For Your Happiness - Chapter 47 - Comfort

Mrs. Shao suddenly realized that Shao Han had grown up and it was now her turn to take care of her. She felt both warmth and emotion in her heart. As a woman, having a daughter seemed more comforting. However, Mrs. Shao had always been more affectionate towards her son. It wasn’t until this illness that she understood the old saying: “A daughter is a mother’s little cotton-padded jacket,” referring to this kind of closeness and warmth.

Mrs. Shao had been in the hospital for several days, and whenever Mr. Shao called home from out of town, either Liu Xin or the domestic helper would answer. It had been a long time since he heard Mrs. Shao’s voice, which made Mr. Shao suspicious. On the fourth afternoon of Mrs. Shao’s hospital stay, Mr. Shao called home again. Normally, this was a time when Mrs. Shao would answer the phone, but again, it was the domestic helper who answered.

“Xiaoping, is my wife there?” Mr. Shao directly asked the domestic helper.

“Oh, she went out,” the family had instructed Xiaoping not to mention Mrs. Shao’s hospitalization, so Xiaoping always used this excuse.

“Why has she been going out in the afternoons lately? Did she take her mobile phone?” Mr. Shao was curious. Usually, Mrs. Shao would be taking care of the baby, and during this time when the baby was asleep, Mrs. Shao would normally be resting. Yet, she was always out. What could be so urgent? Mr. Shao was full of questions.

“Oh, she did take it, I think. I’m not really sure,” Xiaoping said cautiously, afraid of misspeaking.

“Alright, I’ll call her,” Mr. Shao decided to call Mrs. Shao’s mobile phone directly.

Mrs. Shao’s phone rang. Shao Han saw that it was her dad calling, quickly picked up the phone, and placed it next to her mother’s left ear. Mrs. Shao’s right ear had a nerve compressed due to a ruptured blood vessel, making it hard to hear, sounding only like buzzing noises. So, Shao Han, fearing her mother would habitually use her right ear, intentionally placed the phone on her left. Before answering, she told her mother, “It’s dad calling, what should we do?”

Mrs. Shao took a deep breath and calmly answered the phone: “Hello.”

“Ruihua, where have you been?” Mr. Shao asked.

“Oh, my brother has an art exhibit, and I’ve been coming here in the afternoons to check it out,” Mrs. Shao replied calmly.

“I see, that’s why they’ve been telling me you’re not home these days,” Mr. Shao sighed in relief.

“Um, no problem. How are things going on your end?” Mrs. Shao asked with concern about Mr. Shao’s work.

“It’s almost done. I’ll be able to come back in a few days.” Mr. Shao was busy with business negotiations due to his company’s expansion.

“Don’t worry, everything at home is fine.”

“Got it, haha, how’s the grandson?” Mr. Shao was still reveling in the excitement of recently becoming a grandpa.

“He’s doing well too,” Mrs. Shao said, but Shao Han noticed her mother’s complexion looked rather pale, seemingly dizzy again. Ever since this illness began, Mrs. Shao had been suffering from dizzy spells and a loss of balance, feeling vertigo even while lying down. Concerned, Shao Han moved closer, signaling her mother to end the call, understanding from her glance that she was feeling physically weak.

“Take care of yourself; let’s not talk now. I’ll help out and we can chat more when I get home.”

“Alright, don’t tire yourself out, taking care of the grandson and running to help,” Mr. Shao expressed his concern.

“Understood. I’m hanging up now.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up the phone, Shao Han quickly helped her mother set up the oxygen tube and turned on the oxygen supply.

“Are you feeling dizzy again?” Shao Han asked softly.

“Yes, sigh, just speaking a few sentences and I’m out of energy.”

“Rest for a bit.” Shao Han frowned, worried. This situation was not sustainable, yet the doctor had said that this condition would take time to improve, with symptoms coming and going slowly, requiring patience to gradually clear the blood vessels.

Mrs. Shao closed her eyes to rest, with Shao Han by her side. In the evening, Shao Bin brought dinner, while Wu Di had to return to Shanghai earlier due to an emergency at the hotel. He had planned to come back later that night, but Shao Han insisted he not tire himself with another trip. She asked him to go home, change his clothes, rest properly, and bring some clean clothes for her later. She specifically told Wu Di to make sure he got some sleep at home and take care of the dog, as they had left in a hurry and the domestic helper had been looking after the dog. It was actually out of concern for Wu Di; she didn’t want him to overexert himself, and her sincere request made Wu Di agree to follow her advice.

Once her mother was sound asleep, Shao Han took out her phone to chat with Wu Di on QQ, as they couldn’t talk on the phone without disturbing her mother, opting for a quieter way to communicate.

“Wu Di, are you asleep?”

“No, I’m waiting for you.”

“How did you know I was coming up?”

“Of course, I knew. It’s always been like this in the past.”

“Heh, it feels like we’ve suddenly gone back in time.” Shao Han laughed unconsciously, yes, in the past, this was the only way they connected.

“No, I don’t want to go back, that painful feeling was enough for once.”

“Heh, what are you doing?”

“Watching the news, while waiting for you.”

“By the way, father called today. I was really afraid he would see through me.”

“Oh? And then?”

“Mother was very calm, said she was helping at an art exhibit.”

“Heh, they’ve been married for so long, they know how to handle it.”

“Yeah, mother is afraid father will worry, and father is always concerned about mother, they care for each other. It used to be that they argued over business at home, but now such tender moments are rare.” Shao Han felt a touch of emotion.

“Fool, they may argue, but after decades of marriage, each other’s personality and temper seem to have permeated into their very marrow.”

“Really, Wu Di, will we be like that when we’re old?” Shao Han imagined.

“We will, perhaps even better than them.”

“Why?”

“Because we love each other more deeply.”

“Really? Do you love me that deeply?”

“Of course.”

“Heh.” Shao Han saw his response, and happiness immediately showed on her face, smiling brilliantly like a flower, a long-held somber expression finally easing.

“I always thought mother didn’t love father. Today I realized, her love is expressed in a different way. Maybe they didn’t marry for love when they were young, but after decades of living together, even if it was so-called familial affection, there must be love involved, don’t you think?”

“That’s likely, two people living together for decades, that kind of emotion is not something we can simply imagine. Babe…” Wu Di paused.

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to live with me for decades?”

“Yes,” Shao Han answered firmly.

“Will you ever get tired of it?”

“Would you get tired of me?” Shao Han retorted.

“If you misbehave, I might.”

“Ah! You’re mean, saying something so unkind at such a sweet moment,” Shao Han pouted, frowning at her phone screen as if Wu Di could see her.

“Hehe, kisses.” Wu Di could almost picture her expression. If he were there, he would definitely pull her close and give her a big kiss.

“Shao Han, actually, I’ve had a thought these past few days.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I suddenly realized that as our elders age, they really need professional care. Otherwise, many situations might not be handled well or timely, which could delay the best opportunity for treatment.”

“So…”

“I’m thinking about buying a big house in the future, where our elders and their siblings can live together. They actually prefer being together. As the younger generation, we have fewer and fewer topics in common with them, making the siblings grow closer.”

“Mm, that makes sense.”

“So, I want them all to live together and hire a professional caregiver to look after them. That way, they get professional care and won’t feel lonely. If we want to enjoy some family time, we can all go over and stay with them for a few days. What do you think?”

“Sounds good, hehe. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Sometimes, as people age, what they need more is someone to talk to who shares common interests, not just material things. They already have a solid material foundation, but they will need more emotional comfort later on.”

“Yes, that’s true. Let’s start a nursing home in the future. You have hotel management experience; we could run it like a hotel, hehe, and provide good care for many elderly people,” Shao Han suddenly suggested.

“Sure, and we can live there too when we get older.”

“That’s a great idea,” Shao Han said with a comforting smile. “Oh, I’m worried about how father will react when he comes back if we don’t tell him the truth.”

“Don’t worry, father will understand our intentions.”

“Good, that’s a relief.” Shao Han was getting sleepy and yawned.

“Are you tired?” Wu Di seemed to have a telepathic connection with Shao Han.

“How did you know? I just yawned,” Shao Han said, surprised.

“Hehe, I’ve installed a camera to sneak a peek at you.”

“Stop it, you’re always teasing me,” Shao Han laughed, thinking of him.

“Go to sleep, just imagine I’m right there with you.” Wu Di’s tenderness always calmed the restless Shao Han.

“Okay, then I’m going to sleep.” Shao Han glanced at her mother, who was sleeping soundly, and drifted off to sleep peacefully.