"In such a good mood? Seems like you slept well last night. Miss Daddy?"
"Daddy, Daddy!"
"Let Daddy feel your forehead, is it hot? Do you still have a fever?"
Niannian obediently snuggled into his arms and pressed her forehead against Lu Mingzhe's cheek.
The father and daughter pressed together for a few seconds, and Lu Mingzhe concluded.
"No more fever. Niannian, you're amazing, you can fight viruses on your own. Good girl!"
Niannian happily applauded herself.
Although her two little hands couldn't clap together perfectly.
Xiang Wan came over to interrupt their interaction.
"Grandma changed clothes. Did she wake up last night?"
Lu Mingzhe glanced at her on the bed, "Let's talk outside."
He told Xiang Wan about what happened last night.
Xiang Wan was very sad.
Not just for Grandma, but for everything.
Her career had just gotten on track, and she had thought that if it continued to develop at this pace, life would get better and better.
But now...
Living was so hard.
Seeing her worried expression, Lu Mingzhe could guess what she was thinking and comforted her.
"Most human diseases are caused by excessive worry and heavy mental burdens. Now that things have come to this, worrying more is useless. You need to take care of yourself."
Easy for him to say.
She was Xiang Wan's own grandmother.
An old lady in her seventies or eighties, she had traveled far with her to make a living, never enjoying a single day of comfort. She spent her days taking care of the child and doing housework, and now she was bedridden.
If she didn't feel guilty at all, would she still be human?
Comfort was useless. Xiang Wan felt worse the more she thought about it, and her eyes started to redden.
Lu Mingzhe quickly told her that he had contacted a top neurologist, and the hospital was already processing the transfer. She would be moved there soon, and there shouldn't be any major problems.
Xiang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Really? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
She was a very proud person. Lu Mingzhe was afraid that given their current relationship, she would refuse his help.
Seeing that she was still willing to rely on him made him quite happy.
"In short, I'm here, so you don't have to worry about anything."
"Why did you two come so early? Have you had breakfast?"
"No. We came out after Niannian finished her milk. Thinking you hadn't eaten either, I wanted to come early."
"Then let's eat outside, don't wake Grandma up."
The two sat on chairs in the corridor and opened their congee and steamed buns.
Xiang Wan brought Niannian back, "You eat first. I'll hold her."
Lu Mingzhe refused.
"No need. She's only a few pounds, not even as heavy as one of my dumbbells. Holding her is more than enough, consider it a workout."
"Is that Niannian? You're such an inconspicuous little fellow."
Niannian seemed to dislike his words. She looked at him blankly for two seconds, then with a "poof," she passed gas.
Lu Mingzhe couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"You child, I realize you're quite mischievous!"
Niannian also laughed herself.
Xiang Wan messaged Tang Haichao to ask for leave, then quickly stuffed the steamed buns into her mouth.
"The hospital you mentioned is quite far. It's inconvenient without a car, so I need to go to where we ate yesterday to pick up the car, and then go home."
"Is there anything you need to buy? I can get it for you too."
Lu Mingzhe didn't want her to leave.
"Grandma has been asleep for a while. I'm afraid she might want to use the restroom when she wakes up."
"I'll run errands for you. You stay here and keep her company."
Xiang Wan thought for a moment, it made sense, but she still worried about him, "Do you know the way?"
"I can use navigation. And if all else fails, I have a mouth to ask."
Lu Mingzhe ate faster than her. One steamed bun, a bite, then the next bite, he finished two in no time.
He didn't drink the congee and handed his daughter over.
"After things are settled, we might have to rush to that hospital. I need to hurry. Here's the child, I'm leaving now."
"Okay, be careful on your way."
The two started their handover like an old married couple, with perfect tacit understanding.
Unfortunately, Niannian was not cooperating.
It was as if her hands and feet had suction cups. She clung to Lu Mingzhe's arm and refused to let go.
She even cried out in a fussy voice, "Aiya, aiya! Daddy, Daddy!"
"This child is getting more and more mischievous. Why is she always clinging to you?"
Xiang Wan pulled her over, "Now is not the time for you to be spoiled. Daddy has things to do and can't take you. Come here quickly."
Niannian kicked and struggled, refusing to go into Xiang Wan's arms. She started crying loudly.
It was as if Lu Mingzhe was abandoning her.
To make her beloved darling so angry so early in the morning, Lu Mingzhe couldn't bear it.
"Alright, alright. Since she doesn't want to be separated, let's just take her."
"Are you kidding me? You're going out on business, not playing around. Won't it be troublesome to take her with you?"
"The hospital smells so bad. It's not comfortable for her to stay in the ward. Going out with me for errands will be good for her."
"But you're driving. How will you take her?"
"Don't you have a child seat in your car?"
"That's just for show. She absolutely refuses to sit in it. Usually, Grandma holds her when I drive."
Lu Mingzhe still couldn't bear it, "Don't worry. If there's really no one to hold her, she'll be fine. And I believe Niannian will listen to me."
Niannian stopped crying instantly and stood on his leg with an innocent demeanor.
Xiang Wan sighed, defeated by this little rascal.
"Alright then. Drive slowly. And don't spoil her too much."
Without Xiang Wan, Niannian was indeed well-behaved.
Lu Mingzhe opened the car window a little for her, and they left at a leisurely pace.
She sat in the child seat, playing with her feet and looking out at the scenery, being incredibly well-behaved.
The car drove into the residential complex, and Lu Mingzhe carried her down.
Before they could even go upstairs, a group of aunts, who looked to be in their fifties and sixties, swarmed over.
"Isn't that Xiang Wan's car? Isn't that Niannian? Have they returned?"
"Why is a man bringing her back? Is he her colleague?"
Lu Mingzhe spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang explained to everyone, "This is the Niannian's father I told you about yesterday. I wasn't lying, was I? He is quite handsome, isn't he?"
Everyone was very surprised.
"Impossible, right? Is he really her boyfriend? What era is this? Are there still people so busy that they don't come back to see their wives and children for months on end?"
"Exactly. He is indeed quite handsome, but the handsomer the man, the less reliable he is. Look at his attire, he looks like an unmarried young man."
"To abandon them, mother and daughter, here for so long, what kind of good person can he be?"
Aunt Zhang was displeased.
"You all, if a man doesn't come back, you'll guess they're divorced and Niannian is illegitimate."
"Now that he's back, you say he's not a good person. You're never satisfied, no matter what. What do you want?"
"We don't want anything. We're just worried about Xiang Wan. I wonder how her grandmother is doing. Let's go ask."
Aunt Zhang stopped Lu Mingzhe.
Out of politeness, he stopped.
In fact, he heard them all looking at him and discussing him as they did.
He felt quite unhappy.
Although he knew that the lower the social stratum, the lower the quality of people, he couldn't help but get angry thinking that Xiang Wan was being used as a topic of gossip.