He wanted to lower his head to look at Zhan Jingchun, whom he had been missing day and night, but his neck hurt terribly, as if propped up by something, and he couldn't move.
He wanted to call her name, but his throat couldn't make a sound.
All he could do was desperately reach out with his hands to touch her hair and ears.
Zhan Jingchun vaguely felt something scratching her in her sleep, which felt so comfortable that she became even more drowsy. But as she was being scratched, she suddenly remembered that she was in the hospital, by Peng Fei's side, and woke up with a start.
She opened her eyes and saw that it was indeed Peng Fei's hand moving.
Looking up further, she met his gaze.
His gaze?
Peng Fei had opened his eyes?
Zhan Jingchun rubbed her eyes in disbelief, rubbed them again, and then opened them.
Peng Fei was still keeping his eyes open.
Everything had happened too suddenly, and she still couldn't believe it. She reached out and pinched her own face.
It hurt. This wasn't a dream!
Seeing her disbelieving expression, so lost and cute, Peng Fei's nose instantly soured with heartache, and tears began to stream down his face uncontrollably.
He wanted to say to her, "You silly girl, why are you pinching your face? I wouldn't even bear to pinch you, who allowed you to pinch yourself?"
But he couldn't speak.
All he could do was desperately lift his arm to reach for her.
Zhan Jingchun was awake, completely awake.
"Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Come quickly, he's awake, he's awake!"
Peng Fei had woken up, but due to his prolonged silence, his consciousness had regressed. Organizing language would take time, and the doctor had instructed Zhan Jingchun not to force him to speak for now.
They didn't know if there would be any post-operative complications, so they needed to observe him and prevent him from becoming agitated.
Zhan Jingchun didn't know how to treat him any better, afraid that one wrong move might make him pass out again.
She sat up cautiously, holding his hand.
"I know you can't get excited right now, so please don't get excited, okay? Listen to me."
"Peng Fei, you were unconscious for a long time. I haven't been able to talk to you for 20 days. Do you know how much has happened in these 20 days? Your mother came, Fangfang and the others came, they all came to see you..."
"No, no, no, don't get excited, don't be scared. I didn't argue with your mother, and I won't argue with her again. I've forgiven her. She'll be here soon, and you'll see her right away. She's doing well."
"My daddy and mommy also came to see you. The doctor I found for you this time was found by my daddy. Your agent also came. Why were you so foolish? You sent all the money you earned back to build up your hometown without telling me, and the blood donation... You did so much, and I didn't know any of it."
"Now I don't want to be separated from you anymore, Peng Fei. I'm taking back what I said before. I forgive you, and I won't mention the past again. You won't refuse me, will you?"
"I was so worried all these days when you were sick. I was afraid to sleep, afraid that I'd wake up and you'd be gone. Promise me, never do anything dangerous again. Live well, let's both live well, okay?"
Peng Fei listened to her, daring not to move, nor daring to show any excitement.
But he was truly thrilled.
Zhan Jingchun had confessed her love to him, said so many things he loved to hear, and, on top of that, she had made up with his mother!
Heavens, was he dreaming? How could so many good things happen after just one night's sleep?
The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with longing and affection.
Zhan Jingchun had never felt so happy at any moment in her life. The person she loved was by her side. Although he couldn't speak a word, she could feel his deep love.
She was so content, so content, so content.
She kept chattering on, saying whatever came to her mind, recounting all the big and small events that had happened in the past 20 days.
As they were enveloped in love, Tian Tian arrived with Peng's mother.
As soon as Tian Tian entered the ward, she exclaimed.
"What's going on? I got a call from the doctor early this morning saying Peng Fei was showing signs of recovery. How is he now? Is it another false alarm?"
After they put down their things and walked to the bedside, they were both startled to see Peng Fei's eyes open, shimmering with tears.
"Wow, he's really awake! When did he wake up? Has the doctor seen him? What did they say?"
Zhan Jingchun had never been so talkative before. She recounted what the doctor had said and the situation to them, and everyone was overjoyed.
Peng Fei, naturally, was moved to tears again. Sitting by the bed, he held Peng Fei's other hand and kept apologizing to him.
She said she had been wrong before and now truly realized it. During these 20 days, Chun Chun had treated her exceptionally well, and Chun Chun's family had also treated her exceptionally well. She didn't know how to repay them and hoped Peng Fei would recover quickly and serve the Zhan family faithfully.
Peng Fei was so happy he felt like he was about to faint. Heaven had not been unkind to him, and he was determined to live well.
Due to his strong will to survive and the meticulous care he received after waking up, his recovery was remarkably fast, and he was soon able to eat.
Zhan Jingchun treated him like a national treasure. Whether it was washing him, feeding him, or attending to his bodily needs, she wouldn't let anyone else do it and did everything herself.
Peng's mother felt quite embarrassed.
"How can you do such dirty and tiring work? I'll do it."
But she didn't feel it was dirty at all, nor did she feel tired.
She finally understood how Peng Fei had felt taking care of her back then.
She realized that loving someone truly meant that even their excrement and urine tasted without flavor.
Whatever she did for him, she felt a special sweetness in her heart.
It was as if heaven was punishing her, returning all that Peng Fei had done for her back then.
Later on, Peng's mother felt like she was in the way.
She couldn't help with daily tasks, and when the two of them held hands and shared their hearts, her presence was an inconvenience.
She might as well go home and farm.
Peng Fei didn't ask her to stay.
It was the prime season for farming, and if it was delayed, there would be no income in the latter half of the year, which her mother couldn't afford.
After two months in the hospital, Zhan Jingchun took him to the Nanshan Villa and pushed him around the house in a wheelchair every day.
The housekeeper was surprised that after such a long journey, the two were still together, and with the support of their parents.
It could only be said that the Zhan family parents had exceptionally open minds and an extraordinary vision.
As long as their children were happy, they could accept anything.
Although Peng Fei couldn't make large movements, and Zhan Jingchun had to take care of his eating and drinking every day, they went out and about together, read together, painted, and watched movies, living quite happily.
Another month passed in a blink of an eye. One day, Peng Fei suddenly said he wanted to eat mandarin fish.
Normally, when asked what he wanted to eat, he would always say anything.
Since he had finally made a specific request, the housekeeper was tidying up the house and keeping an eye on him while Zhan Jingchun went out to buy the fish herself.
However, when she returned after buying it, the wheelchair was empty.
The housekeeper couldn't see anyone, and Peng Fei, with his limited mobility, was nowhere to be found.
"Auntie? Peng Fei? Where are they? Where did you go?"
Could it be that he wanted to rest and had gone back to his room?
Zhan Jingchun was very worried and, dropping her things, ran to the room.
As soon as she rushed in, a warm embrace enveloped her, holding her tightly.
Peng Fei, dressed in clean clothes and with his hair trimmed, appeared behind her, looking refreshed.