Chapter 67: Mother (Revised)

At this moment, Yang Yixie is indeed an ordinary young man who meticulously handles the family's three meals.

Returning to the small but tidy rental he had kept in order, the kitchen soon filled with the rhythmic 'thud-thud' of chopping vegetables.

His cooking isn't exceptionally delicious, focusing on balanced nutrition, but it's not bad either—just an ordinary meal.

The hospital's breakfast is usually handled by the aide buying some plain congee and side dishes, while he takes care of lunch and dinner.

After packing the cooked food into a lunch box and sealing the lid, he lifted the heavy bag and plunged into the crowded lunchtime subway flow.

The subway car was like a giant sardine can—stuffy and packed, bodies swaying slightly with the train's motion, forced to keep an awkwardly close distance.

Yang Yixie finally found a spot to lean against near the door, took out his phone, and tried to pass the difficult time by browsing news.

A local news push popped up at just the right moment: 【A criminal case occurred in the western suburbs of the capital, police have intervened and are investigating.】

"Western suburbs?" he frowned instinctively, his heart sinking slightly.

His older brother Yang Yichen works in the capital; although he isn't clear on the exact workplace, just hearing the name 'capital' made him instinctively feel a bad premonition.

He opened the news; the content was very brief and vague, merely urging all capital residents to stay safe and reduce travel, while police said they were further investigating and called on the public to provide clues.

This vague information only made people more uneasy.

He exited the news interface, found his brother's WeChat avatar, and composed a message to send:

【Brother, I saw the news saying something happened in the western suburbs of the capital—are you okay? How far are you from there?】

By the time he needed to get off, Yang Yixie still hadn't received a reply; it seemed his brother was busy.

Yang Yixie squeezed out of the crowded subway, rushed to the hospital, and the afternoon sun streamed through the half-open curtains, casting warm patches on the white sheets.

Zhiruo sat quietly by the window bed, letting the breeze lift her black hair as she turned her head to gaze at the outside scenery.

Her body was abnormally thin, her pallid skin almost translucent, and her heavy breathing sounded as if it might stop any second.

Hearing the movement at the door, she turned her head; upon seeing the visitor, her face instantly lit up, breaking into a gentle smile tinged with reliance.

"Xiao Xie is here." Her voice still carried the weakness typical of a patient, but her tone was delighted.

"Mom, how do you feel today? I see your complexion is much better than yesterday."

Yang Yixie walked to the bedside, skillfully set down the lunch box, and tidied the slightly messy water cup and tissues on the nightstand.

"Mm, much better. The doctor said to Observation Key two more days; if stable, we could consider discharge and recuperation."

Zhiruo's gaze followed him as he moved, her eyes full of kindness.

At that moment, the aide Auntie Wang, who was tidying up nearby, also smiled and chimed in.

"Zhiruo, you're truly blessed—look at your son, who every day prepares varied meals for you, rain or shine, far better than many other people's children I've seen."

Hearing this, the mother's smile deepened, tinged with pride and a hint of nostalgic teasing, as she looked at Yang Yixie.

"Sister Wang, you don't know—he may look well-behaved now, but back then he was our notorious 'chaos demon king'; every mischievous deed had him in it."

Yang Yixie just gave an embarrassed smile, didn't respond, silently opened the lunch box, and arranged the still-steaming food.

But the mother seemed to have opened a chatterbox, recounting to Auntie Wang his past "glorious exploits."

"Look at him now, all quiet and reserved, but when he was about seven or eight, he was wild—seeing the pigeon coop on a neighbor's roof, he simply fetched a ladder and climbed up to check it out."

"He didn't catch any pigeons, missed a step, and fell with the tiles—luckily there was a firewood pile below, so he only scraped his skin, but it enraged his father, who chased him all over the yard."

"Also, he took apart his brother's newly bought alarm clock—saved up for it—curious how it ticked, using a screwdriver while his brother was out, leaving it in pieces; he couldn't reassemble it, upsetting his brother, who chased him to hit him, but couldn't catch him…"

"Not to mention New Year's, when he led a bunch of kids, stuck firecrackers into someone's snowman, lit them and ran off, scaring passing girls into wailing cries…"

Auntie Wang laughed heartily, "Oh wow, I never would have guessed! He still had such a mischievous side?"

Yang Yixie felt a bit embarrassed, scratching his face as his black history was exposed, feeling somewhat awkward, and handed a pair of chopsticks to Zhiruo.

"Mom, let's not bring up the old stories—hurry up and eat, or it'll get cold and upset your stomach."

Zhiruo took the chopsticks with a smile and began to eat slowly.

The ward fell silent for a moment, only the faint sound of chewing could be heard.

Yang Yixie picked up the rosy apple and a small knife from the nightstand, sat by the bed, and lowered his head to peel it attentively; his motions were careful, the apple peel unraveling into a long, even ribbon that dangled down.

Halfway through the meal, the mother seemed to suddenly recall something, slowed her chewing, and with a barely perceptible worry in her tone, asked softly.

"Xiao Xie, I just lay in bed looking at my phone and heard there was a criminal case in the capital, apparently quite serious; your brother is there alone, and I'm a bit worried…"

Yang Yixie didn't pause his apple peeling, lifted his head, and wore a reassuring gentle smile, his tone relaxed and natural.

"Mom, you just love to worry for nothing—I saw that news on my way here and already messaged my brother about it."

"He's fine; the case happened in the western suburbs, which is quite remote, while his company is in the east—ten thousand eight thousand li away—so put your heart back where it belongs."

He paused, cut the peeled apple into small pieces, placed them in a little bowl, handed it to his mother, and continued.

"My brother also said the project is nearly wrapping up, so he's a bit busy; later I'll let him know and have him call or video chat with you so you can see for yourself that he's hale and hearty."

Hearing her son's reassurance, the mother's worries dissipated largely.

She took the bowl of apple pieces, looked at this steady, thoughtful son before her, smiled with relief, and gently patted the back of his hand.

"Then let's not bother him—your brother's work isn't easy either. Xiao Xie, you also need to behave, okay?"