Heart Flutter

Chapter 55

The next morning arrived.

Because Aunt Ji had wanted to eat oranges, Tang Yan purposely took some money downstairs to buy them. The autumn morning was unusually brisk, and Tang Yan, wearing slightly thin clothing, curled up as she shivered. From what she had seen during the past few days, the hospital never seemed short of people. No matter what time she went out, the outpatient building was always crowded, with streams of people coming and going without pause.

Almost everyone seeking medical attention wore a worried expression. Perhaps only those who had truly been sick understood how precious good health could be.

A faint morning mist still hovered overhead. Soon, she reached the breakfast street, casually ate a little, then began searching the nearby fruit shops. It was the season when oranges had just come on the market. At the fruit seller’s invitation, Tang Yan tasted one, which felt a bit sour on her teeth, so she asked if there were any sweeter ones.

The shop assistant pointed to another variety on the shelves, priced at roughly five times more than the sour ones. She tried one, found it incredibly sweet, and decided to take those. Aunt Ji would definitely like them. She bought a few pounds; it was a bit expensive, but the money came from what Tang Yan had saved in her daily life.

After buying the oranges, she headed back toward the hospital. Just as she walked through the gate, a sudden hand reached out from behind and grabbed her arm. Tang Yan’s first instinct was to counter and throw the person over her shoulder, but when she looked back, it turned out to be them.

“Uncle,” she blurted, her face showing obvious shock.

Standing beside Tang Jun was another person, Hu Chunhua. Tang Yan still politely addressed her as Aunt.

Tang Jun and Hu Chunhua were each carrying some things, suggesting they had come prepared.

“Yanyan, Miss Ji is in this hospital, right? Your aunt and I came to see her,” Tang Jun said.

Tang Yan immediately tensed up. “She is in this hospital, yes, but I feel… this might not be a good idea.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Hu Chunhua, who had been cursing her on the phone just yesterday, changed her tone and tried to please Tang Yan, saying, “Yes, your uncle and I have come today only to see her and apologize to her in person.”

Tang Jun echoed, “Yanyan, please just take us to her.”

Tang Yan pursed her lips. Her expression and demeanor made it quite clear she intended to refuse. “I really don’t think Aunt Ji wants to see you right now.”

Hu Chunhua’s temper almost flared, but Tang Jun quickly held her back, urging her not to act impulsively. He then pleaded with Tang Yan again. “Yanyan, consider this your uncle begging you, all right? I am begging you.”

With that, Tang Jun nearly fell to his knees. Tang Yan could not accept such a gesture and quickly reached out to steady him. “Uncle, please don’t do this.”

Several passersby cast glances their way, some openly curious, some whispering among themselves.

“Tang Yan, your uncle has gone this far. If you still refuse to help us, that would be wrong. Are you unwilling to give us even a chance to apologize in person?” Hu Chunhua continued.

In the end, Tang Yan could not hold her ground and relented, albeit reluctantly. “All right, but I need to let Aunt Ji know first.”

“No problem, no problem. We can wait outside,” Hu Chunhua quickly agreed, her smile returning in an instant. Her sudden change of face was startling.

Tang Jun then straightened up, gazing at Tang Yan with relief. Tang Yan truly felt conflicted. If she had refused them any longer, her uncle would probably have knelt before her, leaving her feeling even worse about the situation.

She pushed open the ward door, carrying the oranges inside.

Ji Yuqing was lying in bed reading. She immediately closed her book and smiled softly when she saw Tang Yan return. “You are back.”

Tang Yan looked troubled as she placed the oranges on the bedside table, hesitating to speak.

Ji Yuqing paused, then asked perceptively, “Is something wrong?”

Tang Yan nodded slightly.

“Go on, what is it? There is nothing you cannot say in front of Aunt Ji,” Ji Yuqing said with a smile.

Tang Yan took a deep breath and looked up at her, gathering her courage. “My uncle and aunt came by this morning.”

A hint of surprise crossed Ji Yuqing’s face. “They are outside?”

Tang Yan nodded again, then hurried to add, “But if you do not want to see them, I can ask them to leave right away.”

Ji Yuqing fell silent for a moment. During that pause, Tang Yan distinctly heard her own heart pounding in her chest, as clearly as a temple bell ringing in the morning.

After a while, Ji Yuqing turned to Tang Yan and said, “Let them come in.”

Even though she did not seem to deliberate for too long, those few seconds felt like an eternity to Tang Yan.

Tang Yan bit her lip, still uncertain, and asked once more, “Are you sure you want to see them, Aunt Ji?” In truth, Tang Yan did not want them to meet. She knew exactly what kind of person her aunt was, without even mentioning her uncle.

“Of course. They are still your relatives. Go and tell them,” Ji Yuqing said again.

Tang Yan nodded, turned around, and went back outside.

Tang Jun and Hu Chunhua were waiting in the corridor. The moment Tang Yan emerged, they stood up.

“Well? Can we go in now?”

Tang Yan gave a slight nod, not entirely sure how she felt as she watched them enter the ward. She could not fathom Aunt Ji’s emotions or thoughts in that moment. If it had been her in this situation, she was not confident she could have been so gracious.

She did not follow them in and chose instead to wait on a chair in the corridor, sensing that her presence would be inconvenient.

Tang Jun and Hu Chunhua were indeed remorseful. After all, their son had badly injured someone. As soon as they entered the ward, they kept apologizing, one after the other. Throughout it all, Ji Yuqing remained calm, revealing no clear sign of her feelings. She had not chosen to see them merely for the sake of a few apologies.

“I know my son hurt you greatly, but he is still the only heir of our Tang family,” Hu Chunhua pleaded. “He is only twenty-three and not married yet. If he ended up in jail, his life would be over. I beg you to have mercy and not hold a grudge against him. Let us make amends to you, please.”

Sitting on the hospital bed, Ji Yuqing remained expressionless, speaking coolly. “The root of the problem is what I want you to understand. Your son has seriously disrupted Yan’s studies and life. He even caused trouble at her school. Are you aware of that?”

Hu Chunhua and Tang Jun exchanged looks, both aware of what had happened.

No one could guess what this woman in the hospital bed was really thinking. Yet her calm demeanor suggested to Hu Chunhua that the matter would be difficult to resolve. Anxiety overwhelmed her, so she resorted to an extreme measure. With a thud, she knelt beside Ji Yuqing’s bed, putting on her most practiced performance as she sobbed and begged for forgiveness, asking her not to press charges and to give her son a chance to change. Standing on the side, Tang Jun looked awkward, torn between wanting to help his son and feeling uneasy about making too big a scene.

Outside, Tang Yan’s palms felt clammy with sweat. Her uncle and aunt had been in there a long time. Besides apologizing, they were surely pleading for mercy on Tang Yawen’s behalf. That had to be the reason they had stayed so long. But would Aunt Ji forgive Tang Yawen so easily?

Tang Yan sincerely hoped she would not. She wanted Tang Yawen to face legal consequences.

Just then, Tang Yan’s phone rang. The caller was someone she rarely heard from—her mother, Tang Huiyi.

Tang Yan picked up her phone and quickly walked to the end of the corridor where there was no one around. She answered and pressed the phone to her ear, trying to steady her nervous heart. Even so, the sound of her mother’s voice made her heart race.

“Yanyan, is that you?”

“Yes,” Tang Yan said, taking a deep breath.

“I saw your post last night. Who got admitted to the hospital? Was it you?”

Tang Yan suddenly remembered she had forgotten to block her mother from viewing her social media post. She quickly shook her head. “No, it was… Aunt Ji.”

“What happened to her, exactly? Yanyan, be honest with me.”

After Tang Yan finished explaining everything that had happened, Tang Huiyi could not contain her anger. Even over the phone, she criticized Tang Yawen and insisted that Ji Yuqing must not let him off the hook and should definitely press charges.

Tang Yan agreed, saying she hoped for the same.

At that moment, an infant’s cry came through the phone. Tang Yan ventured a guess. “Is that my little brother?”

“Yes,” her mother replied. “He just woke up and is a bit fussy. Over the next couple of days, I will talk to your uncle to see if we can find some time to go to Huadu and check on Xiao Ji.”

“There is no need,” Tang Yan blurted, then softened her tone. “Just take care of my brother. I am here, and I will look after Aunt Ji.”

She had her own reasons for not wanting her mother to come, many complicated factors that she could not fully articulate.

With little left to say, they exchanged awkward pleasantries before ending the call. Tang Yan slipped her phone back into her pocket and took another deep breath.

By the time she returned, her uncle and aunt had already left at some point. The door to the ward was slightly ajar, and she could not hear any voices inside.

Tang Yan gently pushed the door open and poked her head in. “They have gone?”

“Yes,” Ji Yuqing replied.

Tang Yan went in and shut the door behind her. First pursing her lips, she glanced around and then asked with obvious discomfort, “What did they talk about?”

While peeling one of the oranges Tang Yan had brought, Ji Yuqing answered in a calm tone, “Not much, really. Mostly apologies.”

Tang Yan blinked in surprise. “They did not ask for leniency for Tang Yawen? That is strange.”

At that moment, Ji Yuqing tasted a piece of the orange, smiling as her eyes curved with delight. Unable to contain her excitement, she broke off a section and held it out to Tang Yan like a child. “Try it. It was very sweet.”