bookrandom Chapter 934 Thank you, Uncle Mu
Chapter 934 Thank you, Uncle Mu
A faint aroma of rice wafted from the kitchen of the Jinjiang Bay villa. Shen Rou, wearing a beige apron, stood in front of the stove.
Her gaze fell on the steamer, the steam swirling around her eyes and brows, adding a touch of melancholy.
Aunt Zhao kneaded the dough, her fingers flying across the surface, and the small, exquisite steamed buns were neatly arranged on the bamboo strips.
Seeing Shen Rou's gloomy face, she slowed her movements and gently advised, "Madam, please rest assured."
"Young Master's condition isn't serious at all. With the young master busy taking care of him, he'll recover his energy and spirits quickly."
Shen Rou turned around, still clutching the dishcloth in her hand, and smiled bitterly: "Hey, I know that makes sense."
Ever since Chenxi was taken in, the child has been constantly causing trouble, always with injuries or aches and pains.
I always wonder, why does he have to suffer so many misfortunes? Even going to a birthday banquet, he comes back injured, it's really..."
She sighed softly halfway through her sentence, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes revealing an unyielding heartache.
As they were talking, Aunt Zhao turned off the stove, picked up a pair of long-handled tongs, and lifted the steamer basket. A delicious aroma instantly wafted out.
She carefully took the bowl of shrimp and egg custard out and placed it on a white porcelain plate. The rising steam blurred the delicate sheen of the custard's surface.
"Madam, the steamed egg custard is ready. I'll take it to the young master's bedroom. The congee is almost done cooking too. Please wait here and be careful not to burn yourself."
"You go about your business, I'll deliver it." Shen Rou took the tray, her fingertips touching the warm rim of the bowl.
Her movements were as gentle as if she were holding a fragile treasure, and she turned and quickly left the kitchen.
In the bedroom upstairs, Jiang Shuo was tiptoeing over to move a brass clothes rack, the metal frame making a slight scraping sound on the floor.
He climbed onto the bed and laboriously hung the IV bag on the top of the clothes hanger. The long IV tube hung down, and the needle was ready, gleaming brightly.
His movements were so skilled that he didn't seem like a child. When adjusting the fluids, his eyes were focused, even showing the meticulousness of a professional doctor.
Mu Xiaoji leaned against the cushion, quietly watching him. When Jiang Shuo turned around, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing the clear veins on her forearm.
Jiang Shuo picked up a wide leather belt and neatly tied it above his wrist.
He drew a faint red mark, then picked up the needle, found the right spot, and gently pricked the wound with a swift and decisive motion.
Seeing that the blood return was smooth, he quickly unbuckled the belt, tore off a piece of tape to secure the needle, and finally turned the regulator to adjust the drip rate to a suitable level.
"Jiang Shuo, don't blame yourself." Mu Xiaoji looked at her son's tense profile and spoke softly.
"Dad knows you're upset. Blame me if you have to. If I hadn't wronged your little dad... your little dad wouldn't be here..."
Jiang Shuo suddenly turned around, interrupting him, his eyes still red.
But she didn't dwell on yesterday's incident; instead, she pointed at his cheek and said in a muffled voice:
"Dad, this side of your body is really swollen. Shall I help you heal it with my internal energy?"
His small hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles slightly white, clearly still feeling guilty about accidentally injuring someone yesterday.
Mu Xiaoji shook his head, raised his hand to touch his temple, where thick bandages were wrapped around his temple, and a dull ache throbbed from it.
"No need, I just took some anti-inflammatory medicine. After a good night's sleep, the swelling should go down by tomorrow."
His gaze shifted to Zhou Xue, who was standing by the bed. The young girl was wearing a light-colored dress.
Holding the hem of her skirt in her hands, she was as quiet as a mimosa. "Xiaoxue, why are you up so early today? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
Zhou Xue looked up, her clear eyes filled with worry: "Uncle Mu, are you in pain?"
"It's much better now, thank you." Mu Xiaoji smiled, the corner of her eye stiffening slightly as the wound aggravated her expression. "Did I look too scary and frighten you?"
"No," Zhou Xue gently shook her head, her voice soft but carrying a serious tone.
"I just don't understand, Jiang Shuo clearly likes his little father so much."
Why did he suddenly act like that yesterday...? What could have caused him to lose his temper so suddenly?
As soon as she finished speaking, the door creaked open, and Shen Rou walked in carrying an egg custard.
The sound of footsteps following behind was the "clattering" of Shengxue, the little white horse.
It scurried in with light steps, its tail swishing happily, completely oblivious to the somber atmosphere in the room.
Shengxue ran straight to Jiang Shuo's side, raised her head, stuck out her pink tongue and licked his face, then rubbed her fluffy head against his shoulder.
Jiang Shuo, however, acted as if he had been burned, and pushed it away abruptly, venting all his anger towards Jiang Chengyu on the little white horse.
He yelled with a look of disgust, "Get away from me, or I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs." He turned and walked towards the door, his hand already on the doorknob.
"Jiang Shuo," Mu Xiaoji suddenly called out to him.
Jiang Shuo stopped walking, but did not turn around.
“Go call Gu Qinming. Dad is not available right now.” Mu Xiaoji’s voice was calm and even.
However, he showed great trust in five-year-old Jiang Shuo, saying, "Arrange a meeting at the prison, and tell them that Xiaoxue misses her father very much."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Shuo responded softly, opened the door, and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Shen Rou placed the steamed egg custard on the bedside table and reached out to touch Mu Xiaoji's forehead.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and her fingertips were warm: "Chenxi, what should your mother say about you?"
"Look at this huge bag, are you trying to break your mother's heart?" As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Mom, I'm fine, don't make a fuss. The IV drip is finished today, and the swelling should go down soon," Mu Xiaoji explained.
Shen Rou wiped away her tears, picked up the steamed egg custard and said, "Here, Mom will feed you. Eat it while it's hot."
These are fresh, live shrimp that Mom specially went to the market early this morning to buy for you and steamed them.
The shrimp were chopped into small pieces for easy digestion. Now that I'm back, I can focus on recovering; everything else can wait, and I'll delegate the necessary tasks to others.
"Mom, I'm really fine. It's just a minor scratch. It'll be fine in a couple of days."
Mu Xiaoji forced a smile and reached for the stew pot, but Shen Rou stopped her.
"Don't move, you still have needles in your hand," Shen Rou scolded him playfully, then sat down on the edge of the bed.
The smile on her face faded slightly. She scooped up a spoonful of steamed egg custard, blew on it to cool it down, and asked:
"Your dad was so worried last night, he had some heart problems for a while. I wanted to call him, but he wouldn't let me."
He said that he was having a very pleasant conversation with Mr. Teng yesterday when a sound of breaking plates startled him.
Turning around, I saw Cheng Yu supporting you; blood was streaming down your forehead, and your face was as white as paper…
What exactly happened? Why did they suddenly throw a plate at me? Who hurt you?
Looking at his mother's worried eyes, Mu Xiaoji remained silent for a moment before whispering, "It's Jiang Shuo."
Shen Rou was stunned, clearly not expecting this: "Stinky baby? How could he..."
"The little monster left without saying goodbye on the first day of the Lunar New Year, leaving Xiao Yue and Jiang Shuo behind, which hurt his young heart."
The night before last, he went to Jiang Shuo's bedroom, returned the little white horse to Jiang Shuo, and offered no explanation for what had happened before.
She also resolutely returned Jiang Shuo's little white horse, which filled Jiang Shuo's heart with an even more deadly obstruction.
Mu Xiaoji paused for a moment, her tone tinged with melancholy, "In addition, yesterday the little monster shielded Gu Ze from drinking..."
He even deliberately provoked me. Jiang Shuo couldn't stand it anymore, and his childish temper flared up, and he lost control.
Mu Xiaoji explained on behalf of her son, her tone tinged with helplessness, "He resents his stepfather for being cold-blooded."
It's also my fault for not trying my best to win back the little father he loved all his life.
My pent-up emotions finally exploded yesterday. I threw the food I had put on my son's plate at him.
I couldn't bear to see him get hurt, so I rushed forward and stood in front of him.
The scene replays itself; Mu Xiaoji lowers her eyes, recalling the little monster's calls from inside the car.
He looked nervous, but my heart felt warm. The only thing I couldn't be sure of was when he would be able to come back to my side.
Shen Rou scooped up some steamed egg custard with a spoon, paused in mid-air, and kept her gaze fixed on her son's forlorn and sorrowful expression.
Mu Xiaoji noticed her mother's intense gaze, and her earlier gloom vanished. She smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry, Mom, I'm hungry."
Shen Rou snapped out of her thoughts, quickly scooped up another bowl of steamed egg custard, and fed it to Mu Xiaoji.
The warm, savory flavor spread across her tongue, and Mu Xiaoji praised, "Mmm, Mom's cooking is great."
Shen Rou lovingly fed it to her again, saying, "Eat more if it's good." Turning around, she saw Zhou Xue smiling blankly.
"Grandma, I miss my mom too. My mom is just as beautiful and virtuous as you."
However, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer and needed to take a lot of medicine every day, which cost the family all their money and still wasn't enough.
Dad loved Mom very much, and in order to save her, he borrowed money from all his relatives and friends.
With nowhere else to turn, they sold their big house and moved to a bed and breakfast in the suburbs.
Xiaoxue was also very unfortunate; she suddenly fell ill with a high fever that wouldn't go down, and went blind.
My father secretly shed tears every day, and even turned to crime, causing my mother's death and ruining himself.
At this point, the smile vanished from her youthful face, and her large, watery eyes filled with stubborn tears that never fell.
Mu Xiaoji's gentle and tender tone provided Zhou Xue with the fatherly love she was missing at this moment.
She gently comforted her, "Xiaoxue, although your mother isn't by your side, she's always watching over you from heaven!"
Like a star, though we can't see its entirety, it's always there, radiating a warm light.
Zhou Xue looked up at Mu Xiaoji with teary eyes, as if she felt a sense of comfort from his words.
Mu Xiaoji continued, "Jiang Shuo has already contacted Uncle Lawyer regarding Dad's side."
He'll arrange everything as soon as possible and then take you to see your father. So, Xiaoxue, don't worry too much, everything will be alright.
After hearing Mu Xiaoji's words, Zhou Xue's mood calmed down a bit.
She knew that Mu Xiaoji was trying his best to comfort her, and all she could do now was believe what he said.
"Thank you, Uncle Mu." Zhou Xue's voice was slightly choked as she said these simple words.
Yet it contained all the gratitude and emotion in her heart at that moment. Mu Xiaoji smiled as she looked at Zhou Xue, her eyes filled with love and care.