Heart Flutter

Chapter 35

After the surgery ended, the doors of the operating room were pushed open from inside. The attending doctor walked out first, took off his mask, and explained the current situation to the patient’s family. He said, “The operation was very successful and required one day of observation in the inpatient ward.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Ji Yuqing nodded, finally feeling relieved.

Tang Yan waited on the side, watching as several nurses wheeled Aunt Ji’s mother out. She had an oxygen tube inserted in her nose and an IV drip for anti-inflammatory medication in her hand, lying peacefully as though she were asleep.

A nurse explained that the anesthesia had not completely worn off and that she needed a day of observation. After that, she could be transferred to the senior care unit if everything checked out.

This was Tang Yan’s first time seeing Aunt Ji’s mother, who looked old enough to be her grandmother. Judging by her regular features, she must have been very beautiful in her youth. Over time, however, she had grown plump and developed age spots on her cheeks.

It was not far from the surgery building to the inpatient ward, connected by a corridor that almost linked the two buildings into one. By the time they settled Aunt Ji’s mother into the inpatient ward, it was already past midnight.

The elderly woman slept quietly in her hospital bed while Ji Yuqing sat beside her, holding her other hand. Tang Yan did not know what to say, so she simply kept her company in silence.

Two nursing assistants soon arrived to take shifts and urged Ji Yuqing to get some rest. She wanted to stay a bit longer, but she also knew that if she did not rest, Tang Yan would stay awake with her. She could not bear to see Tang Yan endure a sleepless night.

“Let’s go rest now and come back in the morning,” said Ji Yuqing, turning to Tang Yan.

“All right,” Tang Yan agreed with a nod.

Once they stepped out of the inpatient department, the temperature plummeted, as if it really were deep autumn already. Only a little over a month earlier, Huadu had still been scorching hot. Perhaps the cooler weather came from the surrounding mountains and forests. Tang Yan, who had given her jacket to Aunt Ji, walked with her shoulders hunched, goosebumps rising on her arms. Their footsteps echoed crisply on the stone pathway.

Pausing, Ji Yuqing turned to Tang Yan. “Are you cold? Give me back the jacket.”

Only a second earlier, Tang Yan had been shivering, her lips almost turning blue, but she immediately straightened her back. “I am fine, not cold at all,” she insisted. “You keep wearing it, Aunt Ji.”

“Really not cold?” asked Ji Yuqing, sounding a bit skeptical.

Tang Yan patted her chest and replied cheerfully, “Not cold. I actually feel pretty comfortable.”

Naturally, she ended up freezing the entire way, but she would rather be cold herself than let Aunt Ji be cold.

The apartment Aunt Ji paid for had three bedrooms and one living room, one of which was reserved for Tang Yan in case she needed to stay overnight. Tang Yan had originally pictured something like a basic retirement setup with a single room, two beds, and two elderly residents. Poverty had once again limited her imagination, because the place where Aunt Ji’s mother stayed could only be described as luxurious.

It had everything except cooking facilities, since all the residents dined together. Each had different health needs, and the nursing home employed nutritionists and five-star chefs, so the meals there were likely much healthier and more carefully prepared than anything one could cook at home.

Instead of a kitchen, the apartment had a study, which looked more like a child’s reading room filled with picture books. Because Aunt Ji’s mother’s mind had regressed to a childlike state, reading helped keep her brain active. There were also art supplies so she could draw to pass the time and express her thoughts.

Tang Yan thought it was the nicest retirement accommodation she had ever seen, though it must have come with a high price. The people living there all seemed to be either wealthy or blessed with children who had the means and the devotion to afford it.

Following Aunt Ji inside, she opened one of the rooms. “This is where I usually stay when I spend the night,” she said, then turned and added, “We will have to squeeze in tonight.”

Tang Yan was momentarily speechless. So she would be sharing a bed with Aunt Ji again. The thought made her cheeks feel a bit warm.

Feeling tired, Ji Yuqing pinched the bridge of her nose. “Would you like to shower first, or shall I?”

“Please go ahead,” Tang Yan replied quickly.

“Sure, I will try to be quick.” Carrying her clothes, Ji Yuqing stepped into the bathroom connected to the bedroom. Shortly afterward, the sound of running water filled the room. Tang Yan stood there for a while, fidgety, because even though she had shared a bed with Aunt Ji before, she still felt nervous every time.

She sat on a chair and took out her phone. It was already one-thirty in the morning. She could hardly believe that earlier that day, they had still been over a thousand kilometers away on an island, and now, in the blink of an eye, they were back in Huadu.

After Ji Yuqing finished showering, Tang Yan took her turn. On the bed, Aunt Ji had left half the space for her. Tang Yan crawled onto it carefully; seeing that the other person made no movement, she assumed she was already asleep and turned off the bedside lamp. However, before long, the voice beside her spoke up.

“Let me tell you about my mother.”

Tang Yan froze slightly. “I thought you were asleep…”

“I felt tired, but once I lay down, I could not sleep. Do you want to hear about her?” asked Ji Yuqing.

“If you are willing to share, I would like to listen,” Tang Yan answered.

The other woman rolled onto her back, eyes fixed on the ceiling as she began, “My mother was a pitiful and sad woman. In her day, she was highly educated and could have had a brilliant future, but she fell for my father and married him against her family’s wishes. She chose a life of hardship instead. My father’s family was very traditional and feudal, and they forced her to leave her job and have a son.

“Fortunately, three years after they got married, they had their first child—my older brother. However, not even two years passed before he died. By the time she conceived her second child, she was already in her thirties. That second child was me. Since I was a girl, the family did not care much about me. My father brought us to Huadu to make a living. Although life was hard back then, our family was still reasonably happy at first. But as my father’s career improved, he came home less and less. When I was ten, he brought another woman home—she was only in her twenties, very young and pretty. My mother put up with all of it to keep our family together, but that only encouraged him to go even further…”

Here, she took a deep breath, changing how she referred to her father. “After that, when I took my college entrance exams, that man even brought home his illegitimate daughter. I graduated high school and left home for good. Well, I went back twice: once to get my mother, and once so she could officially divorce him.”

Tang Yan felt a variety of emotions churning inside her after hearing this. She loathed how some men abandoned their wives and children. Her own father, whom she had never met, was like that, and Aunt Ji’s father was, too. She looked down on men who forgot their wives the moment they succeeded.

She did not know how best to comfort her, nor could she imagine how difficult it must have been for Aunt Ji to survive alone from age eighteen onward. Only she herself knew the extent of her hardships.

Comparatively, Tang Yan realized she was fortunate, because at eighteen, she had met Aunt Ji.

After that night, Tang Yan felt that she was closer to Aunt Ji than ever—especially in terms of their hearts and minds.

The following day, the two of them washed up, packed their things, and returned to the inpatient ward to check on Aunt Ji’s mother. It was busier during the day than at night. As soon as they reached the door, they ran into one of the nursing assistants, who told them excitedly that the elderly woman was awake and in the middle of breakfast.

Tang Yan followed Aunt Ji inside. The windows were wide open, the white curtains fluttering in the breeze. The weather outside was clear and bright, the sunlight streaming through.

Seated on the bed, the silver-haired woman was eating from a small table set up there. Although she ate somewhat messily, she seemed to be in decent spirits.

“Mom,” called out Ji Yuqing, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.

The old lady did not respond, as if she had not heard, and continued eating quietly. Even so, a relieved smile appeared on Ji Yuqing’s face. She pulled a chair to the bedside and beckoned to Tang Yan.

“Come here,” she said, and then introduced her. “This is Yan Yan, Tang Yan. I told you about her before. She is the daughter of one of my older classmates.”

“Hello, Grandma,” Tang Yan greeted respectfully, bowing. Then she looked to Aunt Ji uncertainly, lowering her voice. “Should I call her Grandma?”

With a laugh, Ji Yuqing said, “What else would you call her? Grandma sounds right.”

Just then, Nurse Qin stepped in, tidying up and chatting as she worked. “The doctor came by a while ago and said her condition is pretty good. With proper rest, she should recover soon.”

Nodding, Ji Yuqing could not hide her smile, looking utterly different from the anxious person she had been the previous night.

“Mom, if you take care of yourself, you will fully recover,” she told her.

At that moment, the old lady finally stopped eating and lifted her head to scan the room. She set her eyes on Tang Yan and said in a shaky voice, “Tuan Tuan, you are here.”

Tang Yan glanced at Aunt Ji in confusion.

With a slightly embarrassed smile, Ji Yuqing explained, “That is my childhood nickname… I have not heard it in years. I think my mom mistook you for me.”

“Oh…” Tang Yan responded.

Still, she could not help thinking that it was a very cute name, something she never would have guessed belonged to Aunt Ji.