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The guard didn’t understand so he asked, “Xiao Zhuo, you’re…”
Tang Tang indicated to him that he didn’t need to worry, “Xiao Zhuo will definitely have a way to persuade grandpa to come with us.”
The guard had some doubts. Ever since he got recruited, he had been following the elder. It had been ten years, and he was clear about the old man’s temper. If the man would give in, then his relationship with Ji Yan wouldn’t have become like today. So many years had gone by but the elder never gave in. How can a child be able to persuade him so easily?
The guard was worried Ji Xiao Zhuo would feel hurt and lose his pride after getting rejected by the old man. After all, children also have pride.
However, before the guard could warn the child, something out of his expectation occurred. Ji Xiao Zhuo did not get rejected. Instead, the little one opened the car door in the next three minutes, and jumped out. He was also leading Grandpa Ji out, who was previously sleeping in the car, by hand.
Ji Xiao Zhuo waved at the group, “Mummy, I have spoken to great-grandpa. Let’s go home with great-grandpa!”
Subconsciously, Tang Tang looked at Grandpa Ji who was holding Ji Xiao Zhuo’s hand.
There was no expression on Grandpa Ji’s face. He still appeared very solemn. His gaze looked intimidating. Less courageous people certainly wouldn’t dare to meet his gaze for too long, but Tang Tang was not afraid because she discovered Ji Yan’s facial features very similar to Grandpa Ji. Their temperament and aura were similar too. Maybe it was because she was not afraid of Ji Yan, so that led her to naturally not be afraid of Grandpa Ji either.
Tang Tang had a sincere smile as she greeted Grandpa Ji, “Hello, grandpa. I’m Tang Tang.”
Grandpa Ji did not show any reaction. He simply took a few examining glances at her before looking away. He took the initiative and led Ji Xiao Zhuo away. It was clear he didn’t want to bother himself with her.
Tang Tang blinked. It seemed Grandpa Ji really wasn’t satisfied with her as his granddaughter-in-law. He wasn’t even bothered to say a word to her.
Taking a sigh in her mind, Tang Tang held onto Wen Nuo’s hand as she followed from behind.
The guard feared Tang Tang would feel uncomfortable in her heart. After all, she had kindly invited someone to rest in her home but she didn’t receive any gratitude. Anyone would feel uncomfortable by that. It wouldn’t be good if she became unhappy and started having conflicts with the old man. As a result, the guard had no choice but to quietly explain to Tang Tang, “Don’t be angry about it. The elder’s temperament is like that. He doesn’t smile at anyone.”
Shaking her head while smiling, Tang Tang responded, “It’s alright. I’m not angry. Most elders are all like that.”
Seeing Tang Tang really didn’t mind and her smile wasn’t fake, the guard couldn’t help but look at her in confusion. For the past couple of days, he was focused on worrying about Ji Yan and Elder Ji, so he had never paid attention to her. Now that he observed her carefully, he realized she was different from the past. It wasn’t just her appearance that changed, but her temperament seemed to have changed the most.
The guard couldn’t help but remember the impression he had of her from the few times he had seen her in the past. He remembered she was always drunk with hatred and bitterness in her eyes. She was also hysterical like a crazy woman. Naturally, the old man disliked her, even him, an outsider, disliked her too and found her unpleasant.
But the current Tang Tang, who had a smile on her face and spoke gently, gave people a comfortable feeling. Even though she was not beautiful, the comfortable feeling she gave off made people want to get closer to her.
When did such a big change occur?
Also, wasn’t Ji Yan’s relationship with Tang Tang not very good? Judging by the current situation, that didn’t seem to be true. When Ji Yan was in ICU, he saw everything clearly and Tang Tang was constantly watching over Ji Yan without rest. The worry and love in her eyes were genuine.
When did those two become so loving?
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Tang Tang guided the group to the apartment she rented. She gave the elder and guard a new pair of slippers to change into. Then, she went to pour two cups of hot water for them, “Grandpa, you will be resting soon so I won’t give you tea in case it affects your sleep.”
Grandpa Ji didn’t reply but he did take a sip from the cup. It could be considered that he was giving her face by doing that.
In response, Tang Tang let out a breath of relief. She originally wanted to tell the elder to rest in the bedroom, but she suddenly remembered the guard saying that the old man hadn’t been eating much recently. After taking a careful look, she noticed he did look a lot thinner than the first time she saw him. It looked like he had also aged a lot. During the past few days, the old man must have been very worried about Ji Yan.
She became soft hearted. Even though she knew he didn’t like her, Tang Tang still probed, “Grandpa, I made a lot of soup in the afternoon, would you like to try some? Drinking some soup before sleeping would let you sleep better.”
Just when the elder was about to refuse, Ji Xiao Zhuo remembered his mummy had said his great-grandpa had suffered for the past few days, so he instantly threw himself into his great grandpa’s embrace and blinked at him while saying, “Great-grandpa, the soup mummy makes is delicious. It’ll be a pity if you don’t try it. Look, you have lost weight too. If you don’t eat, you won’t be handsome anymore. Take a look at me, I’m so handsome because I eat a lot. Don’t you want to be as handsome as me?”
Grandpa Ji swallowed down the refusal he was about to say. He couldn’t maintain his serious expression and started laughing. He nodded and agreed, “Ok, ok, to become as handsome as Xiao Zhuo, great-grandpa will drink some soup.”
“Yay! Great-grandpa, you’re being good now.” Ji Xiao Zhuo gave a kiss on his great grandpa’s face. Then he immediately turned to Tang Tang and gave her a wink.
Tang Tang was unable to restrain a smile. After giving him a praising look, she returned to the kitchen and heated up the pot of soup. Then, she remembered she hadn’t used up all the ingredients she bought in the afternoon, so she quickly made two appetite-inducing dishes and carried them out with the soup.
“Grandpa, I made two more dishes too. Give it a try. If you like it, eat more. It’s okay if you don’t.”
Grandpa Ji took a glance at the dishes on the table, but he didn’t move. He only lifted up the bowl of soup and slowly sipped it in silence.
Tang Tang didn’t mind. She handed a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks to the guard. She called him to eat as well.
“Thank you. You’re too courteous.” The guard didn’t expect to also get a portion. He couldn’t help but think she was very considerate. He took the bowl and chopsticks from her. Since he was afraid Tang Tang’s pride was hurt because the old man did not move his chopsticks, the guard quickly started eating even though he wasn’t hungry.
But after taking the first bite, astonishment immediately flashed across his eyes because the taste was really good. The dishes were refreshing and tasty. Even if anyone else wasn’t hungry or had a lack of appetite, they would surely eat it. His appetite had now been induced.
Unexpectedly, Ji Yan’s wife’s cooking skills were pretty good. It appeared she wasn’t completely useless. It was just that they never discovered her merits in the past. Thinking up until then, he lowered his head and ate more quickly.
Tang Tang didn’t stay to disturb them. Instead, she went to the bedroom and changed the bed sheets so Grandpa Ji would sleep more comfortably.
“Elder, I think Ji Yan’s wife has changed from the past. She has become quite good. Not mentioning anything else, just her cooking skills are good.” Since Tang Tang was not present, the guard took advantage of the moment and spoke softly to the elder.
Grandpa Ji snorted, “Do I not feed you or something? Did you just get bribed by a single meal?”
The guard was used to the old man’s attitude. He ate calmly while saying, “It’s not about the meal. You have also seen her care towards Ji Yan recently. Her eyes were red but she still wasn’t willing to leave and she took care of him by herself. Any ordinary woman wouldn’t do as much as her.”
“It’s only been a few days and you already believe what you see?” The old man glared at him, “If you were on the battlefield, you would be easily tricked by a spy and all sorts of information would be leaked!”
When the word ‘battlefield’ was mentioned, the guard tactfully stopped speaking and lowered his head to focus on his meal. But when his chopsticks were about to reach one of the dishes, the plate was suddenly moved away by the old man. “Did you not eat lunch or something?! You’re eating a lot! If this carries on, who can afford to support you?”
“You’re not eating. It would be a waste if I don’t eat it all.” The guard muttered quietly. He attempted to get more food, but his chopsticks met the air again.
The old man glared, “Who said I’m not eating? I haven’t had lunch yet.” He simply started moving his chopsticks to eat while speaking.
Silently, the guard put his chopsticks down. He couldn’t do anything about this old man who was not being honest to himself. If he wanted to eat, he could simply say so. Why was he being so difficult?
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When Tang Tang had finished preparing the bed and went out to call the elder to sleep, she discovered all the plates on the table were empty. Grandpa Ji’s rice bowl was also empty. She looked at the guard suspiciously.
This guard could sure eat a lot.
Seeing the meaning in Tang Tang’s eyes, the guard felt terrible inside but he couldn’t explain himself either to preserve the old man’s pride.
Tang Tang spoke to the old man, “Grandpa, I have prepared the bed. You can go and rest now. Can I let the two children accompany you?”
The old man nodded solemnly. Then he stood up and headed straight towards the bedroom.
Tang Tang guided the two children to follow him to the bedroom. She said to the children, “You two accompany great-grandpa for an afternoon nap, okay?”
Naturally, Ji Xiao Zhuo didn’t refuse. He took off his pants, top, and shoes before climbing onto the bed at lightning speed. He snuggled into the blanket and lied beside Grandpa Ji on the left side. He grabbed his great grandpa’s hand and coaxed him like he was a child, “Great-grandpa, I’ll accompany you to sleep.”
The solemn expression that Grandpa Ji was wearing couldn’t hide his smile now. He was smiling so widely that his face was wrinkled. He touched the little one’s head and replied, “Alright, you’ll sleep with great-grandpa together.”
Ji Xiao Zhuo stuck his head out and looked at Wen Nuo, who remained still, and urged, “Quickly get on, Nuo Nuo. Let’s accompany great-grandpa to sleep together.”
Honestly, Wen Nuo was slightly afraid of the scary-looking grandpa but she always listened to Ji Xiao Zhuo, so she could only endure it and took off her shoes before climbing on the bed as well. But she didn’t dare to sleep on grandpa Ji’s other side. Instead, she lied down beside Ji Xiao Zhuo and obediently closed her eyes.
Ji Xiao Zhuo was satisfied. He held her hand and turned to look at Grandpa Ji, “Great-grandpa, you should quickly close your eyes. Let’s sleep now.”
Grandpa Ji followed his advice readily and also shut his eyes. He was being very obedient.
Tang Tang suddenly remembered a phase: everything has its own weakness.
Shutting the door quietly, Tang Tang retreated and spoke to the guard who was still in the living room and unwilling to sleep, “Grandpa and the children are sleeping. Please, can you look after them? I want to go to the hospital to see Ji Yan.”
“You’re going now?” The guard hesitated. Since he saw Tang Tang’s eyes were red, he couldn’t help but advise her, “You should also rest. You’ll be able to look after Ji Yan better after taking a rest. There isn’t any problem in the hospital, otherwise, there would have been a call.”
Tang Tang shook her head. She wrote down her number and gave it to him, “I can’t sleep and I will worry if I don’t check on Ji Yan. I will have to trouble you to look after here. Give me a call if anything happens.”
“Alright.” Seeing that she was genuinely worried, she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep even if she was forced to stay.
Since there was someone watching over the children, Tang Tang was relieved. She quickly returned to the hospital. The ward was quiet. It seemed Ji Yan and Sun Yi were both asleep.
Quietly and gently, Tang Tang went to Ji Yan’s bedside. Seeing he was sleeping well, she smiled and reached to touch his forehead. His temperature was normal. Then she carefully lifted his blanket to look at the wound on his chest. After confirming everything was alright, she moved a chair closer to sit down. She supported her chin as she stared at him.
But after a few seconds, she couldn’t help but reach out and touch his cheek. When she felt the heat from his cheek, she slowly moved her hand to his neck and felt his pulse.
At this moment, she could finally ascertain he was alive and it wasn’t a dream.
Suddenly, tears started falling silently down her cheeks. She didn’t want to wipe her tears. Now that no one could see her, she finally let out the fear she felt. The tears she restrained finally flowed out from her eyes.
From when he left on a mission, she was worried every day. There wasn’t a day where she didn’t wish he would come home quickly, but she didn’t expect he would return in a critical condition. No one could understand how she felt when she knew he was the person on the stretcher. It was her first time experiencing the pain she felt in her heart too. It was like her heart was being torn apart.
In the three days he was in a coma, she would dream of him whenever she shut her eyes. She dreamed that he was awake and he survived the nightmare. He would then recover and be healthy again. Every time she happily reached out for him, she would wake up and realize she was in a dream. While he was still lying in ICU.
That kind of despair made her feel scared. She was so afraid that she didn’t dare to sleep. She was afraid that when he was really awake she would think that she was dreaming. She was afraid that when she woke up, Ji Yan would still be in a coma.
But now, she finally had her confirmation.
It was great. He was fine.
“Why are you crying?”
A large warm hand touched her teary face which made her come back to her senses. Realizing that he was awake, she hurriedly wiped her tears but she couldn’t immediately dry all her tears away. She stood up in a hurry and planned to run to the bathroom.
She couldn’t let him see her like this.
“Tang Tang, come back.” Ji Yan’s voice was very gentle.
Tang Tang stopped her steps. After hesitating for a while, she obediently returned back to the side of the bed, but her face was constantly looking down. She didn’t dare to look at him.
Ji Yan sighed and pulled on her hand while rubbing it gently to pacify her. His tone was very gentle like he was coaxing her, “Move your face closer. I want to see you.”
Tang Tang wanted to shake her head but she wasn’t willing to refuse him. After taking a quick glance at Sun Yi who was still sleeping, she slowly moved closer to him and crouched beside him.
Ji Yan reached out to place a hand on the back of her head. Using some force, he pulled her face closer so they could feel each other’s breathing. He kissed her face to remove the remaining tears that haven’t been wiped away and said tenderly, “It was my bad. I’m sorry that I made you feel sad. Next time, I’ll protect myself better and try not to get hurt, alright? Don’t cry anymore.”
Tang Tang sniffed and suppressed the urge to cry again. She mumbled with grievances, “I was really afraid you wouldn’t wake up.”
“That won’t happen. With all of you here, how can I not wake up? Look, aren’t I awake now? Be good and don’t cry.” Ji Yan knew she truly got frightened this time. She must have forced herself to be calm and she only dared to cry when no one was around. However, crying was good. Everything would be fine once she cried.
“En, I won’t cry.” Tang Tang nodded forcefully. She also felt a lot lighter after crying. The fear and worry in her heart had finally disappeared.
Seeing she really stopped crying, Ji Yan’s heart that was clenching finally relaxed. Her eyes were red like a rabbit’s. He really wanted to kiss her. As he was thinking that, his hand which was on the back of her head pulled her closer until their lips met.
Tang Tang’s eyes widened. When she realized what he was doing, she immediately tried to step back and struggle free.
No, no, there was someone else here! How can they do this!?
Ji Yan didn’t allow her to retreat. Since he caught something nice, how could he let go? Heaven knew how much he missed her and wanted to love her. If it wasn’t for the inappropriate location, he wanted to simply pull her onto him.
But he could only kiss her to ease his yearning.
“Don’t move, I miss you a lot. Let me kiss you.” Ji Yan spoke quietly so Tang Tang could only hear him speak. When words of endearment were spoken by someone who didn’t usually speak or smile a lot, their influence was much higher than average. Tang Tang blushed in an instant. She also stopped struggling.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ji Yan directly stuck his tongue into her mouth and tangled their tongues together. He sucked and licked as he pleased. Their faces were red and their heart raced, but he controlled his strength this time so no ambiguous sounds were released. No one would hear them.
Naturally, Tang Tang couldn’t handle Ji Yan when he was like that. After two seconds, her body went soft and she leaned against him while letting him do whatever he pleased. Her eyes became watery again but she wasn’t crying this time.
Ji Yan didn’t kiss her for a long time before letting her go quickly. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for two seconds. He couldn’t kiss her anymore than that. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be easy to calm a certain bulging area.
Tang Tang’s face was red from the kiss. When she was released, Tang Tang frantically stood back up. Pretending to be fierce, she glared at him then she carefully and fearfully shot a glance at Sun Yi. When she saw he was still sleeping, she patted on her chest.
That was lucky. Otherwise, it would be so embarrassing.
When Ji Yan saw her expression like she had stolen something, he couldn’t help but smile. His wife was so cute. But if she knew Sun Yi was actually awake from a long time ago, he wondered if she would hide from embarrassment?
At this moment, Sun Yi, who was awake but couldn’t open his eyes and was earnestly faking his sleep, felt bitter as he sobbed in his heart. What sort of life did he have? He was wounded but he still had to suffer an attack on his heart.
Suddenly, he really wanted to find a girlfriend.
Next time, he should go and meet the girls when his mother introduced them to him.
