Chapter 16: Discharge from the Hospital

The two of them ate quietly when suddenly, the sound of crying came from the bed. The third baby rubbed their eyes awake and, not seeing their mother, pouted and began to cry loudly, waking up the older siblings on the other bed— the first and second children.

Jiang Banyue hurriedly set down her chopsticks and rushed to the bed to pick up the third baby.

“Good baby, Mama’s here.”

When the second child saw their mother approaching, they also stretched out their arms wanting to be held. The first child patted them to calm them down, but the second child pushed them away and cried out for their mother. Jiang Banyue, helpless, could only hold the third baby with one arm, trying to free her other hand to hold the second child. However, the second child was already picked up by Gu Qingci.

M Jiang Banyue opened her mouth, about to thank him, but then thought of something and closed her mouth again.

Gu Qingci held the second child in his arms, soothing him with a gentle voice. The second child was crying uncontrollably, reaching out for his mother. Gu Qingci walked with the second child over to the window, pointing at the car outside.

“Baby, look, there’s a car outside. Do you want to sit in it? Uncle will take you for a ride, okay?”

The second child sniffed, stopping the tears and, with tear-filled eyes that seemed ready to fall, pointed outside and started calling out.

“You want to play outside? Alright, Uncle will take you there.”

Gu Qingci turned and looked at Jiang Banyue, still holding the second child.

“I’ll take him out to play for a while.”

Jiang Banyue felt embarrassed. It seemed like she had been troubling Gu Qingci constantly.

“I’m sorry for troubling you so much.”

“It’s nothing, no need to be polite with me.” Gu Qingci gently placed the second child down to put on his clothes.

“Big baby, do you want to go with Uncle to play outside too?”

Jiang Huaiyin nodded eagerly, happy to agree. He wanted his mom and little sister to have some quiet time to rest.

Gu Qingci smiled and patted the eldest child’s head. He always thought the eldest was too good, so smart and understanding.

After dressing both children, he casually grabbed two bags of milk and carried them outside for a walk.

Jiang Banyue, holding the third baby, stared blankly at his retreating figure, feeling somewhat lost. She sighed softly, gently patting, and soothing the baby in her arms.

The third baby fell asleep again in her embrace. Jiang Banyue walked out of the hospital room and, using the phone at the front desk, called her parents.

“Hello?” Jiang’s father’s voice came through the receiver. Hearing her father’s voice, Jiang Banyue nearly broke into tears from the sense of helplessness.

“Dad, the third baby is sick. She had a high fever last night. We’re at the hospital now…”

“What?!” Jiang’s father exclaimed loudly, startling Jiang’s mother, who was cooking in the kitchen.

“What happened?” Jiang’s mother walked over with a spoon in hand.

“Banban, don’t panic. Your mom and I are on our way over now!”

Jiang’s mother, feeling anxious, asked, “What happened to Banban? Why aren’t you telling me?”

“The third baby is sick. They’re at the hospital. We need to get there quickly. I don’t know how they got through the night,” Jiang’s father replied.

“Oh my poor baby!” Jiang’s mother rushed into the kitchen, turned off the stove, took off her apron, and muttered to herself.

“Your father’s out for a walk, and he hasn’t returned yet. I’ll leave him a note.”

Jiang’s parents hurried to the hospital. As soon as they entered, they saw Jiang Banyue sitting on the bed, holding the baby.

“Baby, my precious grandchild!” Jiang’s mother exclaimed as she took the third baby into her arms.

“Dad, Mom…” Jiang Banyue felt a sense of relief seeing her parents. With them around, she finally felt a sense of stability.

“Where are the eldest and second children?”

“They…” Jiang Banyue hadn’t finished her sentence when Gu Qingci returned to the hospital room, carrying both children. Jiang’s father and mother exchanged a puzzled glance as they saw their grandchildren being carried by a stranger.

“Who are you?” Jiang’s father asked as he took the children from Gu Qingci and scrutinized him. Jiang Banyue quickly rushed forward to explain.

“Dad, Mom, this is my friend, Gu Qingci. Last night, thanks to him, he brought me and the kids to the hospital.”

Gu Qingci smiled and greeted them.

“Uncle, Aunt, hello. My name is Gu Qingci.”

Jiang’s mother quickly recovered from her surprise and smiled, inviting him inside.

“Gu, how long have you known Banban?”

“About a month,” Gu Qingci answered, feeling a bit nervous seeing Jiang’s parents for the first time, but his outward demeanor remained calm.

“Gu, are you married?” Jiang’s mother asked with a knowing look, clearly trying to gauge if he had any interest in her daughter. Judging by the way Banban looked at him, it seemed obvious.

“Cough! Mom! Why are you asking this?” Jiang Banyue was so embarrassed by her mother’s question that she choked and put down her cup. She walked up to Gu Qingci to apologize.

“Sorry, my mom can be blunt. Don’t take it to heart.”

Gu Qingci chuckled lightly. “No worries.” He turned to Jiang’s mother. “Aunt, I’m not married, I’m currently single.”

“Ah, you’re single? So do you have plans to get married?”

Jiang’s mother grinned widely, obviously liking him more and more.

Gu Qingci smiled, glancing at the embarrassed Jiang Banyue, who was covering her face. She looked so cute.

“If I meet someone I like, I’d consider marriage.”

Jiang’s mother pulled Gu Qingci to sit on a chair and happily started chatting with him. Gu Qingci, keen to please her, engaged in the conversation, and they kept talking and laughing. Jiang’s mother kept digging into Jiang Banyue’s past, revealing all sorts of amusing stories, and Gu Qingci listened with great interest, a pleasant smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Jiang Banyue and Jiang’s father were trying to comfort the children, occasionally glancing over at them.

Jiang’s father lowered his head and muttered to his daughter, “Look at your mom, she’s so happy. She was never this joyful when she married me.”

The thought of her mother’s intentions made Jiang Banyue feel so embarrassed that her ears turned red. She almost wanted to bury herself in a hole. Gu Qingci clearly looked like a high-quality, single man with great potential, and her mother was shamelessly trying to push her daughter, a divorcee with children, onto him.

Jiang Banyue endured the awkwardness for a while but couldn’t take it anymore. She walked up and handed the child to her mother.

“Mom, take the baby. I think he wants his grandma.”

“Oh, really? My precious grandchild wants grandma!” Jiang’s mother happily took the second child and walked away to comfort him.

Gu Qingci cleared his throat lightly, smiling, as he noticed Jiang Banyue’s discomfort.

Jiang Banyue awkwardly stood in front of him. Her mother’s thorough digging into her past was mortifying. She felt embarrassed to face anyone.

“Um, thank you. I’m sorry for troubling you so much. My parents are here, so you should go back and rest.”

“Banban is so quick to cross the bridge after it’s been built.” Gu Qingci teased her with a smile.

“I’m not… I didn’t mean it like that… I…” Jiang Banyue stammered, flustered, but at that moment, the doctor came in for rounds, so Jiang Banyue quickly went to stand by the third child’s side. After the doctor’s examination, he addressed everyone:

“The child’s fever has subsided, and there’s nothing serious. Just take some medicine, and she’ll be fine.”

“That’s great!” Jiang’s mother exclaimed, holding the third child affectionately.

“Baby, you’re amazing.”

Jiang Banyue asked the doctor, “Doctor, can we go ahead with the discharge?”

“Yes!”

“Good.” Jiang Banyue turned to her parents. “Dad, Mom, pack your things. I’ll go to the window to handle the discharge.”

“Okay.” Jiang’s father put the child down and started packing up the things on the bed. Gu Qingci went over and picked up the two children.

“My car is downstairs. I’ll take you home!”

“Oh, Gu, you’re too much trouble!” Jiang’s mother felt a bit guilty, not knowing how to thank him for driving them and taking care of the kids.

“It’s nothing, Aunt. You don’t need to be so polite,” Gu Qingci reassured her.

When Jiang Banyue returned after handling the discharge procedures, she found that all the things were packed. Gu Qingci was holding the luggage with one hand and carrying the children with the other. Jiang’s father and mother were each holding a child.

Jiang Banyue walked over to take the eldest child from Gu Qingci, and Gu Qingci walked out with the luggage.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

Jiang Banyue wanted to thank him, but Gu Qingci stopped her before she could speak.

“If you want to thank me, just forget it.” He moved past her and went to the parents to guide them to the car.

Jiang’s parents sat in the backseat with the children, while Jiang Banyue sat in the front with the eldest child. Jiang’s mother was happily chatting with Gu Qingci, while Jiang’s father and Jiang Banyue sat silently.

The car stopped at the door of their house, and Gu Qingci got out, opened the door, and took the eldest child from Jiang Banyue’s arms.

“You go open the door.”

“Okay.” Jiang Banyue took the keys to unlock the door. Gu Qingci, holding the child, noticed the child’s gaze fixed on something across the street. The child seemed to recognize a familiar gaze.

Across the street, there was a military jeep. Inside, Shen Yunhe was staring at Jiang Banyue, his eyes slightly red, holding a half-smoked cigarette. The car reeked of smoke.

He had arrived around 3 AM but couldn’t get tickets for the closest dates. He couldn’t wait any longer and had driven back immediately. Now, he had been waiting there, only to see her get out of a man’s car. The child in that man’s arms kept looking over here, and his face looked so similar to his—he was clearly his son.

That was his child, the child he had with Jiang Banyue.