After Becoming The Young Darling Of A Wealthy Family - Chapter 4

When Feng Ye saw Wen Ruanqing clearly, her heart felt as though it skipped a beat. She stood up abruptly, the color completely draining from her face: “Xiao Bao!”

Wen Si, who was standing to the side, was not faring any better. She immediately went upstairs to scoop up Wen Ruanqing. Her expression under the warm-toned light appeared exceptionally grim, yet the words that came out of her mouth were extraordinarily gentle: “Are you awake?”

“Mmh.”

Held in Wen Si’s arms, Wen Ruanqing wasn’t sure what was happening. Her attention was entirely captured by Wen Si. She was not very familiar with this mother, only feeling that she bore a resemblance to the person in the wedding photo hanging over the head of the bed. Her small hands pressed against Wen Si’s chest, her brow furrowing slightly as she looked at her.

“Mama.”

The moment Wen Ruanqing spotted Feng Ye, she immediately began to squirm in resistance, opening her arms wide to demand Feng Ye’s embrace. Her nose tingled, and she completely lost control, bursting into tears: “Mama, wah!”

Feng Ye took Wen Ruanqing into her arms and coaxed her softly. She glanced at Wen Si, who was standing to the side looking somewhat dejected. Feng Ye opened her mouth as if to say something, but before the words could leave her lips, she first questioned Wen Ruanqing, her tone entirely devoid of any reprimand: “Did you have a nightmare? Did you get scared when you woke up and couldn’t find Mama?”

No!

Wen Ruanqing sniffled. She hadn’t originally intended to cry, but the moment she saw Feng Ye, her tears simply could not be held back. She reached back to grab at her bottom with her hand. Because she wasn’t tall enough and her hands were tiny, her face contorted with exertion as she let out an “Ngh—” to tell Feng Ye that she was uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Wen Si understood instantly: “Go back inside first. I’ll go fetch some water to wash her up.”

“Alright.”

Feng Ye studied Wen Si’s face intently for a few seconds. Seeing nothing amiss, she carried the child back into the bedroom.

Wen Tingyin had also woken up. Upon discovering that her little sister was not beside her, she had nearly cried from fright. Tears were just welling up in her eyes, about to fall, when Feng Ye happened to push the door open and walk in. In her arms, Wen Ruanqing also had tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, a look of distress on her face.

“Sister.”

Wen Tingyin instantly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and scrambled up from the bed. Watching Feng Ye place Wen Ruanqing onto the bed, she reached out a finger to poke Wen Ruanqing’s cheek, her tone serious: “Sister, I almost thought you had disappeared.”

Wen Ruanqing blinked her eyes and opened her mouth, attempting to bite Wen Tingyin’s finger, though unfortunately, she failed.

“The water is here.”

Wen Si walked in carrying a small basin, and Feng Ye shifted half her body over to make room for her. The two of them quickly changed Wen Ruanqing’s diaper and tucked her securely inside a thin blanket. Looking at Wen Ruanqing’s comfortable expression, Feng Ye felt both exasperated and amused as she nudged Wen Ruanqing’s nose: “You scared Mama to death.”

“Mama.”

Now entirely at ease, Wen Ruanqing smiled, gripping Feng Ye’s hand without letting go.

Ah, so comfortable.

Wen Si also leaned in. She first pulled Wen Tingyin close for a kiss before turning her gaze to Wen Ruanqing: “Xiao Bao, I am Mother.”

Wen Ruanqing’s actions just a moment ago had indeed made her feel a bit sad, but she could understand. For the past few months, she had been constantly traveling and busy outside; the time she spent taking care of Wen Ruanqing was far less than before, so it was only normal for the child not to remember her.

Feng Ye clasped Wen Ruanqing’s hand in return. The tiny hand resting in her palm was exceptionally soft, forming a stark contrast with her own hands—it was too cold, and too thin.

“Ma…”

Wen Ruanqing looked at Wen Si, trying her best to rummage through her mind for those scant pieces of memory. The memories from the previous few months were like fireworks—shoo, and they were gone, impossible to catch, even though she knew clearly that this person was her other mother.

She was beautiful, too.

Wen Ruanqing tilted her head up to look at the wedding photo above them, her eyes unblinking, staring straight at it in an attempt to show Wen Si that she knew. She was a clever baby.

Seeing this, Wen Si burst into laughter. Held in her arms, Wen Tingyin let out an exaggerated “Wow!”: “Sister knows that the people in the photograph are Mama and Mother! So awesome!”

“Yes, a little clever ghost.”

Feng Ye tucked the blanket around Wen Ruanqing, turning to trade a glance with Wen Si, after which the two of them smiled in unison.

Huh?

Laughing?

Attracted by the sound of laughter, Wen Ruanqing looked at the three of them laughing and parted her own mouth into a grin. Her laughter slipped out as an “Ah!”, which drew yet another round of laughter from the whole family.

Hmph hmph.

What a joke…

The night curtain slowly lifted amidst their playful banter, and sunlight once again spilled onto the windowsill.

Today was warm.

Yet Wen Ruanqing felt cold; she was running a fever.

After Huo Yinli moved to Sea City, her mother enrolled her in preparatory classes. It was now summer vacation, and she had to attend classes five days a week. At six o’clock in the morning, after eating breakfast at home, she put on her backpack and got into the driver’s car to go to the class location.

This morning was foreign language class, while the afternoon held Go and calligraphy. Huo Yinli harbored no objections whatsoever toward these arrangements. Upon pushing open the classroom door, she spotted Wen Tingyin at a glance.

Oh, Wen Ruanqing’s older sister.

Huo Yinli was arranged to sit right next to Wen Tingyin. She maintained a focused state during class, able to answer the teacher’s questions at the very first instance. However, she didn’t know why Wen Tingyin kept fidgeting around.

She looked at Wen Tingyin several times, even furrowing her brows. Was she not paying attention in class?

Therefore, during the mid-class recess, she asked her directly: “Can you stop moving around during class? It is affecting me.”

Wen Tingyin slumped over the desk, her eyes filled with distress: “My little sister has a fever. Her body is so hot. Mama said sister caught a chill. Do you know my sister? The cute and pretty little girl from yesterday.”

Huo Yinli’s eyes widened. In an instant, the memory of the little sister who had tumbled into her arms yesterday, looking at her with eyes full of wonder, came to mind. She also grew anxious: “Is she hot?”

“Yes! Super scalding, just like water that has just boiled. Her face is all red, too. I wanted to stay with sister, but Mama wouldn’t let me.”

As she spoke, Wen Tingyin let out a deep sigh: “Sister is so fragile.”

Huo Yinli’s face also turned solemn. She reached out a hand to pat Wen Tingyin’s shoulder and said, “Can I go with you to see her?”

Yesterday, her mother had replied to her message, saying that since the bracelet was given, it was fine, but she should take extra care of Wen Ruanqing.

Yes, she needed to take care of Wen Ruanqing!

The two struck an immediate accord, their eyes filled with determination as they looked at each other.

The teacher standing nearby watched them with a face full of bewilderment, not understanding what the two of them were doing. Surely the world of children couldn’t be like this.

With great difficulty, the two of them endured until class was dismissed. Huo Yinli directly got into Wen Tingyin’s car, following her back to the Wen residence.

“Mama! Is sister any better?”

Wen Tingyin dropped her backpack and dashed toward the stairs, but she was stopped just in time by Feng Ye: “Da Bao, keep your voice down. Sister just fell asleep.”

“Oh.”

Wen Tingyin immediately lightened her footsteps, keeping her eyes fixed upstairs, wishing she could fly to Wen Ruanqing’s side this very instant.

Feng Ye managed a slight smile. Just as she turned around, she spotted Huo Yinli following closely behind. She froze for a moment, but quickly said: “Are you here to find sister?”

“Yes.”

Gripping the straps of her backpack, Huo Yinli walked up to Feng Ye and looked up: “Auntie, can I go see her?”

Feng Ye’s smile softened, and she nodded her head: “Go on. Stay at Auntie’s house for lunch at noon. Just remember to keep your voice down, sister just fell asleep.”

Huo Yinli nodded her head vigorously. Stepping up beside Wen Tingyin, the two of them moved with synchronized, cautious limbs, keeping their movements incredibly slow for fear of making the slightest noise. Feng Ye was amused by the sight; shaking her head, she turned and walked into the kitchen.

Wen Si was in the bedroom taking care of Wen Ruanqing. She checked Wen Ruanqing’s temperature, and upon finding it was 38 degrees Celsius, she let out a heavy sigh. Watching Wen Ruanqing’s heavy, labored breathing, she lowered her head and sniffled: “Illness, please go away quickly, alright?”

“Mother!”

Wen Tingyin stood on her tiptoes and pushed the bedroom door open to walk inside. At first glance, she saw a fever-cooling patch adhered to Wen Ruanqing’s forehead, and a long needle stuck into the back of her hand. She knew what that needle was; getting shots hurt terribly.

“Is sister okay?”

Wen Tingyin walked over to Wen Si’s side, leaning over the edge of the bed to look at Wen Ruanqing. She found that the other girl’s eyes were tightly shut, her small mouth taking shallow, panting breaths, looking very uncomfortable—just like how it felt when one’s nose was completely stuffed up.

Wen Si pulled Wen Tingyin into an embrace, comforting her softly: “Sister is just a bit unwell, but it’s nothing major.”

“Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”

Huo Yinli spoke up. With a stern face, she walked over to the bedside. She couldn’t see Wen Ruanqing’s face very clearly, only being able to see her hand. Pursing her lips tightly, she continued: “When my mama is unwell, she has to go to the hospital.”

Wen Si waited for Huo Yinli to finish speaking before she opened her mouth. First, she nodded her head, validating Huo Yinli’s words: “You are exactly right. When someone is sick, they definitely should go to the hospital. But little sister is different. She just came back from the hospital, and her body is weaker than yours, so she falls ill easily. I have already called a doctor here to treat sister. The doctor said that since Wen Ruanqing just left the hospital, we must be careful with everything, and running a fever will be a frequent occurrence. For now, we can only manage it with injections. Sister doesn’t really like the hospital; if we send her there, it might make her illness worse.”

Huo Yinli didn’t entirely understand, only asking: “Is she really going to be okay?”

“She will be fine. Thank you for caring so much about sister.”

Wen Si pulled two candies from her pocket and distributed them to the children: “Eating a piece of candy will make you feel better.”

Just as her voice trailed off, Wen Ruanqing let out a few whimpers. Wen Si immediately looked over, leaning closer to ask: “Are you thirsty?”

“Mmh…”

Wen Ruanqing slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt dizzy and heavy; her eyes felt extremely hot and weighted down, as if someone mean was refusing to let her open them. Her neck hurt terribly too. Wen Ruanqing parted her mouth, but for a long time, she couldn’t make a sound.

Water.

Wen Si understood her silent plea. She fed Wen Ruanqing a few sips of water, then used a towel to wipe down her body: “Are you hungry?”

Wen Ruanqing remained silent. Looking at Wen Tingyin who was leaning over the bedside, she lightly curled the corner of her lips: “Jie…”

“Sister is here.”

Wen Tingyin took hold of Wen Ruanqing’s hand, lowering her head to blow on it: “Hoo—I’ll blow on it for you so it won’t hurt.”

Wen Ruanqing was smiling, her eyes blinking slowly. As she tilted her head slightly, she caught sight of Huo Yinli standing nearby: “Fafa.”

The pretty older sister was here again.

Huo Yinli moved a bit closer, standing right in front of Wen Ruanqing. After a few seconds, she reached out her hand to gently pat Wen Ruanqing’s head, muttering under her breath: “Pat the head, no scaring, don’t cry, don’t cry now.”

That was how her mother comforted her. Once those words were said, she would stop feeling bad… so after saying them, would Wen Ruanqing stop feeling bad too?