Jiang Lai’s heart was filled with an overwhelming nostalgia for the life they once had as a small family.
But now, she knew very clearly that the three of them could never go back to the way things were before.
Even if she wanted to return to the past, what reason could she possibly give?
Among the three, the one who wanted to go back the most was Jiang Leyi.
In her heart, her family only felt complete when both her father and her aunt were together; important family members must never be separated.
“I wonder when the next time I’ll get to eat Auntie’s cooking will be…”
Though the dishes on the table were abundant, the taste was quite bland.
Originally, they had thought Jiang Leyi just got discharged and shouldn’t eat anything too heavy in flavor, but now Jiang Lai found herself benefitting from it as well.
“Your aunt is so busy, how could she possibly cook for you every day…”
Jiang Lai spoke instinctively, but her gaze kept drifting to Chi Yingyu.
Since they started eating, her sister-in-law had remained silent, though she was still picking at her food, eating casually, as if disinterested.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Lai slightly tilted her head and whispered to her sister-in-law, who looked at her as if awakening from a dream, slowly meeting her gaze.
“I was just thinking… what are you two patients going to do these days?”
Jiang Lai understood very well that in her current state, she could barely take care of herself, let alone her daughter.
Just last night, before discharge, the doctor had specifically emphasized the precautions for aftercare.
Jiang Leyi was best off resting quietly these few days, and once her wounds no longer hurt, she could return to normal life.
Jiang Lai had initially planned to endure the hardship these few days, going home early every morning to take care of her daughter, then returning after cooking dinner.
Perhaps she could manage such a tight schedule when healthy, but now, Jiang Lai couldn’t even handle some of her own matters.
For example, how was she supposed to change her sanitary pad later…?
That thought lasted only a moment before Jiang Lai pushed it aside, deciding to think about it after dinner.
What she needed to focus on now was how to handle both herself and her recently discharged daughter, both patients in need of care.
With her period ongoing, Jiang Lai definitely couldn’t move about as she had planned.
Yet, the thought of leaving her freshly discharged daughter home alone made her heart uneasy.
During Jiang Leyi’s hospital stay, her best friend had stayed by her side, but she had gone home the day her daughter was discharged.
Shen Ruoxue had been here for far too long already.
Even though she lived with female classmates, her family was now worried about her due to the prolonged stay.
During Jiang Leyi’s hospitalization, she had received a call from home urging her to return early.
Though Shen Ruoxue’s soul belonged to a woman in her thirties, to others, she was just a young girl who had recently come of age.
Until she completely separated from her family, there would always be many worries whenever she took any action.
If not for a mistaken call from Jiang Leyi about suddenly having a stepmother—which had upset Shen Ruoxue—she definitely wouldn’t have done anything so reckless or unplanned during this winter break.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared and her daughter discharged, Shen Ruoxue had no reason left to stay.
Originally, she wanted to see Jiang Lai in person, to meet her in reality.
But Jiang Lai was on a business trip without a definite return date.
Waiting aimlessly wasn’t a solution.
After all, the two cities were not far apart; the high-speed train took only about an hour.
She could wait to come again when Jiang Lai was back.
Moreover, this visit had already been a huge gain for Shen Ruoxue.
Though she hadn’t seen her husband—her Jiang Cai—she had reunited with her biological little sister.
What was happening now was just the beginning of things getting better.
At least now, Shen Ruoxue was content as she headed back.
A woman in her thirties trapped in the body of a child, carrying a soul that had never been fully expressed since she was young.
Shen Ruoxue was lonelier than anyone could imagine, utterly alone without a single confidant.
But at least now, she still had her sister.
Yet, Shen Ruoxue would never guess that the husband she had longed for and waited to reunite with had been by her side all along.
But she couldn’t recognize him; she couldn’t perceive it.
It wasn’t her fault.
Even if they had once been intimate with no secrets between them, more than a decade was enough to change many things.
They might not even recognize each other if they passed on the street.
Who would have thought that the woman more elegant than any other by Chi Yingyu’s side was actually Jiang Lai’s husband?
At the dining table, Jiang Lai could not come up with a good solution for what to do with herself and her daughter.
Just as she fell into silence, Jiang Leyi suddenly seemed to realize something.
Her bright, beautiful eyes sparkled as she raised her hand.
“Since Dad and I are both sick, Auntie could move in with us, right?
That way, the three of us can look after each other, and we can go back to how it was before…”
After making her proposal, Jiang Leyi looked intently at her father, whose expression showed some hesitation.
Whether the three of them could live together again depended most importantly on Jiang Lai’s approval.
“That would be too much trouble for your aunt. Don’t you know how busy she’s been lately…”
Jiang Lai pursed her lips, watching her daughter’s face fall, swallowing the rest of her words.
Although her daughter had never openly spoken about it, she had always wanted to return to the time when the three of them lived together.
But her sister-in-law should have her own life; she couldn’t bind her to just the two of them.
They already owed her too much, and Jiang Lai didn’t know how to repay it if things went on like this.
“But our homes aren’t far apart, just a few subway stops away.
By car, it’s only about ten minutes.
If we lived at home, Auntie could even save on rent.
It’s clearly all benefits and no harm.”
Jiang Leyi spoke with the stubbornness of a child, pouting like a little yellow duck.
“P…”
“And Dad, haven’t you been living with Auntie this whole time?”
Jiang Lai gripped her chopsticks tightly.
If it hadn’t been for her daughter’s reminder, she would have forgotten that she had actually been living with her sister-in-law all along.
Just like her daughter said, only the location had changed.
Her previous words and her current reality were completely contradictory—words that did not come from the heart.
Jiang Lai lowered her head, struggling in silent torment.
Meanwhile, the topic’s true owner, Chi Yingyu, naturally reached out and took her hand.
Her sister-in-law’s hand was so warm, so burning hot, it unsettled Jiang Lai.
What Jiang Lai didn’t know was that the predicament she now faced was actually a carefully laid trap by the cunning hunter, Chi Yingyu.