In the afternoon, Dao An left first.

Gu Yuan stood at the door to see him off, while Sheng Yi, who was standing beside her, remained silent and distracted.

Only when the figure disappeared did Sheng Yi ask, "When is he leaving?"

Gu Yuan shook her head, "He’s not sure himself, probably one of these days soon."

In the evening, after Sheng Yi left the Gu Mansion, Gu Yuan had time to make a call to Quan Jin. He picked up instantly, and the first thing he said was, "Yuanyuan, have you had dinner yet?"

Gu Yuan replied, "I’ve already eaten."

Then she asked him, "Have you eaten?"

He said, "I have." Afraid she wouldn’t believe him, he repeated, "I really did eat. Do you want to know what I had tonight?"

He was just like a child.

In fact, Gu Yuan understood that he simply wanted to make her accept him in this way, so she played along and asked, "What did you eat?"

"Braised pig trotters, garlic shrimp, chicken steamed with fermented bean curd, wine-steamed clams, and soybean paste steamed fish. Quite a feast, I ate a lot."

Gu Yuan: "..."

Indeed, it seemed like a lot, but for a hospitalized patient, eating such greasy and rich food was a bit much. Moreover... Gu Yuan said, "Why is it all meat? No vegetables?"

"The doctor said I’m currently malnourished, which is largely due to my poor eating habits. That’s why I fainted; I’m too weak. So I’m taking advantage of my appetite now to eat more meat and replenish what I’m lacking." He said it so seriously, as if it were the truth.

Gu Yuan smiled on her end of the phone, though she didn’t laugh out loud; she kept her lips curled up.

She didn’t argue back, just reminded him, "You still need to eat vegetables. A balanced diet is essential."

He said, "Then I’ll listen to Yuanyuan."

"You’re suddenly calling me Yuanyuan so smoothly." He was calling her that fluently, while in the morning he didn’t even know how to address her properly.

He said, "I practiced calling your name with your photo all afternoon, then I realized I didn’t actually need practice to say it smoothly."

Gu Yuan: "..."

She thought it would be another dull conversation, where he either stayed silent or couldn’t finish a sentence like he was stuttering.

It had only been an afternoon, and now his words were as sweet as honey.

"I’ve finished all my work. I was planning to come see you, but hearing how lively you sound, you probably don’t need a visit, so I should just..."

"Yuanyuan, I suddenly feel a bit unwell, like I’m suffocating, barely able to breathe, I feel like I’m going to faint again."

"..." Gu Yuan was amused yet exasperated, "Is that really necessary?"

"It is necessary. I need you to come so I can feel better."

Gu Yuan compromised, "I’ll come over, but it might be a bit late." She paused, then asked, "Do you need anything? I can bring it to you when I come."

Quan Jin’s deep voice replied, "I just need you."

Such a flirt.

Gu Yuan hung up the phone first and went to look for Suisui.

After searching around, she found Suisui in the back garden, once again picking her gardenias.

Gu Yuan quite liked gardenias. After returning from Ancient Water Village, she had planted some at the Gu Mansion. When gardenia season came, the buds had already formed. Suisui had finished picking tomatoes and watermelons in the morning and was now picking gardenias in the evening.

...

In the hospital room. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Quan Jin was eagerly waiting.

His neck was almost stretched like a giraffe, hoping for two hours until Gu Yuan and her daughter arrived at nine in the evening.

Even before they entered, he could smell the fragrance of flowers. When the door opened, he saw his little daughter holding a bouquet of white flowers running in. Seeing him sitting on the bed, she joyfully ran to his side, cheerfully acknowledging him, "Fish~ I came to see you~"

Seeing Suisui holding that bouquet of white gardenias, the old father’s heart was a mix of emotions, "I’m not dead yet."

Suisui lifted the gardenias to Quan Jin, standing on tiptoe a few times, "Do you not like fish?"

Of course, Quan Jin couldn’t say ’it’s not auspicious to bring white flowers into the hospital room,’ but thinking that lilies are also white, he reached out and took the flowers, "I like them, I like everything Suisui gives."

After giving away the flowers, Suisui was so happy she almost bubbled over, her eyes curving into crescent shapes, "I picked them myself, oh, mom said if I keep picking from the back garden, I’ll get in trouble."

Quan Jin immediately guessed something, leaned down, and ruffled Suisui’s hair, "Are these your mother’s favorite flowers?"

Suisui nodded, "Yeah."

Just then, Gu Yuan walked in, saw Quan Jin holding the bouquet of gardenias Suisui had picked, and watched the two of them talking closely. The scene was so beautiful, she wished she could capture it with a camera.