Gu Xingdong looked at her and chuckled, "Why aren't you talking anymore?"
Chen Lishu pursed her lips and looked at him without speaking.
Looking up at him was a bit tiring, so Gu Xingdong turned and sat on the edge of the bed. "Go ahead, what do you want?"
Chen Lishu was stunned. Wasn't that the question she was supposed to ask?
Gu Xingdong continued, "I've figured it out. You just don't have confidence in me, and you don't trust me."
Chen Lishu was a little confused. When had she not trusted him?
"You don't even care about me and Rui Rui. Isn't he our child? And what kind of person do you think I am? Let me tell you, Chen Lishu, in my heart, you are ten thousand times more important than our child in this life!"
Seeing the bulging veins on his forehead, Chen Lishu felt a little guilty. She blinked at him for a while, and after careful consideration, she felt she had indeed been a bit too much towards him. So she crouched down, moved a little closer, and said softly, "I'm sorry."
Looking at her helpless expression, Gu Xingdong's heart ached a little. He sighed, raised his hand, and hugged her, resting his chin on her head. He said gently, "We have each other, we have family, careers, and ideals. There's still a lot to do. As for anything else, I don't ask for more."
Chen Lishu's nose felt a sting, and she could no longer hold back her tears.
After a while, seeing that she had cried enough, Gu Xingdong wiped her tears. "You rest first. I'll go return the car and pick up Rui Rui."
Chen Lishu nodded in agreement. She watched Gu Xingdong tuck her in, turn off the light, and leave. Slowly, she closed her eyes.
"Dad, is Mom's illness better?" Rui Rui, upon seeing Gu Xingdong, scrambled off the stool and ran to him, asking with concern.
Gu Xingdong touched his little head and smiled, "She's fine. Mom just ate too much and had an upset stomach. She took medicine and is already asleep."
Hearing that Chen Lishu was alright, Rui Rui's little face immediately showed a look of relief.
Zhao Guiying smiled, "This child has been worried about his sister-in-law. His little face has been tense since he got here. Now that she's fine, he finally has a smile on his face again."
"Sorry to trouble you, Sister-in-law," Gu Xingdong said, thanking her. He then took Rui Rui's hand and headed home.
The next day, Chen Lishu was woken up by the aroma of food. She opened her eyes to find that the sky was just beginning to lighten.
"You're awake? How are you feeling? Does your stomach still hurt?"
Chen Lishu shook her head. "It doesn't hurt much anymore."
Gu Xingdong was relieved. While putting on his clothes, he instructed, "I made shredded meat congee in the pot. You didn't eat last night, so remember to eat it before taking your medicine. I'll try to get food from the食堂 at noon."
"It's alright. You don't need to make the trip back and forth. I'm much better now. After resting for another morning, I'll be fine."
Gu Xingdong nodded, quickly fastened the last button of his shirt, and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Okay, then I'll be going first."
Watching Gu Xingdong leave, Chen Lishu got out of bed and peeked into the next room. She found Rui Rui and 'Da Wang' sleeping soundly, their limbs splayed out and the quilt kicked to the foot of the bed. She went over and covered him with the quilt, then turned back to get some more sleep.
When she woke up again, the sky was bright. She put on her clothes and went out of the room. She found that Rui Rui had already woken up at some point. His neatly folded quilt lay askew on the bed, and he was sitting by the bed, playing with marbles in his hand. Seeing Chen Lishu appear at the door, his eyes lit up. He flipped off the bed and ran a few steps towards her, tilting his little head up. "Mom, does your stomach still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Chen Lishu patted his little head. "Let's go. We'll wash up and have breakfast."
After breakfast, Chen Lishu was washing the dishes when there was a sudden knock on the door. Rui Rui, hearing the sound, hurried to open it.
"You must be Rui Rui, right? You're so handsome." Lin Xiaoyue placed Wu Yan, whom she was holding, on the ground. As soon as the little boy entered, his eyes fixed curiously on Rui Rui. The moment his feet touched the ground, he immediately stumbled towards him.
While holding onto something with one hand, he giggled happily at Rui Rui.
"This is your younger brother, Wu Yan. He wants to say hello to you." Chen Lishu came out of the kitchen and saw Rui Rui with a stern little face, constantly backing away. She smiled and introduced him.
"This is the first time I've seen Wu Yan like another child so much." Lin Xiaoyue, afraid Wu Yan would fall, held him by his armpits and then placed him by the wall so he could support himself.
With something to hold onto, Wu Yan moved quickly, calling out a few times towards Rui Rui before beginning to look around the rooms.
"Sister-in-law, you've lost so much weight," Chen Lishu said to Lin Xiaoyue as they sat down.
Chen Lishu had been busy and hadn't had time to visit the Wu family during this period. However, she had heard about Lin Xiaohui's situation. Some people were stubborn and ultimately harmed themselves and others.
Lin Xiaoyue sighed, "How can I not lose weight when I have a family member to worry about? Everyone else thinks Xiaohui married a city dweller, but I'm the only one who can't let go of this feeling."
Especially with Lin Xiaohui's fake pregnancy, and now that she was married and the kindergarten was on holiday, she basically didn't come back. Lin Xiaoyue didn't know her situation, which made her even more angry, anxious, and worried.
"Life has to be lived on its own. Sister-in-law, you should try to relax."
"Sigh." Although she said she wouldn't interfere, they were still sisters after all. Lin Xiaoyue sighed. Thinking of the purpose of her visit, she asked, "I heard early on that you were sick, so I came to see you. Are you feeling better?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "I just ate some frozen pears and frozen persimmons yesterday and got an upset stomach. I'm fine now."
Lin Xiaoyue was relieved. "It's good that you're fine."
Not wanting to disturb Chen Lishu for too long, Lin Xiaoyue prepared to leave with Wu Yan after a short stay. Who knew that the little guy, seeing Rui Rui as a playmate, was so excited that he refused to leave, babbling all the while. Finally, Lin Xiaoyue had to pat his bottom a couple of times before he finally quieted down.
After taking her medicine at noon, mother and son took a nap together. In the afternoon, Chen Lishu felt much better. She brought Rui Rui to knead dough, and mother and son began steaming buns and flower rolls together.
Because of her illness, Chen Lishu stayed at home obediently for the next few days, not going anywhere. Besides reading and doing housework, she occasionally taught Rui Rui to read and recognize characters.
The little fellow was very smart and learned things quickly. Before long, he recognized quite a few new characters and could even count to one hundred.
Time flew by, and it was now Lunar New Year's Eve. Chen Lishu specially prepared four dishes. When they ate dumplings, Chen Lishu picked out the first dumpling and found the coin inside.
"Let me get some good luck too," Gu Xingdong said with a smile, grabbing Chen Lishu's hand and kissing it.
Chen Lishu was caught off guard. Before she could speak, Rui Rui also ran over, took her other hand, and kissed it with a "smack." Then, he looked up at Chen Lishu happily. "I want to get some good luck too."
The couple looked at his amusing little expression, exchanged glances, and couldn't help but laugh.
After the Lantern Festival, the New Year was essentially over. With the school year starting in a few days, finding a place to rent near the school should be put on the agenda.