After enduring the painfully long last few days, Jiang Ruoqi finally welcomed her first holiday since returning to the mainland.
Fortunately, most foreign companies didn't have the dreaded make-up shifts, but President Jiang still had the worry of being on standby for sudden work during holidays. Of course, the probability of emergencies was low, and as long as she didn't have to show up at the office, even working from home made her happy.
Jiang Ruoqi had been severely lacking sleep lately, and she had to apply extra concealer under her eyes every morning when putting on makeup.
It was her own fault for indulging in sensual pleasures, and Dr. Meng had proven through his actions that as a surgeon who got up at six for a morning run, he maintained excellent physical fitness—definitely not the type to go from twenty-five to fifty overnight.
This had directly led to Jiang Ruoqi now flinching at the mere mention of the word "perfume." The deer-head bottle was banished to the wardrobe as collateral damage, and she even put the fox-head bottle in solitary confinement along with it, going so basic as to not wear any perfume to work.
Jiang Ruoqi's balding Boss brought the "crown prince" to Xinhai for just a few days—of course, it was just routine business. They made a round of visits to show their commitment to the mainland market.
They went to meetings and listened to reports, though it was hard to tell if they actually absorbed anything. Not that it mattered—as long as the financial report data looked good enough at the shareholders' meeting in a few months, minor flaws wouldn't overshadow the merits.
Su Yansheng and Ada had started their holidays early, returning to Hangxiang a few days before Jiang Ruoqi. They had borrowed Meng Shang's car, forcing Director Meng on the early shift to get up half an hour earlier to take the subway.
Jiang Ruoqi suffered even more. Without Meng Shang around to hold onto, she couldn't sleep well. Every ten or twenty minutes, she'd peek at her phone until it was time to get up, further cutting into her deep sleep time.
But Su Yansheng's borrowing of the car came with a price. On the first day of the holiday, early in the morning before dawn, he drove back from Hangxiang to Xinhai to pick up Jiang Ruoqi.
Ada clung to Jiang Ruoqi's arm like she was a lifeline the moment she saw her. Her face, free of makeup, was pale and clean—still beautiful, but far less vibrant than when they were in Gangcheng, or even when she first met Jiang Ruoqi at the company in Xinhai.
They sat in the back seat, while Su Yansheng silently played the driver.
Jiang Ruoqi, a longtime judge of relationships, could tell something was wrong just from the atmosphere. Newlyweds couldn't have much to fight about—just everyday trivialities.
She understood, but still asked knowingly, "What's wrong? You've only been back two days and you're already wilted."
Ada then poured it all out, chattering nonstop in a mix of Cantonese and English.
To be honest, Jiang Ruoqi's Cantonese wasn't as fluent as Su Yansheng's. Listening to Ada was like taking a listening comprehension test for college entrance exams, and she also had to consider the driver's feelings while responding. It was more nerve-wracking than work.
The two-hour-plus drive felt like a major exam.
Actually, Ada didn't say much—just that Su Yansheng wasn't firm on the issue of having children, leaving her stuck in a dilemma.
Jiang Ruoqi could recite the clichéd advice about having kids with her eyes closed.
The caring approach would talk about values: children are the continuation of life, a legacy, the future. The blunt approach would say no one will support you when you're old, and no one will carry your funeral urn after you're gone.
Jiang Ruoqi had heard it all when she was a child, because her grandmother was like that. Even when having a second child meant a fine, she urged Jiang Yun to have a son.
And what happened? Jiang Yun divorced Li Minghui because of it. Jiang Ruoqi changed her surname to her mother's, Jiang, while Li Minghui simply married into a wealthy family in Gangcheng.
It was probably lucky that her grandmother was already dead and buried, or who knows if she'd have swallowed her pride and begged Jiang Yun to get back together with Li Minghui after seeing what he did.
Anyway, Jiang Ruoqi had only learned one thing: if a man is willing to accept you, he'll even willingly raise another man's child.
But Ada had never experienced any of that. She was a pampered only daughter from a wealthy family in Gangcheng. Most of her life had been as a free and untamed wind, but suddenly, after getting married, she was caught and trapped in a cage of dogma. Of course she wouldn't be happy.
It was fortunate that Ada had been well-brought-up and wasn't the type to act spoiled and throw tantrums like in novels. Otherwise, she would have long since thrown a tantrum and returned to Gangcheng, found a way to get Su Yansheng fired, and forced him to admit his mistake. She wouldn't have held back until she vented to Jiang Ruoqi.
So Ada talked, and Jiang Ruoqi provided emotional support. After playing the role of the impartial judge again, Jiang Ruoqi barely had time to catch her breath before Su Yansheng pulled into the hospital parking garage.
Su Yansheng had come prepared. He had bought good fruit and supplements early on and put them in the trunk. After all, the two families had always been close, and he and Meng Shang were best friends since childhood. Since he couldn't visit during his time in Gangcheng, now that he was here, of course he had to see Grandma.
Naturally, besides showing family affection, he also wanted Ada to spend more time with familiar people. That way, she'd be in a better mood and wouldn't make a face at him as soon as they got home.
Still in the same private room upstairs, Yun Dan and Meng Shang's uncle, Yun Shu, were both there.
Grandma was on an IV, half-reclining as if asleep. Several large bottles of different colored cold liquids hung above her head, blocking the sunlight and lamplight as they slowly dripped into her body.
The temperature in the room was comfortable, but Yun Dan was still worried. She wrapped a towel around a freshly heated hot water bottle and sat by the bed, carefully placing it on Grandma's hand.
She would put it down for a while, then pick it up and feel it, afraid Grandma might be cold, or that her dull senses wouldn't notice if it was too hot.
Suddenly, Grandma had a fit of violent coughing. She lifted her eyelids and let out a low, hoarse groan like a cuckoo spitting blood. Her whole body hurt, and her heart felt like it was burning. She desperately wanted something cool.
"...Is there anything cold? My heart is burning unbearably."
Yun Dan patted her mother's back, her face full of worry. "How can you eat cold things in your condition? Your grandson said you can't just eat whatever you want. Listen to me, I'll fan you some air."
Yun Dan turned to look for a fan, and suddenly saw the three young ones enter the room. Her pent-up frustration and anxiety finally lifted. "Mom, look who's here."
"Grandma, I'm back." Jiang Ruoqi put down her things and greeted them with familiarity. "Mom, Uncle, you've worked hard."
Her address was so natural that Ada was momentarily stunned.
"Oh, it's our Xiaoqi." Grandma squinted, took a while to recognize who it was, and quickly reached out.
Jiang Ruoqi switched places with Yun Dan, took Grandma's hand, and sat by the bed. "It's me. Meng Shang is on duty during the New Year holiday, so I came back by myself to see you, Grandma."
"It's already New Year's again?" Grandma was dazed for a moment, then after a pause, she patted Jiang Ruoqi's hand reassuringly. "Xiao Shang is busy with work, so don't bring him. It's good enough that you came back."
"Mm, I won't bring him. Let him cry somewhere on his own. But this time I brought two people back with me. Grandma, take a look and see who they are." Jiang Ruoqi leaned aside to let Grandma see Su Yansheng and the others.
Su Yansheng stepped forward, deliberately raising his voice. "Grandma, do you still remember me? I'm Su Yansheng."
"Yansheng... it's Xiao Sheng! I haven't seen you for so long, I almost didn't recognize you." Grandma thought for a moment, staring at Su Yansheng before suddenly recognizing him. "Xiao Sheng is married, isn't he? I heard from Xiao Shang. He showed me a photo when you were in Gangcheng."
"Yes, I brought my wife back to see you." Su Yansheng took Ada's hand and led her closer to the old woman, maintaining their usual marital harmony in front of the elders. "This is my wife, Li Shiyi. Isn't she beautiful?"
Ada greeted her too: "Hello, Grandma."
Jiang Ruoqi poked her head out and chimed in, "Grandma, Shiyi is my very, very good friend."
"Is that so?" Grandma turned to Jiang Ruoqi for confirmation. Her aged eyes suddenly lit up, and she said softly, "That's wonderful. All of you young people know each other. Even without blood siblings, you have friends to rely on. That's good."
"I also brought you the wedding candy from Shiyi and me. I knew I couldn't rely on Brother Meng to deliver it; I had to do it myself."