Aunt Qiao

“So, I’m going to visit Fugui’s mother today.” After returning home, Ye Shuang told Bai Yuyou the same thing.

At breakfast, Bai Yuyou nibbled on the bun in her hand while looking at Ye Shuang curiously. She had actually heard about Fugui’s mother a long time ago. Back then, Ye Shuang had told her the story before bed, including the reason Fugui had become the way he was.

“Can I… go with you?” Bai Yuyou asked softly. She didn’t know why; she simply wanted to go with Ye Shuang, see Fugui’s mother, and pay her a visit.

Ye Shuang smiled faintly. “You want to go see Fugui’s mother with me?”

“Can I?” Bai Yuyou asked.

“Of course. If that’s what you want, I’m sure Fugui won’t mind.” As he spoke, Ye Shuang took out his phone and sent Fugui a message. It was still early in the morning, and judging by Fugui’s usual schedule, there was no guarantee he would even be awake yet.

To Ye Shuang’s slight surprise, however, Fugui replied very quickly.

Fugui: Sure! Bring Little Yuyou over to play. You don’t need to bring anything else.

Fugui: ❤

After seeing Fugui’s reply, Ye Shuang glanced at the time, sent a brief response, and then finished breakfast with Bai Yuyou.

Although Fugui had said they didn’t need to bring anything, Ye Shuang still decided, out of courtesy, to go shopping for some gifts with Bai Yuyou and Chen Qin before heading over. After all, they were visiting an elder, and basic etiquette still mattered.

“Ye, how about these?” Chen Qin moved quickly. Since there was a supermarket downstairs, she soon picked out some fruit and other things. Ye Shuang, meanwhile, bought some dried ingredients for making soup. In Guangdong, gifts like these were always a safe choice—people there practically all made soup at home.

The three of them each carried some of the items and placed all the gifts in the car.

For some reason, both Chen Qin and Bai Yuyou chose to sit in the back rather than take the front passenger seat.

Ye Shuang didn’t comment on it. He simply started the car and drove toward the hospital.

It was a private hospital as well. As long as one could afford the fees, private hospitals undoubtedly offered the best service. Nurses at public hospitals might have to meet all kinds of assessment standards and were not even allowed to show impatience toward patients, but their salaries were pitifully low. Compared with that, the sincere attitude found in private hospitals felt far more genuine.

After arriving, Ye Shuang parked the car first. The group waited briefly at the entrance, and then Chen Hai drove over in his own car. This time, when visiting Fugui’s mother, Chen Hai had even brought Qiaoqiao along.

“You’re all here so early?” Chen Hai said when he saw that Ye Shuang, Chen Qin, and Bai Yuyou had already arrived. He glanced at his watch.

“It’s a normal time. You’re the one who’s late. I even stopped to buy some things before coming over.” As he spoke, Ye Shuang smiled and lifted the bags in his hands slightly.

“Ha, as if I came empty-handed.” Chen Hai was carrying things of his own as well. Although Fugui had said they didn’t need to bring anything, the two exchanged a knowing glance before breaking into cheerful laughter.

After meeting up with Chen Hai, Ye Shuang and the others headed to the hospital room together.

Soon, guided by a nurse, Ye Shuang arrived at the door of a hospital room. He gently knocked, and footsteps quickly sounded from inside.

The door opened, revealing Fugui’s face through the gap. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he seemed very pleased, narrowing his eyes in a smile. “Welcome, everyone.”

Ye Shuang gave him a brief greeting before carrying the things into the room.

The hospital room smelled faintly of disinfectant. Fortunately, the scent wasn’t too strong, and everything looked very clean at a glance. The only movement came from the curtains, fluttering gently in the breeze. Beside the window was a hospital bed, where an elderly woman lay. Her eyelids were half open, making it impossible to tell whether she was sleeping or doing something else.

She was Fugui’s mother.

Hearing the commotion from Ye Shuang and the others, she slowly sat up. When her half-open eyes fell on Ye Shuang, Chen Qin, and the others, she couldn’t help smiling.

“You’re here.”

“Auntie, we came to see you. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” Ye Shuang gave her a quick once-over.

【Character: Qiao Siya

Fugui’s mother. After the deaths of her daughter and husband, she developed mental problems that could not be treated.】

“Hehehe, I’m fine. It’s just that Fu Yao is far too worried about me and insisted on bringing me here to recuperate. At my age, isn’t it perfectly normal for the body to have a few minor problems?”

Auntie Qiao answered very smoothly—if one ignored the fact that she called Fugui Fu Yao. This wasn’t the first time Ye Shuang had heard her address Fugui that way; he had grown somewhat accustomed to it. Chen Qin had as well.

This was even Fugui’s own choice. He had decided to silently bear everything himself. As for Ye Shuang and Chen Qin, there was actually very little they could do to help. All they could do was try their best to find good doctors and see whether she could be cured.

“Here, Fu Yao, put those things over there.” Auntie Qiao pointed at the fruit in Ye Shuang’s hands. “Don’t let Chen Hai sneak any.”

“What? Auntie, I wouldn’t steal anything!” Chen Hai immediately put on an innocent expression. Still, he really had stolen fruit when he was a child, and she had evidently remembered that.

Not only was Auntie Qiao’s memory becoming increasingly hazy, but she sometimes even confused Ye Shuang and the others’ ages. Although Fugui had been doing his best to seek treatment for her, it clearly hadn’t helped much. Even medication had failed to keep her truly lucid.

“Mommy, I’ll do it.” Fugui really was taking on the identity of Fu Yao. Hearing his mother say that, he replied in an affected, childish voice before carrying the things Ye Shuang and the others had brought over and setting them aside. He didn’t forget to add,

“Aw, I told you, you didn’t need to bring so many things.”

“It does feel a little awkward to show up empty-handed,” Ye Shuang said.

“Come here, Little Shuang. Let Auntie have a look at you.” Aunt Qiao suddenly spoke up. At her words, Ye Shuang sat down on the edge of the bed—and the moment he did, he felt her palm cover the back of his hand.

Aunt Qiao gently rubbed the back of Ye Shuang’s hand and said with a touch of emotion, “I heard that you and Little Qin are together now. Fu Yao really likes you too, you know? She’s always telling me about it.”

As she spoke, she did not forget to glance at Fugui.

Ye Shuang was stunned for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he gave a faint smile. “Yes, Auntie.”