Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  “The kind of little lovely I want is one who is obediently donned in a princess frock, hugging onto a barbie doll! One who?wheedles?

  ?in my arms, saying stuff like ‘In this whole wide world I love you the most Daddy.’ Not one who screams for her papa all day long to save her life and whack her mama with a feather duster!”


  Tang Zheng recalled what Auntie Li said about Little Candy’s family and felt amused.

  Lin Nuan’s smile broadened. After saying goodbye to Tuan Tuan, she closed the car door.

  As the car window rolled down, Tuan Tuan pressed his arms against the window, saying to Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an, “Papa, Mama! Remember to fetch me!”


  “En!” Lin Nuan nodded.

  Having climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled his seatbelt, Tang Zheng, too, stuck his head out and said, “We’re leaving!”


  “Be careful on the road!” Lin Nuan cautioned.

  As they watched Tang Zheng’s car drive away, Fu Huai’an had one hand in his pocket. He raised the other to wrap around Lin Nuan’s slim waist. “Did you deliberately have Tang Zheng send Tuan Tuan?”


  “Doesn’t Tang Zheng have a glib tongue? I wonder if he’ll still be able to keep his eloquence after running into Little Candy at the kindergarten later!” Lin Nuan stared at Tang Zheng’s car, a smile at the corner of her lips. “Let’s go back in…”


  …


  After Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an finished packing, Fu Huai’an drove Lin Nuan to the mental facility in the suburbs.

  Lin Nuan spoke with her doctor about her biological mother, Ji Yun’s recent condition. Ji Yun was her usual self, mumbling about Ran Ran and hugging a doll to her chest… She didn’t seem to be inflicting harm on herself or anyone, and her emotions looked to be rather stable.

  After thanking the doctor, Fu Huai’an held Lin Nuan’s hand and exited the place. He asked, “Since Mom doesn’t seem to be hurting anyone, why don’t we take her home with us?”


  Lin Nuan halted in her steps and subconsciously tightened her grip on the thermos she brought for Ji Yun. She turned her head to look at Fu Huai’an…


  Fu Huai’an stood against the light, casting a dark shadow on the wall next to them.

  Her lips slightly parted.

  Fu Huai’an addressed Lin Nuan’s biological mother as Mom…


  This caught Lin Nuan by surprise.

  Lin Nuan had never called Ji Yun Mom herself!

  She had never had that opportunity.

  “What’s the matter?” Fu Huai’an asked Lin Nuan.

  Lin Nuan’s lips curled. The glorious sunshine seemed to have penetrated Lin Nuan’s chest, shining right into the depths of her heart. She clutched Fu Huai’an’s hand tightly, then said, “It’s not that it never occurred to me in the past, but the rule of the mental hospital has always been that the one who admits the patient is responsible for her discharge. Furthermore, I’ve never lived with… Mom. Even our residences aren’t together. There’s no way to prove I’m Mom’s daughter. How would the mental hospital approve of my taking her away?”


  “Don’t worry about this, let me take care of it…” Fu Huai’an smiled lightly.

  Lin Nuan’s palms sweated mildly, and her heart started thumping several beats.

  It wasn’t that Lin Nuan didn’t crave motherly love, and it wasn’t that she had never thought of living with Ji Yun…


  But she didn’t have the means to cope with both Ji Yun and her job. And just like she told Fu Huai’an… in a mental hospital, the one who admitted the patient was responsible for their discharge. With Lin Nuan’s status, she didn’t have the ability to get Ji Yun discharged.

  “But what’s going to happen after we discharge her? How do we take care of her?” Lin Nuan looked up at the lightly smiling Fu Huai’an and asked.

  “This is an easily resolved matter. We can hire a private nurse for Mom.” Fu Huai’an grasped Lin Nuan’s petite hand firmly. “They say a son-in-law is half a son, so leave this matter to me. You don’t have to worry about anything.”


  Lin Nuan felt all sorts of emotions welling up in her heart.

  …


  Fu Huai’an accompanied Lin Nuan to Ji Yun’s ward.

  Ji Yun didn’t appear aggressive at all and was merely directing all her motherly love towards a doll; therefore, Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an got approval to take her out for a walk in the garden.

  Fu Huai’an took a close look at Ji Yun, who had streaks of white in her sideburns. Lin Nuan’s delicate facial features were likely inherited from her mother.

  Even if Ji Yun had gotten on in age, one could still tell she was a striking beauty back in her younger days.

  Ji Yun’s long hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and she was wearing a striped hospital gown. She wasn’t considered tall, and she was super thin, so it looked like her frame could barely hold up the gown.

  A gust of wind blew by, vaguely revealing Ji Yun’s bony frame.

  Outside, the sunshine-washed air was so refreshing that one felt relaxed just by being submerged in it…


  Fu Huai’an stood at the pavilion in the hospital, looking at Lin Nuan, who was seated with Ji Yun as she took out the noodles from the thermos and drizzled some tomato egg soup onto it.

  The Boston Ivy had grown its way up the pillars of the pavilion, but it no longer appeared as vibrant as it did in the summer, slightly withered by now. As the ivy flickered in the wind, a dry hissing sound could be heard.

  Ji Yun was focused on the doll in her arms, her gaze full of motherly love. At times she stroked the doll’s head, at times caressed its little face, and at times muttered “Ran Ran, Ran Ran” at the doll, pressing the doll’s face to hers, a blissful and loving look on her face.

  Lin Nuan had already grown used to this sight. She wiped the chopsticks she brought and placed them on the bowl, saying softly, “Tomato egg soup noodles, your favorite!”


  Upon hearing the words “tomato egg noodles,” Ji Yun immediately reacted. She turned around and took a look at the noodles, then lowered her head a little and smiled at Lin Nuan. “Our Ran Ran loves to eat tomato egg noodles!”


  Lin Nuan smiled and nodded. “En! Eat it while it’s hot!”


  Ji Yun hugged the doll to her chest and cooed in a low voice, “Ran Ran, let’s eat your favorite tomato egg noodles!”


  Ji Yun was next seen giving the doll a pair of chopsticks. Upon seeing that the doll wasn’t eating, she urgently coaxed it.

  Lin Nuan held Ji Yun’s hand with the chopsticks and said, “Ran Ran said she’s not hungry. Ran Ran asked Mom to eat first! She’ll eat after Mom is done eating!”


  Upon hearing Lin Nuan’s words, Ji Yun beamed brightly at the doll. “Mama will eat! Mama will eat! Mama will eat right now!”


  Very quickly, Ji Yun finished a bowl of tomato egg noodles, but the soup was splattered all over her front.

  Lin Nuan drew a tissue to help Ji Yun wipe her mouth and clothes. Ji Yun angrily swatted away Lin Nuan’s hand and turned around to glare at her, pressing her index finger to her lips. “Shh…”


  Ji Yun berated in a small voice, “Our Ran Ran is trying to sleep!”


  As she finished her sentence, Ji Yun coaxingly patted the doll in her arms, humming a nursery rhyme Fu Huai’an had never heard of before.

  “Ran Ran be good! Fear not, Mama is here! Mama is here! Mama loves our Ran Ran the most forever, Ran Ran is most lovable…”


  Fu Huai’an looked at the back of Lin Nuan’s hand, which was reddened from the slap. As he gazed at Lin Nuan’s emotionless smiling eyes, his heart ached for her.

  After Lin Ran returned to the Lins’ family home, at least Liang Mulan would compensate her with extra motherly love by her side!

  But for Lin Nuan, even after she returned to her biological mother’s side, the latter had long given away all her love to Lin Ran!

  In Ji Yun’s heart, there was no place left for Lin Nuan.