Chapter 39 Part 1

“Have you been eating properly while staying at the hospital?”

The two of them stood in front of the car as the back of Gu Ningzi’s finger brushed over Chi Nuan’s temple, tucking a strand of hair dampened by thin sweat behind her ear.

Chi Nuan smiled up at her. “Yeah, the cafeteria here has a pretty good variety, and the taste is way better than our school cafeteria anyway.”

Gu Ningzi smiled too upon hearing the comparison. “…Want some cake?”

Chi Nuan: “You have some?”

Gu Ningzi: “Yeah.”

They got back into the car, and Gu Ningzi turned the AC down a notch. Chi Nuan opened the beautifully packaged cake box to reveal a single-serving durian cake.

Gu Ningzi’s phone rang. She glanced at it—Gu Miaoyan.

“Gonna take a call, it’s my sister,” she told Chi Nuan before answering.

Chi Nuan nodded. “Sure.”

Gu Ningzi sat sideways, leaning halfway against the car window. Gu Miaoyan said something on the other end, and she replied lazily, “Oh.”

Chi Nuan sat quietly in the passenger seat, scooping a spoonful of cake into her mouth. The cream was sweet but not cloying, and the durian was perfectly ripe. She couldn’t help but squint her eyes in satisfaction.

“Got it. We’ll talk when you come next month,” Gu Ningzi said into the phone, her attention drifting to Chi Nuan.

With her cheeks puffed out, Chi Nuan focused intently on eating, looking like a soft little kitten being fed—irresistibly tempting to draw close and pet.

Gu Miaoyan kept talking nonstop, but Gu Ningzi followed her whim and reached out to scratch Chi Nuan’s chin.

Chi Nuan obediently turned her head. Sometime unbeknownst to her, a bit of cream had smeared on the corner of her lips. Without warning, Gu Ningzi leaned in close. Chi Nuan even heard Gu Miaoyan ask from the other end, “A-Ning, are you even listening?”

Gu Ningzi clearly wasn’t. She pressed a kiss to the corner of Chi Nuan’s lips, her tongue darting out to lick away the cream.

Chi Nuan gripped her spoon and drew in a sharp breath. The call was still going, and she flushed red like a boiled crab, dodging sideways as far as she could.

She finished the cake in fits and starts. It was time for her to head back to the ward.

“Do you remember that time?” Gu Ningzi suddenly asked as Chi Nuan got out of the car.

Chi Nuan: “Hm?”

Gu Ningzi: “Before finals, when you ate strawberry ice cream.”

Chi Nuan recalled that day—they’d been standing on the stairs, and Gu Ningzi had leaned in close to sniff the flavor of her ice cream.

Realizing what she meant, Chi Nuan’s face flushed pink as she hummed affirmatively through her nose. “…Mm.”

Gu Ningzi: “Mm.”

…

After seeing Gu Ningzi off, Chi Nuan walked into the inpatient building. She spotted Chi Qingchuan standing dazed in front of the elevator, staring at the jumping floor numbers, an insulated food container and lunchbox in his hands. People bustled around him and crowded into the open elevator doors, but he didn’t budge.

“Brother.” Chi Nuan walked over.

Chi Qingchuan turned to her. It took a second, then two, before his blank gaze refocused. “…Nuannuan!”

Chi Nuan pointed at the elevator. “Brother, the elevator just went up. How come you didn’t get in?”

Chi Qingchuan glanced in surprise at the floor display. Sure enough, it was heading up, now stopped at the second floor.

“…I’m a bit tired. Zoned out,” Chi Qingchuan explained.

Chi Nuan said, “Brother, how about I stay at the hospital with Sister-in-law tonight, and you go home to rest?”

“What nonsense,” Chi Qingchuan said with a laugh, ruffling the back of her head.

The siblings went upstairs together. Outside the ward, they found the door closed. Chi Qingchuan’s hands were full, so Chi Nuan twisted the handle—but it was locked from inside.

The noise drew someone from within. Auntie Bai came to open the door and smiled when she saw them. “Come on in. Little Wutong’s having something yummy.”

The curtains around the bed were drawn. At that moment, Yue Yun’s pained cry came from behind them. “Mom, it really hurts so much. Isn’t he full yet?”

Yue Yun’s mother replied, “That’s why they say motherhood is great. Can’t you handle this little bit of hardship? Wait till Little Wutong gets teeth—there’ll be even more biting.”

Yue Yun whined tearfully, “He’s so tiny—why does he have to nurse for so long? And he’s so ugly?? It hurts so much… Mom, take him away. I just had a C-section yesterday, and now this—I really can’t take the pain.”

Yue Yun’s mother: “All these mothers in the hospital go through the same thing. Why should you get special treatment? Besides, where’s Little Wutong ugly? Newborns all look like that—they grow into their looks!”

Yue Yun: “Please stop saying that. Everything hurts. Please, Mom, just take him away.”

Chi Nuan and Auntie Bai exchanged glances. Chi Qingchuan set the dinner he’d brought on the table, lifted the curtain, and went in. Yue Yun’s mother turned to him. “Xiao Chi, perfect timing. Look at Yunyun—she’s a mom now and still so delicate!”

Yue Yun lay on her side, crying prettily with tears streaming down her face. Little Wutong was in her arms, his tiny mouth suckling instinctively.

Chi Qingchuan said, “Mom, you’ve been busy all afternoon. Go rest. I brought dinner—eat something first.”

Yue Yun’s mother grumbled a bit more at Yue Yun before leaving. No sooner had she stepped out than Little Wutong’s wails rose from behind the curtain.

Yue Yun’s mother calmly greeted Auntie Bai to eat dinner. Chi Nuan knew what was up and went to mix some milk powder for Little Wutong.

She brought the bottle inside the curtain, where Chi Qingchuan sat on a stool by the bed, holding Little Wutong. Yue Yun shed silent tears.

Once the nipple was in Little Wutong’s mouth, he stopped crying right away and sucked vigorously with his eyes closed.

Yue Yun opened her reddened eyes and asked Chi Qingchuan, “Am I too selfish? But it really hurts so much… He just nursed and it hurt bad, the incision hurts, and there’s not one comfortable spot on my whole body.”