Chapter 22
When I woke up again, the white ceiling was still in front of me, but it was no longer the one in the school hospital. The lights were not turned on, so it would not be dazzling.
Ji Ruan was only stunned for a moment, and immediately knocked on the bed trying to make some noise regardless of dizziness.
Still can't seem to hear clearly.
Ji Ruan's heart was full of fear, and he struggled to get up, but was pushed back by his shoulders with both hands.
The temperature of those hands was very familiar, and Ji Ruan felt at ease when it was transmitted to the skin through the hospital gown.
Gu Xiuyi's face appeared in front of his eyes, with a straight nose bridge and thin lips, his expression was as calm as usual, but he gently rubbed his ear pinna with his fingers, and put the external machine behind his ear.
When the sound filled his ears, Ji Ruan instinctively took a breath, and then he heard the sound of rain outside the window.
"Shh, it's all right." Gu Xiuyi put his palms next to his ears, his voice was clear and sweet: "Can you hear me?" The
joy of regaining hearing is no less than that of being born again, Ji Ruan's nose was sour, and she tentatively said "Yes" One sound.
He can hear his own voice too!
Ji Ruan glanced at the corner of her mouth, what should I do, I am so touched... I want to cry even more.
But he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Gu Xiuyi.
Seeing that the corner of his mouth was about to cry, Gu Xiuyi couldn't help laughing, and sat down beside the bed: "Relax, don't cry."
Ji Ruan rubbed the tip of his nose, took a deep breath, and managed to stabilize his emotions, but what he said didn't mean anything Still a little bit wronged: "I couldn't hear before..."
He has been in this world for so long, and he is used to hearing a little vague voice even without wearing an external device, at least he can feel what he is saying.
But that day when he opened his mouth, his vocal cords trembled, obviously speaking loudly, but there was no sound of his own in his ears, only the deafening noise of a building collapsing.
"Did you get scared? At that time." Gu Xiuyi asked softly.
Ji Ruan watched him quietly for a while, and did not choose to evade: "Of course."
The fear at that moment cannot be expressed in words, and it will never be possible to get used to it.
"Don't be afraid," Gu Xiuyi leaned over, and lightly tapped the protruding temporal bone behind Ji Ruan's right ear with his finger: "It hurt here then?
" Ji Ruan trembled reflexively and closed his eyes, "Well...why did this happen?" "
You've had a cochlear implant," Gu Xiuyi withdrew his hand, "Yes. The severe tinnitus and neuralgia caused by the fever are gone now."
"Really?" Ji Ruan opened his eyes, which were still a little wandering.
When he couldn't hear suddenly, he thought there was a serious problem with his ears. He had already thought about having another surgery or becoming a deaf-mute for the rest of his life. Now that he thought about it, his back felt chills, but Gu Xiuyi seemed to say it very easily.
"Don't think about it." Gu Xiuyi seemed to see through his thoughts, and helplessly hooked the corners of his lips: "The doctor said it's not serious, but in the future, try to avoid getting sick and having a fever. That kind of neuralgia is not good for your health." He was a little
serious Some: "Do you know?"
Ji Ruan hid his chin in the quilt, did not speak, and nodded slightly with his eyes wide open.
But he didn't want to get sick either. The sudden thunderstorm wasn't even written in the weather forecast, and he couldn't have predicted it. After the rain, he drank medicine at Gu Xiuyi's house, and wore long sleeves to take medicine on time the next day, but the fever was still unavoidable.
Seeing that Ji Ruan seemed a little discouraged, Gu Xiuyi said in silence for two seconds, "Don't think about it, the doctor said that as long as you don't have a fever, you can be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon and go home for the Mid-Autumn Festival." "So soon?" Ji
Ruan Surprised, his body can't help tossing, why is he so competitive this time...
He pursed his lips: "But to be honest, I feel that I'm still a little weak..."
Gu Xiuyi calmly said: "When did you feel worthy?"
Ji Ruan: "..."
It hit the nail on the head.
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore," Gu Xiuyi smiled, and helped Ji Ruan get up and sit on the bedside: "Isn't it worthwhile not to eat for a day?"
He poured Ji Ruan a glass of warm water, and Ji Ruan held a cup of warm water. He took small sips and drank slowly, his dry throat suddenly encountered warm water, and he felt short-term discomfort. He paused for two seconds and frowned until the warm water completely moistened his throat before he calmed down.
Ji Ruan had needles on the back of both hands, one was hanging water, and the other had a little blood when the needle was pulled out yesterday, and the back of the hand is still slightly swollen with adhesive tape.
Gu Xiuyi's eyes fell on Ji Ruan's slender fingers, and the two of them didn't speak for a moment.
The door of the ward was gently pushed open, and Aunt Zhao poked her head in cautiously, seeing that Ji Ruan had woken up and sat up, she immediately smiled.
"How is it, Ruan Ruan, are you feeling better?" She walked in and put the thermos bag in her hand on the small table.
"It's okay." Ji Ruan raised her face and smiled at Aunt Zhao with crooked eyes, "I just seem to be hungry." "
Oh, you're so good," Aunt Zhao giggled, and opened the thermos bag: "Just to bring you food Here we come."
Ji Ruan's eyes immediately fixed on the thermos in the bag, and he seemed to be able to smell the fragrance without opening the lid.
"So greedy?" Aunt Zhao was overjoyed to see Ji Ruan's staring gaze, and took out a small bowl to fill it up.
It looks like ordinary porridge, but the aroma is so strong that Ji Ruan, who is hungry, wants to swallow when he smells it.
"The doctor said you have to eat something lighter now." Aunt Zhao handed the small bowl and spoon to Ji Ruan, and sat down beside her: "But I was thinking, how can it be nutritious to only drink white porridge? Look at your body, the flesh is about to lose weight." No more."
She half-covered her mouth with a smile: "So, I mixed big bone broth, and put minced meat in it, it smells delicious! This is what people eat!"
Hearing this, Ji Ruan couldn't wait to scoop up a small spoonful, put it on his lips and blew it, and put it into his mouth carefully. The thick juice of bone broth and minced meat soaked the rice grains, and every grain of soft and rotten millet bloomed on the tip of his tongue. Ji Ruan He narrowed his eyes with great enjoyment.
What kind of folk chef is Aunt Zhao...
This pot of porridge is so much that Ji Ruan can't finish it all by herself. Gu Xiuyi looked at Ji Ruan's delicate and satisfied eating, and exchanged glances with Aunt Zhao.
Aunt Zhao understood, took out two other bowls of porridge from the bag, and the lunch of the three of them became Ji Ruan's sick meal.
When Ji Ruan was seriously ill, he had to control his diet for a long time, and could only eat tasteless meals every day.
At that time, eating was never a pleasant thing for Ji Ruan. It tasted like chewing gum in his mouth, and he often vomited it out because of stomach pain.
When he was in better condition, there would be friends who came to visit him with barbecue Malatang, Ji Ruan would drink porridge on the bed, and they would eat and drink at the table.
It was really painful at that time, so that now when Ji Ruan sees Gu Xiuyi who is drinking porridge with him, and Aunt Zhao who is talking and laughing, it feels a bit like a lifetime away, and hypocritically feels like some kind of belated comfort.
After eating, Ji Ruan took a nap for a while, and this sleep was extremely blissful, the warmth in her stomach was also warm in her heart, and she had a sweet dream.
While half asleep and half awake, it seemed that someone touched his ear, with the palm covering his ear, his body temperature was much higher than Ji Ruan's, and the touch was very familiar.
That person was so close to him, Ji Ruan could almost feel the other person's breath scratching his earlobe, and then said a word, but he didn't hear clearly.
"Little Ruan...Ruan Ruan...wake up."
It seemed like a long time later, when someone patted her shoulder, Ji Ruan opened her eyes in a daze, and what she saw was Aunt Zhao's smiling eyes.
"Hey, you slept so soundly," Aunt Zhao joked, rubbing the back of her hand against Ji Ruan's face: "Your face turned red from sleeping, did you have a sweet dream, Xiao Ruan?"
Ji Ruan shrank back under the quilt, a little embarrassed: "I don't remember..." "
Hahaha I'm sorry, let's do it," Aunt Zhao patted Ji Ruan's forehead: "Go home Let's go for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
After sleeping, Ji Ruan's fever was completely gone, and the needle on the back of his hand was pulled out at some point.
He got up and washed as Aunt Zhao said, but when he came out of the bathroom, he felt that something was missing and turned his head around. Aunt Zhao was packing his clothes, and seeing this, she
said, "Are you looking for Xiao Gu? He has gone to work again
."
Put it on Ji Ruan's bedside: "Isn't that right, ah, but he doesn't celebrate holidays very much. I thought that Xiao Gu would stay when you were at home this year, but he was still busy." "Is that so..." Ji Ruan
slowly Tun Tun sat down beside the bed.
"It's okay," Aunt Zhao laughed, "We'll spend it if he's not here, but it's a pity that tomorrow is his birthday, so I don't know if he can come back..." "Birthday?
" Aren't you coming back for your birthday?"
Aunt Zhao sighed, "I just can't tell, this year's birthday coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, what a day, I wanted to make longevity noodles."
Ji Ruan's head drooped, her fingers unconscious With her lower lip pinched, her eyelashes fluttering like a doll in thought.
Aunt Zhao thought his appearance was very funny, and tilted her head to look at him: "What are
you thinking about Ruan Ruan?" A gift."
Aunt Zhao smiled and said, "Gifts are the most important thing, and he will like whatever you give."
She said and picked up the bag: "Okay, I'll go out first, and we'll go home after you change your clothes."
"Okay." Ji Ruan nodded.
After the door was closed, Ji Ruan didn't change clothes immediately, but sat by the bed in the same posture, still very troubled.
Gu Xiuyi's birthday happened to be on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gu Xiuyi treated him very well these days, although it was not certain that the man would come back tomorrow, but Ji Ruan had to prepare something for whatever he said.
But what should I give?
Mr. Gu has never seen any gold, silver and treasures, and it is meaningless to spend money to buy them, and Ji Ruan's small coffers are not well-off.
Is there anything that doesn't cost money and is not perfunctory?
Ji Ruan's eyes suddenly lit up, with a smile on his face, he went to the bedside and picked up his mobile phone to send a message to Han Xiaolin.
·
The one who came to pick up Ji Ruan was still the beaming Uncle Zhang, and when he saw him, he greeted him with care.
Ji Ruan responded with a smile, put on his seat belt, and said, "Uncle Zhang, can you stop at the gate of our school later?"
When Gu Xiuyi took Ji Ruan away from the school infirmary, he took him directly to Beijing University The nearest tertiary hospital, now going back to the villa will pass by the main entrance of Beijing University.
Uncle Zhang started the car, and said cheerfully, "No problem."
Aunt Zhao put a thin blanket on Ji Ruan's lap, and asked, "Is there anything else to do at school?" "
No," Ji Ruan pulled the blanket up Lila: "I just asked my classmates to bring something out for me."
Aunt Zhao nodded knowingly and didn't ask any more questions.
When Ji Ruan arrived at the school, Han Xiaolin was already waiting at the school gate and saw Ji Ruan handing out the bag in his hand.
"Why don't you forget to take his shirt away when you go home from the holiday?" Han Xiaolin joked.
"Don't be poor."
Ji Ruan opened the bag and took a look. Gu Xiuyi's shirt was neatly placed in it. He reached out and touched it, and it was already dry. It seemed that he made the right decision to change it and wash it when he went back that night, otherwise the bag would be now It's still the one he wore.
"Are you all right?" Han Xiaolin asked again.
"It's all good," Ji Ruan smiled: "So this is not discharge?"
Han Xiaolin clicked his tongue and shook his head: "I think your complexion is still normal, and your body is too weak."
Ji Ruan sighed: "Born, it's not up to me to decide."
Han Xiaolin pulled Ji Ruan's ear and looked at it, still so delicate and unchanged: "It is said that you couldn't hear at that time, but I was terrified."
Seeing that Han Xiaolin really looked worried, Ji Ruan couldn't help feeling warm in his heart: "I'm fine-" "
I'm still thinking that if you really can't hear, doesn't that mean you can't talk, then how do we communicate? Can't always type, do I want to learn sign language for you?" Han Xiaolin put his hands in his pockets and said in distress: "Fortunately, you can hear again, otherwise I really have to reconsider our friendship." Ji Ruan stopped at half a
sentence In his throat, the warmth in his heart turned into indifference, and he threw the bag at Han Xiaolin, who was running the train with his mouth full: "Break your relationship! Scoundrel!"
Ji Ruan is really the most handsome friend Han Xiaolin has ever had, and even scolded him It's just saying "bad guy", the voice is too limited and can't make too high a pitch, like a lady, or a little princess.
Han Xiaolin was so amused by his brain, he smiled and begged for mercy: "Princess, I am wrong, I will never break up with you, good brothers forever!"
Ji Ruan coughed a few times panting, and raised his hand to straighten the crooked external device behind his ear. : "It's late, the princess has a bad temper."
There is a little elegance in her gestures.
After he finished speaking, he held the bag and turned to leave, leaving Han Xiaolin retching from laughing at the school gate, and was detoured by other students who were on vacation.
·
In the evening, after Ji Ruan had dinner, she asked Aunt Zhao for a sewing box and shut herself in the room.
Gu Xiuyi's shirt is the most concise style of white shirt, only the sleeves are a little different, and the buttons are dark red, like blood beads and gems.
Ji Ruan looked up and down the shirt for a while, then found a dark green thread in the sewing box, threaded it into a knot, and embroidered a small pattern on the sleeve bit by bit.
Before wearing the book, several generations of his family have been doing Han embroidery. As a family that inherits this traditional culture, Ji Ruan has been learning the craft since he was a child. Before he got sick, he could embroider a whole set of wedding dresses by himself. When his sister got married, The wedding dress was embroidered by him and his mother stitch by stitch.
Although this body has never touched needlework and his hands are rusty, a little embroidery pattern is more than enough for Ji Ruan, and he can embroider directly without drawing a sample.
That night, until Ji Ruan finished embroidering and hung up the shirt, Gu Xiuyi still didn't come back.
Ji Ruan got up late the next day, Aunt Zhao was still the only one in the living room, so it goes without saying that Gu Xiuyi stayed outside all night.
Ji Ruan has long been used to Gu Xiuyi's absence. She eats breakfast step by step, feeds Xiaoan, then goes shopping with Aunt Zhao, and learns how to make moon cakes with Aunt Zhao when she comes back. substantial.
But after Aunt Zhao went to sleep, the whole house became quiet and the lights dimmed. When Ji Ruan went back to her room, she suddenly felt empty when walking on the stairs.
This feeling of emptiness came quite abruptly, without any warning, and it made people feel clueless.
Ji Ruan stood in the middle of the stairs, holding the handrail in a daze for a long time, then turned his head and looked out the window.
The floor-to-ceiling glass on the entire wall allows a panoramic view of the yard. The moon in the sky hidden among the branches is particularly bright and round, caught in the clouds and mist, like misty cold smoke.
Oddly enough, Ji Ruan turned around and went downstairs to the yard.
The lawn in the yard is beautifully manicured, and there is a round table and a few stone benches in the middle where the branches are not shaded. Sitting there, you can see the whole moon without hindrance.
Ji Ruan raised her head, vaguely feeling that the moon was about to fall on her face.
"Buzz-"
Han Xiaolin sent a video. He was still fooling around in the business district. Pedestrians gathered on the street, all looking up at the moon.
Ji Ruan exited the chat interface, clicked on the camera and took a photo.
Compared with Han Xiaolin's bustling downtown area, his place is much cleaner. The black sky, silvery moon, and treetops constitute the whole of the picture.
He was teased by Han Xiaolin that he wanted to ask the moon about wine.
Ji Ruan laughed, and kept her fingertips on the screen for a few seconds, before finally sending the pictures to Gu Xiuyi.
The other party should have seen the message. The words being input appeared briefly on the dialog box, but they didn't really reply.
Ji Ruan only thought that he was still busy, put away his phone and lay down on the table to continue watching the moon.
Within two minutes, there seemed to be the sound of a car driving in outside the yard. Ji Ruan listened for a while, and saw a familiar black car parked outside the yard. As the door opened and closed, the corner of Gu Xiuyi's clothes appeared and disappeared.
Ji Ruan propped up the stone table and sat upright, turned her head to look, the wrought iron gate was opened, and Gu Xiuyi's figure appeared in the distance, still wearing a meticulous suit, with a straight back and a tall stature.
He also saw Ji Ruan, but he wasn't surprised at all. He stepped forward, walking quickly and steadily, with the corners of his clothes billowing slightly in the night wind.
It was not until he stood in front of Ji Ruan that Ji Ruan could see his face clearly with the help of the moonlight. The light was dim, and even his eyes seemed to be softer.
"Why are you outside alone?" Gu Xiuyi asked.
Night Breeze was very quiet, and when it reached Ji Ruan's ears, his voice was very clear.
Ji Ruan pointed to the sky: "I can't sleep, come out and look at the moon."
Gu Xiuyi carried a cake box in his hand. The pure white box was decorated with blue ribbons, very simple.
Ji Ruan was a little surprised, in his impression, Gu Xiuyi didn't seem like someone who would buy cakes for his birthday.
A businessman who only knows work for three hundred and sixty-five days will suddenly become emotional on the night of his birthday. Do you want to celebrate for yourself?
Gu Xiuyi gently placed the cake on the stone table, took out his mobile phone and pointed it at the moon in the sky, as if he was comparing something.
Ji Ruan saw on the screen the photo he just sent.
"It still looks more beautiful to the naked eye." Gu Xiuyi said.
He seems to be very relaxed at the moment, and his tone is casually loose: "But when you sent the photo over, I really thought this was the best." He looked down
at Ji Ruan, the downward arc of the end of his eyes seemed to be comfortable : "So it's because I haven't seen it with my own eyes."
No matter how beautiful the photos are, they are just flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water. It was rare for Gu Xiuyi to be so emotional, and Ji Ruan also felt it was strange. He smiled and put his hands on the cake box, looked up at Gu Xiuyi, and said softly,
"Happy birthday."
a feather.
Gu Xiuyi was startled.
Ji Ruan stood up with a smile: "I prepared a gift for you, go get it now."
Without waiting for Gu Xiuyi's response, he went straight to the gray stairs leading to the second floor, where the room was closer, Ji Ruan copied a path.
Gu Xiuyi quietly stood there looking at Ji Ruan's figure in a daze for a while.
The shape of the gray staircase has a perfect arc, and there will be a guide light hanging above every few steps.
Ji Ruan walked on it, much like the little prince in the fairy tale world, naively leading to his own utopia.
After a long while, Gu Xiuyi slowly sat down on the stone bench, gently flipped the blue ribbon on the cake box, and when it rolled over his fingers, his fingertips felt numb.
When Ji Ruan came back, he took an ordinary paper bag in his hand, and sat down in front of Gu Xiuyi with a smile on his face.
"Open it and have a look." He pushed the bag in front of Gu Xiuyi.
Gu Xiuyi took out the contents as he said, and looked up and down in his hands: "My shirt?" "
..."
"No..." Ji Ruan coughed dryly: "Look carefully."
Gu Xiuyi's eyes overflowed Smiling, I found the sleeve exactly, and looked at the pattern on it: "A tree ?
"
The appearance of absolute confidence and confidence in his craft is particularly moving.
Gu Xiuyi touched it lightly with his fingertips, the stitches were very fine and smooth to the touch: "What kind of tree is it?"
Ji Ruan bent his eyes: "Guess what?"
Gu Xiuyi looked at the tree carefully, it was small, but with branches and leaves. Lush, the leaves are slender and oval with pointed lower corners, and the branches on one side slope downward, as if something is falling below.
And below is the blood-red button, which is crystal clear, like a plump cherry bending a branch.
It's just that this cherry is too big compared to the size of the tree. It seems that the whole tree has exhausted all the nutrients to produce this cherry, so it is extraordinarily plump and huge, and it should be a very sweet kind of cherry.
Gu Xiuyi was amused by the child's whimsy: "Well, it's a beautiful cherry tree."
Ji Ruan tilted his head and put his cheek on his arm, looking in a good mood after being praised.
"But you know how to embroider?" Gu Xiuyi looked carefully at the cherry tree and said.
Ji Ruan casually hummed: "I know a lot, you just don't know."
Gu Xiuyi laughed, put the shirt into a paper bag, and looked at Ji Ruan again with a very focused expression: "Thank you, it's the best gift."
Ji Ruan hooked the corners of her lips: "You're welcome."
Gu Xiuyi unwrapped the blue ribbon and opened the white box: "Okay, let's eat the cake now."
The moment Ji Ruan saw the cake, she sat upright with her support on the table, a little incredulous: "Cherry again?"
Inside the box was a cake shaped like a cherry, with two red balls connected to a stem, which looked very realistic.
"Well," Gu Xiuyi smiled helplessly: "Cherry has a meeting today."
In fact, Gu Xiuyi never celebrates his own birthday, and he doesn't think that birthday is a day that needs to be specially commemorated.
He would buy this purely because he happened to see an employee offer a peach-shaped cake, which was made almost exactly like the real thing. Then he suddenly thought that if he ordered a cherry one for Ji Ruan, the child would definitely like it very much.
The truth is, Ji Ruan likes it so much that his eyeballs almost stick to it.
Gu Xiuyi laughed, grabbed the child by the back collar to keep him away from the cake, took out a plastic knife to cut open two cherries, put one of them on a paper plate and pushed it in front of Ji Ruan: "Eat it." Ji Ruan was very polite with a
fork After taking a bite, the cream is very fragrant and not greasy, the sweetness is not strong but it can spread in the mouth for a long time.
He blinked in amazement: "It's so sweet..."
Gu Xiuyi smelled that the air was also sweet.
Ji Ruan swallowed the cake, looked at Gu Xiuyi and suddenly asked, "Did you talk to me when I was sleeping yesterday?" "
What?" Gu Xiuyi also took a bite of the cake, the strange thing is that he obviously doesn't like sweets, But I don't think this one is sweet enough today.
"It was yesterday in the hospital." Ji Ruan put down the fork, "Are you talking in my ear? The four words sound similar, but I didn't hear them clearly." Gu Xiuyi should have remembered, and he ate the cake slowly with a smile on his lips
. "What do you guess?"
Ji Ruan turned his eyes away with a "tch" and said, "Then I won't guess." "
Okay, then I'll tell you." Gu Xiuyi quickly gave up: "I'll let you eat well."
He squeezed Ji Ruan's chin: "I lost weight."
Ji Ruan: "..."
"What..."
After being puzzled for a long time, the words turned out to be meaningless words, Ji Ruan was a little depressed, and ate the cake in silence, when suddenly he stopped and frowned.
"What?" Gu Xiuyi's expression froze, and he took a close look at the temperature on the side of his neck: "Is it cold? Still uncomfortable?" "
No..." Ji Ruan moved his hand away with a complicated expression: "Forget to let him go first." You blow out the candles and make a wish."
He looked at the table, both of their cakes had become war-damaged, and there was no way to put in candles.
Gu Xiuyi was startled, and immediately relaxed his back: "It's okay."
He didn't even celebrate his birthday, let alone such a trivial matter as blowing out candles.
"That's not appropriate." Ji Ruan always felt uncomfortable that he had ruined a perfect birthday. He took out a candle from the box: "How about this, I'll hold it for you, you make a wish and blow it out, make it
work?"
Pulling the fingertips apart, the eyebrows and eyes revealed are extremely clear.
Gu Xiuyi rested his elbows on the stone table, and couldn't help laughing at his innocence: "Why, are you a wishing elf, kid?
" It's never been realized, but I still insist on it every year, it's just a sense of ritual to go through a process, hurry up, do you have a lighter?"
Gu Xiuyi watched him quietly for a while, watching his hair swaying in the night wind, watching his delicate white fingers.
"Okay." After a while, Gu Xiuyi took out the lighter.
"Click--"
the flame burst out and lit the candle.
Ji Ruan's eyebrows and eyes were suddenly clear against the weak light, and following the swaying flames, he slipped into the wish of someone who was making a wish.
--------------------
The author has something to say:
Mr. Gu's little coup for chasing his wife ④--If it was him, then the heartbeat doesn't have to come and go, he Every expression of yours is the reason for my heart.
(Normal version: I love my wife so much)
* No prize quiz: What wish did Mr. Gu make?