At this moment, Li Hao Chen was still immersed in a dreamlike state, holding the pearl that had brought about the change in his life.
Strangely, the pearl continuously emitted a soft glow. The egg-sized pearl was slowly shrinking, while Li Hao Chen’s mind was a blank slate, devoid of any memories.
As the water flowed eastward and leaves fell in abundance, time quietly and slowly slipped away.
Unbeknownst to them, time had already stealthily advanced to August.
On this day, the Li family, the Chen family, along with Xie Baolian and Li Dehai, stood anxiously outside the delivery room.
“Qianqian, can you stop pacing back and forth? It’s so annoying!”
“You’re saying that to me? Chen Junlin, aren’t you doing the same?”
“Alright, alright, you two, stop bickering. It’s giving me a headache… Why is it taking so long?” Li Yulin, like them, paced back and forth, his face etched with anxiety.
“Do you think giving birth is like passing gas after taking off your pants? How could it not take long? How could you men ever experience that heart-wrenching pain…”
“Yaya yay…”
At that moment, a clear baby’s cry brought smiles to the anxious crowd.
Soon, accompanied by medical staff, a slightly pale Murong Yanran was pushed out with a faint smile. Beside her was a chubby, plump baby boy.
“Mr. Chen, Mr. Li, mother and son are safe. Congratulations!”
“Thank you, thank you!”
Chen Junlin was overjoyed and was about to reach out to touch his grandson when Li Qianqian slapped his hand away, “Don’t touch carelessly. The baby has just been born…”
“Oh, yes, yes, yes!” Chen Junlin didn’t get angry. He looked at his grandson with a broad smile, “So cute. You’ll be as handsome as your maternal grandfather, hahaha…”
Li Qianqian didn’t argue this time. On such a joyous occasion, she couldn’t be bothered with this old man. “Alright, Yanran just gave birth and is very weak. She needs to rest well.”
With the addition of a child to the family, Murong Yanran’s previously scarred heart found a sliver of respite. She had also emerged from her state of sorrow. Now, she hid her grief deep within her heart, pouring all her emotions into their son.
On this day, the Li family mansion was brightly decorated. It turned out to be the full moon celebration for Li Hao Chen’s son. Chen Junlin had objected several times, questioning why it wasn’t held at their home. Li Qianqian silenced him with a single sentence, “Yanran hasn’t fully forgiven you yet.”
Well, that was true. Although she knew the cause and effect of what happened back then, she still couldn’t let go. She still couldn’t bring herself to call him ‘Dad.’
“Yanran, where are you going?”
“Auntie, I’m going out with the baby. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, be careful!” Li Qianqian knew exactly where Murong Yanran was going and could only sigh and shake her head again.
Half an hour later, Murong Yanran, holding her son, appeared at the hospital. Seeing Li Hao Chen, who seemed to be asleep on the bed, she couldn’t help but feel sad. However, she quickly forced a smile and said, “Husband, look, our son has gotten fatter again.”
After a long while, Murong Yanran sighed deeply. As she picked up her son to leave, the little fellow surprisingly held onto Li Hao Chen’s thumb and made cooing sounds.
“See? You know Daddy isn’t listening, right?” Murong Yanran flicked her son’s little nose and smiled at Li Hao Chen, “Did you hear that? Our son says you’re not listening. Get up already.”
She sat for a while longer. Seeing no change in Li Hao Chen, Murong Yanran knew she was being a bit overly optimistic. She wiped the moisture from her eyes and was about to pick up her son when the little fellow’s expression became contorted, looking wronged. As a mother, Murong Yanran immediately understood what was happening.
“No wonder it smells so bad. You need to poop. Well, this will give your dad a good whiff and wake him up, hehe!”
Murong Yanran expertly unfastened the diaper. Just as she took out wet wipes to clean his bottom, a warm stream of liquid shot up, directly towards Li Hao Chen’s face.
“Ah–”
Murong Yanran was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. By the time she tried to stop it, it was too late. She looked at Li Hao Chen, covered in what seemed like fresh urine, wanting to laugh but unable to. After urinating, the little fellow even chuckled.
“You naughty thing, just wait until your dad wakes up. He’ll teach you a lesson, hehe!”
Murong Yanran gently cleaned her son’s bottom, but she didn’t notice Li Hao Chen’s eyeballs moving slightly, nor his lips smacking as if tasting something.
“Why is it salty?”
As Murong Yanran was putting the diaper back on her son, she heard this faint sound and felt as if she had been struck by an electric current. Her eyes quickly misted over, and then large tears began to stream down.
“Doctor, Doctor…”
An hour later, the ward was crowded, and Li Hao Chen was being wheeled in by several medical staff.
Seeing the doctor, Murong Yanran anxiously asked, “Doctor, how is my husband?”
“Mrs. Li, after a thorough examination, Mr. Li is out of danger. He was simply unconscious for too long and is slightly malnourished. He will be fine after a period of rest at home.”
“Thank you… Thank you!”
“Finally, heaven has opened its eyes, wuwuwu…”
Besides Murong Yanran, the happiest people present were Xie Baolian and Li Dehai, as Li Hao Chen was their family.
Murong Yanran threw herself into Li Hao Chen’s arms and wept uncontrollably. Over the past half year, she had endured immense pain, and all the accumulated suffering was now being released. It was imaginable how excited she was at this moment.
“I… I’m sorry. I made you worry.” Li Hao Chen’s mind was still in a jumble. He only remembered something piercing his body, and then he lost consciousness. He asked curiously, “What exactly happened?”
Li Hao Chen still had no clue about what had happened. Just as Murong Yanran was about to speak, Li Qianqian interrupted, “We’ll talk about this later. You’ve just woken up, focus on recovering first.”
“Yes, yes, yes. It’s a double celebration today.”
“Double celebration?”
At this, Murong Yanran stopped crying, walked to Li Hao Chen’s bedside with her son, and said, “Husband, this is our son. Today is his full moon, and you…”
“Son.” Li Hao Chen looked at the crying infant in Murong Yanran’s arms and reached out to stroke him. He felt an indescribable emotion. To his surprise, as he touched the baby, the crying stopped. Perhaps this was the connection of blood.
Three days later…
“Doctor, what are the results of the examination?” Murong Yanran asked anxiously.
“There are no problems now. It’s truly unbelievable. Mr. Li has recovered so quickly. This is truly a miracle in the medical field.”
“Thank you, Doctor!”
With that, Murong Yanran rushed downstairs to complete the discharge procedures. She didn’t want Li Hao Chen to stay in the hospital for another moment.
Soon, Murong Yanran returned to the ward smiling. This was the happiest she had smiled in nearly a year.
“Husband, let’s go home!”
“Yes, home!”