Mu Shuoqian’s signal was poor, and he couldn’t make out what she said, so he took a few more steps forward, trying to find better reception: "Wife, what did you just say?"
The voice on the phone was intermittent, and as Gu Qili clutched her phone, she tilted her head back to let her tears roll back: "It’s nothing, come back early."
"Mm." Mu Shuoqian chuckled lightly: "Should I hang up then?"
"Shuoqian..." Gu Qili suddenly called out to him urgently, softly saying: "I love you."
Shuoqian, I love you, so very much, and I want to keep loving you for a lifetime.
Mu Shuoqian paused for a moment, his magnetic voice slowly transmitted through the phone: "I love you too."
The signal at his end cut off again, but Gu Qili still heard his last words. He never spoke sweet nothings, but she understood his feelings. Perhaps it was the suddenness of his "I love you too" that made Gu Qili, after hanging up the phone, unable to hold back her tears anymore and they streamed down her face.
When she got home, dinner was ready. Qiu Lan had mentioned hiring a maid before and indeed, a maid was hired, clearly trained, efficient, honest, and cooked very delicious food.
"Qili, you’re back, dinner’s ready." Qiu Lan was playing a game with Mu Qinian and came over with the little guy when she saw her come in.
Gu Qili acted no different from usual, first inquiring about Mu Qinian’s behavior at the kindergarten today, then making small talk with Qiu Lan.
"Isn’t Shuoqian coming back for dinner tonight?" Qiu Lan noticed she only set three pairs of chopsticks.
"He’s out on an inspection and won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon." Gu Qili fastened a bib on Mu Qinian: "Niannian, have you gained weight again?"
Mu Qinian immediately shifted his gaze guiltily: "No."
"Really?" Gu Qili didn’t quite believe him, and pinched his chubby little bottom, "After dinner, we’ll weigh you. Being too heavy will affect your physical development and isn’t good for your health, you should eat more nutritious food in the future, like vegetables and fruits, and eat less meat."
"Don’t worry, I really haven’t gained weight." Mu Qinian insisted as he reached for a chicken wing and started gnawing on it voraciously.
Watching him eat ravenously, Gu Qili kept saying: "Slow down, slow down."
"Qili, you eat too, why are you just watching over Niannian." Qiu Lan urged her as well.
Only then did Gu Qili realize that she had focused all her attention on Mu Qinian, thinking to herself that if she were gone, he would once again be that child without a mother. Although Mu Shuoqian would not neglect him, the love of a mother is irreplaceable by any other type of affection.
At this thought, an unspeakable sadness threatened to bring tears to her eyes again. She hastily picked up her bowl and bowed her head to start eating.
In the past, she had dismissed any abnormal signs in her body with various excuses, but now that she knew what illness she had, even the minor symptoms seemed to become sharp.
Because she had some aversion to food, Gu Qili didn’t eat much and lacked strength, appearing somewhat listless. Dıscover more novels at 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙
"Qili, are you feeling unwell?" The attentive Qiu Lan noticed her lethargy and immediately showed concern.
"Just a bit of a cold." Gu Qili said with a smile, "Mom, don’t worry."
"Remember to take medicine and drink more hot water. Even a small cold should not be ignored."
Mu Qinian, who was enjoying dessert after dinner, overheard and stealthily glanced at her.
After eating, Gu Qili went to Mu Qinian’s room to make his bed and help him with a craft. Just as she finished smoothing out the sheets, a little hand gently tugged at hers. She turned around to see Mu Qinian holding a glass of hot water, the very one she usually used.
Her heart melted instantly. She took the glass, the warmth of which caused her eyes to moisten with tears: "Thank you."
"You’re welcome." The little guy felt shy doing a kind deed for someone else, bashfully turning his face away, "You’re not feeling well, I’ll do the craft myself."
Touched by her son’s care, Gu Qili felt a surge of strength fill her. She pulled him aside to sit down, "It’s okay, I can still do crafts."
"Alright, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Go to sleep early after you finish."
Gu Qili bowed her head and continued with the craft. Today’s task was to stick leaves onto paper to create a landscape painting. She glued the painted leaves onto the white paper, and soon, a tree-lined boulevard emerged.
After pondering for a moment, Mu Qinian picked up a few small leaves and stuck them in the middle. He stuck them askew, but Gu Qili could still see what they represented: a family of three, hand in hand.