The door soon opened, but it was the nanny hired by Yan Huan who appeared.
“Good morning, Madam,” said the nanny as she hurried to let Ye Shuyun in.
Ye Shuyun discerned a unique smell right as she stepped inside.
“Making bone broth?” she asked.
“Yes, Madam,” answered the nanny, returning to the kitchen to tend to the soup.
“The calcium in the bones would help Miss Yan with her elbow injury.”
Ye Shuyun sensed something amiss. She put Little Bean down, who habitually jumped onto the sofa and began resting.
She then walked to the kitchen and leaned against the wall, waiting for the nanny to be done with her duty.
“How’s Huanhuan doing lately?” Her instincts told her that Lu Jin and Lu Yi were hiding something from her.
The nanny sighed as her hand stirred the ladle. “She won’t be recovering from that broken arm anytime soon. Only a week has passed, and I say she would have to suffer for at least three more months. That’s usually how long it takes to recover from a bone injury.”
“I suppose,” said Ye Shuyun. She sat down, put Little Bean back into her laps, and began caressing its head.
“How about we visit her together later?”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” said the nanny. Of course, she knew nothing about Ye Shuyun’s unawareness of the matter, since Lu Jin and Lu Yi had forgotten to let her in on it.
The nanny carried the container of bone broth while Ye Shuyun followed behind her. She didn’t bother asking questions, for she knew she would find her answers when she got there.
The door opened, and the nanny walked in with the soup. Lu Yi stood up to take it from her, and said nothing when he saw the person behind her.
“You can pass it to me,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” said the nanny, passing her the insulated Tupperware. Lu Yi did not open it, but put it aside inside. Yan Huan had just fallen asleep after a short gaming session.
Ye Shuyun more or less had her answers by now.
She was hospitalized a week ago, but she had already been discharged since four days back. Yan Huan was hospitalized with her. Both father and son had lied about that, claiming that Yan Huan had gone on a business trip. The truth was she was injured.
Back when she was rolling down the stairs, she faintly remembered hearing Yan Huan’s voice, but she thought it had been her imagination since Lu Jin and Lu Yi mentioned nothing about it. Thinking back, it was no imagination after all. The voice had indeed belonged to Yan Huan.
How dare they lie to her.
“She lost weight, didn’t she?” asked Ye Shuyun as she pressed a careful hand against her forehead. She had always felt an inexplicable familiarity towards Yan Huan, which made her treat her like an actual daughter.
And to think the two men in the house held out on her about her daughter’s terrible injury.
“Yes. She did,” admitted Lu Yi, opening a Tupperware and pouring some of the soup into a bowl to cool.
“She had been in pain for the past week, but there’s not much we could do to help her since it’s a bone injury, so she had to endure it. She didn’t have much of an appetite either. She has gotten better lately, however, and has been eating more.”
“Come,” beckoned Ye Shuyun. When Lu Yi got closer, she reached out and pinched his arm hard. “That’s for lying to me. Watch what I’ll do to your Dad.”
All Lu Yi could do was pray for Lu Jin.
“Don’t you dare tell him either,” she said with a threatening squint.
“I won’t interfere with things between you,” said Lu Yi. His parents could settle their own problems.
Ye Shuyun was pleased by that.
But her heart ached when she looked at Yan Huan. How painful must a broken arm have been?
Unbearable, most likely. Like Lu Yi said, it hurt so bad for the first week that she rejected food, water, and sleep alike. At least she’s gotten a little better now.
Yan Huan’s eyes opened. She had been oversleeping lately. Lu Yi had brought her his laptop for her to play games and kill time. She had been lying down for so long that her limbs were starting to feel numb, but the doctor insisted that she had to remain in the hospital for another week. By the end of that, if they deemed her to be fit for discharge, she could go home and only make a trip back three months later to have her cast removed.
“You are awake,” said Ye Shuyun in an excited voice as she hurried forward. Though there wasn’t much cause for excitement, since Yan Huan had already slept and woke multiple times during the day. It wasn’t as though she just woke up from the operation.
“What brought you here, Mom?” said Yan Huan, sitting up. Her arm didn’t hurt too badly as long she didn’t move it around too much.
“I came to take a look at you, my child…” said Ye Shuyun, feeling a tingly sensation in her nose. My son had married the right woman, she thought, the best woman he could possibly marry.
She saved her, Lu Jin, and the entire Ye Family… wait, and Lu Yi too. They all owed her their lives.
Such a good child, crippled forever because of her.
She was lucky to not have said that aloud, or things would’ve become really awkward. Mind her, Yan Huan’s injuries weren’t that severe. She would only be crippled for a few months.
When Lu Yi brought her the broth, Yan Huan cried internally.
Can I not drink this, please? She had to drink THREE bowls of those every day. Not even a donkey could drink that much. Plus, she had to rely on Lu Yi’s help when she needed the bathroom afterward. Even if they were married, it felt weird making him do those things for her.
Lu Yi sat down and began spoon-feeding her. Yan Huan drank every spoon he fed her, until the bowl was empty. Yan Huan heaved a sigh of relief. It was finally over.
…At least that was what she thought before she saw Lu Yi filling another bowl.
“No more, please,” said Yan Huan, turning away. Enough was enough.
Lu Yi wrestled her face towards him.
“Why? Is it not tasty?”
“The taste is fine…” She couldn’t bring herself to lie about its taste. It was tasty, and Aunty had taken a few hours to make it, standing beside the blazing pot while throwing in medicinal herbs from time to time.
Still, she really didn’t want to drink anymore.
“Just one more bowl,” said Lu Yi, pushing the bowl towards her.
“It would make me frequent the toilet more…” she said shyly.
Smiling, Lu Yi pinched her nose.
“We are a married couple. It’s only natural for me to do these things for you. Would you be disgusted by me if I were the one lying here?” asked Lu Yi earnestly.
Yan Huan shook her head. How could she? No matter how dirty he was, she could never be disgusted by him.
