With Jiang Huai’s arrival, the atmosphere in the hospital room visibly turned cold, only easing when Jiang Zhou finally woke up. Seeing Jiang Zhou open his eyes, Jiang Ruo was the most emotional; her eyes, already swollen almost as big as walnuts, shed another tear of joy.
Jiang Zhou had been unconscious for over two days. When he first woke up, he was lethargic and looking at everyone in the room, his first words were, “Am I not dead?”
Jiang Ruo sobbed in response, “Brother, what… what are you saying? You scared me to death, do you know that? If you had died, what would I do?!”
Jiang Zhou showed a pained expression. He weakly raised his hand, wiping away her tears before saying, “I need to talk to mom and dad alone, can you step out for a bit?”
Jiang Ruo looked reluctant, but Jiang Zhou whispered, “Be good, listen to your brother.”
Seeing Jiang Ruo hesitating, Feng Yun intervened, “Ruoruo, go buy a box of milk and a bowl of porridge for your brother. He just woke up and needs something to eat to recover better.”
Realizing that both her mother and brother wanted to have a conversation without her, Jiang Ruo reluctantly left the room.
After she left, Feng Yun turned to her son, her eyes red, “I know what you want to say, and I can agree, but you must stop doing foolish things. Ruoruo is not your only loved ones.”
“Mom…”
At that moment, Jiang Zhou finally felt a pang of guilt. He was well aware that he was using his life as a leverage to force his mother to make a choice, but he had felt out of options. He had initially planned to trick his mother by exaggerating Ruoruo’s condition, then repeating it a few times, knowing her tender heart would eventually give in.
But after returning home and bringing up the topic again, his mother’s firm stance made him realize that she would never persuade Jiang Li for Ruoruo.
Out of desperation, he finally resorted to a risky move, and thankfully, his mother softened for his sake.
Seeing the guilt in her son’s eyes, Feng Yun sighed helplessly. She spent the last two days going over her thoughts repeatedly. She knew that she owed Xiao Li a lot and now would have to wrong her again, but she couldn’t bear seeing A’Zhou losing his life for Ruoruo.
Regardless, she had to return home and plead with her father to persuade Xiao Li. If Xiao Li refused, she would beg her father to help find a suitable kidney for Ruoruo. The declining Jiang family was struggling on many fronts and failed to find a match, but the Feng family could surely manage. She believed Ruoruo would still have a hope as long as her father was willing to help.
Seeing that mother and son had clearly reached some understanding, and that his son no longer seemed intent on suicide, Jiang Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief, “What exactly are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Joy shone in Jiang Zhou’s eyes, “Dad, there’s hope for Ruoruo’s illness. I had someone test Jiang Li and Ruoruo for a kidney match, and it was successful. As long as Jiang Li agrees to donate a kidney, everything will be alright.”
In that moment, Jiang Huai’s eyes also lit up with joy, but he quickly calmed down and asked, “Do you think Jiang Li will agree to donate a kidney to Ruoruo?”
Jiang Zhou immediately responded, “Mom has already agreed with me. She will persuade Grandpa, and if Grandpa talks to Jiang Li, she should agree. After all, she can live with just one kidney. This way, both Ruoruo and Jiang Li can live well.”
Hearing this news, Jiang Huai stood up and began pacing back and forth. His emotions were in disarray. Years ago, he had done everything possible to find a suitable kidney for Ruoruo’s mother, but ultimately without success. So when Ruoruo was diagnosed with the same chronic kidney failure a while back, he knew the chances of finding a suitable kidney for her were slim.
He thought Ruoruo would end up like her mother, undergoing dialysis year after year until her kidneys failed completely. But now, A’Zhou told him that Jiang Li and Ruoruo had compatible kidneys, and as long as Jiang Li was willing to donate, Ruoruo could live a healthy life.
Jiang Huai was moved, but he also knew that the chances of Jiang Li agreeing to donate a kidney were slim, unless her grandfather could persuade her.
Given the old man’s character, even if Feng Yun pleaded tirelessly, he would likely never agree. Unless… his wife made the same choice as A’Zhou, pressuring her father with her own life.
Old Master Feng loved his only daughter dearly, so he might eventually agree, but would Feng Yun do such a thing?
Jiang Huai knew he could never ask Feng Yun to make such a demand; once he did, it would completely cool her heart towards him, and he could never win her again.
Just then, Jiang Ruo returned with milk and porridge. “Brother, would you like to drink some milk first, or eat some porridge?” She asked Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Zhou looked haggard and particularly weak. He had little appetite and shook his head, “Just leave it for now, I’m not hungry.”
Feng Yun encouraged him, “Eat a little. Once you recover, you can go with me to see your grandfather.”
After saying this, Feng Yun left the hospital room, followed closely by Jiang Huai.
Jiang Zhou knew he had put his mother in a difficult position, but thinking of her agreement to his request, he suddenly felt revitalized, “Ruoruo, hand me the milk.”
Jiang Ruo tore the straw’s plastic wrap, inserted it into the milk carton, and held it to Jiang Zhou’s mouth.
After Jiang Zhou drank the entire carton of milk, she fed him some porridge, then complained, “Brother, you really scared me, you know?”
As Jiang Ruo spoke, she wanted to hit Jiang Zhou, but seeing how weak he looked, she instantly withdrew her hand.
“Why didn’t say a word to me before doing such a thing?” Jiang Ruo looked at Jiang Zhou with a pained expression.
Jiang Zhou murmured softly, “Silly girl, if I had told you, would you have allowed me to do it?”
“…” Jiang Ruo remained silent. Yes, she definitely would not have allowed it.
“Ruoruo, mom has already agreed to go to Grandpa’s. She said once I’m well, she’ll take me to the Feng residence,” Jiang Zhou excitedly shared his joy.
However, Jiang Ruo still felt uneasy, “Brother, I’m very anxious. I feel like something big is going to happen, and it’s going to be really big.”
Jiang Zhou’s voice was gentle, “Of course something big is going to happen. If Grandpa convinces Jiang Li to donate a kidney to you, then you can live a healthy life. Isn’t that a huge deal?”
“…” Jiang Ruo remained silent. The ‘big thing’ she was referring to wasn’t this. She felt particularly uneasy and confused, yet she didn’t know how to express it.
…
Jiang Li had been waiting for Jiang Zhou to take actions, but nothing had happened. It was as if Jiang Zhou hadn’t even received the kidney compability report, and there were also no updates from Feng Qi.
“Do you think they’ll start taking action once I get my driver’s license?” Jiang Li muttered to Tong Yi.
Tong Yi chuckled, “From the look of it, you seem eager for Jiang Zhou to make a move.”
Jiang Li nodded, “Well, I’m not usually impatient, but I do prefer to resolve things quickly. Dragging it out like this is pretty dull.”
Tong Yi’s face lit up with sudden understanding, “Oh, I get it. You think your uncle’s arrangements are boring.”
Jiang Li kicked him lightly, “Big nephew, there’s a price to pay for talking nonsense, didn’t you know?”
Tong Yi didn’t dodge, “Jiang Xiao Li, can you not be so violent? You’ve ruined my new shoes again.” While he complained verbally, he didn’t actually look at the shoes on his feet, and there was not a hint of annoyance in his eyes.
Jiang Li glanced at the grey mark on his right shoe and frowned, “Why do you always wear white shoes?”
Tong Yi looked at her with a mischievous smile, “Cause they’re easier to leave footprints on, of course. You need to clearly see your own atrocities.”
Jiang Li snorted, “I’m not one for self-reflection, so that won’t work on me.”
Tong Yi nodded, “Alright, I wasn’t holding out much hope anyway.”
The driving instructor, watching their playful bickering from a distance, couldn’t help but think to himself, “It’s great to be young.”
…
After the driving lesson, as usual, the instructor drove Jiang Li home. While in the car, she received a text from Feng Qi: [Let them in to see your grandfather]
Though the text was short and lacked context, Jiang Li instantly understood what it meant: the Jiang family had finally started to take action.
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