"Zhijing is asleep, so I brought the child out to let her rest well."
Gong Ye glanced at his granddaughter and looked at Ling Yuchen with admiration, saying with relief, "Thank you for your hard work."
Gong Zhijing had told him that Ling Yuchen had been taking care of the child since birth.
Therefore, he was very satisfied with Ling Yuchen. At least compared to him, Ling Yuchen was a qualified husband and father!
"This is what he should do," Old Mrs. Ling said with a smile. "Zhijing went through so much trouble during pregnancy and breastfeeding; what he's done is nothing."
Gong Ye curved his lips and nodded, his eyes full of the sleeping child.
"Stay for dinner tonight. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes."
Old Mrs. Ling said as she got up from the sofa. She was heading towards the kitchen but stopped halfway to go to the restroom.
She came out of the restroom shortly after but had no intention of going to the kitchen, clearly having forgotten again.
Seeing her like this, Ling Yuchen couldn't help but worry.
"Grandma, I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow."
Gong Ye looked at him in confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"
The old lady's health seemed quite robust. Upon hearing about going to the hospital, Gong Ye naturally felt bewildered.
Old Mr. Ling glanced at his grandson's serious expression and then at his confused wife. He belatedly realized that something was indeed not right.
"Go, get a check-up. Her memory has been getting worse these past few days."
Old Mrs. Ling smiled faintly, with a look of indifference. "What's there to check? She's almost eighty."
She knew her own body. At such an old age, wasn't it normal to have some issues?
In fact, there had been signs for a month already, but she hadn't mentioned them.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Recently, the household had been filled with a festive mood.
Just as everyone was immersed in joy, heaven seemed to play another trick on them.
Ling Yuchen's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Let's go, we're going to the hospital now."
Seeing his grandson's stern face, she found it impossible to refuse.
Gong Ye stood up and walked to Ling Yuchen's side, patting his shoulder to comfort him.
"Don't be silly. By the time you get to the hospital, it will be dark. Besides, the old lady is so old; she can't withstand such a fuss."
Ling Yuchen pursed his thin lips, his eyes filled with suppressed redness, and he clenched his fists tightly before loosening them, his expression flickering.
"Grandma is fine. Grandma is almost eighty; she's long accepted life and death. It's normal for her body to have some minor issues; it's not a serious illness..."
Old Mrs. Ling looked indifferent, clearly not taking the matter to heart.
Ling Yuchen sat on the sofa without a word, his head lowered, a shadow cast over him.
"This child, though not eloquent, is filial and kind," Old Mrs. Ling said to Gong Ye with gentle eyes.
Gong Ye nodded, smiling on the surface but with his emotions churning within.
Old Mrs. Ling was a very good person. It was good for such a kind person to always be healthy!
"Let's go see tomorrow."
Old Mr. Ling's face showed no trace of a smile, indicating his worry.
"Yes, let's go see. We'll go tomorrow."
Old Mrs. Ling waved her hand dismissively, her eyes only gazing tenderly at the baby in the stroller.
Soon, Ling Leyou woke up. She didn't cry or fuss, lying in the stroller, waving her arms, and looking around with wide eyes.
Her cuteness healed everything.
While playing with the child, Ling Yuchen suddenly asked, "Dad, what about Xia Linfeng and Han Wenjuan?"
These two were troublemakers, and their existence in this world only posed an additional risk.
Gong Ye's relaxed expression suddenly turned grim, and his cold eyes were veiled with frost.
"Xia Linfeng will surely face ten years of imprisonment, but Han Wenjuan is too cunning; she slipped through the cracks."
Without substantive evidence, it was impossible to detain her by force.
Ling Yuchen frowned deeply, his face growing more somber.
"Don't worry, she wouldn't dare cause trouble," Gong Ye said, pausing. "She did all this for her daughter. Since Xia Linfeng is already in prison, she has no reason to continue being at odds with Zhijing."
Gong Ye saw things very clearly. As parents, he could understand Han Wenjuan's actions.
Silence fell in the living room.
After a long while, Gong Ye said again, "Although they did wrong, they still raised Zhijing. This is what I owe them. Xia Linfeng brought it upon himself, and Han Wenjuan escaped this time, so let's give her another chance!"
"Mm, I understand, Dad."
Ling Yuchen replied faintly, his face expressionless.
As dusk deepened, the dishes were ready.
Ling Leyou stayed in the living room, while Ling Yuchen took Gong Zhijing's postpartum meal back to the East Courtyard.
Gong Zhijing had already woken up and was slowly pacing indoors, feeling uncomfortable from lying down for too long.
At this moment, heavy footsteps were heard from outside. Gong Zhijing stopped and looked towards the door.
The slightly ajar door was pushed open, and Ling Yuchen strode in carrying the food container.
It seemed to have started raining outside; he lowered his head, his expression unclear, with small water droplets on his hair.
"Is it raining outside? Where's the baby?" Gong Zhijing frowned and looked behind him.
"In the living room."
Ling Yuchen responded with an extremely deep voice and casually placed the food container on the sofa.
Gong Zhijing looked at the darkening sky, her eyes filled with worry.
"It's so dark, why didn't you bring her back..."
Before she could finish, she was suddenly pulled into an embrace, held tightly.
Ling Yuchen remained silent, resting his chin on her shoulder, his breathing heavy.
Gong Zhijing then realized his emotions were not right. She raised her hands to hug him back and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Ling Yuchen buried his face in her neck, breathing in her milky scent, and his frantic heart began to calm down slightly.
Since he wouldn't speak, Gong Zhijing quietly hugged him, gently stroking his back to comfort him.
After a long while, Ling Yuchen finally said in a hoarse voice, "Grandma might have Alzheimer's."
Gong Zhijing quickly pushed him away and asked in disbelief, "How could that be?"
She then noticed that Ling Yuchen's eyes were very red, with distinct bloodshot veins.
"Don't be afraid, everything will be fine."
Gong Zhijing hugged him again, tightly, hoping to offer him comfort.
Ling Yuchen remained motionless, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's eat first. I'll take Grandma for a check-up tomorrow."
"Okay."
Gong Zhijing obediently agreed. At this time, all she could do was take good care of herself and recover, not wanting to trouble Ling Yuchen.
Ling Yuchen stroked her head and turned to arrange the food from the container on the table.
Then he sat down and watched Gong Zhijing eat.
Gong Zhijing's mind was filled with the news of Old Mrs. Ling's Alzheimer's, and she had no appetite.
However, she still ate without tasting the food.