Bai Yichen didn’t say much. After packing up breakfast, he headed straight to the Provincial Hospital. Upon arrival, Bai Yichen first delivered the breakfast to Chen Hongyan.

Chen Hongyan lay on the bed, her body almost fully recovered. When she saw her son-in-law bringing breakfast, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes. Then, with a warm smile, she asked,

“What’s this, Yichen? Haven’t gone to work yet today?”

On usual days, this son-in-law would have already been at work. It was usually Anyang or Anxin, her two daughters, who brought her breakfast.

She would never let her son-in-law, a grown man, stay and take care of her.

Bai Yichen’s expression remained calm. Sitting on the chair next to the bed, he handed the breakfast to Chen Hongyan and said in a soft tone,

“I’m on a break today, so I came to bring you breakfast.”

Chen Hongyan took the breakfast with a look of realization.

“Oh, I see!”

She knew that even people with secure government jobs occasionally got days off.

When she opened the lunchbox, the fragrant aroma of rice porridge wafted out, accompanied by the crispy smell of fried dough sticks and the sight of two perfectly peeled boiled eggs. Her expression flickered slightly, but before she could say anything, Bai Yichen spoke gently.

“Mom, try it and see if it suits your taste. Since I’m off today, I made breakfast myself. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I brought a bit of everything.”

Anxin was still in the neighboring ward, so naturally, he couldn’t tell Chen Hongyan about her current condition. If Chen Hongyan got worried, she might tear out her IV drip and rush over to Anxin’s ward, which would be disastrous.

The corners of Chen Hongyan’s lips curved into a smile. She lowered her head to take a sip of the porridge, followed by a bite of the fried dough stick. The rich flavors burst across her palate, and she couldn’t help but praise,

“Wow, this is really good! I didn’t expect Yichen to have such skills in the kitchen.”

She had thought Bai Yichen, a man with a stable government job, would be the type who just sat back and let others serve him. Who would have guessed he could cook? Her daughter Anxin was truly lucky.

Bai Yichen looked warmly at the smile on Chen Hongyan’s face and the satisfaction in her eyes. Softly, he said,

“If you like it, Mom, then please eat more.”

“Alright…”

Chen Hongyan nodded and lowered her head to enjoy her breakfast in earnest. Bai Yichen quietly sat by her side. After she finished eating, he cleaned up the dishes and said,

“Mom, get some rest. I might take Anxin out to handle some matters today. Anyang will bring you lunch at noon, and Anxin and I will visit again in the evening.”

Having taken care of his mother-in-law, Bai Yichen now had to attend to his wife. Since Anxin was running a fever, she couldn’t go out to drive the truck, nor could she visit Chen Hongyan.

As the saying goes, mothers and daughters are connected at heart. If Chen Hongyan found out Anxin was sick, it would only make her worry more. The best solution was to let Anxin rest in the hospital until the evening. By then, her condition would have improved, and he could bring her to visit Chen Hongyan.

Chen Hongyan, full of joy, looked at her son-in-law with increasing fondness. Her words were filled with cheer as she said,

“Yes, young people like you should go out and get things done. I’m just an old woman stuck in the hospital; it’s nothing. There are nurses and doctors here, after all.”

Since her surgery, she had already stayed in the hospital for many days. If it weren’t for the doctor and Anxin insisting she stay for further observation, she would have long packed her things and returned to the village.

Of course, during Anxin’s absence, Chen Hongyan had once asked Anyang to pack up so they could all return to the village. Unexpectedly, Anyang told her,

“My sister said your illness involved surgery. If you don’t recover properly in the hospital and leave before the doctor says you can, you might tear your wound. It’ll be much harder to heal then.”

“What? My illness is that serious? Surgery is truly scary!”

These words successfully frightened Chen Hongyan into staying put in her hospital bed.

Later, Anyang shared this incident with Anxin, who couldn’t help but be relieved that she had instructed Anyang to exaggerate the situation. For someone like her mother, a rural woman, the fear factor was the most effective deterrent.

Sure enough, a little scare solved everything, and Chen Hongyan stayed peacefully in the hospital until now.

Of course, Bai Yichen was unaware of these minor incidents, and Anxin didn’t tell him either. Everyone had their own responsibilities, and it wasn’t worth troubling him with trivial matters.

When Anxin woke up, the room was already filled with daylight. The ward was quiet, with only the occasional sound of hurried footsteps from nurses and doctors in the hallway.

Anxin blinked her eyes, taking in the white surroundings and the faint smell of disinfectant in the air. She finally confirmed that she was in the hospital.

Her fever had subsided, but perhaps due to the high fever last night, her body still felt terribly weak and sore. Struggling to sit up, she realized her body was limp and devoid of strength.

Now she understood: last night wasn’t a dream. She had dreamed of Bai Yichen carrying her in a panic, quickly dressing her, hoisting her onto his back, and rushing through the dim streets of the provincial city under the night sky.

So that must have been when her body showed signs of discomfort, prompting Bai Yichen to hurry her to the hospital.

As Bai Yichen entered the room with breakfast, he happened to see Anxin awake and struggling to sit up. Perhaps because she had just woken up, she tried several times but couldn’t manage to get up. This strong and determined girl couldn’t even sit up now.

The man quickly strode over, set down the breakfast, and gently helped her up. Using just the right amount of strength, he lifted her so she could lean comfortably against the headboard.

As soon as Anxin was settled, she looked into Bai Yichen’s dark, intense eyes. Before he could say anything, she hurriedly asked,

“What’s wrong with me?”

She vaguely remembered feeling unwell, which explained why she was now lying in a hospital bed.

Bai Yichen pulled up a chair and sat by the bed. Slowly opening the food container, he stirred the rice porridge with a spoon, letting its steam fill the air and release its unique aroma. Only then did he reply calmly,

“It’s nothing. You just had a high fever in the middle of the night, so I brought you to the hospital for an IV. You’re fine now.”

Before coming to see Anxin, Bai Yichen had already consulted her attending doctor from the previous night. The doctor had explained her condition, saying the fever had subsided but that she was still weak and might have recurring symptoms. He advised keeping her in the hospital for another day or two for observation.

Still confused about her sudden fever, Anxin muttered to herself,

“Why would I get a fever out of nowhere?”