Chapter 42 – The Worst Time

The next day, from the moment she opened her eyes, Xu Shiqi was waiting for Wen Jiaro’s call.

Wen Jiaro had said the plane would arrive in the morning and she would contact her as soon as she got home. They were finally going to meet, so Xu Shiqi shouldn’t go anywhere. She should keep time tight, leaving no distance between them.

Receiving this message made Xu Shiqi unable to do anything properly. Even though she was supposed to visit some relatives today, she found an excuse to decline. She prepared the hat and gloves that Wen Jiaro had bought, thinking it would make the girl even happier when she saw them.

But as time ticked away, and noon passed without a call from Wen Jiaro, Xu Shiqi started to worry.

Could it be that Wen Jiaro’s family was reluctant to let her go, making her stay a few more days? Even so, Wen Jiaro would have called to let her know. Dismissing this doubt, Xu Shiqi’s heart began to pound with anxiety. What could be delaying her return? Even if she was delayed, she would definitely notify her, unless something urgent or directly related to her had happened.

The more she thought about it, the more restless she became. Xu Shiqi paced around her room before finally sitting on the bed and nervously dialing Wen Jiaro’s number.

The phone rang for a long time before Xu Shiqi almost gave up and hung up, but then a familiar voice answered.

“Hello…”

Xu Shiqi straightened up and quickly said, “Jiaro, Wen Jiaro…”

“It’s me!” Wen Jiaro’s voice was slightly low and soothing as she repeated, “It’s me!”

“You…” Xu Shiqi heard some noise in the background, “Aren’t you back yet?”

“I’ve already returned.”

Xu Shiqi was taken aback.

“Grandma’s blood pressure suddenly spiked on the plane, so we went straight to the hospital as soon as we landed.” Wen Jiaro exhaled deeply, her voice very subdued, “Sorry I didn’t contact you immediately.”

“What?” Xu Shiqi jumped up from the bed and lowered her voice, “How did that happen?”

“Well…” Wen Jiaro seemed to move to a quieter place, as the background noise disappeared, “I might not be able to see you right now.”

“It’s okay.” Xu Shiqi hurriedly said, “Which hospital are you at?”

“…Are you coming?”

Xu Shiqi hesitated for a moment, “Is it not appropriate?”

“…No.” Wen Jiaro said, “The doctor said she needs rest. There are many people here, and we’re about to leave. But I’ll stay here. If you come… come a bit later when it’s quieter.”

“Alright.” Xu Shiqi knew how much she cared for her grandmother and gently asked, “Are you okay?”

Wen Jiaro breathed quietly for a few moments before slowly saying, “I’m okay, just… I miss you a lot.”

Those three words were said so softly, yet they wrapped around Xu Shiqi’s heart, making the waiting time even more unbearable.

As soon as she received Wen Jiaro’s message, Xu Shiqi rushed out the door, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Lu General Hospital.

It wasn’t until she reached the hospital entrance that she realized she was empty-handed, which felt inappropriate for visiting a patient. She felt a bit guilty. The grandmother had been kind to her, and she shouldn’t have been thinking only about the girl.

She bought a basket of fruits from a fruit shop outside the hospital and followed Wen Jiaro’s directions to the ward. As soon as she reached the floor, she saw Wen Jiaro standing against the wall with her head down. From the side, she looked even thinner. Hospitals always felt cold, and the corridors were even colder. The girl stood there without a coat, like a slender stone statue, which made her look pitiful.

Hearing footsteps, Wen Jiaro turned her head and saw Xu Shiqi walking towards her, holding the fruit basket with both hands, her eyes fixed on her without blinking.

Wen Jiaro walked over, took the fruit basket, and stood close to her. The familiar face under the familiar hat still showed undisguised concern.

“You dyed your hair?” Wen Jiaro reached out and lifted a few strands of her hair that were hanging in front of her chest.

“Ah… yes.” Xu Shiqi had originally planned to comfort her, but the first thing Wen Jiaro noticed was her change. She couldn’t deny that she had indeed thought of giving her a surprise when she got her hair done before the new year. A new year, a new look, starting from the hair was a good choice. She touched her own chestnut curls and nervously asked, “Do you… like it?”

“I like it.” Wen Jiaro smiled slightly, her eyes still heavy with concern. She tilted her head and said, “Hmm… more feminine.”

Xu Shiqi felt a bit hot, “Thank you. How’s grandma?”

“She’s sleeping. Let’s not disturb her. The doctor said she needs rest, so most of the family has left. I’ll stay here with her.” Wen Jiaro said, “In the future, if you want to do something, like change your hairstyle, let me be with you.”

“Okay.” Xu Shiqi quickly said, then smiled, “It took me the whole afternoon to get it done. It would be very boring.”

“No matter what, I’ll go through it with you.” Wen Jiaro held her hand tightly and, before Xu Shiqi could react to this statement, said, “Come on, let’s go in.”

This was a high-end hospital room, fully equipped, looking almost like a hotel room but with more subdued colors. It was warm as soon as they entered. The elderly woman was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, while a gentleman who was probably always in good health sat by her side.

You didn’t tell me your grandpa was here.

Xu Shiqi withdrew her hand as soon as she entered and communicated with her eyes.

Unfortunately, Wen Jiaro was a bit distracted and didn’t notice. She put the fruit basket aside.

The elderly gentleman turned his head and glanced at Xu Shiqi. Xu Shiqi stood straight and nodded slightly at him. “Happy New Year” didn’t seem appropriate in this setting, and even smiling didn’t fit. The elderly gentleman’s furrowed brows seemed capable of crushing flies.

The gentleman recognized her and didn’t expect the girl to get the news and come to the hospital so quickly. He also nodded slightly before turning his attention back to the elderly woman on the bed.

The Wen family usually gathered for the New Year. But this year, the elderly couple had gone back to their roots for the New Year, so the brothers had their first separate New Year celebrations. The eldest son and his wife were attending an academic seminar abroad; the second family stayed at the old house; and the third couple remained in the province.

Everyone knew they were coming back today, so they all waited at the old house, only to receive the news that the grandmother was nearly unconscious on the plane, causing a great deal of alarm.

Luckily, the hospital had been notified before she got off the plane, and a group of experts arrived at the tarmac with an ambulance, ready to start the rescue. Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. The grandmother usually didn’t have high blood pressure, nor had she had any problems on previous flights. It seemed to be a sudden reaction to the high-altitude pressure change. Fortunately, she recovered quickly, and the tests showed no other complications.

When the grandmother woke up in the hospital, she looked around at the people in the room and asked where Wen Xu was.

The eldest son quickly said Wen Xu was still out of town. He had found a bar he liked and was eager to take over, and was already on his way back.

Without her grandson, the grandmother seemed relieved but also more tired. She just waved her hand and closed her eyes, refusing to speak further. The elderly man understood and sent the circle of sons and daughters-in-law home. The grandmother, with her eyes open, looked only at her granddaughter, who naturally couldn’t leave. She had been sitting next to her grandmother on the plane, and the grandmother’s sudden blood pressure spike could only be explained by the high-altitude pressure. Only she knew what had happened at that moment.

The adults, relieved that the grandmother was awake, wanted to ask Wen Jiaro about the situation, but the elderly man had already sent them home.

The grandmother, who had been sleeping peacefully, suddenly frowned uneasily and slowly opened her eyes. Seeing her granddaughter with the fruit basket, she seemed startled, and her whole body hurt. She looked away from her granddaughter and saw her husband.

“Old man, you should go home too. Jiaro will stay.”

The elderly gentleman frowned even more, “What, do you have something to say that you can’t say in front of me?”

The grandmother glared at him weakly, “Do you want my blood pressure to go up again?”

These words worked. The elderly gentleman pursed his lips, glanced at his granddaughter standing obediently by the side, and said, “Take good care of your grandmother, understood?”

“Understood,” Wen Jialuo nodded. “You should go home and rest.”

As the old man passed by Xu Shiqi, her heart almost stopped. Everything in front of her was crystal clear, and she suddenly realized that the only people left in the hospital room were the old lady, herself, and Wen Jialuo.

What was this situation? The old lady hadn’t mentioned her name—had she not noticed her standing there, or had she intentionally left her there? And why? Xu Shiqi’s mind flashed back to the words Wen Jialuo had said earlier.

Indeed, Wen Jialuo and the others had flown back as well, and there had been no mention of the old lady feeling unwell. So why had she suddenly developed high blood pressure? Was she shocked by something, leading to this situation? And what could that be…

Xu Shiqi looked at Wen Jialuo with pale lips. The girl’s face had already become calmly indifferent, as if she had anticipated what was to come.

“Hey, Xu girl, when did you arrive?” The old lady’s voice suddenly rang out. “I must be getting old and blind, didn’t see you there.”

Xu Shiqi suppressed a gasp, realizing that in just that instant, cold sweat had broken out on her back. Her mind went blank for a moment, forgetting how to act or what to say.

“Girl?” Seeing her just standing there stupidly, the old lady had to speak to her granddaughter. “It’s New Year’s, why did you tell her to come to the hospital?”

Wen Jialuo also seemed to be in a daze, standing still. She had only wanted to bring Xu Shiqi for a quick visit, knowing that otherwise, she would remain anxious. She hadn’t expected her grandmother to wake up just after falling asleep. Realizing that the hospital room had been intentionally cleared to leave only the three of them, she almost thought her grandmother already knew. In that case, wasn’t it time to come clean? Her knees felt weak, and she was prepared to bear the guilt. As soon as her grandmother spoke, she was ready to kneel down, whether it meant being beaten or scolded; there was no escaping today.

She had chosen the worst timing to say the most important words, thinking there was at least a little hope. She didn’t expect her grandmother to give her such a real illusion, resulting in this situation.

Actually, before boarding the plane today, Wen Jialuo had no intention of telling her grandmother about her and Xu Shiqi.

But perhaps it was because the words were too difficult to hide and she missed that woman too much that once a small crack appeared, the floodwaters would burst out and destroy the dam.

It seemed that the crack was caused by the old lady.

In the first-class cabin, the old lady and Wen Jialuo sat together. The old man was sitting across the aisle; he had always disliked flying and would put on his headphones and sleep once on the plane.

When the plane took off with a huge roar and then quieted down, the old lady began chatting with Wen Jialuo.

“Jialuo, what are your plans after returning?”

Wen Jialuo didn’t understand: “I’ll be going back to work soon.”

“That job of yours is not very meaningful,” the old lady shook her head. “I see that you don’t really like that profession; you’re just looking for something stable to pass the time.”

The old lady guessed right, but Wen Jialuo wouldn’t admit it. “If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have worked hard to pass the exams.”

“If you like a peaceful life, why choose to live alone?” The old lady sighed. “You can probably guess what your mother told me before the trip. Parents’ hearts are always for their children; you should understand that.”

“Yes.” Wen Jialuo’s nose felt a bit sour. Hearing this in the past would have only strengthened her resolve, not wanting to drive her innocent and simple mother crazy. Now, stuck between whether to speak or not, she felt even more troubled.

Indeed, as long as there’s only one path, it doesn’t matter how dark it gets; but once there’s a fork, it leads to endless hesitation.

“Jialuo, I actually think…” The old lady suddenly spoke cautiously, “Have you fallen in love with someone recently?”

Wen Jialuo was stunned, turning to look at her in stiff movements.

The old lady thought she had guessed right and decided to probe further: “I’ve noticed you seem a bit different lately, more lively. And though you don’t say anything, you seem very eager to return, right? I haven’t seen you so attached to your phone before—are you constantly messaging someone?”

Wen Jialuo felt like she was in hot water. Her grandmother had lived through more than Wen Jialuo could imagine; with such life experience, everything she did was under the old lady’s watchful eye. Speaking was out of the question now, so how should she respond?

While she struggled, the old lady added fuel to the fire: “But if you’re not saying anything, does that mean it’s not going well? Otherwise, I’m sure you’d tell me. It’s a good thing, right? Can I guess this way?” The old lady paused, speaking softly, “I don’t know if what you said before still holds true. Sometimes I can’t tell if it was real or not. But I thought you might have liked someone you shouldn’t have, with many obstacles in your way. You felt you couldn’t overcome them, so you didn’t say anything.”

“The Wen family children are smart; you all know what to do and what not to do, what can and can’t be done. Since you denied it yourself, I had no reason to say anything more. Even if it hurt you, it was your choice. But seeing you now, it looks like you’re in love yet saying nothing. I don’t know if you’ve moved on from that old relationship or rekindled it. If it’s new love, you might be waiting for the right time to introduce them, and I’ll wait quietly for that day. But if you’re still with the same person and have reunited…”

The old lady paused, then said slowly, “I’ve changed my mind. Life is short; why make things difficult for yourself? True feelings are the hardest to come by. If you’ve already given up once, a second chance is destiny. Jialuo, if it’s what you want, go for it. Don’t worry about what others think; you need to be happy.”

“Rest assured, I’ll be your strong support.”

The old lady’s voice was gentle but firm.