"Alright, alright, stop crying, and you stop being angry. She's just a child, she doesn't understand. If she doesn't want you to hold her, you can rest for a while."
"She's not heavy anyway, I can hold her to complete the procedures."
This ungrateful white-eyed wolf!
Since she likes being a Lu family descendant so much, let her be!
Xiang Wan sulked and sat back down in her chair.
Lu Mingzhe patted Nian Nian again, whispered in her ear to coax her until she stopped crying, then held her small hand to wave goodbye to Xiang Wan.
"We have to separate from Mommy for a while, goodbye Mommy."
"Say, I'll miss you, we'll be back soon, don't be angry."
Nian Nian, in a proper manner, babbled and waved with Lu Mingzhe.
Looking at her innocent yet infuriating expression, Xiang Wan felt both amused and annoyed.
This child changes her mood quickly and is very friendly. She'll probably grow up to be a troublesome troublemaker.
With his daughter's company, Lu Mingzhe found the process of moving between departments exceptionally interesting.
After an unknown amount of time, they returned, and Grandma had already been wheeled out of the emergency room.
The doctor was speaking to Xiang Wan by the bedside. Upon seeing Lu Mingzhe enter, he repeated the information to him.
"Cerebellar infarction complicated with stroke. After waking up, she may have sequelae such as facial paralysis and limb incoordination."
"This type of illness is very common in middle-aged and elderly people over 40. Moreover, because the medical attention was not timely, the sequelae are almost irreversible. The family should be mentally prepared."
Hearing the word "stroke," Xiang Wan's heart sank instantly.
When she was young, she had seen two neighbors on the street who had suffered strokes.
Every day, they sat in wheelchairs with crooked mouths, their hands deformed, staring blankly day after day, waiting to die.
The slightly better ones could walk with a limp, but their speech was unclear.
She never expected that such a thing would happen to her grandmother one day.
Looking at her grandmother's white hair and frail body, and thinking that she had never allowed her to enjoy a single day of comfort, but instead had been a burden to her, Xiang Wan's nose stung.
After the doctor finished speaking, Lu Mingzhe couldn't help but ask about the cause of the illness.
"Generally, it's due to aging, where cerebral blood vessels become thin and narrow, leading to blockage and infarction."
"Most male patients develop this due to long-term smoking and drinking, irregular sleep, and poor lifestyle habits."
"However, since the old lady doesn't smoke or drink, it might be due to excessive fatigue recently. Although she has poor sleep due to her age, the body's basic sleep must be guaranteed. Think about it, she's almost 80 years old and stays up late every day. What can happen if this continues for a long time?"
Lu Mingzhe felt ashamed.
It must be because she had been helping to take care of the child every day that she couldn't sleep well.
The doctor then instructed them to take her for further examinations in other departments after she woke up and left the ward.
For the first time in front of Lu Mingzhe, Xiang Wan shed large tears.
Drip, drip, drop by drop. Although her back was to him, they flowed so profusely that she couldn't stop them.
Lu Mingzhe saw her clearly from the side.
Lu Mingzhe knew how important Grandma was to Xiang Wan.
He bore an undeniable responsibility for her current situation, and he felt deeply ashamed.
He wanted to apologize to Xiang Wan again for their breakup, but then he thought that she was certainly not in the mood to listen now, so he decided against it.
Xiang Wan cried silently for a while, her slender shoulders still trembling, as if she hadn't stopped.
Lu Mingzhe really wanted to comfort her and hold her. He held back his urge several times before stepping forward.
He shifted his daughter to his left arm, placed his right hand on the back of her head, and pressed her head onto his shoulder.
The familiar feeling came, as if they had returned to Nancheng instantly, and both of them were startled.
Lu Mingzhe felt a sense of satisfaction and numbness throughout his body. It wasn't until the feeling slowly subsided that he had the strength to speak to Xiang Wan.
When he spoke, his voice was as gentle as water.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here. I'll always be here, and Grandma will be fine."
Xiang Wan leaned on his shoulder, feeling the strength of his arm on her head and his warmth against her heart.
With their beloved daughter beside them, the past actions of Lu Mingzhe, and whether he had a new wife at home, suddenly seemed less important.
She was only enjoying this moment.
When she needed comfort and warmth, there was a shoulder to lean on temporarily.
She didn't want to force herself to be strong and calm all the time.
So, she closed her eyes, nuzzled into his neck with all her might, relaxed her entire body, and gently wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Okay."
It seemed she was truly not as scared anymore.
The family of three stood in this position for several minutes until a nurse came in to check the instrument readings for Grandma, and then they separated.
"She's quite stable. Among stroke patients, all her indicators are very steady. You don't need to worry too much."
"Our ward has limited beds, and only one person can stay overnight. You have such a young child with you, and staying in the ward for too long is not good."
"It's getting late. Discuss among yourselves who will stay. The other person should go back quickly."
Xiang Wan had to take care of Nian Nian at night, so there was no need for discussion. Lu Mingzhe decided to stay.
But Xiang Wan disagreed.
A man taking care of an elderly woman, what if Grandma woke up and needed to use the restroom?
Besides, she hadn't told Grandma about reuniting with Lu Mingzhe yet. Grandma was full of resentment towards Lu Mingzhe. What if she got emotionally agitated after waking up...
"But the environment here is not good, and I don't want you to stay here."
Most importantly, although Lu Mingzhe liked Nian Nian and wanted to be with her all the time,
He had never had experience taking care of a child.
He had never prepared milk formula or changed diapers. If Nian Nian cried for her mother in the middle of the night, he would be completely helpless.
After much discussion, Lu Mingzhe decided to book a room at a hotel near the hospital for Xiang Wan and the child to stay in. If Grandma had any emergencies, he would call Xiang Wan, and she could come over.
Xiang Wan was indeed worried about Lu Mingzhe taking care of Nian Nian alone, so she could only agree.
After they finished discussing, Nian Nian suddenly squirmed restlessly in Lu Mingzhe's arms.
Xiang Wan then remembered that she had been too rushed when leaving and had forgotten to bring milk formula and diapers.
She was probably about to poop.
When she went to the restroom, she found that it was indeed the case.
Now, the only diaper she had was used up, and she had to go home.
"Don't go back. It's so late, it's inconvenient and unsafe for you to take a taxi back and forth alone."
"Wait here with the child. Tell me what you need, and I'll go buy it."
Lu Mingzhe, with his sweet talk and handsome appearance, exchanged pleasantries with the nurse at the nurse's station, and she quickly told him where to find a mother and baby store nearby.
He rushed downstairs and arrived at a decent mother and baby store within ten minutes.
Seeing his attire and demeanor, it was clear that his usual spending power was extraordinary, so the sales assistant enthusiastically recommended the most expensive items to him.