"Auntie Jia, how are you today?"
Although she will leave the United States tomorrow, Jiang Ruolan still didn't give up on her plan to take Jia Zhenzhen away. The day was getting closer and closer, but the progress seemed not too great. So, in the afternoon, she borrowed the sanatorium's kitchen and personally made two delicious meals along with egg-flower soup for her to drink.
As she fed the soup to Jia Zhenzhen, Jiang Ruolan smiled and said, "Do you feel it tastes different from what you normally eat here? I made it myself, how about that? Does it taste good?"
"Auntie Jia, you must not have thought that your good friend's daughter, whom you once held in your arms, is now an adult and can cook well. Not only me, but Yijun is also the same. Even though years have passed, we are still dependent on each other. I am fortunate to have Yijun by my side, he gave me too much encouragement. Auntie Jia, if not for the support and confidence Yijun gave me, maybe you will not be able to see me in this life."
After she said that, she suddenly laughed softly. "You are not in your right mind, so I can chat with you about a lot of things. Did you know, after my mother jumped, Yijun and I were accepted into the Jiang Family, but the life that the Jiang Family gave us was not something two children could bear. Until now, I still don't understand what made my mother jump like that? Why did she not cherish her life? If she were to give it up just like that, why was she doing such a cruel act in front of these two children?"
"Auntie Jia, if you can wake up, can you tell me? What exactly happened that year? Why were you locked up in America? And why did my mother come here? You two sisters who were initially enthusiastic, why did you both end up like this in just a few years?"
Jia Zhenzhen's gaze moved, and a glimmer of light flashed across her dull eyes. Jiang Ruolan saw it.
Jiang Ruolan continued to feed her while whispering, "Is it something that is hard to say? Even when you were facing me, you still wouldn't be able to put your heart at ease. You wouldn't be able to tell me the unspeakable secrets, right?"
She then looked at the time and said in a low voice, "Tomorrow, I will go home. At first, I wanted to bring you with me, but I don't know why it is so difficult to take you away. I thought you could tell me what had happened, at the very least, if I can successfully take you away, no matter whether it is your illness or your life in the future, it will change a lot. Auntie Jia, if you continue like this, I'm afraid Zihao and I will be helpless."
With that, she stood up. "I will go first. Have a good rest. I will see you tomorrow before I go."
Jiang Ruolan walked straight to the door. Right at this moment, a sound came from behind her.
Jiang Ruolan initially didn't think much of it, but as she was about to open the door, the sound of footsteps grew louder and louder until it finally caught her attention. She abruptly turned around and saw Jia Zhenzhen, who was originally sitting on a wheelchair, trying her best to kick the table with her feet.
Jiang Ruolan was startled and quickly walked back, grabbed her leg that was kicking the table hard. "Auntie Jia, what's wrong?"
Jia Zhenzhen's eyes were wide open and there were tears in them. When she saw Jiang Ruolan walking back towards her, she opened her mouth but could not utter a word for a long time.
"Don't be afraid, please be patient. What do you want to say? Slow down! I'm the only one here. No matter what happens, I'll help you, okay? Auntie Jia, don't be afraid!"
"Murderer …" Jia Zhenzhen forcibly uttered words as tears began to fall from her eyes. She stared at Jiang Ruolan's face and slowly tilted her head. She looked at her deeply, "They are murderers …Lan… You can't…"
"What? What murderer? What can I not do?" Jiang Ruolan looked at Jia Zhenzhen in shock and quickly grabbed her hand. "Auntie Jia, what are you trying to say? Who is the murderer? Is someone trying to kill you? Is someone trying to lock you up here?"
Jia Zhenzhen nodded and then said loudly, "They …Murderer … They …"
"Who are you talking about?" Jiang Ruolan looked at her carefully. "Auntie Jia, say their name."
"He … They …" Trembling, Jia Zhenzhen pointed out the window.
Jiang Ruolan was stunned for a moment before she stood up and looked out the window. This was not the first floor, so there was nothing outside the window except the shadows that seem to have just walked past the windows of another building. But when she looked over, that shadow just happened to flash past her and she was unable to see it clearly.
"They… All of them …" Because she had been confined for too long, Jia Zhenzhen lost her speaking ability. She struggled to speak, but she was still trying to say something, "Lan…Lan…"
Jiang Ruolan turned and walked back to her side, patting her hands lightly. "I'm here, I'm here. Talk slowly."
"Leave …Leave them …" Jia Zhenzhen's mouth twitched a little, and there seemed to be a flash of light in her dull eyes. She suddenly pulled her (Jiang Ruolan) hand tightly, the nails digging into the back of her hand. "He… Don't…Children…No Children …"
Although Jiang Ruolan didn't understand the meaning behind her words, she still thought about it vaguely. What Jia Zhenzhen meant was that she wanted Jiang Ruolan to stay away from someone but who exactly was the "them" she was referring to?
"They …They …" Jia Zhenzhen trembled while holding her hand. "They …"
At this moment, the ward door suddenly opened, and a nurse held the nutrient injection they normally give to Jia Zhenzhen. This wasn't a sedative, and Jiang Ruolan had also checked that it was indeed a nutrient.
When she saw the nurse walking in, her face returned to the original calm expression, and Jia Zhenzhen also stopped talking but she still held her (Jiang Ruolan) hand tightly as if she was afraid Jiang Ruolan would leave.
At that moment, Jiang Ruolan suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her stomach. She immediately frowned and put her hands on her stomach, cold sweat trickling down her face.
On the other hand, the nurse did not notice her abnormality and just held Jia Zhenzhen's hand, saying, "Come here, be more obedient. This is nutrition. I will leave after I give it to you. I swear!"
Jia Zhenzhen did not move. Her hand was still gripping Jiang Ruolan's hands tightly. "Lan…"
Jiang Ruolan wanted to laugh, but she didn't realize that there was sweat on her face. She was about to say something, but the pain made her pull her hand back. She held her stomach tightly and bit her lower lip.
"Miss Jiang? What's wrong with you?" The nurse, who had given Jia Zhenzhen nutrients, immediately noticed Jiang Ruolan's expression and was very worried. Without waiting for her answer, she hurriedly said, "Don't move! I will go find someone!"
Jiang Ruolan nodded with effort and looked gratefully at the nurse. She (the nurse) was a little girl in her early twenties and had been in the sanatorium for a long time. She rarely saw any pregnant women with problems.
After a while, two nurses come in to help Jiang Ruolan out. Jia Zhenzhen became very quiet in the room, and when Jiang Ruolan was about to be helped to the door, a figure quickly approached. "Ruolan?"
Upon seeing Xian Zihao, who rushed to the building so fast after receiving the news from god knows where, Jiang Ruolan quickly forced a smile on her face.
Before they left, Xian Zihao's footsteps stopped for a moment. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Jia Zhenzhen, who was staring at them, before he immediately carried Jiang Ruolan and left without looking back.
After 20 minutes…
When they were sure that the pain in Jiang Ruolan's stomach was due to her lack of sleep and her anxiety for several days had affected her endocrine system, causing severe pain due to irregular contractions, doctors at the sanatorium advised her to lie in bed and not be too worried. When they confirmed that there was no serious problem, Jiang Ruolan sighed in relief.
Xian Zihao sent the doctor away while Jiang Ruolan sat on the edge of the bed with her head lowered. She looked at her bulging stomach and gently stroked it.
After a while, Xian Zihao walked back to bed and peeled an apple for her. When he handed it over, there was a trace of warmth in his eyes. "I can tell you that you've been thinking about Jia Zhenzhen a lot these few days. You didn't sleep at all at night, you're just pretending, aren't you?"
Jiang Ruolan curled her lips in embarrassment. "I just have a lot of things that I can't figure out. These things are all kept playing in my head, so I can't sleep for the past two days."
Xian Zihao sighed helplessly and brushed the strand of hair on her forehead away. "When we get home tomorrow, we'll take Jia Zhenzhen with us, so you don't have to think about these things anymore. I said before, leave it to me, don't think of anything, and let me think about it, hmm?"
