Yan Beicheng looked at Chu Xi"s body. How was it skinny? It had gotten even fatter. It ate a huge basin of dog food for every meal.
Once they were done eating dinner, the two of them left for the hospital.
At the entrance to the ward, however, they just happened to b.u.mp into Dai Huimin, who was emerging from the room with a food container.
When Dai Huimin saw Lin Chu, her eyes lit up in surprise. When she saw Yan Beicheng beside her, though, she gave a shudder.
For some reason, she truly feared Yan Beicheng. She had never spoken to Yan Beicheng before, but his face… It was not that stern-looking, but whenever he was not smiling, her heart would not stop shaking at the sight of him.
"Why are you here too?" asked Lin Chu in surprise.
"I tried to visit the Princ.i.p.al at the orphanage in the afternoon, but Teacher Yuan said the Princ.i.p.al was admitted to the hospital." Dai Huimin mentioned that Teacher Yuan did not tell her the details, since it was not exactly anything to brag about.
"I saw that Teacher w.a.n.g and Teacher Yuan were taking turns to accompany her, so they were definitely swamped. That"s why I went back and asked your uncle to stew some soup, make some congee, and a little bit of noodles, just in case the soup and congee aren"t filling enough," Dai Huimin explained. To accommodate for the Princ.i.p.al"s teeth, they had cooked the noodles until they were completely soft before rinsing them with cold water, drying them, and setting them aside. If the Princ.i.p.al wanted to eat them, she just had to soak the noodles into the bone soup, and she would have a steaming hot bowl of soup noodles.
"It"s all thanks to Madam Dai." Teacher w.a.n.g laughed as she walked out of the room and welcomed the rest of them in. She then said to Dai Huimin, "Why don"t you come back in and stay a little longer? After all, Lin Chu"s here too."
Dai Huimin really wanted to stay, but she peeked at Yan Beicheng carefully, just in case he was angry and did not want to see her.
Yan Beicheng remained impa.s.sive, however. He followed Lin Chu for all these matters.
Lin Chu pulled a chair over for her to sit down. "Yeah, just sit for a bit. We can send you home later."
"Ah, okay!" Dai Huimin nodded profusely and happily, but she immediately grew uneasy. "N-No, I"d be troubling you. You should be resting more, so you shouldn"t go so far for me."
"No worries. I"ll just be sitting in the car, so how"d that be tiring?" said Lin Chu.
Teacher w.a.n.g took the fruits Lin Chu brought to the pantry. Yan Beicheng had arranged this room for the Princ.i.p.al, so naturally it was more than decent.
While there was a pantry, it only allowed for cutting and was.h.i.+ng, with a microwave for reheating. There were no gas or induction stoves, in case those caused an accident.
"You"re here at dinnertime? What about the restaurant?" Lin Chu asked.
"Thanks to Jiaojiao, business has been getting better. Before, our customers were mostly the students and employees nearby, which meant that we were only busy at certain times. We didn"t earn much, and we"d be especially busy at times. Now that Jiaojiao"s taken over, everything is perfectly organized. Aside from the regular peak hours, we provide delivery for the weekend and between-meal times too, so we have better business and more funds now. Jiaojiao hired a waiter and a kitchen a.s.sistant. Our shop isn"t big, so one waiter is enough. At the most, I chip in to help when we"re especially busy. I don"t have to do anything the rest of the time; I don"t even have to clean the place anymore. Your uncle is only in charge of cooking in the kitchen, while the a.s.sistant handles the was.h.i.+ng, plucking and cleaning of the vegetables. So now the two of us have plenty of free time.
"If anything bothers me, it"s that Jiaojiao pays the waiter quite a bit because of the heavier workload. But well, it only bothered me a bit at the beginning, but now that I"ve so much time to myself, I feel a lot better about it. Jiaojiao said we"ve worked so hard for so long, but we still need to get our necessary rest. When I have nothing to do, I help her with the accounts. Although we ended up spending a bit because we hired someone, the boom in our business means that we"re making better profits too." Dai Huimin smiled so widely her eyes were barely slits. Her expression lit up when she mentioned how much better life was becoming for her. "Jiaojiao plans to keep at this for another two years. Once we"re going stable, we"ll find a larger store nearby and expand the shop. There"s no rush, though. We gotta be steady."
Lin Chu nodded approvingly. "She"s right."
It seemed like Dai Huimin was living a pretty good life lately. All those years of hard toil had taken a toll on her, and she was not going to get any younger, so the wrinkles were still there, but she did look much better.
It was probably because she had more time now. At the same time, Jiaojiao was much wiser now. She helped her parents wherever she could, and she put all her heart into her work, staying away from all that nonsense from before. As a result, Dai Huimin felt at ease now, and once her worries were gone, her spirits were naturally lifted as well. She seemed to brighten, from inside out.
She was even slightly plumper now, and her face was slightly rounder. She was not as haggard as before, and it almost looked like her wrinkles were filled out somewhat, so she looked much healthier.
"In any case, Jiaojiao is very kind now and really capable too, so I"m relieved. That"s why I have time to visit the orphanage today," Dai Huimin said.
Lin Chu nodded and looked at the Princ.i.p.al. "Did Zhu Hexian come to see you again?"
The Princ.i.p.al was looking a tad more cheerful, but her expression dimmed again at that. She sighed deeply and nodded somewhat tragically.
That was a child she had raised with her own hands, so the way Zhu Hexuan left her to die shattered her heart to pieces. The Princ.i.p.al believed that she had been kind enough to Zhu Hexuan, and she had treated every child equally, so she had not expected Zhu Hexuan to grow up grudging her.
"She called today, and she seemed to insinuate that she had been to the previous hospital, but she could not find the Princ.i.p.al there. That"s why she called again. She called the Princ.i.p.al first, but when the Princ.i.p.al saw it was her, she just turned her head away and did not pick up the call. After that, Zhu Hexuan called Teacher Yuan, and Teacher Yuan called to tell me. I"m worried that Zhu Hexuan would go make a fuss at the orphanage. Only Teacher Yuan and the children are at the orphanage now, so I was really worried something would happen there. That"s why I picked up her call when she called me. Zhu Hexuan asked where we are, but I didn"t tell her. She apologized all pitifully over the phone, but in the end, she asked the Princ.i.p.al to contact you for her anyway. That"s why I refused to tell her where we are, no matter what."
Teacher w.a.n.g explained as she brought out the sliced fruits. She placed one plate on the table attached to the bed and pushed it in front of the Princ.i.p.al, before putting another plate on the small round table next to the bed for Lin Chu and the rest.
"Teacher Yuan said that she"d been begging her since last night too, but the Princ.i.p.al refused, so she turned on her." Teacher w.a.n.g sighed and shook her head sadly. "I don"t dare to invite her over."
"Don"t worry. Even if she finds out you"re here, I"ve given the hospital advance warning. If you don"t want to meet her, she won"t come in," Yan Beicheng said. When he saw Lin Chu pressing her fork into another piece of mango, he reminded her, "You can eat mango, but don"t eat too much. It has cold attributes, and according to traditional Chinese medicine, it has a sort of wet poison."
The last time when Lin Chu ate hawthorn, Yan Beicheng had not known that pregnant women should not eat too much hawthorn, so he had not stopped her.
When he had some free time at work today, he searched the internet for things that pregnant women should and should not eat. He had planned everything; he was going to check everything from what she should eat to what she should wear, one by one. For now, he should study up on the most important thing, her diet, first. Once that was done, he would look up the other stuff.
Lin Chu was pregnant now, so her tastes were different from usual. At times she had no appet.i.te, but at other times, she could not stop eating. This stuff went into her body, after all, which meant that they had to be extremely careful.
It was fine when he did not know, but once he read up on it, he was immediately given a nasty shock. Only then did he know that pregnant women should not eat hawthorn, but thankfully, the online sources said eating a little was fine.
That day, Lin Chu had eaten two pieces and nothing more.
Yan Beicheng was still worried, though, so he called Chu Zhaoyang again.
Back then, Chu Zhaoyang"s voice was not as monotone as usual. Instead, he clenched his teeth and said with some emotion, "I"m not an obstetrician."
"Then give me the contact of the best obstetrician in your hospital. I"ll call him personally," Yan Beicheng said immediately.
"Do you want me to get every doctor in the hospital to give Lin Chu a check-up?" Chu Zhaoyang retorted, pouting.
It was clearly a sarcastic remark, but Yan Beicheng nodded seriously. "Alright, you can decide on the time. We"re fine with whenever, because we won"t wanna trouble you too much."
"..." Chu Zhaoyang could only chuckle drily. "Haha."
Finally, though, he did give Yan Beicheng the doctor"s contact, and Yan Beicheng called the obstetrician personally. He made sure that the two pieces Lin Chu ate would not affect her much. However, this depended on the condition of the pregnant woman. Some pregnant women were weak to start with, and the fetus was unstable, so hawthorn was a big no-no to them. If the mother and child were both healthy and strong, however, eating a few pieces now and then would not hurt.
After that, Yan Beicheng discussed Lin Chu"s recent condition with the doctor in detail. From all the symptoms he described, the doctor conjectured that Lin Chu was in decent shape and very stable, so two pieces were fine. If they were still concerned, she could go for a check-up.
He did not recommend it, however, before every check-up involved machines, and that would affect her body.
Still, Yan Beicheng felt that Lin Chu was doing quite well too, so he temporary breathed a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, he began paying even more attention to these things.
Lin Chu was careless and heartless, so she stuffed whatever she liked into her mouth, whether she should eat it or not. Yan Beicheng had no choice but to keep an eye on her.
That was why, after Lin Chu ate two pieces of mango, Yan Beicheng stared at her and refused to let her eat anymore.
When the Princ.i.p.al saw how carefully Yan Beicheng was watching out for Lin Chu, she could not help but be pleased. "Really, child! You"re the one who"s pregnant, and the baby is in your belly, but you"re so careless. Instead, Beicheng has to remember all this for you."
Lin Chu hugged Yan Beicheng"s arm, grinning. "That goes to show how much he cares for me, and how nicely he treats me. He"s always watching out for me, and I got used to it, so now I can"t be bothered to think about anything."
Lin Chu knew that Zhu Hexuan"s actions had hurt the Princ.i.p.al"s heart, so she wanted to cheer her up.
The Princ.i.p.al had always put her own happiness last. As long as her children were happy, so was she.
As expected, the gentle smile in Yan Beicheng"s eyes and the way Lin Chu leaned on his arm, intimately and full of trust, put a sincere smile on the Princ.i.p.al"s face. She brightened considerably.
After that, the Princ.i.p.al shook her head and sighed. "As for Zhu Hexuan… It"s over with that child. My relations.h.i.+p with her ended when she took my medicine and threatened my life. Forget it, I don"t plan to contact her anymore, so don"t let her come here. Even if she acts pitiful now, she"ll turn on me eventually, so what"s the point of meeting her? If she really does… change in the future, we can reconsider."
In the end, the Princ.i.p.al was still too kind to give up on Zhu Hexuan completely.
Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng stayed for a while longer before the Princ.i.p.al chased them away. Lin Chu was pregnant, so it was not wise for her to stay too long in the hospital.
Teacher w.a.n.g walked them out, and Lin Chu took one last look at the Princ.i.p.al on her hospital bed before closing the door behind her. Only then did she whisper to Teacher w.a.n.g, "The Princ.i.p.al is too kind, so she won"t really give up on Zhu Hexuan. But look at her actions! She clearly has no grat.i.tude whatsoever. The way I see it, she"s irredeemable. She"s selfish to the bone, and she"ll always think of herself first. The Princ.i.p.al is too kind, so I hope you and Teacher Yuan can help. If Zhu Hexuan ever goes to the orphanage again, don"t open the door for her."
Teacher w.a.n.g nodded. "I wasn"t there last night, but I"m p.i.s.sed off just hearing what Teacher Yuan said. What a monster! The Princ.i.p.al single-handedly raised her, and yet she threatened the Princ.i.p.al"s life. Does that Zhu Hexuan really think she"s all that? Saying the Princ.i.p.al preferred you and neglected her. Doesn"t she remember? When she attempted to get into university, she barely made the entry requirements by the skin of her teeth. Yes, she worked hard in university, but her scholars.h.i.+p was not a full one, and it did not make up for all of her fees. The Princ.i.p.al paid the remaining fees from her own pocket."
Teacher w.a.n.g"s eyes reddened when she mentioned it. "Back then, she would run back to the orphanage every so often, as though she was so filial. She"d just buy some oranges from the roadside stalls and a.s.sume that was a good enough gift for the Princ.i.p.al"s efforts. As she spoke, her eyes would turn red and her tone sour, and she"d say she didn"t have enough money to pay for her fees. At the same time, she"d act strong and say she"d definitely figure it out. Only the Princ.i.p.al ever believed her. But does the Princ.i.p.al have any more money? All of her money had gone into the orphanage. She was always frugal with herself, and she even paid the fees with her retirement funds."
Teacher w.a.n.g gritted her teeth whenever she mentioned Zhu Hexuan. Pulling Lin Chu"s hand, she said, "You and Zhu Hexuan went to university together, but you silly girl, you refused to use a single cent of the Lin Family"s money in university, yet you didn"t tell us. You worked so hard, day and night, to earn your school fees and living costs. Every time you came to the orphanage, you would bring this and that for the children, and you would buy clothes and medicines for the Princ.i.p.al. You saved that money by forcing yourself, but you never mentioned it. You only ever told us the good news but not the bad, and you acted like nothing was wrong. You only ever told the Princ.i.p.al that life was going well, and you weren"t lacking for anything, If you hadn"t broken up with Cheng Ziming later, we would never have known how your four years in university had gone. Back then, the Princ.i.p.al felt so sorry and apologetic. She said she didn"t pay enough attention to you, and she couldn"t even tell that you were lying when you came to the orphanage. You suffered so much because of it.
"Look at Zhu Hexuan, on the other hand! She"s heartless. When she doesn"t have money for her fees, she came to the Princ.i.p.al crying and begging instead of looking for a job. The Princ.i.p.al paid for her, but she still the Princ.i.p.al preferred you. Doesn"t she remember how you spent your four years in university? She accepted so much kindness from the Princ.i.p.al, and the Princ.i.p.al loved her unconditionally, like a parent would their child. She didn"t expect anything in return, but the last thing she should get is a stab in the back! Even if you didn"t remind me, I would never open the door to such an ingrate. She"ll never see the Princ.i.p.al again."
Lin Chu nodded. The Princ.i.p.al was old now and her body was stiff, so she did not go out often. As long as Teacher w.a.n.g and Teacher Yuan stood in front of her, Zhu Hexuan would not meet the Princ.i.p.al that easily.
"The Princ.i.p.al is kind, so to her, the kids that she raised are the best. Even the bad ones will turn good. But look at Zhu Hexuan, how"d she ever become good? We should be wary of her, in case she acts pitiful in front of the Princ.i.p.al again, begging for her sympathy." Teacher w.a.n.g"s expression was determined as she spoke to Lin Chu. "Don"t worry, we won"t let the Princ.i.p.al come to harm."
With Teacher w.a.n.g"s decisive guarantee, Lin Chu was relieved enough to leave with Yan Beicheng. They brought Dai Huimin with them too, and dropped her off first.
Along the way, Dai Huimin was glad and nervous. She was glad that she seemed closer to Lin Chu now, but she was nervous because Yan Beicheng was here too. s.p.a.ce in the car was limited, so she barely even dared to breathe out loud. She could not chat freely with Lin Chu.
Lin Chu was tired too. It was not that she did not want to help Dai Huimin relax, it was just that she could not control herself after she became pregnant. As soon as she sat down in a car, her head would tilt and she would fall asleep almost immediately.
When Yan Beicheng noticed, he hurriedly stopped by the roadside and turned around to tell Dai Huimin, "There"s an inflatable pillow at the back."
Dai Huimin froze. This was the first time Yan Beicheng had spoken to her of his own initiative, and she was so nervous that her brain was not working. She had blanked out, and she could only stutter "o-okay" as she searched around frantically.
Thankfully, Yan Beicheng"s car was very neat, and there was nothing else but the inflatable pillow in the backseat. Yan Beicheng had gotten someone to buy it that very day.
Ever since Lin Chu became pregnant, she tended to sleep a lot in his car. She would usually fall asleep within minutes of entering the car, and she would not even hear what he was saying. Several times now, he spoke to her only to get no response. When he turned, he saw that she had fallen asleep.