Yin Zhao-an was very quiet on the way to school. She kept her eyes closed as she leaned against Tang Yu the entire time.
Wang Zhen kept looking back through the rearview mirror, apparent worry in her eyes.
If Tang Yu wasn't aware of Yin Zhao-an's mental tolerance, even she would have assumed that Yin Zhao-an had her feelings hurt by the situation just now.
As soon as the car stopped outside the school, Yin Zhao-an dragged Tang Yu out of the car without saying a word, behaving as if she had been wronged.
However, after passing a corner, the tense expression on Yin Zhao-an's face loosened. Then, leaning her entire body onto Tang Yu, Yin Zhao-an sullenly said, "I'm so pitiful, Tang-Tang."
"Why?"
"I feel like you're the child they gave birth to while I was adopted," Yin Zhao-an aggrievedly said, putting on a pathetic look to seek comfort from her Tang-Tang.
After staying silent for a few seconds, Tang Yu pat Yin Zhao-an on the shoulder and said, "I have a mother."
Yin Zhao-an: "..."
Yin Zhao-an helplessly sighed and held her forehead. She was a fool to expect her Tang-Tang to say something sensational.
...
When noon came around, Tang Yu got dragged to the hospital by Yin Changcheng before she could even eat her lunch.
When Tang Yu saw how much of a hurry Yin Changcheng was in, she thought something had happened to her father. Fortunately, that wasn't the case at all.
After arriving at the hospital, Tang Yu discovered that her father had already regained consciousness and was sitting on his bed. Although her father's unshaven face looked a little haggard, he radiated a lively and righteous aura. Even though he was just sitting there, he gave off a reassuring feeling.
"Daddy," Tang Yu softly called out to her father after taking a seat by the bed.
Tang Zhengyang smiled at Tang Yu reassuringly. Although he wanted to pat his daughter's head, his wife stopped him from doing so because of his shoulder injury.
"Old Tang." Yin Changcheng didn't say much, choosing to only call out to his friend. However, the gazes they exchanged were more than enough for them to understand the words they wanted to convey.
A moment later, Tang Zhengyang raised his uninjured left hand and gave Yin Changcheng a thumbs-up gesture. Then, he smiled and said, "It's good to be alive."
"It is indeed good to be alive."
Yu Wanrou fiddled with the bowl of congee in her hands, simply smiling in response to the interaction between the two grown men. Both men had experienced knocking on death's door, and it was an experience onlookers couldn't comprehend.
Tang Yu was glad. She was truly glad that she could change the original direction of her present life. However, her actions would most likely result in a butterfly effect as well, so what would happen in the future would no longer be within her control. If that were the case, could she really continue surviving in such an unknown world?
Yu Wanrou noticed the sudden dimming of Tang Yu's eyes. Seeing this, Yu Wanrou gently poked her husband and signaled with her eyes to look at the little person next to him.
Tang Zhengyang got her wife's hint and pondered for a bit. Then, he said to his daughter, "Little Yu, Daddy didn't lie to you, right?"
Tang Yu looked up. When she saw her parents' expression, she knew they must have misunderstood her behavior. They must have thought she had shown such an expression because she felt left out.
Warmth filling her heart, Tang Yu smiled and said, "You nearly broke your promise, Daddy."
"Cough..." Tang Zhengyang choked a little when he heard Tang Yu's words, his face turning red. Then, he helplessly looked at Yu Wanrou for help.
Yu Wanrou quickly patted her husband's back to help him ease his coughing. Then, she looked at her daughter with a helpless and doting gaze.
Tang Yu could only put on an innocent face in response.
Tang Zhengyang's comrades had already visited early in the morning, so there were a bunch of fruits and nutritional products placed by the bedside table and under the bed. From what Tang Yu learned through listening in on the adults' conversation, a young man repeatedly apologized and thanked Tang Zhengyang while crying, the young man's sobbing behavior causing everyone in the room to laugh. Even Yu Wanrou, who had always been gentle and virtuous, couldn't help but turn away to muffle her laughter...
Since Tang Zhengyang was recovering from his injuries, Yu Wanrou only prepared light dishes for lunch. Tang Yu wasn't a picky eater, so she had no problems with the food, but it was a different story for Tang Zhengyang.
Tang Zhengyang was a man who couldn't go without spicy food, so having nothing but bland congee and vegetables for lunch was no different than torture for him. The food was so unbearable that he had secretly stuffed some money into Tang Yu's hands, asking her to help him buy some chili oil. However, Tang Yu didn't hesitate to pass the "bribe money" to Yu Wanrou.
Tang Zhengyang: "..."
Yu Wanrou was indeed worthy of being a gentle and dignified Jiangnan beauty. She did not get angry at Tang Zhengyang even after learning about his ploy. On the contrary, she had even left to buy a jar of chili oil.
When Tang Yu saw her mother returning with the jar of chili oil, she quietly stepped aside and sipped on her milk carton as she awaited the upcoming show.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhengyang shrank in fear when he saw what his wife brought back, aware of what his wife would be doing. He wasn't afraid of charging into battle, but he was terrified of his wife's gentle attacks.
After returning to her husband's side, Yu Wanrou opened the jar of chili oil, scooped out a spoonful of chili oil, and mixed it into a new bowl of congee she had poured for herself. At the same time, the smell of chili oil spread across the room, causing the mouths of those who smelled it to water.
Just when Tang Yu thought that bowl of "spicy congee" was going into Tang Zhengyang's mouth, Yu Wanrou calmly scooped up a spoonful and slowly brought it over to her own mouth.
"Honey! Honey! I was wrong! I won't eat chili anymore! I'll eat the congee! I'll eat the congee!" Tang Zhengyang hurriedly stopped his wife's actions, his eyes filled with worry.
Yu Wanrou's hand paused. Then, she looked at her husband and asked, "You won't try to have chili anymore?"
Tang Zhengyang would have knelt on the ground if he could right now. "I won't! I'll just have plain congee, okay? Your stomach can't handle spicy food, so you mustn't eat that!"
"Okay, then," Yu Wanrou said as she set aside the bowl of "spicy congee." Then, she picked up Tang Zhengyang's half-eaten bowl of plain congee and started feeding it to him. "Ah—"
"Ah—"
"Pfft..."
Two gazes turned to Tang Yu simultaneously. Noticing this, Tang Yu waved her hand and tried her best to restrain the corners of her mouth from rising as she said, "Don't mind me. Continue, continue..."