he slept, because he thought he was too hot and didn’t smell nice, and he felt most comfortable in Tang Tang’s arms.
What’s wrong with him today?
Ji Yan rearranged Ji Xiaozhuo’s sleeping position, reached out and turned on the light, and looked over at Tang Tang. He saw that Tang Tang’s face was red, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her lips were pale, as if she was very uncomfortable.
Ji Yan was startled and quickly touched her forehead, finding it alarmingly hot.
She had a fever!
Ji Yan got out of bed to find fever reducers and a thermometer, then called out to Tang Tang, “Tang Tang! Tang Tang, wake up!”
After calling several times, Tang Tang finally opened her eyes groggily. Seeing it was Ji Yan, she murmured in a hoarse voice, “Husband, why did you call me?”
“Tang Tang, you have a fever. Here, put the thermometer under your armpit to take your temperature.”
Tang Tang was already delirious with fever and didn’t want to move, let alone reach out, so she whined, “Husband, I feel unwell, please put it under my armpit.”
Ji Yan paused, remembering that she was a patient and there was no reasoning with her, so he gently unbuttoned her pajamas, not daring to look anywhere else, and tilted his head to place the thermometer directly under her armpit. Then he went to the bathroom, fetched a basin of water, wrung out a damp towel, and placed it on her forehead to lower her temperature.
With her fever subsiding, Tang Tang sighed comfortably and closed her eyes drowsily again.
Ji Yan waited a few minutes before reaching into her clothes to take out the thermometer. The sight immediately made him frown; her temperature was over 40 degrees Celsius. If the fever continued, it would be terrible. However, going to the doctor now was inconvenient and would only delay the fever reduction. He could only give her fever-reducing medication and see if it worked.
Unfortunately, Tang Tang was much more unruly than usual when she was sick. She subconsciously resisted taking her medicine, shaking her head and whimpering softly, “Husband, I don’t want to take medicine, it’s bitter~”
She was even more coquettish than Ji Xiaozhuo when she was unwell. Her soft voice instantly softened Ji Yan’s heart. He sighed, sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up the girl, and held her in his arms. He put the medicine to her mouth with one hand and held a glass of water with the other, while gently coaxing her in her ear, “Be good, you won’t feel bad if you take the medicine, open your mouth.”
Perhaps it was because Ji Yan’s voice was too gentle, Tang Tang resisted for a while but finally opened her mouth and took the pill in her mouth. Before she could even taste the bitterness, the water was brought to her lips. She subconsciously took a sip, and the pill was swallowed along with it.
Seeing that she had finally drunk the liquid, Ji Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to put her down to sleep, the person in his arms grabbed his clothes, buried her face in his chest, and murmured, “Husband, hold me, I feel so bad~”
Was she delirious from the fever? A sober Tang Tang would never act like this. She was usually so sensible, but now she was even more clingy than when Ji Xiaozhuo was sick. However, Ji Yan couldn’t do anything about her at the moment, so he simply turned her over and placed her against the headboard, letting her sleep in his arms while patting her to sleep and changing her wet towel.
With Ji Yan’s efforts, by dawn, Tang Tang’s temperature had finally dropped. Ji Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and seeing that she was sound asleep, he put her in bed and went to his morning training.
As soon as morning training ended, Ji Yan ran to the cafeteria, quickly got a bowl of porridge and some breakfast, and then rushed out of the cafeteria.
Dong Li, who hadn’t even said hello yet, was completely bewildered. What was wrong with this guy? Why was he running so fast? He’s usually so calm, even in the heat of the moment. Could something urgent have happened?
When Ji Yan got home, Tang Tang was still asleep. He took her temperature again; it wasn’t feverish anymore. So he dragged Ji Xiaozhuo, who was still fast asleep beside him, out of bed and took him to the bathroom to wash up and wake him up. This was the second time Ji Xiaozhuo had woken up to find his dad washing his face. He immediately sensed something was wrong. Every time his dad washed his face first thing in the morning, it was never a good sign. What was going on this time?
Ji Xiaozhuo asked obediently, “Dad, why are you washing my face again? Did I do something wrong?”
Ji Yan: “This brat.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Dad will take you to kindergarten early today because Mom isn’t feeling well. Don’t bother Mom, okay?”
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaozhuo immediately started to wriggle down, trying to get to the ground. “What happened to Mommy? I want to see Mommy!”
Ji Yan patted his little bottom. “Behave yourself. Wait until you wash your face before you go see Mommy. But Mommy is asleep, so don’t wake her.”
Ji Xiaozhuo behaved himself. After Ji Yan washed his face, he immediately ran to the bedside and looked at Tang Tang, carefully observing her, trying to figure out what was wrong with his mother.
Ji Yan explained to him, “Mommy had a fever last night, but she’s a little better this morning. Let her sleep it off. You go to school obediently, and Daddy will pick you up this evening, okay?”
Ji Xiaozhuo nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on Tang Tang’s face. He even reached out his little hand to carefully touch Tang Tang’s forehead. “Mommy got soaked yesterday, that’s why she has a fever.”
“Mommy got caught in the rain yesterday?” Ji Yan didn’t know that.
Ji Xiaozhuo nodded guiltily, “Mom gave me and Nuo Nuo her clothes and held an umbrella for us, then she got soaked, she was covered in water.”
Ji Yan pursed his lips, walked over and carried Ji Xiaozhuo to the dining table, “Eat breakfast first, then go to school. Don’t worry about Mom, Mom will be fine.”
Ji Xiaozhuo pouted, “Dad, can I not go to school today? I want to stay and take care of Mom.”
“No.” Ji Yan refused without thinking. Ji Xiaozhuo wouldn’t be able to help at all if he stayed, and if Tang Tang woke up, she would have to cook for him. It was better for him to go to school.
Ji Xiaozhuo was extremely disappointed and immediately lost his spirit.
Ji Yan had a simulation exercise to participate in today and couldn’t ask for leave, so he left a message on Tang Tang’s phone, telling her to drink more water when she woke up and to call him if her temperature rose again. But then he realized he wouldn’t be able to answer the phone during the exercise, and if anything happened to her, she wouldn’t be able to reach him. So he called the regimental commander’s family and asked his wife to look after Tang Tang.
The commander’s wife agreed without hesitation.
With the regimental commander’s wife watching over Tang Tang, she should be fine, but Ji Yan still felt uneasy, a sense of anxiety washing over him. For the first time, he wished the exercise would end sooner. So during the battle, he became even more ruthless, issuing extremely aggressive commands, making his opponents suffer greatly. They couldn’t understand if Ji Yan had been shot today!
What should have been a full-day exercise was shortened to half a day because of Ji Yan’s fierce fighting style, with the opponents suffering a complete defeat.
Others couldn’t tell what was wrong with Ji Yan, but Dong Li, his classmate of many years, sensed something was amiss. He grabbed Ji Yan’s shoulder and pressed him for an answer, “Why are you in such a hurry today? You disappeared after morning training, and now you’re acting so aggressively. Is something wrong?”
“Tang Tang had a fever last night, and I don’t know how she is now,” Ji Yan said as he quickly walked into his office, took out his phone from the drawer, and saw several missed calls from the regimental commander’s wife. His expression tightened, and he quickly called back.
“Sister-in-law, what happened to Tang Tang?”
The regimental commander’s wife said anxiously on the other end. “Ji Yan, you finally answered the phone! Tang Tang has developed a high fever again, over 40 degrees Celsius. I gave her fever reducers, but they’re not working. I think she needs to go to the hospital for an IV drip, but she can’t wake up, and I can’t move her.”
The family compound was too remote; there were no hospitals or clinics, and if they had any illness, they had to travel a long distance to the town’s hospital for treatment, which was very inconvenient.
Ji Yan said in a tense voice, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”
He hung up the phone, not even bothering to wash off his face paint, and rushed to the army medical room. Dong Li, seeing his urgency, followed him, hoping to offer some help.
Ji Yan went straight to the medical room, found the doctor in charge, explained Tang Tang’s situation, and asked him to take the medicine to Tang Tang. The doctor, without a word, took the medicine and followed Ji Yan.
Tang Tang did indeed have a high fever; she was delirious. After examining her, the doctor said, “Her fever is caused by a cold. It’s nothing serious, but her constitution is weak, her resistance is low, and it’s prone to relapse. She’ll need several days of IV fluids, and then a few days of rest to recover. Tell her not to be busy during this time.”
Ji Yan listened carefully, noting down every word of advice. After the doctor left, he thanked the regimental commander’s wife and told her to go home and rest; he would take the afternoon off to take care of her.
Watching Ji Yan bustling around, Dong Li couldn’t help but smile from the bottom of his heart, feeling that Ji Yan, this god, had finally descended to earth.
Ji Yan was puzzled, “What are you laughing at?”
Dong Li patted his old friend’s shoulder, “I’m laughing because you’ve finally come to your senses, although a bit late, a man who only came to his senses in his thirties, hahaha.”
Ji Yan was too lazy to look at him and continued to wipe Tang Tang’s hands and feet with alcohol.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Ji Yan, you’re so damn gentle right now, you know that? What’s that called again? Oh, turning steel into silk! Tang Tang’s got some skills, she’s really managed to melt you like this.”
Ji Yan frowned and told him to get lost, “What are you yelling about over there? Get lost if you have nothing to say!”
“I’m telling you, brother, I’m analyzing your feelings for you, so you’d better listen carefully, otherwise it would be such a pity to waste your time.”
“My feelings don’t need your analysis, you can shut up.”
Dong Li shook his finger, “Don’t need my analysis, so you admit you’ve fallen for Tang Tang?”
Ji Yan paused, his expression unreadable, and after a long while, he said, “Go out and close the door behind you.”
“Hey!” Dong Li pointed at him, seeing he wouldn’t take the bait. “Fine, fine, you won’t admit it then. I’m not going to bother with you anymore.”
Dong Li muttered to himself as he walked out, “Logically speaking, how can someone like Ji Yan get married? And how come someone as sensible and understanding as me is still single? It doesn’t make sense!”
Ji Yan ignored Dong Li. After wiping Tang Tang’s hands and feet, he sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her sleeping face, meticulously tracing her features. Strangely enough, he hadn’t really looked at her properly in the previous four years, not even knowing what her features looked like, but now he could clearly remember every detail, even a small mole on her temple. Not only that, he even found Tang Tang’s features quite pleasing to the eye.
Actually, he wasn’t denying what Dong Li said; he just hadn’t expected it himself. He had even been planning to divorce her before, so how could he have changed his mind so quickly and care so much?
He truly didn’t know what love was, but lately his emotions had been constantly swayed by her, making him unrecognizable. Her indifference towards him annoyed him; her unhappiness prompted him to give gifts; her refusal to give him foot baths made him feel bad; her misunderstandings prompted him to immediately explain; her illness made him anxious.
He even found himself reacting to her.
This was something he had never experienced in his previous thirty-odd years of life.
If he still didn’t know what was wrong with him, then he must have a problem with his intelligence.
Ji Yan recalled everything that had happened during this period and couldn’t help but chuckle. He was probably being slowly boiled like a frog in warm water[1] by Tang Tang. Her three meals a day, her daily foot baths, her gentle and kind heart, her care and consideration, her shy gaze— all these seemingly ordinary things combined to form a spring rain, silently nourishing his heart.
And then, his heart sprouted from the nourishment she had given him.
Ji Yan tapped Tang Tang’s nose, “You’re very clever, your tactics are excellent.”
Tang Tang, fast asleep, wrinkled her nose, which Ji Yan found exceptionally adorable.
Ji Yan chuckled, bent down and kissed her forehead, whispering in her ear, “Get well soon, then let’s be a real couple.”
Tang Tang was completely unaware of her surroundings while sleeping. She slept until the next morning, and when she woke up, she had no idea where she was.
“Awake?” A deep voice brought her back to her senses. When her vision focused, she saw a handsome face with sharp features but a hint of fatigue.
It was Ji Yan.
“I…” Tang Tang could only manage one word before she couldn’t continue, because her voice was hoarse.
Ji Yan brought her a glass of water, helped her sit up in bed and leaned her against him, and fed her the water.
Tang Tang was terrified and looked at him in surprise, her hand trembling as she reached out to take the glass. She could do it herself; she didn’t need to be fed.
But Ji Yan avoided her outstretched hand. “Don’t move, I’ll feed you.”
Tang Tang couldn’t resist him, so she opened her mouth and drank. Only when she touched the water did she realize how thirsty she was. Without thinking, she gulped it down, and only then did her throat feel much better.
Ji Yan placed a pillow under the headboard for her to lean on, explaining, “You have a fever, it’s been going on and off, you’ve been sleeping since yesterday.”
Tang Tang’s eyes widened.
“Don’t get out of bed these next few days, and don’t do any housework. I’ll do the housework when I get back. Just rest, okay?”
Under his insistent gaze, Tang Tang could only nod.
Ji Yan patted Tang Tang’s hair, turned and left the room, returning a moment later with a thermos filled with porridge. “You can’t eat anything greasy when you’re sick, drink some porridge first.”
As he spoke, Ji Yan used a spoon to feed Tang Tang the porridge.
Tang Tang blinked, confused as to why he was taking such good care of her. She could still eat with her hands; was this treatment only because she was sick? If so, being sick was actually quite nice.
“What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and eat while it’s hot.”
Ji Yan’s reminder brought Tang Tang back to reality. She concealed her thoughts and obediently opened her mouth. After the first bite, it was easy. She finished the entire pot of porridge without even realizing it, only then belatedly realizing she was stuffed. Tang Tang resisted touching her stomach, not wanting Ji Yan to see how foolish she was.
But who was Ji Yan? How could he not notice? He just didn’t say anything. Besides, he wanted her to eat more. The doctor said her constitution was too weak; even daily running hadn’t been effective. It seemed she wasn’t running correctly, and he would have to guide her in exercising from now on. Combined with a proper diet, she would definitely become stronger.
Tang Tang finished her drink and realized Ji Xiaozhuo wasn’t there. She quickly asked where he had gone and heard that the little guy had gone to kindergarten. She checked the time and realized it was already late, so she nudged Ji Yan, “Why didn’t you go to training? It’s so late.”
Ji Yan’s face remained calm. “It’s okay, I just came back to bring you breakfast. I’ll leave after you fall asleep. I’ll have the regimental commander’s wife come and keep you company later.”
Tang Tang didn’t want to trouble others. She felt that she was fine, but Ji Yan was worried about her being home alone and insisted on having the regimental commander’s wife come. This made her both happy and annoyed.
Ji Yan helped Tang Tang lie down, covered her with the blanket, and touched her forehead, saying, “Sleep a little longer. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”
Tang Tang immediately closed her eyes sweetly. She always felt that Ji Yan was especially gentle with her when she was sick, taking care of her like a baby. What if she wasn’t afraid of getting sick in the future? Tang Tang fell asleep thinking like this.
Ji Yan kissed her forehead before getting up and leaving. Passing the kindergarten, he hesitated for a moment before going in to tell Ji Xiaozhuo that his mother had woken up, so he wouldn’t worry. However, if Ji Yan knew how audacious this kid would be later, he definitely wouldn’t have chosen to tell him.
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[1] A situation where a change happens so slowly that people fail to notice it or react until it is too late.
