Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
Tang Tang was quick, returning in less than an hour, carrying a huge pile of bags and packages. She was almost unsteady on her feet, her face flushed from the strain.
Ji Yan felt both distressed and angry. “Why did you bring so much stuff again? Didn’t I say there was no rush? Why did you have to bring it all at once? How can you carry all this heavy stuff!”
“Don’t move! Don’t move!” Tang Tang saw Ji Yan trying to take the things from her, so she quickly ran over and put the things down, then anxiously pressed him down. “Don’t move, I can carry it. I’m very strong now.”
“Don’t I know how strong you are?” Ji Yan pulled her hands aside and looked at them. Both hands had deep red marks from the bags. He couldn’t help but gently rub them, feeling a pang of guilt. No one in the family could help her; she had to do everything herself. How could she keep going like this?
Seeing him frown again, Tang Tang deliberately shook his hand to distract him, “It’s really okay, let’s eat, it’ll get cold if we don’t eat soon.”
She then pulled her hand away, set up a small table on the bed, and placed the food she had brought on it.
Tang Tang had prepared two large food boxes: a pork rib soup, cola chicken wings, baby bok choy in broth, steamed chicken with ham and ham, and sweet and sour lotus root slices, along with two staple foods: rice and white porridge.
The rice was for the children, while the porridge and vegetables were specially made for Ji Yan.
As soon as the food boxes were opened, an enticing aroma filled the room, whetting everyone’s appetite. Not only did Ji Yan sniffle, but even Sun Yi in the next bed sniffed as well, his gaze involuntarily turning towards Ji Yan. When he saw the abundant food on the table, he, who hadn’t felt hungry before, immediately swallowed hard. It smelled so good! How come the food Ji Yan’s wife brought was so different from his?
Tang Tang first took out a bowl and filled it with soup. Then, she used a clean plate to put some vegetables from each of the vegetarian dishes into the bowl. She then carried the food and soup to Sun Yi, saying, “Brother Sun, this is something I made myself. I made a little extra, so please try some. Don’t be shy.”
Sun Yi hadn’t expected there to be any for him. Although he had been drooling, he couldn’t very well take someone else’s food, so he quickly waved his hand, “No, no, I have lunch. You guys eat.”
Tang Tang placed the soup and vegetables on the small table on the bed for him. “It’s alright, Brother Sun. I made extra, you won’t be able to finish it anyway, so please don’t be shy.”
“This…” Sun Yi looked at Ji Yan apologetically.
Ji Yan smiled, “Don’t be shy, eat with us.”
Sun Yi wasn’t one to be coy, so he didn’t refuse anymore. “Thank you, sister-in-law.” Sun Yi immediately started eating; he was really hungry now.
After taking the first sip of soup, Sun Yi couldn’t help but let out a soft “hmm.” This soup tasted really good; it was different from what he got in the canteen. Thinking this, he finished the soup in a few gulps and then picked up some vegetables from the plate. He found that they tasted even better, so he simply picked up the white rice next to him and started eating them. He ate very quickly, not at all like someone who was sick. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was in a military camp.
Tang Tang smiled as she watched him eat with gusto, then returned to Ji Yan’s side, picked up the two little ones who were still fast asleep, and gently patted them, one in each arm. “Good babies, wake up! It’s time to eat.”
Wen Nuo rubbed her eyes sleepily with her little hands, opened them a crack, and called out sweetly, “Auntie~”
“Yes, Auntie’s here. Nuo Nuo, wake up and eat.” Tang Tang kissed the little girl, then turned to look at Ji Xiaozhuo in her other arm. The little guy was still fast asleep, almost snoring, so she had to give him a little bite on his chubby cheek. “Wake up, or the big bad wolf will bite your cheek off!”
Nuo Nuo chuckled beside her, but the protagonist of the incident, Ji Xiaozhuo, remained unmoved, sleeping soundly.
Tang Tang was speechless for a moment, then, with a determined look, shook the chubby little boy hard, making his fleshy body jiggle, and shouted, “Baby, wake up!”
“Don’t bother me~ I still want to sleep.” Ji Xiaozhuo shifted his body, waved his hand to shoo away the person disturbing him, and then turned over and fell asleep again.
Everyone present: “….”
Tang Tang sighed in exasperation. This little guy had stayed up too late a while ago, and these past two days he had become a sleeping god, impossible to wake up no matter what.
Seeing Tang Tang’s distress, Nuo Nuo shook her hand to tell her not to be angry, then slowly placed her hand under Ji Xiaozhuo’s feet and gently tickled him.
“Hahaha, so ticklish!” Ji Xiaozhuo, who had just been sleeping like a little pig, instantly jumped up, hugging his chubby little feet and laughing heartily.
He woke up just like that? So easily? Tang Tang blinked, looking at Nuo Nuo in disbelief.
Nuo Nuo blinked, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and whispered in her ear, “Auntie, Xiao Zhuo is ticklish. He wakes up when you tickle him.” That’s how she always woke him up from his nap at kindergarten.
Tang Tang suddenly realized that her son was ticklish and would wake up at the slightest tickle— she hadn’t even known!
Ji Xiaozhuo laughed for a while, then fully woke up. He looked at everyone in confusion, then at his feet. His clever little head immediately understood what had happened, and he pouted, glaring at Nuo Nuo, “Nuo Nuo! You’re being naughty again!”
Nuo Nuo smiled sheepishly and suddenly leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.
“Kiss you, don’t be angry.”
Ji Xiaozhuo’s pout immediately deflated, and he waved his hand impatiently, “Ugh, you women are so annoying. I won’t argue with you.”
Nuo Nuo smiled happily.
Ji Yan raised an eyebrow, seeing his son’s new trick for the first time. Where did he learn this?
Tang Tang was too embarrassed to tell him that Ji Xiaozhuo had taught the little girl how to say thank you and apologize; she was afraid the little guy would get a spanking.
Sun Yi, who had been watching this scene, was amused and pointed at Ji Xiaozhuo, giving Ji Yan a thumbs up. “Ji Yan, your kid has potential!”
Ji Yan covered his forehead, both amused and exasperated.
Ji Xiaozhuo woke up, and Tang Tang served the two little ones some food, letting them eat by themselves. Then she raised Ji Yan’s bed a little higher, poured a bowl of soup, and sat down next to him. “Honey, you can’t eat greasy food yet. Just bear with it for now, have some soup and then some porridge. You can also eat some vegetables. I’ll cook more for you in a couple of days when you can eat oily food, okay?”
Ji Yan found it funny that she was coaxing him like a child, but he was also very happy. With her taking care of him, he was fine even if he only drank plain porridge every day; what was there to complain about?
Sweet-hearted, Ji Yan reached for the soup bowl but was stopped by her. “Don’t move, what if you aggravate your wound? I’ll feed you.”
“…Okay.” Ji Yan wanted to say that eating was fine, but seeing her worried eyes, he swallowed his words. Fine, let her feed him. Although it was a little embarrassing in front of his comrade and children, he could get over it with a thick skin.
Tang Tang scooped a spoonful, tested the temperature— it was still a little hot— and gently blew on it before bringing it to his lips.
This series of actions was just like a mother feeding her toddler who couldn’t eat yet. The care and consideration were extreme, but real babies were struggling to eat on their own, while he, a man in his thirties, was being served.
Ji Yan coughed lightly, his ears turning slightly red. He had never been fed before, and now, in his thirties, he was experiencing it firsthand, being fed by his own wife. He felt a little embarrassed, but undeniably, it felt quite blissful.
Who says only women are happy when they are pampered by men? Men are just as happy when they are pampered and cherished by their women.
Ji Yan tried to ignore the series of complex looks from Sun Yi beside him— surprise, astonishment, disbelief, and so on— and calmly opened his mouth to drink the soup.
Tang Tang scooped up another spoonful and blew on it. “You need to eat something light now, so I put in less salt. It’s quite bland, please bear with it.”
“It’s not bland at all, it’s delicious.” Ji Yan was telling the truth; the soup was indeed very good, there was no question of him having to make do. “Everything you make is delicious.”
Tang Tang immediately smiled carefully, like a shy little girl who had received a compliment. She happily brought over the porridge and vegetables to feed him. “Then eat more, the more you eat, the faster you’ll recover.”
Tang Tang’s smile made Ji Yan forget that there were other people around. He couldn’t help but reach out and pinch her cheek, thinking that his wife was too easy to please. She didn’t want anything, just a word of praise and she was overjoyed. How could she be so easy to take care of?
Sun Yi, who had been silently eating and watching the whole thing, thought, “Are you guys such a couple?”
He suddenly felt a bit indigestion from his meal, silently put down his chopsticks, and lay down, pulling the blanket over half his face to try and hide the sour smell.
He decided to just sleep.
Tang Tang and Ji Yan, busy feeding each other, didn’t notice Sun Yi’s situation. After Ji Yan finished eating, Tang Tang wiped his mouth before bringing the rest of the food to eat herself.
Tang Tang wanted to drink the porridge Ji Yan hadn’t finished, but Ji Yan stopped her, saying, “Don’t drink porridge, eat more rice and meat. Look how thin you are.”
Tang Tang looked down at her thin wrists with a embarrassed expression, sighed dejectedly, silently put the porridge back, picked up the rice, and ate several pieces of meat in one go.
She really needed to eat more. She had finally gained some weight and looked a little better before, but it was all for nothing. Now she looked even uglier. If this continued, she would be too embarrassed to walk next to Ji Yan. It was too much of a disgrace to him.
His comrades probably wondered why Ji Yan had married such an unattractive wife.
No, no, she couldn’t embarrass Ji Yan. She had to gain weight! Thinking this, Tang Tang ate a few more pieces of meat, even deliberately eating a few pieces of fatty meat.
Seeing that she had eaten quite a lot of meat, Ji Yan was a little relieved. He watched her eat with a smile in his eyes.
After lunch, Tang Tang packed up the things she had brought and slid Ji Yan down from the hospital bed. “Honey, take a nap. Sleeping more is good for your wound.”
Ji Yan glanced at the two children squatting on the floor assembling a model and said, “Take them back. They have nowhere to play here. You should go back and rest too. I don’t need to watch them all the time. If anything happens, I can just ring the call bell for the nurse. You can bring the children back for dinner.”
Tang Tang was extremely worried about Ji Yan, but seeing the two children squatting pitifully on the ground playing was heartbreaking. Besides, children can’t play without making a sound, and it might disturb Ji Yan and Sun Yi’s afternoon nap. So she reluctantly agreed, “Okay, I’ll take them back to rest for a while. I’ll make dinner early and bring it over for you.”
Seeing her worried expression, Ji Yan squeezed her hand. “No need to come so early. Don’t rush over. The nurses will check on me every two hours. I’ll be fine here.”
Tang Tang nodded, but her worry didn’t lessen. She took out his phone to check if it had battery, and only after confirming it was okay did she place it beside her pillow. “Keep your phone here. If you can’t find the nurses, call me immediately. I’ll be right there. You can’t tough it out on your own, okay?”
“Okay, I promise you.”
Tang Tang had nothing more to say. She looked at him for a while to make sure everything was alright, then took the two children back to their rented apartment.
Once the door was finally closed, Sun Yi, who had been covering his face with the blanket, slowly pulled it off and turned to look at Ji Yan with a resentful expression.
Ji Yan had just turned his gaze away from the door when he saw this look and asked in confusion, “You weren’t asleep?” Hadn’t he already gone to bed?
“It would be strange if I could sleep in a situation like this,” Sun Yi muttered to himself, then suddenly said to Ji Yan, “Now I believe you and your wife are in a free-love relationship.”
This sudden statement left Ji Yan bewildered. He and Tang Tang were definitely in a free-love relationship; why wouldn’t he believe it?
Sun Yi’s gaze grew even more resentful. “Now I know why you fell for your wife.” She’s so damn gentle and virtuous, so damn loving towards her husband— does such a girl even exist?
Ji Yan raised an eyebrow, finally understanding his meaning, and couldn’t help but smile, a smile brimming with pride and self-satisfaction.
Sun Yi’s eyes stung from the sight, so he silently turned his back to the person behind him, out of sight, out of mind.
Tang Tang was taking her two little ones home when, but just as they reached the hospital entrance, Ji Xiaozhuo suddenly grabbed her trouser leg and stopped. Under her questioning gaze, he pointed to a parked Land Rover a short distance away and whispered, “Mommy, that’s Great-Grandpa’s car.”
Tang Tang was startled and looked at the car in his direction. It was tall and large, entirely black, even the windows were blacked out, making it impossible to see inside.
“Baby, how do you know that’s Great-Grandpa’s car?” Could he have mistaken it for something else?
Ji Xiaozhuo was very certain, “No, that’s Great-Grandpa’s car. Six fives, so easy to remember.”
Tang Tang then noticed that the car’s license plate was indeed all fives; it seemed the little guy hadn’t made a mistake.
Tang Tang hesitated, unsure whether she should go over and say hello. She had no prior contact with the other party, not even knowing them. Ji Yan also had no dealings with them. Logically, she shouldn’t try to establish a relationship with the old man without knowing the situation. However, she couldn’t help but recall the night Ji Yan was injured. The dignified and vigorous old man suddenly bent over outside the operating room, as if he had aged instantly. The anxiety and heartache in his deep eyes were impossible to conceal.
She could see the deep care and love the old man had for Ji Yan in his eyes.
During Ji Yan’s time in the intensive care unit, although the old man didn’t come to visit, he would sit on a nearby bench before dawn every day, waiting. He wouldn’t leave even for meals, just sitting in his chair eating a few bites from his lunchbox before continuing to sit quietly. She knew that the old man was also watching over Ji Yan.
This sight of the old man made Tang Tang very hesitant.
Seeing her hesitate, Ji Xiaozhuo tugged at her hand and looked up at her. “Mommy, let’s go say hello to Great-Grandpa. He used to secretly buy me toys and take me out for delicious food all the time.”
Tang Tang finally nodded. Going to say hello wouldn’t hurt, right?
She led the two children towards the car, knocked on the window, and it immediately rolled down, revealing a young man’s face. Tang Tang recognized him; he was the old man’s bodyguard.
The guard was surprised to see Tang Tang and the other two. He immediately opened the car door and got out, thinking something had happened to Ji Yan. He asked anxiously, “Is something wrong with Ji Yan?”
“No, no,” Tang Tang knew he had misunderstood and quickly explained, “We saw the old man’s car here and thought we’d come over to say hello. Is Grandpa in?”
The guard breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the back seat, and whispered, “The commander is inside, but he just fell asleep. He hasn’t slept much these past few days, and his body is a bit too weak.”
“Then why is he sleeping here? Take the old man home to sleep. How can he sleep well in the car?” Although she didn’t know what was going on between Ji Yan and the old man, she had seen how much the old man had worried about Ji Yan and couldn’t bear to see such an old man suffering like this.
The guard’s eyes held a deep sense of helplessness. “I also wanted to take the old man back to sleep, but he’s too stubborn. He refuses to go back no matter what, and at most he’ll only rest in the car for a while. He hasn’t been eating well these past few days either, only eating a couple of bites at each meal before he can’t eat anymore. He’s lost a lot of weight. I don’t know if his body can take it.”
“Ah,” Tang Tang frowned worriedly. “How can the old man, at his age, endure this?”
“Who says otherwise?” The guard sighed. “He’s worried about Ji Yan.”
Tang Tang pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, and said, “Why don’t you let the old man come back with me to rest? I rented a place nearby, so he can rest well at home.”
“This…” The guard was a little surprised and tempted, but then he remembered the old man’s stubbornness and pride and gave up. This old commander was too proud to bow down to Ji Yan, and therefore wouldn’t accept Ji Yan’s wife’s kindness.
Seeing the guard’s expression, Tang Tang understood. She bent down and whispered a few words in Ji Xiaozhuo’s ear. The next second, Ji Xiaozhuo nodded and scurried into the car after Tang Tang opened the door for him.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
