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墨書 Inktalez
In early spring of 2010, the air was still chilly.
In a hospital in the Provincial Capital, a young mother sat beside a bed in a ward, gently brushing the hair off her little girl's forehead. The girl seemed to have just woken up from her dreams, her bright black eyes slightly opened as she softly called out, "Mommy."
The young mother smiled and nodded at the girl, asking, "Are you hungry?"
The little girl shook her head and replied, "Not hungry." Then she mischievously smiled.
The young mother understood her daughter's little trick; she wanted her mother to stay with her and didn't want to be left alone in the ward while her mother went to buy food, so she pretended not to be hungry.
The mother also smiled playfully and turned around as if performing magic, pulling a piece of cake from her bag behind her and waving it in front of the little girl. "Look, what is this?"
"Cake! Where did the cake come from?" The girl's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. "Mommy, I'm hungry!"
The mother said, "Did you not just say you weren't hungry? Then I guess I'll eat this piece of cake myself." She pretended to eat the cake herself.
The little girl pouted, her round face scrunching up. "I wasn't hungry before, but now I am!"
The mother gently touched the girl's face and stopped teasing her, feeding the cake bit by bit into the girl's mouth.
As the little girl ate the cake, she giggled joyfully. The mother cautioned, "Don't laugh while eating; you might choke."
"Lanlan." Just as the young mother and the little girl were joking around, a voice came from behind.
The little girl's gaze turned towards the door of the hospital room.
The young mother turned around, "Lin Xi." Saying this, she put down the cake in her hands and stood up.
Lin Xi placed the bag and a large sack of items on the bedside cabinet, pulled over a chair, and sat down beside the bed, asking Qinglan, "How are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. The doctor said I can be discharged in a few days," Qinglan replied with a smile.
Lin Xi then turned to the little girl with a smile and said, "Beautiful, you'll be discharged soon, and you can go out to play again."
The little girl grinned widely, her eyes sparkling.
This little girl named Beautiful is Qinglan's daughter, whose full name is Qingmei. The young mother is Qinglan.
A few days ago, Qinglan came to the Provincial Capital for business, coinciding with Qingmei's birthday. Little Ones insisted on coming along with her. Qinglan had not planned to bring her. It was early spring, and the weather was still quite cold; they had just experienced a cold wave, making it even chillier. Bringing a child along for work would be inconvenient. However, the articulate Little Ones found reasons to come: first, it was her birthday, and her mother had not taken her out to play yet. Second, she had never been to the Provincial Capital before. Third, since her mother happened to be going to the Provincial Capital, it wasn't specifically for that purpose but rather an opportunity for some fun. The fourth reason was that Lin Xi called to wish her a happy birthday and insisted that Qinglan must bring Little Ones along this time. The most crucial part was Lin Xi's last statement: she hadn't seen Little Ones in a long time and missed her very much.
When Little Ones heard this, she burst into laughter, clapping her hands joyfully and dancing around happily. "The main thing is that I haven't seen Aunt Lin Xi in a long time either! I miss her too! Please, Mom!" In the end, Little Ones added an even more touching remark.
Moreover, Qinglan thought about how she had been busy all these years and rarely spent time with her daughter. She had never taken her anywhere fun. Now that life was slightly better and more stable, and since Qingmei was already six years old—able to take care of herself in terms of eating, drinking, and dressing—she didn't need adult supervision anymore. A six-year-old child's body was also gradually becoming stronger; experiencing some cold or hot weather would be good for her. It would be nice to take her out to see the world. With a softened heart, Qinglan agreed to bring her to the Provincial Capital.
After finishing her business there, she naturally wanted to contact Lin Xi.
In the past, perhaps neither of them would have cared much about meeting up. Over the years, although Qinglan lived in the countryside and Lin Xi in the Provincial Capital, due to work reasons, Qinglan traveled back and forth to the Provincial Capital at least ten times each year—almost once or twice every month. In the first couple of years when she came to handle business in the Provincial Capital, traveling by long-distance bus was not very convenient; things were not as easy as they are now. Therefore, every time she came for work in the Provincial Capital, she had to stay for one or two nights. To save money back then, she always stayed at Lin Xi's home.
Later on, traveling became more convenient and conditions improved. Every time Qinglan came to the Provincial Capital, she would go and return on the same day. However, no matter how pressed for time she was, Qinglan always had to contact Lin Xi. If there was enough time, they would meet up, the two sisters gathering to have a meal and chat. If things didn't go smoothly, they would stay overnight in the Provincial Capital. They no longer stayed at Lin Xi's Home; instead, they usually booked a room in a hotel. This arrangement allowed the sisters to chat all night without disturbing Jia Zhilan and Lin Wenhui in their daily lives and work. Additionally, since Lin Xi had changed jobs and her new workplace was farther from home, she typically stayed in the dormitory at work, making it more convenient for her.
This time, although Qinglan successfully completed her business and could return the same day, Lin Xi insisted that Qinglan stay for a night or two since she had come to visit. Considering the cold weather, Qinglan thought it unnecessary to rush back with the child. Staying overnight would allow them to rest, and besides, since it was Qinglan's first visit to the Provincial Capital, she hadn't taken her anywhere fun yet. So she agreed to spend a day exploring the city before heading back.
When Lin Xi saw Qingmei, she naturally felt both love and affection for her. Although she often visited the countryside to see Qinglan over the years and brought gifts for Qingmei, this was her first trip to the Provincial Capital. Therefore, she wanted to show her hospitality by buying a large amount of snacks for her. That evening, they went to watch a movie and eat out. Lin Xi nearly wanted to buy all the delicious food in the Provincial Capital for her to try. They ordered various drinks, both hot and cold, until after midnight when all three of them returned to the hotel exhausted.
In the early morning hours, Qingmei began complaining of stomach pain, experiencing diarrhea and a fever. Qinglan suggested it might be due to something she ate and that they should just buy some medicine. However, Lin Xi firmly disagreed, fearing it could be enteritis or some virus. She insisted on taking her to the hospital for an examination. It turned out to be enteritis along with a viral cold. The doctor mentioned that it was fortunate they brought her in; if they had delayed any longer, it could have become serious, which frightened Qinglan considerably.
This illness kept them in the hospital for four days.
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