Chapter 35.1

By mid-March, the weather had drastically changed between day and night. During the day, when the sun was out, you only needed a sweater, but at night, a cotton jacket was still necessary.

An An could now turn over freely. After Li Xiao left, Jiang Rou had been sleeping with her at night. It wasn’t clear if it was due to excessive turning during the day, but she would still toss and turn in bed at night, often ending up outside the covers.

An An could even sit up on her own now. One night, after waking up by herself, she somehow managed to sit next to Jiang Rou’s pillow, pulling at her mother’s hair playfully.

This startled Jiang Rou awake.

However, due to the large temperature difference between day and night, An An had a fever one night, possibly from accidentally catching a chill.

Fortunately, Jiang Rou had developed the habit of checking on An An frequently at night. When she touched the girl’s forehead, she woke up immediately.

Jiang Rou turned on the light and found that her fever seemed quite serious; An An’s little face was flushed red. Although they had medicine at home, Jiang Rou didn’t dare to give it to her because she was still too young.

She quickly got a cloth, dampened it with warm water, and wiped An An’s hands and armpits.

Li Xin, who was in the small room, also woke up upon hearing the noise and came over to check.

Jiang Rou had already dressed An An and explained, “An An has a fever. I’m taking her to the hospital.”

Li Xin nodded and went back to her room to change without saying a word.

Being cautious by nature, Li Xin also took a pair of scissors with her after changing clothes.

Jiang Rou took some money, wrapped An An in a small blanket, and held her close. An An seemed to sense something was wrong and nuzzled into Jiang Rou’s chest, making uncomfortable little noises.

Jiang Rou used the damp cloth to wipe An An’s forehead and spoke softly, “An An, be good. Just hold on a little longer; we’re almost at the hospital.”

They headed to the county hospital with An An in Jiang Rou’s arms.

At that late hour, there weren’t many people on duty at the hospital.

Upon arrival, Li Xin went to register while Jiang Rou took An An to the children’s emergency department on the third floor.

Upon reaching the Children’s Emergency Department, they saw other people there—a parent was administering IV fluids to a four- or five-year-old boy in the hallway, while another parent was standing by the door, waiting with a child on their back.

Jiang Rou also carried An An over.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Jiang Rou finally took An An inside. The doctor took a thermometer, and Jiang Rou lowered An An’s clothes to place it in her armpit. The thermometer was a bit cold, making An An squirm uncomfortably. Jiang Rou gently patted her back, soothing her, “Just hold on for a moment; it will be over soon.”

An An opened her eyes sleepily, looked at Jiang Rou, then buried her face in her mother’s neck, closing her eyes without moving.

After a while, the doctor checked the thermometer and found An An’s temperature had reached 38.8°C.

The doctor instructed the nurse to bring a basin of warm water and used Jiang Rou’s cloth to wipe An An’s palms, soles, armpits, groin, and neck.

He then prescribed some fever medicine and told Jiang Rou to get it from the pharmacy downstairs.

Jiang Rou handed the prescription and money to Li Xin, who asked for directions and ran downstairs. After a short while, she returned with two boxes of medicine.

The doctor mixed half of the medicine with warm water and used a small spoon to have Jiang Rou feed it to An An.

Jiang Rou found a place to sit in the room and began feeding the medicine to An An. An An’s face was flushed, but she didn’t cry or fuss. 

When Jiang Rou offered the spoon, she obediently opened her mouth. After two sips, the taste must have been unpleasant, as her little brows furrowed tightly.

However, when Jiang Rou offered more, she still opened her mouth and drank it, though she looked a bit pitiful, gazing at Jiang Rou with pleading eyes.

Seeing this, Jiang Rou felt a pang of discomfort and kissed An An’s forehead, saying, “An An, you’re doing great. You need to drink this to get better.”

An An seemed to understand and, unlike her usual hesitance, took one sip after another.

After finishing the medicine, Jiang Rou carried An An to the bench in the corridor. Li Xin held the basin and continued wetting the towel to wipe An An’s palms, neck, and forehead.

The medicine must have taken effect, and soon after, An An’s eyes began to droop.

Jiang Rou suggested to Li Xin that she rest for a bit, but she shook her head, saying she wasn’t tired.

Jiang Rou looked at her with gratitude. She had asked Li Xiao to find Li Xin before because she didn’t want her to go astray at such a young age without expecting anything in return. But since Li Xiao had left, Li Xin had taken on part of the family responsibilities and helped her a great deal.

Tonight was no different. Without Li Xin’s presence, Jiang Rou truly wasn’t sure if she could have remained as composed as she was now.

She had never been an older sister and didn’t know how to be a good one, but at this moment, she suddenly felt that she had more ties in this world. Not only did she have a husband and child, but she also had a considerate younger sister.

Jiang Rou reached out and gently touched Li Xin’s head, whispering, “Close your eyes for a while. I’ll sleep later.”

Li Xin found the gesture comforting and enjoyed being close to her sister—a feeling she had never experienced before.

She glanced at An An, who was sleeping soundly, then looked at Jiang Rou’s gentle face and hummed softly in agreement.

She tilted her head carefully and rested it on Jiang Rou’s shoulder. Before closing her eyes, she reminded her, “Sister, remember to wake me up.”

“Yes, I will,” Jiang Rou replied.

Li Xin slept for two hours, though Jiang Rou did not wake her. 

After the two hours, An An’s fever had subsided considerably; she was no longer as hot to the touch as before.

Jiang Rou breathed a sigh of relief, took the child to see the doctor again, and checked her temperature, which had dropped to 38.3°C. The doctor advised Jiang Rou to give the child two more doses of medicine and to ensure she drank plenty of water over the next couple of days. If the fever returned the following night, she should wipe the child’s body with warm water.

Jiang Rou carefully noted the instructions, thanked the doctor, and then left with the child.

Li Xin followed behind, holding the medicine in her hand.

They had barely taken a few steps out of the door when two figures hurriedly approached from the end of the corridor, accompanied by a child’s cry and a woman’s quarrels.

One of the voices was particularly familiar. Lin Meiru was cursing loudly, “Bullying such a small child—are you even human? It’s true what they say: ‘Like mother, like son.’ If something happens to my dear grandson, don’t think I’ll let you off the hook! ”

A woman in her thirties next to her retorted with a scowl, “Aren’t you the one who was supposed to be watching? If something went wrong, isn’t it just my son’s fault? He’s still so young. If you had been watching properly, this wouldn’t have happened! ”

Lin Meiru’s voice instantly rose in anger. “Oh, you’re blaming me now. If you hadn’t been staying in our house, would my grandson have gone through all this? Whose married daughter lives with her husband in her mother’s house? Are you looking for a son-in-law? Everything in the He family belongs to your brother. What are you doing back here?”

“You…” He Wenying was too furious to speak.

Lin Meiru, feeling victorious, lifted her chin arrogantly and let out a huff through her nose.

She seemed more pleased with seeing He Wenying at a disadvantage than concerned about her grandson’s injury.

The child in her arms cried even louder, disturbing Jiang Rou’s baby, who began to stir and whimper.

Jiang Rou looked up coldly.

At that moment, Lin Meiru, who was looking for the emergency room, met Jiang Rou’s gaze directly.

Upon seeing her, Lin Meiru frowned and quickly approached; her tone was sharp. “What are you doing here? ”

Her eyes subconsciously glanced at An An in Jiang Rou’s arms and noticed An An’s flushed cheeks from sleep, along with her red and dry mouth, clear signs of a fever.

Her displeasure was evident as she continued, “I heard Li Xiao has left. How are you taking care of the child? It’s the middle of the night, and you’re at the hospital. An An looks like she’s lost weight.”

He Wenying, standing nearby, had been observing Jiang Rou. She had seen her briefly during the Chinese New Year but hadn’t paid much attention. Now, she realized that Li Xiao’s wife was quite pretty. Her skin was fair and clean, and her delicate features fit perfectly on her small face. She was far more attractive than her troublesome sister-in-law at home.

After hearing Lin Meiru’s words, He Wenying glanced at the child in her own arms and immediately felt that Lin Meiru was exaggerating. How could An An be thinner? She was clearly well-nourished, with chubby cheeks that showed she was being well cared for. 

Even though both were babies, the child in Lin Meiru’s arms looked like he had been picked up from somewhere—thin and ugly, almost unrecognizable as a member of the He family.

Jiang Rou, having stayed up all night and feeling anxious and worried, was already in a foul mood. Lin Meiru’s accusations only made it worse.

Glaring at the thin, dark baby in Lin Meiru’s arms, Jiang Rou’s tone grew harsh as she snapped back, “What right do you have to say that? Have you ever taken care of An An for even one day? You’ve remarried and yet still meddle in our affairs?”

Without giving her another glance, Jiang Rou turned and walked away.

“You…”

This time it was Lin Meiru who found herself speechless—too angry to form a retort. Jiang Rou’s words had struck a nerve, especially with the mention of her remarriage, which always hit a sore spot.

It was as if Jiang Rou was calling her out for being so frivolous.

He Wenying, standing next to her, sneered in satisfaction.

She thought Li Xiao’s wife had put Lin Meiru in her place perfectly.

Seeing Lin Meiru frozen in place, He Wenying mocked, “Weren’t you just worried sick? Why aren’t you leaving now?”

Lin Meiru shot her a glare and hurriedly carried her grandson to the children’s emergency room.

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