Chapter 2: His Silence

“How is it, doctor? Is my son’s head alright?”

After arriving at the hospital, Yu Wei immediately asked for directions and registered. After the doctor examined the boy’s head, he told her to take the child for an X-ray. Now, the middle-aged doctor in a white coat was carefully studying the X-ray she had just brought back.

“It’s not too bad; he just needs stitches.”

“Alright, when can we do that? Can we do it now?” Yu Wei asked anxiously.

“Yes, but first, go to the first floor to get the medication.”

“Okay, thank you, doctor!”

From early morning until almost noon, Yu Wei had been running around. The hospital was crowded, with people coming and going in waves. The noise was overwhelming, and Yu Wei’s head started to feel heavy again.

She hadn’t brought any money when she left, so all the tests and medicine had to be paid for by her mother. Yuan Guifang was so distressed about the money that she kept scolding Yu Wei for being inconsiderate.

Letting out a deep breath, Yu Wei watched the continuous stream of patients and doctors. Holding the little boy who had fallen asleep, she sat on a wooden bench in the corridor to rest, while Yuan Guifang, who had caught up, sat beside her and continued her nagging.

“I’m telling you, what woman doesn’t get married? Your dad and I have helped you raise this little brat for over four years. This year, no matter what, you have to repay us,” she said, even raising her hand to emphasise the number ‘four’.

Yu Wei let out a heavy sigh. Reflected in the window across the hallway was her current face, clear as day.

The oval face, ninety percent similar to her original one before time-traveling, had delicate willow-leaf eyebrows above a fine, shapely nose, and perfectly shaped lips that were slightly dry. Except for her still-bright eyes, every other part of her face showed signs of exhaustion.

Even with such a pale, weary face and wearing coarse clothes, her beauty couldn’t be hidden—she was still a very attractive mother.

But Yuan Guifang kept on nagging.

“With your current situation and dragging along a burden like that, it’s already lucky if someone is willing to marry you. He’s the director of a garment factory, and if you marry him, you’ll have no worries about food and drink for the rest of your life. Dabao will finally have a father too.”

Yuan Guifang’s loud voice drew the attention of several people around them, and the noise successfully woke up the little boy in her arms.

The little guy opened his misty deer-like eyes from her warm embrace, clearly not fully awake. His pupils were foggy with moisture, and small teardrops at the corners of his eyes traced down to his ears, disappearing into his short black hair.

The poor child, like her, had a bandage wrapped around his head, which made his delicate, fair face look quite cute. In modern times, he would definitely be considered an adorable little boy. He clearly spent most of his time indoors—his skin was pale and flawless but almost unnaturally white, with fine veins faintly visible on his face.

Despite this, the little guy had an adorable, well-behaved face. His round deer-like eyes, small delicate nose, and smooth fair skin made him seem extra cute and soft, even with the fine baby hairs visible on his face.

The soft little bundle nestled in her arms was melting her heart. He was just a bit too thin, without much flesh on his face. Holding him felt light as a feather, and she thought he’d be even more endearing if he gained some weight.

In her previous life, Yu Wei was already twenty-six years old. She was an only child, and after her parents passed away a few years ago, they left her a villa and a few million in savings. Her upbringing was quite comfortable, middle-class, with no real financial pressures. Except for the year after her parents’ death when she was consumed with grief, her life eventually returned to normal.

She made a living by streaming cooking videos, a job that wasn’t extremely lucrative but provided enough for her to live comfortably alone. After three years of cooking streams, her channel had started gaining popularity, and last month she earned just over twenty thousand yuan. But then, after falling asleep one night, she woke up here.

Ironically, her birth mother hadn’t pressured her to marry while she was alive, but after this time-travel, the new ‘mom’ wouldn’t stop.

But Yu Wei didn’t want to marry just anyone, especially not a divorced man in his forties. Arranged marriages were not her style.

As Yu Wei was still processing the reality of her time travel, the sharp voice of Yuan Guifang came from nearby, “Are you pretending not to hear me, girl?” Ignoring her mother infuriated Yuan Guifang, who gave her another slap.

“Can you keep it down? We’re in a hospital!” Yu Wei frowned. How many times had Yuan Guifang hit her since she’d arrived in this world? Still, at least this outburst seemed to make her mother pause for a moment, giving Yu Wei a small respite. Yuan Guifang looked around angrily, glancing at Yu Wei and the boy in her arms.

Her shoulder was throbbing with pain from the slaps. Yu Wei took a deep breath and looked down at the quiet little guy in her arms. His confused expression made her mood lighten a bit. She smiled gently and spoke softly, “Baby, it doesn’t hurt, be good.” She stroked his soft hair as she spoke.

However, little Yu Hui didn’t cry or make a fuss. His large, misty eyes stayed fixed on her, watching intently for a long time.

Yu Wei had a weakness for well-behaved, adorable children, especially those with big, doe-like eyes that gleamed like black glass. Even though he didn’t speak, his gaze made her heart melt.

She still didn’t fully understand the situation with this child. He was completely different from the kids she had met or imagined before. He never cried, fussed, or made a sound. Even when the doctor stitched his head, he barely reacted, except for tightly clenching her shirt with his pale little fists. Other than that, there was no emotional outburst.

“Well, now we both have bandages on our heads,” Yu Wei teased with a smile. The little guy just kept staring at her in silence. With a soft sigh, she stood up with him in her arms, stretched her sore neck, and prepared to head home.

The little guy rested on her thin shoulder, breathing shallowly. His round eyes gazed at the bustling hospital lobby. He noticed a man hidden behind a wall, his deep, unfathomable eyes staring intently at him.

On the way home, Yu Wei walked slowly, observing her surroundings, while Yuan Guifang, fuming, trailed behind her, too angry to speak.

“Mom, what year is it again?” Yu Wei asked.

“1985! Did you really hit your head that hard?” Yuan Guifang replied irritably.

Yu Wei chuckled, “No, I was just testing you.”

Annoyed, Yuan Guifang smacked her daughter’s shoulder again, “Stupid girl! I’m trying to talk to you seriously, and you’re testing me! What’s there to test?”

Dodging her mother’s next hit, Yu Wei quickened her pace, trying to recall the route they had taken to the hospital earlier.

The streets of the small town in the 1980s weren’t exactly bustling. Most of the buildings were small one- or two-story houses, with three-story buildings being rare and four-story ones even rarer. The roads were lined with single-story houses made of brick and cement.

The ground was relatively flat, with a thin layer of cement, making the walk much less slippery than the rural roads Yu Wei had been to before. Near the residential area, street vendors sold a variety of goods, mostly grains and vegetables, and the road was full of bustling stalls.

When they reached home, they heard the sound of people talking inside the courtyard, just loud enough for the three of them to hear from outside. Moments later, hurried footsteps approached, and Yu Wei’s sister-in-law rushed out, glaring at Yu Wei and the child in her arms.

“Mom! Where did you go? Director Luo came to see Yu Wei!”

Yuan Guifang, alarmed, quickly ushered Yu Wei into the house.

The Yu family home had three rooms, none of which were particularly large. With six people living there, plus Yu Wei and her child, there was barely any space left.

Entering the main room, which could hardly be called a living room, Yu Wei saw a large bed piled with miscellaneous items. Next to the bed was an old wooden table, scrubbed clean. Sitting at the table was none other than Director Luo, who turned around as he heard footsteps from outside.

Finally, Yu Wei saw his face clearly.

Hmm… Not very appealing. He had a medium build, was slightly chubby, and didn’t seem very tall. His square face, narrow eyes, and slightly overgrown brows made him look shrewd. In his hand, he held a black leather wallet, which he hadn’t put down even though he was sitting down.

His clothes were clearly better than those of Yu Wei’s parents. He wore a grey Zhongshan suit, slightly oversized, but still, the material looked expensive, and there were no patches on it. However, on his feet were black leather sandals… paired with white socks.

A typical middle-aged man in his forties, twice-divorced.

After taking a quick look at him, Yu Wei carried her son to the innermost room, intending to let him rest before dealing with the guests. However, the moment she laid the little guy on the bed, he opened his eyes.

“Be good, baby, just sleep. Mommy has something to take care of outside,” Yu Wei said softly. Although she liked children, she had never taken care of one before and wasn’t sure if four-year-old Yu Hui could understand what she was saying.

The little guy stayed silent as usual. Yu Wei bent down, kissed his smooth forehead just below the bandage, and was about to leave when she felt a soft hand grab her arm. Looking down, she saw his misty eyes gazing at her with a hint of sadness.

Thinking she had misread his expression, she bent down and asked gently, “What’s wrong? I’ll be right back.”

She tried to gently remove his hand, but he clung tightly. Afraid of hurting his delicate skin, Yu Wei sighed and picked him up again, carrying him out of the room.

By the time Yu Wei finally emerged, about five minutes later, Director Luo was visibly impatient. Yuan Guifang had been whispering her name at the door for a while, and when she saw Yu Wei come out carrying her son, she hurriedly whispered, “Director Luo came here just to see you. Go chat with him!” Lowering her voice, she reached out to take Yu Hui from her, “Let me hold Da Bao for you.”

Before Yu Wei could respond, Yuan Guifang reached for the child, but Yu Hui had no intention of leaving his mother. His small hands clung tightly around her neck, refusing to let go.

“I’ll hold him,” Yu Wei said, dodging her mother as she entered the main room. Director Luo, who had been standing by the doorframe, finally sat down at the table prepared for him.

Yu Wei’s sister-in-law rushed over to serve Director Luo some brown sugar water, pulling out a chair for him with a wide smile. “Please sit, Director Luo.”

She wiped an imaginary speck of dust from the chair before heading off to the kitchen to start preparing lunch.

Director Luo nodded coolly, glancing at Yu Wei, who remained silent, playing with her son. He took a sip of the brown sugar water and then began speaking in a booming voice, which instantly made the atmosphere awkward.

“Where did you get this brown sugar? It’s low-quality,” Director Luo smacked his lips, taking another sip with a frown. “Next time, have Yu Wei come to my house and pick up some better sugar. Look at what you’ve been using.”