He pulled Gong Zhijing closer, his kisses falling hotly and densely upon her lips and neck.
A warmth spread through her entire body like an electric shock.
Just as they were lost in each other, a baby's cry jolted them back to reality.
Ling Leyou wailed at the top of his lungs, his tiny hands flailing in excitement.
Suddenly, Ling Yuchen felt as if he'd been doused with a bucket of cold water, his passion completely extinguished.
Gong Zhijing, her face flushed, pushed him away. The blush had yet to fade from her cheeks. She quickly scooped up the child, cooing softly to soothe him.
Ling Yuchen slumped to the floor, utterly dejected. "How old does a child have to be to sleep in their own room?" he lamented.
Gong Zhijing ignored him, cradling the baby as she began to nurse. The pain was intense, causing her to grit her teeth and tremble, though it was much better than the previous day.
Seeing Ling Yuchen sitting idly by, she frowned and urged, "Aren't we supposed to be going back to the old house today? Why are you still sitting here?"
Ling Yuchen replied without a second thought, "We're not going back."
"I'm fine, my fever's gone. We should go and see Grandpa and Grandma soon."
Ling Yuchen was still worried, but under Gong Zhijing's repeated urgings, he reluctantly began to pack.
After breakfast, the family of three got into the car and headed to the old house. They hadn't slept well the night before and had been sleeping the entire way.
By the time they woke up, they were already at the doorstep. They hadn't called ahead to inform the family, wanting to give them a surprise.
Ling Yuchen carried the child as they walked inside. Just outside the living room, they could hear voices.
Zhu Yunfei said, "Nanfeng!"
As her voice faded, the sound of Mahjong tiles clacking against the table followed.
Then, they heard the elderly Mrs. Ling exclaim excitedly, "Hu le! I have four, fifteen… twenty-five… a total of eighty-two points. I'm the dealer. You have seventeen, you don't, he has twenty-one…"
Her calculations were clear and precise.
Zhu Yunfei chuckled, "Mom, you're very good at counting money, but you still owe us from the last few rounds! Even if this round cancels it out, you still owe us."
Elderly Mrs. Ling looked confused. "I owe you money? I don't remember."
She then turned to Ling Junye for confirmation.
Ling Junye nodded seriously. "She does. She owes me twenty, Dad fifty, and Yunfei one hundred and fifty."
Elderly Mrs. Ling didn't believe him. She turned to Grandpa Ling.
Grandpa Ling smiled and said, "You don't owe them. You've won. Here's your money."
He then pushed all the money in front of him towards elderly Mrs. Ling.
Zhu Yunfei put her hands to her forehead, speechless. "Mom, I'm starting to suspect you're not sick. You can clearly remember when people owe you money, but you completely forget when you owe others!"
"Ah, I owe you money?"
She appeared to have forgotten everything, pushing the Mahjong tiles into the dispenser. The crisp sound of the tiles clacking drowned out their conversation.
The Mahjong machine whirred, shuffling and dealing the tiles.
Gong Zhijing and Ling Yuchen exchanged a glance before stepping inside. They saw the four of them sitting around the Mahjong table.
Elderly Mrs. Ling, facing the door, saw them first. Her face lit up with surprise as she called out, "Yuchen, you're back from school?"
When she looked at Gong Zhijing, her eyes were filled with unfamiliarity. "Who is this little girl?"
Hearing this, everyone turned. Upon seeing their family of three, they broke into smiles.
"Why did you come back? You didn't say you were coming."
Zhu Yunfei, her heart overflowing with joy, rose and her gaze fell directly on the baby in Ling Yuchen's arms.
"Grandma's precious darling, I've missed you so much."
"Yuchen! Whose child are you holding?" Elderly Mrs. Ling was still confused.
Grandpa Ling patiently explained, "That's Yuchen's daughter. Don't you remember? And that's Yuchen's wife…"
Zhu Yunfei took the baby and approached the Mahjong table, her eyes full of affection.
"Mom, this is your great-granddaughter."
Gong Zhijing also stepped forward and said, "Grandma, I'm Zhijing."
Elderly Mrs. Ling's eyes were full of confusion. She couldn't recall anything, and this feeling was agonizing. Everyone else remembered, but she didn't.
"Grandma, don't be afraid. If you've forgotten, I'll tell you again." Gong Zhijing pulled up a chair, sat beside her, and took her arm.
"You're so kind. I like you!" Elderly Mrs. Ling stroked Gong Zhijing's hand with affectionate fondness.
Gong Zhijing seized the moment to change the subject. "Grandma, can you still play Mahjong?"
Elderly Mrs. Ling declared proudly, "Of course."
As if recalling something, she looked at the others and said, "You haven't paid me for the last round yet!"
Zhu Yunfei and Ling Junye, looking resigned, pushed all the money in front of them towards her.
"Mom, you have a good memory…"
Elderly Mrs. Ling carefully counted the money and then said to Zhu Yunfei, "You still owe me ten yuan!"
"You old woman, are you pretending to be confused?" Zhu Yunfei, amused, took ten yuan from her purse and gave it to her.
Elderly Mrs. Ling, delighted to receive the money, turned and shoveled it all into Gong Zhijing's hands.
"Here, take this. It's all from my Mahjong winnings. Go buy yourself some clothes."
Her memory seemed to be stuck many years in the past. In her mind, this was a considerable sum of money.
"Thank you, Grandma," Gong Zhijing said with a smile, accepting it, her heart a mix of emotions.
"My dear, if Yuchen ever bullies you, tell Grandma, and I'll break his legs!" Elderly Mrs. Ling held Gong Zhijing affectionately.
Gong Zhijing smiled. "Don't worry, Grandma. Yuchen doesn't bully me."
Just then, the sleeping Ling Leyou suddenly started to cry, drawing everyone's attention.
Zhu Yunfei quickly handed the baby to Gong Zhijing.
Once in her mother's arms, Ling Leyou calmed down, opening her big, bright eyes and looking around.
Elderly Mrs. Ling asked with great affection, "Oh, this baby is so beautiful, so charming. Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Grandma, it's a girl…" Gong Zhijing began.
"A girl is wonderful, wonderful! What good fortune for whoever has such a beautiful little girl."
Gong Zhijing, a mix of amusement and exasperation, introduced, "Grandma, this is your great-granddaughter."
"My great-granddaughter?"
Elderly Mrs. Ling looked bewildered. Clearly, she had forgotten again in the span of a moment. She looked anxiously at Grandpa Ling.
Grandpa Ling smiled and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. If you forget, I'll tell you again. I will always remember…"
Ling Leyou began to whimper from hunger. Seeing this, Gong Zhijing said, "I'll go and feed the baby…"
Hearing this, Zhu Yunfei quickly said, "Go ahead. Don't let the baby go hungry."
After Gong Zhijing took the baby and left, elderly Mrs. Ling was still troubled.
Grandpa Ling coaxed her, "Come, let's continue playing Mahjong…"
The doctor had said that playing Mahjong and engaging the mind appropriately could help prevent senile dementia.
During this time, Zhu Yunfei, Ling Junye, and Grandpa Ling played Mahjong with elderly Mrs. Ling every day.
As her memory regressed, elderly Mrs. Ling's intellect and cognition also declined.
But fortunately, she had loved playing Mahjong since she was young, and even as her condition worsened, she hadn't forgotten this.