Chapter 141: Wept Out Her Grief
Qiao Nan had yet to reply while Qiao Zijin gave him a look of disdain. She was standing there all the while. Why would this man ask Qiao Nan if she could cope by herself? What did he mean by that? Was she not considered a person as well?
This man was good-looking. It was a pity that he was ‘blind’.
“It is fine. You should go back to have a good rest. I can cope.” Fortunately, she had a good sleep at home. It should not be a problem to stay vigil through the night.
As for the reason why Ding Jiayi had not shown up at all, Qiao Nan could not be bothered to care.
Unlike the prone Qiao Dongliang who was still on the bed, Ding Jiayi was healthy; she could take care of herself.
“Alright, I will come by tomorrow.” Zhai Sheng nodded. It was not easy for him to have some time off from the army. He could not possibly not go back home. Besides, this is the hospital. It would not be appropriate for him to stay there when he was drenched in sweat.
After Zhai Sheng left, Qiao Zijin leaned close to Qiao Nan. “Who is he?”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
“Of course it has something to do with me. Both of you are acquaintances. Now that I have met him today, I can’t possibly address him as ‘Hey’ when I bump into him next time. After all, he has helped us today, so we should thank him at the very least.” Qiao Zijin was indignant. She used to be more likable as compared to Qiao Nan. Even the boys would prefer to hang out with her.
However, this man only had eyes for Qiao Nan. He practically treated her as if she was invisible.
“You can use whatever form of address you prefer.” Qiao Nan widened the distance between her and Qiao Zijin. “Dad has not woken up yet. Can you shut your mouth and don’t disturb Dad? Besides, aren’t you hungry? You can go back home and fix yourself a meal. I do not have the time to wait on you.”
“You…” Qiao Zijin turned green with anger. “Fine, it’s no big deal! I will leave!”
Qiao Zijin was tired, starved and sleepy. After getting the fright of her life just now, she felt even more exhausted.
Since Qiao Nan was around, Qiao Zijin did not find it a problem to leave. She went back home and left Qiao Nan to look after Qiao Dongliang by herself.
Once Qiao Zijin was gone, Qiao Nan could finally relax. She asked the nurse to look after Qiao Dongliang while she bought a basin, a towel, and other related stuff.
Qiao Nan noticed that Qiao Dongliang’s lips were chapped. She used the cotton swabs to dab on Qiao Dongliang’s lips with warm water over and over again. Afterward, she wiped his hands and face clean with a cloth.
“You are quite good at taking care of your dad. Do you have any experience in taking care of patients?” The nurse was surprised when she saw how Qiao Nan took care of her father. Did children nowadays know so much about caring for patients?
“I read it from books.” Qiao Nan smiled. She had plenty of experience.
In the previous life, her parents were quite healthy, but Qiao Zijin had uremia at a young age.
Qiao Zijin had always been bad-tempered. When she was diagnosed with uremia, she behaved as if she was the empress dowager. Qiao Nan had to wait on her and take care of her daily needs.
Qiao Nan gained the experience through taking care of Qiao Zijin.
“Dad, when I went to school today, I was rewarded three hundred yuan for doing well in the exams. Dad, it has been confirmed that for the next three years in high school, I would be exempted from paying tuition and incidental fees. I only have to pay for my meals. Dad, you must get well soon. Judging from Mom’s temper, after today’s incident, if you did not recover before school starts, she will definitely forbid me to continue with my studies. Dad…”
Qiao Nan started to cry.
Even if Qiao Dongliang was biased, Qiao Nan knew that whether she could continue with her studies all depended on Qiao Dongliang.
If anything happened to her father, her mother would have the final say in the family.
Qiao Nan was reminded of the terrifying life she led in the previous life. It was just like a horrifying nightmare. Her tears tumbled down her cheek, falling onto the back of Qiao Dongliang’s hand.
While Qiao Nan bent her head and sobbed her guts out, she did not notice the slight twitch of Qiao Dongliang’s index finger.
By the time she lifted her head, there was no more movement in Qiao Dongliang’s fingers.
Qiao Nan stayed at the hospital throughout the night, looking after Qiao Dongliang. She dared not sleep at all. Her eyes were all red the next day from staying up all night.
While Qiao Nan was in the hospital keeping vigil over Qiao Dongliang, Qiao Zijin was having a good time at home. After eating whatever food available at home, she had a bath and went to sleep. As to why Ding Jiayi was not home yet, she did not give it much thought.
The next morning, Qiao Zijin heard sounds and jumped up from the bed. Did a robber sneak into the house?
“Qiao Nan!” Ding Jiayi shouted in displeasure. “Stop sleeping like a log. Hurry up and pour me a drink. Prepare today’s breakfast too. I will bathe and have breakfast before going to the hospital to visit your dad. Your sister has been keeping vigil by his bedside throughout the night. It must be very tiring for her, yet you are enjoying yourself here.”
“Mom, it’s me. Qiao Nan is at the hospital.” Qiao Zijin yawned and came out of her room.
“Why is it you? I wanted you to stay at the hospital and wait for your dad to wake up so that you will be the first person he sees. Why are you back at home! Are you a fool?!” Ding Jiayi was exasperated at Qiao Zijin. She slapped her on the shoulder. “You should not find it troublesome. If you want your dad to favor you once again, you have to put in some efforts. This cannot do!”
Mom, it’s painful.” Qiao Zijin grabbed at her shoulder in displeasure. “Don’t worry. We still do not know if Dad will wake up today.”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with your dad?!” Ding Jiayi stiffened at Qiao Zijin’s words.
“Dad… Dad’s condition was not very good, and he went into the operating room again. Hence, I suppose he will not wake up so soon. We should be able to make it in time if we go to the hospital now.” Qiao Zijin dared not say that she dozed off as she was too tired, and it almost landed her father in serious trouble.
“Then, what are you waiting for?! Let’s hurry up to clean and wash and go to the hospital. Do you want your dad to treat Qiao Nan as his precious darling?!” Ding Jiayi did not elaborate further. She did not bother to use hot water. Instead, she used the water from the well to bathe and changed into her clothes at lightning speed. She then prepared some food and went to the hospital with Qiao Zijin.
“Mom, why did you come back in the morning?” Qiao Zijin couldn’t help but ask on the way to the hospital.
“Why else could it be? Wasn’t it because your dad got into an accident and I had to leave work earlier? My boss was unhappy with me and wanted me to make up for the time.” Ding Jiayi was indignant. “Qiao Nan was too much. I didn’t go back, yet she also didn’t look for me. If she was to look for me and said that your father’s condition was not that good, my boss would not have made me work throughout the night.”
While Ding Jiayi was doing the night shift, she had been complaining that Qiao Nan had no conscience at all and that she did not care about her mother.
“Mom, did you really expect Qiao Nan to look for you? If not for the fact that Dad is unwell, she would have ignored you.”
Chapter 142: Time Reveals a Person’s Heart
Qiao Zijin was such a tattletale. She added fuel to the flames and ‘ratted on’ Qiao Nan.
“Alright, don’t mention this anymore. It makes my blood boils. Let’s hurry to the hospital. We would not want Qiao Nan to be the only one by your dad’s side when he wakes up later. If that really happens, your dad will definitely side with Qiao Nan and will only have eyes for her. If that comes to pass, you can forget about being in his good graces in the future.”
“You’re right, Mom. Let’s run there.” They dared not take any form of transport to the hospital as there was no money at home. They could only go there on foot.
By the time they ran all the way to the hospital, it was eight in the morning.
The first question Ding Jiayi asked Qiao Nan when she reached the hospital was, “Has your dad woken up?”
“No.”
“Phew, that’s not bad.” Ding Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Old Qiao had not woken up, Zijin still had a chance.
“Not bad?” Qiao Nan asked in disbelief. “Mom, what is good with Dad’s condition now?!”
“When did I say it’s good? I said it’s still early. The doctor said he must be under observation for twenty-four hours, so it’s still early.” Ding Jiayi denied having said ‘not bad’. “Alright, you have looked after your dad through the night. Your sister and I will take over from here. You can go back to rest.”
“Why would you ask me to take a rest again? Are both of you very sure that you can do a good job and look after my dad?! You had better not fall asleep and fail to inform the doctor when my dad shows signs of relapsing!”
“What do you mean?” Ding Jiayi paused momentarily and looked at Qiao Zijin. “Zijin, what happened? Why did your dad go into the operating room again?”
Qiao Zijin felt a twinge of embarrassment and gave Qiao Nan a slight push. “I was too tired yesterday. I am well rested today, so there will not be any errors. Besides, Mom will be here with me. You do not have to worry. You had better worry about yourself.” They still did not know where Qiao Nan borrowed the money from. Anyway, their mother had said that whoever borrowed the money would have to return it themselves.
To think that Qiao Nan still wanted to continue with her studies… Dream on!
Not waiting for Qiao Nan to reject, Qiao Zijin gave Qiao Nan a hard push and closed the door shut as soon as Qiao Nan left the ward. “Qiao Nan, have a good rest at home, Mom and I will look after Dad. There will be no problem.”
Qiao Zijin leaned against the door, preventing Qiao Nan from opening the door and entering the room. She talked to her from the other side of the door.
After staying up the whole night, Qiao Nan was no match for Qiao Zijin.
After being pushed out of the room and having the door closed on her, Qiao Nan really wanted to give Qiao Zijin a good thrashing. If Qiao Zijin was not her biological sister, she wished she could chop Qiao Zijin with a kitchen knife.
But this was the hospital. Qiao Nan did not want to create a din lest she disturbed other patients.
Qiao Zijin did not care about disgracing herself, Qiao Nan did. She would not behave brazenly at the hospital. She could only leave and go back home to rest.
Qiao Zijin smiled when she heard Qiao Nan walked away. Qiao Nan was no match for her.
“Has she left?” Ding Jiayi, who was watching by the side, did not try to stop Qiao Zijin. In fact, she looked favorably on it.
“Left for home. I am her sister, and she had stayed up through the night. I have her best interests at heart, and I wanted her to go back to have a good rest. She should thank me for that. Why shouldn’t she leave?” Qiao Zijin snorted proudly. “I am a good sister.”
“Alright, you can knock it off in front of me. Hurry up, you should rub at your eyes and make it red. You should have seen how Qiao Nan looked just now. Look at you. If you tell your dad that you stayed up all night, he will not believe you. Don’t forget that your dad was once a scout in the army.” Ding Jiayi remembered that her husband used to be a scout in the army.
“You’re right. Oh, why are there a basin and a towel here? It’s perfect. I can get some hot water, soaked the towel with it, and placed it on my eyes.” Qiao Zijin took the towel and basin and went to get the hot water.
Ding Jiayi sat down, feeling slightly weary. She looked at Qiao Dongliang and sighed. “Old Qiao, you must get well soon. The Qiao family cannot do without you. Zijin cannot do without you. You said that you want to take in a husband for Zijin. We would still need to buy a house in the future. All of us are depending on you.”
She had to work to realize that earning money was not an easy task.
Yesterday, her boss found out she skipped work and made her worked all night long. Ding Jiayi had to admit that she was advanced in years and could no longer do manual work. Besides, the job was too tiresome. She missed the days when she was still a housewife.
After the incident yesterday, Qiao Zijin took great care in looking after Qiao Dongliang. Ding Jiayi made use of the free time and took a nap by the side of the bed.
When it was noontime, Qiao Zijin finally had a rest and poured a drink for herself. She noticed that Qiao Dongliang’s eyelids were twitching. “Dad… Dad, are you awake?”
“What? Is Old Qiao awake?” Ding Jiayi, who was asleep, heard her words and woke up immediately. “Old Qiao?”
Qiao Dongliang, who had slept for a whole day, fluttered his eyelids and opened his eyes slowly. He opened his mouth and said in a dry, hoarse voice, “Yes.”
“Old Qiao, you have finally woken up!” Ding Jiayi’s worries and fears dissipated the moment Qiao Dongliang opened his eyes and made a sound. “Old Qiao, you gave us such a big fright this time. If anything happens to you, how are Zijin and I going to survive?”
Qiao Dongliang tried to move his lips with difficulty, his throat was very dry.
Qiao Zijin noticed that Qiao Dongliang looked like he wanted to lick at his lips and asked, “Dad, are you thirsty? Let me pour you a drink.”
By the time she poured the drink, she realized Qiao Dongliang was injured and could not move. He was lying flat on the bed. She had no idea how to feed him the water. “Mom, Dad wants to have a drink. How… how am I supposed to do it?”
“Do it slowly.” Ding Jiayi was clueless as well. She had no experience in taking care of patients. She could only hold Qiao Dongliang’s head steady to help Qiao Zijin with the feeding.
In the end, Qiao Dongliang ended up not having any water at all. All the water dripped out and his collar was wet from the water. Qiao Zijin could not help but feel embarrassed.
“Dad, I… I am sorry.”
“Zijin, don’t be anxious. It’s alright. Your dad will not take it to heart.” Ding Jiayi saved her from further embarrassment. “Old Qiao, you must not have known that after you were hit by the car, Zijin was worried sick. Look at her eyes, she stayed with you and cried throughout the night. She did not even sleep a wink. It is as the saying goes: ‘As distance tests a horse’s strength, time reveals a person’s heart’. You should realize by now which daughter is filial to you. As for Qiao Nan, forget about her. I don’t want to talk about her anymore. No matter how heartless she is, I gave birth to her after all. But Zijin is so pitiful and has tired herself out.”
“Mom, I am fine. I am not tired at all. He is my biological dad, so it is my duty to take care of him and wait on him,” Qiao Zijin rushed to answer. “Dad, Nan Nan is still young. She cannot stay up through the night. As her elder sister, I should do more.”
Chapter 143: Do You Have the Final Say?
Seeing that Qiao Dongliang did not respond to her words, Qiao Zijin shot a glance at Ding Jiayi. Ding Jiayi hinted at Qiao Zijin to carry on, and so she did. “Nan Nan is still young. She cannot stay up through the night. It’s normal for her to rest more. Actually, I do not find it tiring at all. My biological dad is injured, and I am so anxious that I could not even sleep. I am glad that I could stay behind to take care of you. Dad, Nan Nan cares for you as well. When you went for the surgery, Nan Nan and I donated some blood to you.”
“Alright, your dad has just woken up and is tired. Let him rest more. When he recovers, both of you will have lots of chances to chat.” Ding Jiayi interrupted with a smile on her face. “Old Qiao, would you like to sleep for a while?”
“…” Qiao Dongliang made some movements as if he was sighing. He closed his eyes without casting another glance at Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin.
Qiao Zijin walked to stand by Ding Jiayi’s side. “Mom, what’s with Dad?” What did this attitude of his mean?
“Shush, don’t disturb your dad. He needs to rest. Whatever it is you want to say, say it outside.” After covering Qiao Dongliang with a blanket lest he caught a cold, Ding Jiayi pulled Qiao Zijin out of the ward. “Don’t think too much about it. Your dad suffered such serious injuries, and he underwent two surgeries. He is very weak now and didn’t mean anything by that. He is just too weak to say anything, so you should not worry. After this incident, your dad will realize who is more filial to him between Qiao Nan and you.”
You’re right.” Qiao Zijin smiled. “But Mom, Qiao Nan borrowed such a huge sum of money. Even though you said that whoever borrowed the money would have to repay it, can she even repay them? If the debtors make a fuss in the future, will Dad learn that Qiao Nan was the one who borrowed the money for his surgery?”
“I have already thought of this. Even if someone is to come to our house and demand payment for the loan, we will tell your dad that Qiao Nan borrowed the money for other purposes—that it has nothing to do with your dad. I believe Qiao Nan did not mention your dad when she went to borrow the money. Alright, I will handle this. Now that your dad has woken up, you should make use of these few days to look after him. After all, he is still the one with the final say at home.”
After working to pay for Qiao Zijin’s school fees for a year and borrowing it from Qiao Dongliang’s comrades to pay for the school fees for the second semester, Ding Jiayi realized that it was too tiring to finance a child through school.
It would be so much easier if they only had one child going to school.
“Qiao Nan wants to continue with her studies. I am worried that she might not be willing.”
“She has no say in this matter at all. You are not going to continue with your studies after the third year, and she has no right to study as well. If your dad has any objections, I would say that we should be fair to all.” Old Qiao had always said that one must be fair. If Zijin quit school, why should they waste money to send Qiao Nan to school?
“Alright.” Qiao Zijin nodded.
Her sister Qiao Nan had good results. If Qiao Zijin stopped her studies after she graduated from high school while Qiao Nan still performed well in high school, Qiao Zijin, as her sister, would be disgraced. Everyone would say that Qiao Nan was very bright, and no one would remember Qiao Zijin.
It would be all the better if both she and Qiao Nan stopped their studies together.
“Mom, what’s on your mind?” Qiao Zijin found it strange that Ding Jiayi kept her silence.
“I am wondering where Qiao Nan borrowed such a huge sum of money from. Do you know how much remaining money does Qiao Nan have? I would not allow her to squander away the money that could save your dad’s life. She is just a child. It would not be good to keep so much money with her. She wouldn’t use it anyway.” Given Old Qiao’s condition, it would take a few months before he could go back to work.
Everything at home would need money.
Most importantly, Old Qiao was injured. She had to think of ways to make some tonics for Old Qiao.
With her meager salary, she could not even provide for Zijin, let alone for a family of four.
If Qiao Nan still had some money with her, then it would be a different story if she could get her hands on the money.
Since Qiao Nan also had a part in piling up the expenses at home, it was only right for her to pool the money into the house fund.
Qiao Zijin’s eyes sparkled. “That’s true. But it is still the same story, Mom. Qiao Nan is very smart now. I tried ways and means to get the money from Qiao Nan to no avail. I feel that Qiao Nan would be way more stingy than before. Just look at what happened this time. She did not hand the money for Dad’s surgery to you and paid the money to the hospital by herself instead. Qiao Nan did not plan to let you keep the money at all.”
“That wretched girl!” Ding Jiayi boiled with anger at the mention of the surgery fees. “If not for your dad’s colleagues who sided with her, I would have dealt with her. We are in such a dire situation now, yet she gave empty promises that she would return them the money. Where would we have the money? This won’t do. I have to get the money from her lest she squanders it away. You stay here and look after your dad. I will make a trip home.”
Why did she forget to do a body search on Qiao Nan just now?!
If Qiao Nan had the money on her, there was no way she could hide it from her during the body search.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I will not fall asleep this time.” Qiao Zijin felt energized after a good night sleep yesterday. She would not commit yesterday’s mistake again.
“Alright.” Ding Jiayi entrusted the task of looking after Qiao Dongliang to Qiao Zijin. Afterward, she dashed back home to deal with Qiao Nan.
Back at home, Ding Jiayi grabbed the door handle to Qiao Nan’s room and tried to turn the handle. She realized there was no way that she could open the door. “You wretched girl, you have the audacity to lock the door? Open it right now!”
Qiao Nan, who was woken up by Ding Jiayi, had only slept for less than two hours. With a sullen expression on her face, she spoke to her mother from the other side of the door, not making any move to open the door. “Mom, what is the matter?”
“What else but…” Ding Jiayi was about to launch into a tirade, but she remembered that Qiao Nan had the money with her. She calmed down and said, “Your dad is injured and could not work. We have a lot of expenses at home. You are still young; it is not convenient for you to keep the money with you. Besides, you have no idea what the expenses are. Qiao Nan, listen to me and give me the money. I will buy some tonics to nurture your dad.”
“Mom, to tell you the truth, I have used all the money I borrowed to pay for Dad’s medical fees and to repay the money we owed Dad’s comrades.”
“What? You… We are in such a dire situation here, why would you repay the money we owed? Do you want your dad to die?!” Ding Jiayi was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She had borrowed a total of four to five hundred yuan.
“If I wanted Dad dead, would I still borrow the money? Mom, you could not come up with the money as well! Mom, don’t try to have any designs on me. Rather than questioning me about the money you borrowed from Dad’s comrades, you should worry about how you are going to explain to Dad when he recovers from his injuries!” Qiao Nan smiled coldly. It seemed like she did the right thing when she locked her door as soon as she reached home. It was not groundless worries at all.
Chapter 144: Little Warm Jacket
Ding Jiayi, who was outside the locked room, turned green with anger. “How dare you think of telling your Dad about this! Do you want to infuriate him and aggravate his condition? Do you want to watch him die?!”
“I did not borrow the money from Dad’s comrades. Even if Dad dies from anger, I am not at fault. You are the one to be blamed. You know how his temper is, yet you still went ahead to borrow the money. Do you think that we do not need to return the borrowed money and that Dad will never find out? My sister’s school fees are much less than the amount you borrowed. Mom, search your conscience. You have it all planned out. You knew that Dad and you are a couple after all. If you really could not repay the money, he would still repay the money in your stead, albeit unwillingly. In that case, what Dad earns will eventually be used on sister. Sister would stand to gain in the end!”
Qiao Nan knew more than anyone about what was going on in Ding Jiayi’s mind.
Qiao Dongliang was mindful of maintaining his image in front of his comrades. If they were to demand the repayment of the money, Qiao Dongliang would never delay the payment. Regardless of his initial plans, he would repay all of the debts as long as he had the money with him.
As husband and wife, Ding Jiayi was really too scheming to have had such designs on her husband.
But Ding Jiayi was unconscious of her own behavior. She had no idea that it was so hurtful to the other party.
“Are… are you opening the door or not?!” Ding Jiayi was enraged that Qiao Nan knew what she had in mind.
“No. Since you have the time to quarrel with me, Dad must have woken up. Come tomorrow when Dad is feeling better. Mom, you will have to bear the consequences for what you have done!”
“You are not allowed to tell your dad about the debts!” Ding Jiayi was anxious. “Did you hear that?!”
Since all the debts had been repaid, she had better keep her mouth shut lest Old Qiao became furious when he learned about it.
“I heard you, but no!”
“You dare disobey me? Do you still treat me as your mom?!”
“It is all up to you to say if we are mother and daughter. As for the debts, there is no room for discussion!”
She had to be firm to deal with people like her mother.
She did not care how her father wanted to dote on her mother; she was not going to budge in this life.
Even if she could not do anything to her mother regarding the debts, it would be good to give her a scare. Her mother would at least not mess with her for the next few days.
“You…” Ding Jiayi was panting with anger. She glared at the closely shut door. There was nothing she could do about Qiao Nan.
If it was up to her, she wished she could get a knife from the kitchen to hack off her door so that Qiao Nan could not lock her door in the future.
But on second thought, Ding Jiayi could not bear to do it. She would need to spend a bomb to fix the door.
“Fine, you have guts. You are the best in this house!” Ding Jiayi kicked at the door indignantly. “I am warning you, if anything happens to your dad when he learns of the debts—even if I need to commit murder—I would make sure you die and buried alongside your dad!”
“Ahh…” Qiao Nan laughed coldly. Her dad was hit by a car and did not have any other illness. Her dad was not like her, he would not be angered to death.
Ding Jiayi ranted and lashed out at Qiao Nan, but the latter refused to respond to her. In the end, she could only give up and walked away, panting in anger.
On the second day, the atmosphere was awkward in the hospital. Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin ignored Qiao Nan, while Qiao Nan also did not bother to spare them another glance. She gave all her attention to taking care of Qiao Dongliang. “Dad, I made this chicken porridge. Now that you have yet to recover, you could only have something light. Oily food is not good for you.”
“Chicken?” Qiao Dongliang said hoarsely. “Don’t… don’t waste the money. I will recover gradually.”
“It is alright. We can still afford the chicken.” Qiao Nan fed Qiao Dongliang the porridge. In fact, Qiao Nan did not buy the chicken. Zhai Sheng brought it to the Qiao family’s residence early in the morning.
The chicken was already slaughtered and skinned.
Given Qiao Dongliang’s health condition, oily food was unsuitable for him. It was good to have the chicken skinned.
Qiao Nan thought about it and made shredded chicken porridge for Qiao Dongliang.
“It is delicious.” The porridge tasted soft and smelled nice. Every grain of rice was soft and melted as soon as it touched the tongue. The taste was perfect, neither too salty nor tasteless. It whetted Qiao Dongliang’s appetite. “Nan Nan, you have good culinary skills.”
At the very least, the porridge tasted better than what Old Ding used to make for him.
“If Dad likes it, you should have another half a bowl. It is not good to have too much food at one go. I will make more for Dad in the future.” Qiao Nan stopped giving Qiao Dongliang the porridge after he finished one and a half bowl of porridge. Regardless of whether he would like some more or not, she stopped giving it to him.
Qiao Dongliang was an adult. He knew Qiao Nan had his best interests at heart. He would not be greedy and did not ask for more.
The pair of father and daughter had a good time feeding and eating the porridge. Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin who stood by the side seemed to be out of place.
“Brother, you are so fortunate. Your daughter takes such good care of you; she is even better than your wife.” Today, there was another patient in Qiao Dongliang’s ward. He was surprised when he saw this scene.
The wife was usually the one who took care of the husband when they were sick.
This brother had raised such a good daughter. His younger daughter did most of the chores, and unexpectedly, it was his wife and elder daughter who stood by the side watching.
The patient lifted the corner of his lips. He did not understand what was going on with this family.
“Yes, I am blessed.” Qiao Dongliang smiled. “We all say that daughters are like little warm jackets. It is very true. I am able to survive this car accident all because of this daughter of mine. I have to thank her for saving my life. She could match up to ten sons!”
“Dad, do you want some water?” Qiao Zijin turned green with anger. She quickly poured a cup of warm water and brought it to Qiao Dongliang. “The temperature is just right. You just had your porridge, so you should be thirsty.”
Qiao Dongliang blinked a few times and looked at Qiao Zijin without any expression. He uttered a sound and allowed Qiao Zijin to feed him the water.
Why should he make the younger daughter wait on him and let the elder daughter rest?!
After drinking the water, Qiao Zijin was even more uncomfortable. She felt awkward and uneasy. She just could not find the right standing position.
Qiao Zijin frowned and returned to stand by Ding Jiayi’s side. “Mom, I feel that Dad is acting strangely. After waking up today, he never looked at me in the eye. Didn’t you say that as long as I stayed by his side and was the first person he saw when he woke up, he would be good to me and would no longer be biased toward Qiao Nan? Why do I feel that Dad sides Qiao Nan even more than before?”
Since her dad woke up till now, he only mentioned Qiao Nan. His words just now also sounded as if Qiao Nan was the only good daughter he had. She treated him in the same way as well. Was she not good enough to him?
“It cannot be…” Ding Jiayi hesitated. But in fact, Ding Jiayi also felt the same way as Qiao Zijin.
Chapter 145: Change of Attitude
Ding Jiayi had been telling herself that Qiao Dongliang had just woken up and was not as vigorous as before. He was still weak, so it was normal to ignore them. This was how a patient would behave. It might just be her misconception after all.
But since Ding Jiayi was not the only one who noted the strange atmosphere, but also Qiao Zijin, Ding Jiayi started to feel uneasy.
“Your dad is sick, and his wounds must hurt badly. He does not have the strength to speak. Don’t think too much.” Ding Jiayi patted Qiao Zijin on her head. She seemed to be consoling Qiao Zijin as well as herself.
The three of them would have to go back in the evening, and someone would have to stay behind to take care of Qiao Dongliang.
Without waiting for Ding Jiayi to say anything, Qiao Dongliang spoke up. “Nan Nan, you should go back tonight. Zijin should stay behind to take care of me.”
“It is not really appropriate, is it?” Ding Jiayi frowned. She had wanted Qiao Nan to stay behind. After all, Zijin was the first person Old Qiao saw when he woke up. She should no longer need to tire herself out any more than this. “Zijin stayed up all night to take care of you. It will be Qiao Nan’s turn to look after you tonight. The day after tomorrow—tomorrow night—we will have Zijin take care of you.”
Ding Jiayi’s initial plan was only for Qiao Zijin to wait on Qiao Dongliang till he woke up.
After he woke up, Qiao Nan would have to take care of him.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Dongliang came up with this request all of a sudden, catching Ding Jiayi unaware.
Ding Jiayi used to be the one who was in charge of such ‘small matters’ in the family. Qiao Dongliang never gave his comments and would not bring up any request on his own accord. Why would he do that today?
Could it be that since Zijin was the first person Old Qiao saw when he woke up, he then developed an attachment to her and came to value her more than before?
Ding Jiayi paused momentarily. She did not know how to react to Qiao Dongliang’s requests.
“Well… well, I will stay behind tonight.” Without waiting for Ding Jiayi to say anything, Qiao Zijin spoke up first.
“Zijin, are you up to it? You didn’t sleep well yesterday.” Ding Jiayi spoke anxiously.
“I…” Actually, Zijin felt tired and sleepy. Most importantly, it was summer now, and she had looked after Qiao Dongliang for a long day. She was sticky from her perspiration, feeling uncomfortable. She really wanted to go back to have a bath.
However, her father had already said his piece. If she did not stay, how would the other patients in the ward think of her?
Qiao Nan was filial; she was a good daughter as well!
“Dad, why don’t I stay behind?” Qiao Nan never harbored any hopes on Ding Jiayi or Qiao Zijin. Qiao Zijin might be unwilling to stay behind, but she was all the more willing to do that. “Dad, how about I stay behind instead?”
Her father’s condition the day before was not really stable, and Qiao Zijin had stayed up all night to take care of her father. The one who stayed behind today to look after her father would no longer need to keep vigil all night. One could still have a nap.
“No need. You should go back,” Qiao Dongliang said firmly. “Zijin, are you staying or not?”
Qiao Zijin was stunned momentarily. She quickly agreed. “Yes, I would definitely stay behind. But Dad, how about I go back home first to have a change of clothes and come back later to take Qiao Nan’s turn?”
“Sure.” Qiao Dongliang nodded in agreement.
Ding Jiayi heaved a sigh of relief. Qiao Zijin could hurry back and have a short rest at home before returning to the hospital.
After Qiao Zijin left, Ding Jiayi sat down by Qiao Dongliang’s bedside. “Old Qiao, what’s wrong with you today? Did you know that you gave Zijin a fright just now? You…” Ding Jiayi hesitated, not knowing how to describe Qiao Dongliang’s behavior.
“What did I do just now?” Qiao Dongliang asked a question in return.
“Nothing… It’s nothing.” Ding Jiayi shook her head immediately. Old Qiao was a patient and should not be agitated. But Qiao Nan that wretched girl stood to gain! Qiao Zijin would have to do all the hard work.
While Qiao Dongliang was talking to Ding Jiayi, Qiao Nan peeled an apple for Qiao Dongliang. She even cut the apples into small pieces, making it easier for him to eat.
Actually, besides Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin, Qiao Nan also noticed that Qiao Dongliang’s behavior was strange.
Even though her father refused to let her stay behind and rejected her curtly, she did not sense any loathe in his tone.
But why would her father behave in this way? She had no idea as well.
By the time Qiao Zijin returned to the hospital, three hours had already passed.
Even though it was summer, the sky already looked dark at eight.
“Are you alright?” Ding Jiayi asked out of concern. Ding Jiayi started to have regrets as soon as the sun set. She should have accompanied the elder daughter home. It was no longer as safe as it used to be. What should she do if Zijin had any mishaps or was bullied by someone on the way?
“I am fine. What could have happened to me?” Qiao Zijin said in a displeased tone.
As soon as she reached home, she had a bath, had some food, and went to sleep for two good hours.
Regardless, she was drenched in sweat on her way to the hospital, and her clothes were plastered to her back. She had bathed in vain. Naturally, she was in a bad mood.
“Shall I stay behind with you tonight?” Ding Jiayi gave Qiao Zijin a towel to wipe off her perspiration, waiting on her.
Unlike how Ding Jiayi took care of Qiao Dongliang, she was so ardent and eager to wait on Qiao Zijin as if she was waiting on her elders.
“No need. You have to work tomorrow.” Qiao Zijin rejected her mother’s suggestion. If her mother did not work, she would not be paid, and she would have no money to pay for her school fees when school reopened.
Even though she planned to find a good job with the help of the Zhu family after graduating from high school, she still wanted to graduate from high school. “If you stay behind to accompany me, you would be too tired to work the next day. Mom, go back home with Qiao Nan. I can cope with it by myself.”
Ding Jiayi broke into a smile at the elder daughter’s concerned words. “Alright, you look after your dad. I will go back home first.”
“Nan Nan, you should go back home too.” Unlike her concerned words toward Qiao Zijin just now, Ding Jiayi left by herself, not bothering to wait for Qiao Nan. Qiao Dongliang frowned and urged Qiao Nan to go back home. “Be careful on your way home. Walk on the big road. Do not take the side road.”
“I understand, Dad. I will go now.” Qiao Nan nodded and turned to leave.
As soon as Qiao Nan came out from the hospital, she was stopped by Ding Jiayi. “Let me ask you. Did you tell your dad anything without us knowing?”
“Dad is sick. Don’t worry. I did not say anything to him.” Qiao Nan shrugged away Ding Jiayi’s arms and did not trail after her. She made her way back home by herself instead.