She still felt as though she had fallen into some deep abyss, and within that darkness hid secrets, a strange woman, and Ruan Jiaojiao, who looked exactly the same as the original host. Now... it hid an additional pair of dark, hollow eyes... all of these awaited her to uncover them...
Perhaps because she had that nightmare during the day, Ruan Jiaojiao struggled to fall asleep when it got dark, tossing and turning in the arms of the Ruanlin Family matriarch.
The hands of the Ruanlin Family matriarch were on her back, gently stroking her, asking her, "Is Jiaojiao too hot to sleep?" But in her mind, she planned to have Ruan Jianguo buy an electric fan tomorrow; even if the electricity was a bit expensive, it was okay, the main thing was to ensure her precious child got a good night’s sleep.
"Mhm," Ruan Jiaojiao responded vaguely from within her embrace, rubbing against her clothes, smelling the scent of soap on her, feeling immensely comforted but for some reason, she didn’t dare to close her eyes or sleep.
"Then tomorrow, Mommy will have your dad buy an electric fan so you can sleep better," the Ruanlin Family matriarch said gently. If it hadn’t been so late, with all the stores in town closed, she would have insisted Ruan Jianguo buy one right then.
Even though they couldn’t buy one right now, her manual fan never stopped its motion.
Feeling the love from the Ruanlin Family matriarch, Ruan Jiaojiao felt warmth in her heart, but she still didn’t dare to sleep, her eyes wide open, staring blankly in one direction.
Seeing her gaze fixed and unblinking, yet still unwilling to sleep, the Ruanlin Family matriarch’s heart ached even more, reinforcing her decision to buy the electric fan.
So the next morning, before Ruan Jiaojiao had woken up and was still curled up in bed under the covers, the Ruanlin Family matriarch quietly got out of bed and went next door to call for Ruan Jianguo.
Ruan Jianguo, hearing the sound, felt for his watch by the bed, squinted at it, and after some effort to make it out, muttered... it was just past four, not yet five...
"Mom, what’s the matter?" he asked as he opened the door.
"Hurry to town and buy an electric fan," the Ruanlin Family matriarch said.
"Now?" Ruan Jianguo asked incredulously. It wasn’t even dawn yet, and she wanted him to go buy an electric fan?
"Of course, go early and try to buy it as soon as it gets light. Bring it back quickly. Our little treasure didn’t sleep well last night. You as a father should be more concerned. Now go, don’t dawdle. Oh, and buy some flour too. Jiaojiao loves it."
After finishing, the Ruanlin Family matriarch muttered and walked away. When she reached her bedroom door, she lightened her footsteps, carefully pushing the door open halfway and slipping inside, a stark contrast to the force with which she had banged on his door and called out to him to get up, as if she were someone else.
"..." Ruan Jianguo stroked his face and pinched himself, finally realizing this wasn’t a dream, but reality.
"Alright," he responded to the empty room after a long while.
He sighed deeply, confused. He also adored his daughter dearly, but compared to the Ruanlin Family matriarch, he felt portrayed as some negligent deadbeat father.
He adored his daughter too!
Carrying such a grievance, Ruan Jianguo headed to the town on his tricycle before dawn. As soon as the furniture store opened, he darted in, purchased an electric fan, and hurried back home in a whirlwind.