Chapter 177 - Little Qiang's thoughts
When Xiu Mei felt the cold temperature of the glass window against her slightly cold palm, Xiu Mei immediately realized the change in season. If her memory serves her right, it was still a hot and rainy season when she was kidnapped. It was already mid-August by then. Even if she slept for a whole week, it was completely impossible for the climate to suddenly change into winter in one week.
Even if her emotions and thoughts were in turmoil, Xiu Mei was still quite rational.
Her hands and wrists that visibly slimmed down.
The colder temperature outside.
All these points are pointing to only one possibility.
That is she had been out far longer than she thought she was. If it was already winter... then it must be already approaching November or maybe it was already November. Her room was devoid of anything that could indicate date and time except for the television if she turns it on.
But this is just her assumption. So Xiu Mei didn’t hesitate and straightforwardly asked her husband that question.
Of how long had she been sleeping?
Her previous cases of sleeping for days after fainting was a normal case. She didn’t know if it was associated with her PTSD or not but for the past few years, the days she slept after blacking out were getting longer and longer.
And right now would probably be the longest.
Lu Chen flinched but he quickly returned to his senses and met Xiu Mei’s inquiring gaze. Through her eyes, somehow, he could even feel that his wife already knew the answer to her question. She looked so calm and composed if it weren’t for him noticing how her fingers tightened on the paper she was holding.
He couldn’t help but hold her hand again and wrapped it in his warmth. He lightly massaged her willowy hand and carefully answered her question.
"You have been sleeping for more than two months." Since that day, were the words that were left unsaid.
The sound of the paper crunching under her fingers resounded inside the silent room. Xiu Mei lowered her head for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. Then she raised her head and forced out a smile to Lu Chen before nodding.
She... wasn’t really that surprised. Rather, she had somehow expected it to happen but she didn’t know it would happen so soon.
Xiu Mei bit her lip and fiddles with her hands. It seems like she needs to start her treatment with Doctor Lee again. Aside from her mutism, her mind and body were even starting to close herself to everyone. When she thought she was already slowly starting to get over her fears, she suddenly had to start all over again.
The two of them fell into another bout of silence again. Lu Chen gave her time to slowly absorb it first else she becomes too overwhelmed later on if she learns what happened for the past two months.
After a few minutes, Xiu Mei remembered Lu Qiang’s workbook that was on the table again. Then she remembered that her son was supposed to be enrolled at the school by this time around. She raised her hands and pointed at the scattered books on the table and looked inquisitive at her husband.
Their thoughts are in so much harmony that Lu Chen understood what she wanted to say.
"Lu Qiang is already enrolled in school. But he was stubborn and wanted to be tutored here first to take care of you. He promised he would attend his classes at school once you wake up." Lu Chen slowly explained as he stood up from his seat and compiled the scattered workbooks into one pile. He picked up one workbook and gave it to Xiu Mei to see.
"He was working with his homework the whole morning so he’s currently napping in a separate room right now." He shared in passing as he watched her smile after receiving the workbook.
Xiu Mei looked at it with great interest. Her eyes brightened as soon as she opened Lu Qiang’s workbook. She knew very well how intelligent Lu Qiang was so she wasn’t surprised to see how good his answers are in the workbook, but if she compared it to his workbook when he was being homeschooled, Xiu Mei could see the change in detail that Lu Qiang did. His answers weren’t so ’stiff’ or ’a.d.u.l.t-like’ anymore. Since the questions are meant to be answered by kids, Lu Qiang’s answers eventually became more child-like the more she read through the workbook.
Xiu Mei giggled in delight as she saw the slight change in Lu Qiang. If Lu Qiang could interact with other kids the same age as him next time, then he’ll probably be more childlike then?
She returned the book to Lu Chen so he could put it back on the table. In an effort to cheer up his wife, Lu Chen did all the talking and narrated to her how Lu Qiang was doing for the past months, leaving out the times when the kid would cry out pitifully beside his mother’s bed as he waited for her to wake up. He only told her the positive stories he could remember and left out the other stuff that would dampen her mood instead.
An hour later, Xiu Mei was moved to various rooms for her radiology exams. Lu Chen accompanied her all throughout the exams and waited for her patiently outside the room. As soon as they returned to her private room, Xiu Mei was greeted by the sight of a little kid’s back.
Xiu Mei subconsciously called Lu Qiang out of habit, but she froze up again and nothing came out of her mouth. The little kid, however, noticed his parents’ presence as soon as they entered the room.
At first, he panicked when he didn’t see his mother on the bed. He was just about to go out to report to the nurses when he turned around and saw his mother sitting on the wheelchair being pushed by his father.
"Mom!" Lu Qiang exclaimed. His eyes brightened as he almost ran towards his mother but his father immediately warned him.
"Don’t run towards your mother. She can’t hold you right now." Lu Chen sternly warned him. Lu Qiang quickly realized that he almost hurt his mother and apologized. His mother was too weak right now ah. He has to be really careful if he wants to hug her too.
Lu Qiang slowed down and stopped next to Xiu Mei. He hesitantly touched his mother’s hand because he was afraid that he would break her, and then he said, "Mom, I missed you so much."
She immediately felt the yearning in his tone as he said that.
Her first thought was, Lu Qiang really has the blood of Lu. To think that both father and son duo would utter the same line as soon as they saw her.
Xiu Mei gently smiled and wrapped his little hand on hers. Then her other hand stroked his head. Since she couldn’t speak and she didn’t have her writing paper with her, she wanted to reply to him through actions. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead as a way of saying that she missed him so much as well.
Lu Qiang noticed his mother’s silence. He was very happy to receive a kiss from his mother, but when he noticed that she didn’t call him ’baby’ or ’darling’ or the other usual nicknames she would always call him with, he immediately found it strange.
His mom loves him so much... why would she suddenly not call him sweetly like before?
"Mom?"
Xiu Mei still didn’t respond to him. Instead, she kept stroking his head.
Lu Qiang raised his head to look at his father as if asking him what was wrong but Lu Chen simply blinked at him and pushed Xiu Mei’s wheelchair again. Seeing that his father was putting her mother to bed, Lu Qiang followed behind them and with his short hands, he tried fixing her mother’s pillow.
He saw her mother nod at him lightly while smiling before lying down on her bed. Then like a filial son, he pulled over the blanket over her body.
"Take a rest first, okay?" Lu Chen murmured to his wife.
Xiu Mei easily got tired after going through all those exams because her body was still so weak so she listened to Lu Chen.
"I’ll have some porridge prepared for you later once you wake up." He added. Xiu Mei closed her eyes again and returned to her slumber.
Lu Chen and Lu Qiang stood by her side for a few more minutes before Xiu Mei’s breathing finally stabilized, indicating that she was now completely asleep.
Nudging his son, the two of them left the room temporarily to talk.
"I’ll give your grandparents a short call first and then we’ll talk, okay?" Lu Chen uttered, pulling out his mobile phone.
Lu Qiang nodded. Lu Chen strode to a different direction to make the call while Lu Qiang walked over to the room next door which was beside his mother’s. He took one last look at his mother’s closed-door before returning to the room he was temporarily staying in.
Inside, he just stared at his workbook not moving a muscle at all. He got depressed on his own and lowered his head.
His thoughts whirled around his head while pouting.
Does his mother not want him anymore? Is that why she didn’t call him sweetly at all?