Jiang Nuan jolted awake. She shook her head, her eyes still too heavy to open.
She felt extremely sleepy, likely due to the recent restorative medicine her body was in a self-healing state. Her condition had been worsening, and she needed to recuperate.
"Mom, tell me slowly, what happened to Auntie?"
Jin Yan looked at Jin Tong lying motionless on the bed, extremely anxious. "Nuan Nuan, why won't your aunt wake up? Your grandmother is so worried she's about to tear our house down."
Jiang Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. She thought something serious had happened.
"Mom, what time is it?" Jiang Nuan didn't want to open her eyes.
Jin Yan replied, "It's almost eleven in the morning, Nuan Nuan, haven't you gotten up yet?"
Jiang Nuan flopped back onto the bed, about to fall asleep again. She mumbled, "Mom, I'm so sleepy. Director Jin will probably wake up around three in the afternoon. Prepare a bowl of porridge for her then, and I'll come over later."
"Ah... Nuan Nuan, are you sick? Why does your voice sound like that?" Jin Yan was very worried about her daughter, who seemed to be constantly getting injured.
After giving her instructions, Jiang Nuan fell asleep.
She didn't hear what her mother said next.
Mu Jiu Chen happened to witness this. He walked in, picked up his phone, and said, "Mom, don't worry about Nuan Nuan. Her body is in a self-healing phase, which causes this extreme sleepiness. We'll be back in the afternoon."
"Alright, alright, Xiao Jiu, thank you for taking care of Nuan Nuan. If you can't manage alone, find a trustworthy hourly helper."
"You have to manage company affairs and take care of the children and Nuan Nuan. I'm afraid you'll get too tired."
Mu Jiu Chen replied, "No need, Mom. I can handle this."
"Alright then, I'm hanging up."
Mu Jiu Chen responded, "Mm!"
He put down the phone and pulled the blanket up for Jiang Nuan, ensuring she slept soundly.
As he walked out, he saw the two little ones looking at him with concern.
Jiang Siyun couldn't help but ask, "Is Mommy going to sleep for three days and three nights again?"
Worry flickered in her bright eyes, and her small hands twisted together nervously.
Mu Jiu Chen, sensing his daughter's anxiety, said in a low voice, "It's okay, your mommy is fine. Give her time to sleep, and her body will get better and better."
"Oh!"
Jiang Yu Kuo and Jiang Siyun were not entirely convinced.
But the siblings knew one thing: if anything happened to their mommy, their dad would be even more anxious than they were.
As long as Dad wasn't anxious, everything was fine!
"Let's go, we're going to have lunch." Mu Jiu Chen took the two children to lunch.
...
The Jin Family!
Old Madam Jin looked at her sleeping daughter.
Then she looked at Jin Yan. She was very worried that Jin Tong wouldn't wake up.
Despite changing locations, she had slept surprisingly well last night.
Indeed, Jin Yan's place was more comfortable to stay in than their Jin family residence.
Jin Yan said, "Mom, you heard me on the phone with Nuan Nuan just now. Big Sister will only wake up around three in the afternoon."
"Really?" The old madam was still very worried, her elegant and noble face etched with concern.
Jin Yan was speechless. When the old madam went upstairs to see her elder sister, she was preparing lunch downstairs. The old madam had let out a startled cry that made her drop the kitchen knife.
She had rushed upstairs and, seeing Jin Tong still asleep and unwakeable no matter how much she called, she had also been frightened, which led her to urgently call Nuan Nuan.
The old madam looked at the young and beautiful Jin Yan, then at the pale and haggard Jin Tong, her heart aching to the point of trembling. "You! Why can't you be sick for your sister? Your sister is the talented woman of our Jin family! If anything happens to her, what will the Jin family do?"
Jin Yan stared at her mother in shock, stepping back a few paces. She couldn't believe she could say such a thing.
Of course, hearing it from her mother, it wasn't surprising at all.
"Mom, you..."
The old madam looked at Jin Yan's hurt expression and pursed her lips before walking out.
At the doorway, she encountered Lu Jin Yue.
Lu Jin Yue looked at his grandmother, his handsome face clouded with a brewing storm. He exclaimed angrily, "What you just said was truly excessive. You are both daughters, yet you wish for another daughter to die. My mother, are you sure she's your biological child?"
Old Madam Jin: "..." Where did you get that absurd idea!
"Your mother was born after ten months of pregnancy, a difficult birth where I almost died."
When she gave birth to Jin Yan, she had nearly died.
Lu Jin Yue asked with little understanding, "The child you risked your life for, that precious child, why can't you treat her equally? And speak such cruel words?"
Lu Jin Yue couldn't comprehend his grandmother's actions.
The old madam frowned, looking at Lu Jin Yue with an unpleasant expression. Anger flared in her slightly cloudy eyes. "Do I need you to lecture me? I almost died giving birth to her, is it wrong for me to complain a few words?"
After speaking, the old madam stomped downstairs in a huff.
Lu Jin Yue looked worriedly at his mother, who stood frozen in place.
"Mom..."
Jin Yan forced a smile and shook her head. "Son, don't worry about me. Mom is fine. I've been told this by your grandmother so often that my heart has become immune. I'm not sad."
The more Jin Yan spoke, the more cheerfully she smiled. Yes, why be sad?
What was the point of being sad about love she never received? She just needed to do her own thing well.
Fulfill her responsibilities.
Jin Yan added, "Mom has a clear conscience!"
Lu Jin Yue looked at his mother with heartache, remaining silent. His grandmother's words were too harsh.
Jin Yan thought about the old man's imminent return and felt a sense of unease. She walked out, closing the door before saying, "Jin Yue, your grandfather went out to play and will be back soon, right? If these two get together, things will become quite big. Not many people know about your father acknowledging his biological parents. Your grandfather is upright and just, and your grandmother, well, she says what she thinks without mincing words. If these two meet, who knows what might happen?"
Lu Jin Yue: "..."
"Mom can't exactly tell Grandpa not to come home, can she?"
Jin Yan replied, "Then they'll just have to be thrown together. Since it's like this, I don't mind a little more fun in life."
Jin Yan went downstairs with a cheerful smile. She was still hungry.
She wouldn't get angry!
If she got angry, her face would get wrinkles.
Lu Jin Yue stood there, looking at his mother's retreating back with concern.
He frowned and went to see Yu Han.
Downstairs, the old madam saw Jin Yan coming down but didn't even look at her, heading straight for the kitchen.
The old madam sat on the sofa, her expression growing more unpleasant. She hadn't intended to say those words.
Jin Yan had never brought her any honor since childhood. She was unremarkable in the Jin family, only rebellious.
She had suffered the most during her birth, almost dying from a difficult labor. As she grew up, she always argued with her. How could she possibly like her?
On the other hand, Jin Tong had excellent academic achievements, was proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and knew how to please her.
She was her most favored daughter.
Soon, Jin Yan, along with a maid, brought the dishes to the table.
Lu Jin Yue and Yu Han also came down.
Yu Han's morning sickness was severe. Although she had taken Jiang Nuan's medicine, the effect wore off, and she continued to experience intense nausea.
She had become noticeably thinner.
Both Jin Yan and Lu Jin Yue felt heartbroken for her.