Chapter 17: Did she run away with the child?

He just needed to take care of his personal business, lie in bed, and not cause any trouble.

Su Ai placed another cup of warm water next to Ji Yang.  They had only brought clothes and toiletries from home.

So, if she wanted to get him something to eat, she had to buy it.

“I’ll take Lele out to buy some food.  Is there anything you want to eat?”

Ji Yang shook his head.

“Anything is fine, as long as it fills my stomach.  Just buy whatever you and Lele want.”

“Okay, you rest. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay!”

Ji Yang’s agreement, like an old married couple, made the other two patients in the room smile.

Su Ai took the child out to buy food, leaving Ji Yang lying in bed, bored.  An older woman in the next bed smiled:

“Young man, you’re lucky to have such a good wife. She’s so kind to you.”

A younger man in another bed said:

“Yeah, yeah, they say a good wife is priceless. Look, you’re injured, and your wife is still with you, taking care of you and the child. She’s amazing…”

“Someone I know also injured his leg, and his wife ran away with someone else, abandoning the child.”

“You’re so lucky, it’s enviable.”

“You’re so lucky.”

Everyone praised Su Ai, making Ji Yang feel embarrassed.

“Yes, my wife has always been good to me.”

No matter what happened at home, Ji Yang always gave his wife face in public.

Moreover, his wife was indeed very kind to him now.  Combined with others’ envy, Ji Yang felt happy.

Lying in bed, time passed quickly.

But after nearly two hours, Su Ai still hadn’t returned.

It was just buying food; there were shops nearby.  She should have been back within an hour at most.

But Su Ai hadn’t returned after two hours, and Ji Yang’s initial relaxation turned into anxiety.

“Hey, young man, why hasn’t your wife come back yet?”

“It’s already dark.”

“She doesn’t know the city well; maybe she got lost?”

The man who had mentioned the wife running away said incredulously: “Maybe she ran away with the child?”

He quickly covered his mouth.

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean that. I…”

The man couldn’t explain and shut up.

Ji Yang’s mind was in turmoil.

The clock on the wall ticked away; two hours had passed.

Even if she bought snacks and toys for the child, it should have been enough time.  Why hadn’t she returned?

Ji Yang worried Su Ai had gotten lost or encountered trouble in the city.

He also worried about…the scenario the man had mentioned.

The money was in Su Ai’s wallet, and she had taken the child.

Ji Yang’s worries weren’t unfounded.  Su Ai’s sudden and drastic change was too abrupt.

Why was she suddenly so kind to him?

Maybe she was plotting something.

The most likely scenario was that she wanted to take the money and the child, leaving him, a cripple, to die.

Of course, there might be even worse possibilities…

Considering Su Ai’s previous impatience with the child, her sudden change in attitude was suspicious.

Was she deceiving the child?

Why did she suddenly become so fond of him?

Another terrifying thought occurred to Ji Yang:  was she planning to take the money and sell the child?

Su Ai’s past actions had eroded his trust, and her current behavior was too unusual.

Thinking of these terrible possibilities and Lele, Ji Yang jumped out of bed.

Leaving him was one thing, but he was most worried about what she might do to Lele.

“Hey, young man, your leg is injured! What are you doing?”

“What’s wrong?”

Ji Yang’s sudden movement startled those around him.

Just as Ji Yang, sweating profusely, prepared to crawl to find his son, the ward door opened, and the joyful laughter of mother and son filled the room.

“Mommy, you can’t kiss me. I’m a big boy now. You’re naughty!”

Although the child called his mother naughty, his happy expression and tone showed his joy.  Anyone could see it.

He was very happy.  His mother’s reply, however, silenced the ward for a few seconds.

“My grassland, my horse, I can play as I please. My home, my child, I can kiss as I please.”

The ward erupted in laughter; everyone was amused by Su Ai.

“Dad?”

Lele saw his father trying to get out of bed and called out in surprise.

Su Ai saw Ji Yang struggling to sit up and get out of bed.  She quickly approached, placing the food and supplies she’d bought on the table, then supporting Ji Yang.

“What’s wrong? Do you need to use the toilet?”

Before Ji Yang could answer, the elderly patients nearby spoke to Su Ai:

“What toilet? Young lady, if you hadn’t come back, your husband would have crawled to find you.”

“Yes, you were gone for two hours, and your husband was worried sick in bed.”

“He was worried something happened to you.”

“Yes, yes.” The man nervously nodded.

Su Ai realized why Ji Yang’s expression had seemed off.

Hearing the elderly patients say he was worried about her, Su Ai thought it was possible, considering her blush-prone husband secretly liked her.

“Dad, Mommy and I did a lot of things.”

“We didn’t just buy food.”

“But we did buy food. Mommy said you like wontons, so we went far to buy them for you. They’re delicious.”

“Mommy also bought you a pie.”

“And Mommy bought me snacks and toys.”

“Mommy also rented an apartment near the hospital and said she’ll cook for you tomorrow.”

Before Su Ai could speak, Lele revealed everything Su Ai had done.

Ji Yang finally understood why they had been gone for so long.

Hearing his son say his mother had bought him food, Ji Yang felt guilty for his malicious assumptions about Su Ai.