"Can I not go back with him?" Rui Rui pursed his lips.
Chen Lishu's eyes welled up. "You have your birth parents in Kyoto, and your grandparents too. They all miss you very much. Besides, you said there's Tiananmen Square there, and you can watch the flag-raising ceremony. You'll be able to see all of that when you go this time."
Rui Rui looked up. "Then can you come with me? I'll let them see me, and then I'll come back."
Chen Lishu couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up quickly and left.
Only when the door was closed did the tears finally fall uncontrollably. She didn't want to show her reluctance in front of the child, as that would only affect his emotions more. He Yu owed a debt of gratitude to the family, and no matter what, she couldn't selfishly keep Rui Rui.
Seeing her leave, Gu Xingdong patted his son's shoulder reassuringly and then followed her out. Seeing her weeping silently, he put his arm around her.
"It was only a matter of time before Rui Rui returned to his birth parents. We should be grateful that he is a child of the He family. Although I don't know He Zinian, He Zifeng was my superior before. He was upright and decisive. You've also met He Ziyu, and anyone who can raise such a son must have a remarkable grandfather. We should feel at ease with Rui Rui growing up in such a family."
Chen Lishu sighed. "The child has been well-behaved and sensible since he was little. I almost wish he were a bit more spoiled and willful now, at least then he could express himself if he felt wronged. If he goes to Kyoto and, heaven forbid, encounters something unhappy, and we are so far away, just thinking about it makes my heart ache."
Gu Xingdong said, "Children grow up and eventually have to learn to be independent; it's only a matter of time. Rui Rui was raised by us, don't you have that much confidence in him?"
Chen Lishu replied, "That's true, but..."
Gu Xingdong added, "Kyoto isn't that far from here. We can visit the child frequently, can't we?"
Chen Lishu nodded. It seemed there was no other way.
In the evening, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong told Li Xiulan about Rui Rui's situation.
"No wonder I always found Doctor Xiao He familiar. He and Rui Rui are biological uncle and nephew; they do resemble each other in some ways," Li Xiulan remarked with a sigh.
Chen Lishu said, "I didn't expect things to be such a coincidence."
"They say a virtuous wife reduces husband's misfortune. I think Rui Rui's father is quite foolish. He abandoned his wife and child at home, kept another woman outside, and even had another child with her. Wouldn't the woman outside have ulterior motives?"
Chen Lishu replied, "I'm not worried about anything else, just that Rui Rui will have to face all these messy affairs as soon as he returns. Zhu Shasha must be quite formidable if she managed to become a mistress. Xingdong mentioned she's He Zinian's assistant, and with a child by her side, I wonder how the He family will resolve this."
...
At night, the outside was suddenly filled with lightning and thunder. The strong wind made the open window creak noisily. Soon, a heavy rain began to fall.
Gu Xingdong got up to close the window, while Chen Lishu went to check on the three children in their rooms. The two younger ones were sleeping soundly, sprawled out on the bed. Chen Lishu first closed the window, then pulled the blankets up to their tummies, and tiptoed out of the room.
When she reached Rui Rui's room, a cold draft blew in through the window. The child was curled up in bed, his blanket kicked off to his feet at some point. Chen Lishu quickly walked over and closed the window, then pulled the blanket back over Rui Rui.
As soon as she left the room, Rui Rui, who had been closing his eyes, suddenly opened them...
The next morning, when the couple woke up, the two younger children had already been taken downstairs by Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue. When they went downstairs, they saw Rui Rui's door was closed. Pushing it open, they found the child still asleep and called out, "Rui Rui, time to get up."
Usually, Rui Rui would wake up on his own, but this morning, Chen Lishu called him twice without a response. She stepped closer and saw that Rui Rui's cheeks were abnormally flushed, and he was breathing heavily with a slight wheeze in his nostrils. Rui Rui had developed a lung condition as a child when he was kidnapped and not treated promptly. Chen Lishu had taken meticulous care of him for years, and he rarely caught a cold or fever. He must have caught a chill last night.
"Rui Rui, how are you? Do you feel unwell? Let's get up and eat some breakfast first, otherwise taking medicine on an empty stomach isn't good for your stomach."
Rui Rui groggily opened his eyes and said one sentence that made Chen Lishu's heart clench with worry. "Mom, if I'm sick, do I not have to go to Kyoto?"
"You child, you shouldn't joke with your health no matter what. Do you know how worried your parents were when you were sick?"
Seeing Chen Lishu's displeasure, Rui Rui whispered an apology. "I'm sorry, Mom, I was wrong. I won't do this again. Please don't be angry."
Chen Lishu helplessly helped him up. Just then, Gu Xingdong arrived. Chen Lishu said, "The child is sick. Go downstairs and bring him his breakfast. He can take his medicine after eating."
Gu Xingdong reached out to feel Rui Rui's forehead. It was burning hot. "I'll go get a thermometer. If the temperature is too high, we'll take him to the hospital."
Chen Lishu nodded. "Okay, you go."
Soon, the thermometer reading showed over 38 degrees Celsius. The couple decided to give him medication and observe him for a day. After breakfast, they gave Rui Rui two doses of cold and fever medicine. Chen Lishu then soaked a hot towel to wipe his body down for physical cooling, and let him rest.
Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue, knowing Rui Rui was sick, started preparing to buy pears and boil rock sugar pear water for the child. When He Ziyu arrived, Li Xiulan had just finished simmering the pear water and was about to take it upstairs.
Li Xiulan said, "Doctor Xiao He is here."
He Ziyu replied, "You can just call me Ziyu, Auntie."
Knowing that He Ziyu was Rui Rui's uncle, Li Xiulan sighed and said, "... Regardless, you still need to consider the child's feelings. Rui Rui is a sensitive child. He heard you were taking him away, and last night he secretly opened the window and let the cold wind blow on him all night. He got sick first thing this morning."
"Rui Rui is sick?" He Ziyu exclaimed, his expression filled with anxiety. "Rui Rui is upstairs, right? Auntie, please take me to see him."
Li Xiulan said, "Follow me."
Chen Lishu performed another physical cooling on Rui Rui. Only when his body felt less hot did she feel a little relieved. As she was about to take the basin out, she saw Li Xiulan entering with He Ziyu.
Upon seeing He Ziyu, Rui Rui grabbed Chen Lishu's arm with his small hand. Chen Lishu patted his arm reassuringly. "I heard Auntie say Rui Rui is sick. How is he? Is it serious?"