The reality came rus.h.i.+ng back. To make it worse, she hadn"t even registered the presence of Aunt Xie in the room up until that moment. Guilt climbed up her face, making her cheeks go warm in embarra.s.sment. She couldn"t utter a single word as explanation. "I…uh, that is, I will just freshen up and come back," she said that and hurriedly ran out of the room.
"How are you feeling now?" Mrs. Xie asked her son, who eyes followed the retreating back of Jia Li.
"I feel good, in fact never been better, " he replied with a grin.
"That"s the best news I have heard since morning," his sister said, entering the room.
She winked at him and matched his grin.
"I thought I left you in the care of a specialised nurse. But I can"t see her anywhere around you," she teased him, referring to Jia Li.
"Huh, the nurse was especially inefficient. There was a role reversal the minute you guys left. I was the one having to look after her," he said with mock regret.
"Then we shall replace her immediately," said his father, who had just walked in and heard his son"s remark.
Chu jumped at her father"s voice, "dad, you surprised the daylight out of me. Why can"t you make some noise when you walk? Anyways, you got it wrong. I was only teasing brother Tang about Jia Li"s absence from the room."
He frowned and gave a meaningful look to his daughter. Chu pretended to not register that glance and busied herself with arranging Tang"s blanket.
Mrs. Xie could sense her husband"s displeasure increasing already.
Choosing to strive for a change of topic, she said, "Tang, your father just confirmed with the doctor. You can be discharged by tomorrow morning. I have arranged for a pair of your clothes to come with the chauffeur tomorrow. Do you need anything else to be brought from Shanghai?"
"Only one set of clothes? Can you arrange to bring basic toiletries and clothes for a fortnight for me instead?" he asked with a casual air.
"Why do you need clothes for a fortnight? Where are you planning to travel from here? You need rest," his father said firmly.
Tang nodded his head innocently, "I agree with you, which is why I thought that I would stay here in Moganshan for the next couple of weeks. The fresh air and delicious food will help me recuperate faster."
Chu caught onto her brother"s intentions and said, "that sounds like an excellent plan. Maybe I could get a leave from work and stay back as well, relive our childhood."
"What is wrong with both of you? Chu, do you even know what you are saying?" Mr. Xie looked at her fiercely.
"Please don"t get mad at her, dad. I am the one who suggested it, right? Since Jia Li is stationed here, she would be able to take good care of me. It"s just that I am feeling completely befuddled with this whole memory loss thing. As hard as I try, I can"t remember a single thing from the recent past. Just call it my insecurity or immaturity, but I want to take some time and reacquaint myself with Jia Li and our relation. I don"t know what happened in the past but if I haven"t said it yet…thank you Dad, for letting Jia Li stay in my life. I would have ended up as a miserable, cold soul otherwise," he looked at his father, gauging his reaction.
Mrs. Xie wrung her hands nervously, her gaze oscillating from father to son. She was afraid of how her husband would react to what Tang was saying. The unspoken angst between the two of them had reared its head boldly after so many years. She decided to intervene before things got out of hand further.
"Let us get you discharged tomorrow and go to the hotel. We will decide what to do then. As of now, you just concentrate on resting," she said in a conciliatory tone.
"I don"t understand. Why is it such a big deal if I want to spend few days with the woman I love. First, I can"t understand as to why is she and I living in two different cities. Secondly, I am surprised at the fact that we aren"t married yet. Can you tell me the reason why haven"t we done so?" he directed the question at his mother.
"I am the one responsible for the current state of affairs," Jia Li"s voice boomed from the room"s entrance.
She came in slowly and continued talking, "my parents pa.s.sed away a few years ago and I found myself to be an orphan at the age of twenty two. It was a terrible feeling, following which I felt bereft and unwilling to commit to any other relation. At that point, both of us were still studying, so we mutually decided to wait until we were well settled in our careers, for us to figure out the choices in our life ahead."