A mother loving her son seems to be the most natural thing in the world, even when she has lost her clarity. In her confused and hazy world, there was only room for their small family.

Her husband, her son, and herself.

She talked about Qiu Xing every day, wondering if school was tiring, if he had eaten enough, yet she couldn’t bear to look at him. She resisted Qiu Xing appearing in her line of sight, her eyes filled with both fear and resentment when looking at him.

This episode of her illness was indeed more severe than before. She rejected strangers, or rather, she rejected everyone except Lin Yiran. Nanny Yu Mei had come to see her twice, and she remained relatively calm when seeing Yu Mei. As for others, she seemed somewhat afraid.

Perhaps because this episode was triggered by a stranger’s provocation, she subconsciously didn’t want to see unfamiliar people. She only wanted to stay in an environment she felt was quiet and familiar, and didn’t particularly want to talk to people.

Lin Yiran asked the doctor if they could go home, but the doctor suggested that if the patient wasn’t strongly resistant, she should stay a while longer.

“Xiao Chuan, when are we leaving?” Fang Min held Lin Yiran’s hand, looking up to ask her.

Lin Yiran swung her hand gently, placing a bowl of fruit from her other hand into Fang Min’s hands, and said with a smile, “Let’s stay for a few more days. I’ll be with you anyway.”

“I don’t want to stay anymore. I want to go home,” Fang Min held the fruit but didn’t want to eat it, sighing, “Everything here has a smell, like mold.”

Lin Yiran sat beside her, coaxing, “There’s no smell. Everything is clean everywhere.”

After asking, Fang Min didn’t insist further. She sat there slowly eating the fruit. She forked a piece of pineapple for Lin Yiran, who smiled and ate it.

During this episode, Fang Min was extremely dependent on Lin Yiran, only allowing her to accompany her and only listening to her. Lin Yiran was not only someone familiar to her now but also existed in her memories. So whether in moments of clarity or confusion, Lin Yiran made her feel close and trustworthy.

“After you finish eating, shall we go for a walk?” Lin Yiran asked, leaning against her shoulder.

Aunt Fang slowly ate the fruit, answering after a few seconds, “I don’t want to go out.”

“Let’s go for a walk, get some fresh air,” Lin Yiran said.

“Then you must hold my hand the whole time, not letting go even for a moment,” Aunt Fang said, facing forward.

Lin Yiran linked arms with her, her eyes curving into a smile, “Of course.”

In this small hospital room, they were like a gentle mother and daughter. Both were mild-mannered, speaking in soft voices, never shouting, depending on each other.

The auntie accompanying a patient in the next room couldn’t figure out their relationship. She had always thought that the young man who often stood at the door was the son-in-law, that the daughter had found a boyfriend the mother didn’t like, which was why he wasn’t allowed inside.

Qiu Xing came to the hospital every day, bringing food for his mother and Lin Yiran. The food was prepared by Sister-in-law Lin. These days, he was staying at Old Lin’s home, and Sister-in-law Lin made nutritionally balanced meals for each meal, then urged him to deliver them quickly to the hospital.

Due to the medication, Fang Min had no appetite and only ate a little at each meal. Lin Yiran, staying at the hospital, didn’t have much appetite either. Every day, they could only finish half of the portion that Sister-in-law Lin had prepared.

Qiu Xing didn’t say anything to them about it. If they didn’t want to eat, they could eat less; he didn’t force them to eat much.

Qiu Xing had visibly become more silent than before.

Lin Yiran felt Qiu Xing was like he had been three years ago on the truck.

Lin Yiran held Aunt Fang’s hand as they walked in the small park. Qiu Xing silently accompanied them at a distance for a while, then left at some point without notice.

“Aunt Fang, where’s Qiu Xing?” Lin Yiran asked.

“He’s at school, of course. He has exams these days,” Fang Min said with a smile not devoid of pride, “He does very well in exams.”

Lin Yiran sighed silently.

Qiu Xing was a son rejected by a mother who deeply loved him.

At the same time, he was a son carrying the curse left by his father.

Lin Yiran had told him about the papers posted on the door and also told him to try not to return to Aunt Fang’s place for now.

Qiu Xing said he understood.

Lin Yiran didn’t know whether they should return to live there after Aunt Fang was discharged. If that person confronted them again, Aunt Fang might not be able to withstand another shock.

She actually wanted Aunt Fang to leave this city, but Qiu Xing wouldn’t agree to go to her place. But after Aunt Fang was discharged, they would need somewhere to go.

Lin Yiran had stayed at the hospital for several consecutive days. She had only brought one set of clothes, and the other set she had changed into was also dirty. She wanted to go back to get some things.

Taking advantage of Aunt Fang’s sleeping time, Qiu Xing drove Lin Yiran back to gather her things. The whole way, Lin Yiran seemed somewhat distracted. When they reached the elevator, her heart beat faster, not knowing whether those unbearable pictures would still be taped to the door when they exited.

Besides not wanting to see them herself, she especially didn’t want Qiu Xing to see them directly.

Fortunately, this time nothing was posted on the door, only those scar-like double-sided tape marks from last time.

Lin Yiran opened the door and said while changing her shoes, “Let’s not live here anymore, alright?”

Qiu Xing responded with an “Mm.”

Lin Yiran quickly took a shower and washed her hair. Washing hair at the hospital was inconvenient, and there was no hair dryer, so she could only wash simply at the hospital.

Qiu Xing opened all the windows, his arms propped on the balcony railing, looking outside in silence.

The weather was nice, with ample sunshine that wasn’t harsh, and the temperature was pleasant.

Lin Yiran didn’t want to delay too long. Although Aunt Fang was fully self-sufficient and didn’t need someone watching her at all times, she was now afraid of people, so Lin Yiran didn’t want to leave her alone for too long.

After she finished packing her things, they prepared to leave.

Qiu Xing’s car was parked some distance away. The two needed to walk a long stretch along the path by the side gate of the residential complex.

Lin Yiran shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. Qiu Xing walked in front of her, carrying the things she needed to bring.

Just as Lin Yiran was about to say something to Qiu Xing, a woman shouted from across the road and rushed over.

A voice breaking with the cry of “May you die a terrible death!” startled Lin Yiran. She looked in shock at the woman rushing over from across the road, instinctively reaching for Qiu Xing’s arm.

“Look at how my family lives now! Your entire Qiu family should go to hell!!” A middle-aged woman in her fifties carried a cloth bag filled with medicine, along with several vials of IV solution and glucose.

She grabbed Qiu Xing’s clothes with her empty hand and hit him with the bag of medicine.

“Hey!” Lin Yiran reacted quickly, crying out and reaching to stop her.

“You can walk and move about! My son wets his bed! Your entire family deserves to die miserably. The karma you’ve created can’t be repaid even in the next life!!”

The middle-aged woman, as if gone mad, shouted while pulling at Qiu Xing and hitting him. Qiu Xing only frowned, using one arm to block her.

“What are you doing!” Lin Yiran went to pull her away, but was shoved aside by the woman’s elbow.

People around watched the commotion from a distance.

When Lin Yiran approached again, Qiu Xing grabbed her arm to stop her, turning her behind him.

The woman had the appearance of someone who had been driven neurotic by long-term suffering. She screamed shrilly, hysterically sobbing.

“Your father taking lives wasn’t enough, now you and your mother come to take my life too! Seeing you, how can I go on living? Huh?!

“Look at you, walking around like normal people! My son lies at home, his tall frame weighing less than a hundred jin, bones and flesh combined! My son is like a ghost! What right do you have?!”

“Stop it!” Lin Yiran’s wrist, gripped by Qiu Xing, trembled. She wanted to stop the woman from hitting Qiu Xing, but her wrist was firmly held by him, unable to move.

“Why shouldn’t I speak?” the woman cried out loudly, her arms swinging to hit Qiu Xing’s shoulders and arms. “Tell the Qiu family to return the lives they owe my family, and I’ll stop! I’ll even burn incense for them every night! I’ll light incense a meter high for them every day, praying they’ll be reborn into a good life!”

Lin Yiran had never seen such a scene. She didn’t know how to deal with someone who had lost all reason and only wanted to vent.

Apart from holding Lin Yiran back, Qiu Xing made no other movements. He didn’t even try to block anymore, taking all the woman’s attacks and verbal abuse.

“You are Qiu Yangzheng’s son. You won’t have a good end! You’ll go to hell too!”

The woman glared fiercely at Qiu Xing, her grayish-white eyes unable to produce any more tears. She gritted her teeth: “You’ll lose your legs too! Your arms! You’ll be hit by a car, crushed, better off dead—”

Lin Yiran felt as if her ears and heart were in unbearable pain, her blood flowing in reverse. She closed her eyes and screamed.

“Enough!!” With her wrist still gripped by Qiu Xing, Lin Yiran somehow found the strength to rush forward, pushing against this woman who wished Qiu Xing would die immediately.

“Stop cursing him!” Lin Yiran’s eyes were red as she pushed the woman, making her step back repeatedly. “His father is already dead. None of this has anything to do with him. He has done everything he could!”

Ignoring the woman’s tantrums and cries, Lin Yiran said in her loudest voice, “Stop saying these things! Not a single word you say will happen to him! He will live well, he will be healthy!”

Lin Yiran had always been soft-spoken. Except for that time in the old house when she was grabbed by a half-naked man, Qiu Xing had never heard her speak loudly.

Now Lin Yiran was like a little girl pushed to her limit, returning to her most primitive instincts, her frail shoulders filled with strength, her only belief being to protect Qiu Xing.

She had also lost her reason. Whenever the woman opened her mouth to curse Qiu Xing, she would scream to drown it out, not wanting to hear a single word.

This was the moment when Lin Yiran was least like herself, completely devoid of her usual gentle demeanor.

“—Enough.”

Qiu Xing pulled her back by the wrist, drawing her back into his arms. Lin Yiran was still breathing heavily, trembling uncontrollably in Qiu Xing’s embrace.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Qiu Xing said softly in her ear.

The woman across from them rushed over again, trying to grab Lin Yiran. Qiu Xing turned, putting his back toward her while holding Lin Yiran.

He continued speaking in Lin Yiran’s ear, positioning her between a parked car and himself, one hand gently stroking the back of her head.

“Breathe slowly,” Qiu Xing told her, “Don’t rush.”

More vicious curses continued to come from behind, and Lin Yiran’s throat made gasping sounds. Qiu Xing covered her ears with both hands, allowing the woman’s slaps and punches to land on his back, only slightly lowering his chin to comfort Lin Yiran.

“What she says doesn’t count. Don’t be angry. Breathe properly,” Qiu Xing’s thumb brushed her temple, then wiped away her tears. “Take a deep breath, don’t gasp.”

Lin Yiran, with her ears covered by Qiu Xing for quite a while, finally closed her eyes and buried her face in Qiu Xing’s shoulder, calling “Qiu Xing” with a tearful voice.

“I’m here,” Qiu Xing responded.

“Don’t listen to what she says,” Lin Yiran’s voice trembled, still catching her breath. “It has nothing to do with you. Don’t listen.”

“Mm,” Qiu Xing held her, speaking softly to her. “I won’t listen.”