Wei Yumeng felt a sense of dread, clutching the child tightly. "What do you want?"
Zhan Mohan also stood in front of them, glaring warily at Wen Yulan. She was clearly about to lose her mind again.
She stared for a long moment, then suddenly turned and lunged at Old Master Zhan, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You old fool, why do you give all the good things to others? Why didn't you give them to my Lin'er, why?"
No one expected this outburst. Old Master Zhan, caught off guard, almost fell to the ground from her shoving.
Seeing that things were going south, Zhan Yichen immediately pulled her away and dragged her elsewhere.
Old Master Zhan took several deep breaths to recover. Angrily, he pointed his cane at the floor. "I see she's gone mad. There's nothing more to say. Go, send her to a psychiatric hospital and get her madness properly treated!"
"Grandfather..."
Zhan Yichen was reluctant. He couldn't bring himself to personally send his own mother to a psychiatric hospital.
But Old Master Zhan was adamant. "Yichen, stop pleading. If she isn't institutionalized in this state, she'll eventually cause a major disaster."
Zhan Yichen couldn't refute this. He could see that Wen Yulan's illness had reached a severe stage, and others shouldn't have to suffer her outbursts.
Zhan Mohan knew this was cruel for Zhan Yichen and interjected, "All the sanatoriums are closed right now. Let's wait until after the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. You don't have time, I'll have Fang Xun handle it."
His words were subtle, and Zhan Yichen could only nod in resignation. This was the best solution.
The Lunar New Year's Day lunch ended on an unhappy note. Wen Yulan was confined to her room, and only brought food by Zhan Yichen during mealtimes.
Zhan Lin was truly frightened by his mother's erratic behavior and rarely went near her bedroom or saw her. He spent his days hiding in his room, piecing together jigsaw puzzles. Though young, he knew his mother was seriously ill and dangerous.
According to tradition, people start returning to work after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. On the sixth day, Fang Xun cut his holiday short and began arranging hospital matters for Wen Yulan.
After she was sent away, the house was no longer filled with the sounds of smashing objects, nor the occasional crying and shouting. It was much quieter.
Zhan Yichen watched as his mother was forcibly taken away by doctors, confined to a ward, and subjected to various harsh treatments, including injections of sedatives. He could only feel heartbroken, knowing that each place had its procedures. This was how mental patients were treated.
He instructed the hospital to call him immediately if anything arose, so he could handle it. This was the only filial duty he could offer his mother.
Fang Xun stood behind him. Seeing his dejected expression, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Second Young Master, President Zhan asked me to remind you that Mu Linjing will be back tomorrow. You need to compose yourself to face her."
Zhan Corporation's official holiday ended on the eighth day of the first lunar month. Mu Linjing would arrive in Pengcheng on the seventh. She had already shared her travel plans with Zhan Yichen. This time, she was returning alone, and would bring her parents over before Wei Yumeng's wedding.
Upon hearing Fang Xun, Zhan Yichen nodded and let out a deep breath. The matters here were concluded, and he indeed needed to adjust his mood so that they wouldn't affect his relationship with Mu Linjing.
The next morning, he stood at the train station's arrival hall, holding a bouquet of flowers, waiting for Mu Linjing. They had only been apart for half a month, but he was already consumed by longing and eager to see her.
Mu Linjing felt the same urgency. As soon as she disembarked, she hurried towards the arrival hall. Seeing his tall figure holding a bouquet, she abandoned her luggage and ran into his arms.
They say a brief separation makes the heart grow fonder. The two held each other tightly, as if to dispel the longing of the past half-month.
Zhan Yichen didn't mention Wen Yulan, only asking about her family matters. They chatted all the way home. He had arranged for someone to clean Mu Linjing's house. After putting down their luggage and freshening up a bit, they planned to go out for dinner.
"Not many restaurants are open at this hour. I'll take you to where my friend works," Zhan Yichen suggested, choosing the same restaurant he had taken Zhang Yi and his wife to before. He hadn't expected to find Zhang Yi and his wife there.
Mu Linjing saw her uncle and aunt wearing cleaning uniforms, sweeping up the remaining kitchen waste. She looked confused. "Why are they here?"
The boss spread his hands helplessly. "I can't do anything. They were only held for about half a month, and they don't have the money to repay it, so I'm having them work here, and their wages will be deducted."
It was unfortunate timing, as the incident happened close to the New Year, and even civil servants needed to return home. Thus, Zhang Yi and his wife's compensation method was decided like this. The boss had no choice but to assign them to the kitchen, giving them the dirtiest and most arduous tasks for the lowest pay.
Zhan Yichen looked slightly embarrassed. He had not considered this carefully and had implicated his good friend. "How long will it take them at their current wages?"
Mu Linjing wanted to know how much peace she would have. The boss roughly calculated with a calculator. "It'll likely be about half a year."
Mu Linjing was satisfied. After all, they were her relatives, and she couldn't just let them disappear from the world. It was good to have a period of peace.
As they chatted in the restaurant, Zhang Yi, while clearing garbage, spotted Mu Linjing. He rushed over recklessly. "Mu Linjing, you still dare to show your face? You little brat, you've gotten bold enough to set us up like this! Hurry up and pay our money back!"
He was covered in dirt and reeked of garbage, causing Zhan Yichen to lean back a few steps in disgust.
Mu Linjing was used to his frantic demeanor. "You'd better watch your tone. We are guests at this establishment. If you argue with guests, your wages will be docked."
They were here to repay the meal expenses. Wage deduction was their Achilles' heel. By holding this over them, they wouldn't dare to act out. Zhang Yi was most afraid of this and immediately became timid.
Liu Xin came out and apologized to them. "We're sorry, boss. We were impulsive. Linjing, no matter what, we are relatives. We were wrong before, and we know it. Can you please let it go?"