Chapter 48

Miao Jiayan couldn't follow his train of thought, asking blankly, "What mole?"

Of course, Chen Chao wouldn't answer this question. He lay on his side, his back to Miao Jiayan.

Miao Jiayan had never experienced something like this, nor had he ever taken care of a patient with a leg injury. Sitting by Chen Chao's bed, he had no idea what to do for a moment, just looking around worriedly here and there, at a complete loss.

Grandpa Chen came in carrying two large water cups, placed one on each of their bedside tables, and said to Miao Jiayan, "It's fine, Miao'er, don't mind them."

Miao Jiayan asked Chen Chao, "Do you want some water, Brother Chao?"

Chen Chao said, "No."

"Then is there anything you want to drink? Want some watermelon juice?" Miao Jiayan asked again, "What about orange juice?"

"I don't want any," Chen Chao said again.

"Don't mind him," Grandpa Chen nudged Miao Jiayan's arm. "Those two are useless. It's a waste of time paying them any attention."

Miao Jiayan looked up at Grandpa Chen, looking quite sad.

"Ignore them. We'll make dumplings for dinner tonight." Grandpa Chen was genuinely disdainful of his son and grandson. To end up like this just from changing a lightbulb at home, they were truly useless. Grandpa Chen had spent his whole life going out to sea and farming; his hands and feet were very nimble. He simply couldn't comprehend how the two of them could be so clumsy.

Although Grandma Chen was also very worried and stressed, deep down, she also felt a little bit of disdain, having been infected by the emotion written all over Grandpa Chen's face.

No one paid attention to the two lying in bed. The old couple called Miao Jiayan over, and the three of them went to make dumplings. Miao Jiayan didn't actually want to go; his heart was completely preoccupied with Chen Chao, unable to settle down.

"I'll go tell your grandma not to cook tonight, we're having dumplings." Grandma Chen said as she left the courtyard and went next door.

Miao Jiayan distractedly rolled out dumpling wrappers, his gaze unfocused.

"I've never seen such clumsy people," Grandpa Chen muttered to himself on the side.

After finally finishing the dumplings, Miao Jiayan wiped his hands and went out. Grandpa Chen was boiling water and wanted to talk to him, but when he turned around, the boy was no longer in the kitchen.

When Miao Jiayan entered the room, Chen Chao was still lying on his side in the same position, while Chen Guangda was drinking water from a large teacup.

"Uncle Chen, just call me if you need anything," Miao Jiayan said.

"Miao'er, it's good you're here," Chen Guangda called to him. "Get your uncle another pillow, my neck is killing me."

"Okay, coming." Miao Jiayan looked around but didn't see any pillows, so he took a spare one from above Chen Chao's head.

"Much more comfortable, thank you, Xiao Miao'er," Chen Guangda sighed in relief, lying there bored out of his mind. "Tomorrow I have to get my dad to install a TV for me. This is too boring."

Miao Jiayan pressed his lips together and said nothing. He secretly thought, 'Grandpa Chen doesn't seem to want to pay you any attention...'

After fixing the pillow for Chen Guangda, he went around to Chen Chao's side and squatted down to look at him. He had thought Chen Chao was asleep, but now he saw that his eyes were open, his gaze cast downward, silently looking at the flowers on the bedsheet.

"Do you need anything, Brother Chao?" Squatting like this, Miao Jiayan was almost at eye level with him.

Chen Chao glanced at him and shook his head.

Miao Jiayan asked softly, "Are you in pain, Brother Chao?"

Chen Chao didn't speak, nor did he shake his head this time.

In that instant, Chen Chao suddenly seemed like a wronged little child. He was rarely like this; he was always self-disciplined and strong, seldom revealing his vulnerability so directly.

Seeing him like this made Miao Jiayan even more flustered. Almost as a conditioned reflex, he reached out, touched Chen Chao's wrist, and gave it a comforting shake.

Chen Chao's sullen and quiet appearance made Miao Jiayan's heart ache for him.

"What should we do then, watch a movie to distract yourself?" Miao Jiayan looked at him and asked, "Should I go get the tablet for you?"

Chen Chao shook his head.

"How about you sleep for a bit?" Miao Jiayan held onto the side of the bed, his voice small.

Chen Chao looked at him again, and still shook his head.

Miao Jiayan's heart ached so much he didn't know what to do, and he couldn't think of a solution. Chen Chao wouldn't say a word, and Miao Jiayan didn't know how to make him feel less pain.

Chen Guangda glanced over and secretly curled his lip.

He, the one with a fractured bone and a steel pin, wasn't making a fuss. Young people really couldn't handle things.

Miao Jiayan was in no mood to eat. Chen Chao didn't eat the dumplings, so he didn't either. Worried the two of them might be hot, Miao Jiayan brought over the fans from upstairs and his own house, placing them on either side to oscillate and blow air.

Chen Chao barely spoke the entire day. When he was silent, Miao Jiayan was silent too, just sitting quietly beside him. Sometimes Chen Chao would look at him, sometimes he would look at his phone for a while, and he also answered a few calls.

By the evening, the pain might have subsided a bit. He looked much more energetic and sat up for a while.

His extra pillow had already been taken by Miao Jiayan for Chen Guangda. Chen Chao glanced back and said to Chen Guangda, "Give it back."

"Not giving it back. Tell your grandma to get you another one," Chen Guangda said.

Miao Jiayan wasn't there at the moment, having gone out for something. His grandpa and grandma were also in the courtyard. Chen Chao didn't call out, just sat there stiffly.

After a while, Miao Jiayan came over carrying a pillow, a mattress pad, and a blanket. Seeing Chen Chao sitting up, he first placed the pillow and blanket behind his back.

"What are you doing?" Chen Chao asked him.

"I'm worried you and Uncle Chen might need something at night," Miao Jiayan replied, pointing to the floor in the middle. "I'll sleep here."

Without even thinking, Chen Chao said, "No."

Chen Guangda also said, "Your Grandpa Chen will stay with me tonight. Don't worry about it, Miao'er, go back and get some sleep."

"Grandpa Chen is getting old, shouldn't I be the one to stay here?" Miao Jiayan looked at Chen Chao. "Wouldn't it be more convenient for you to call me?"

"No need," Chen Chao said. "Go back and sleep."

Miao Jiayan wanted to say more, but Chen Chao frowned and glanced at him, and Miao Jiayan didn't dare to speak, standing by with his lips pressed together.

There were two beds in the room. One was the original double bed, and the other was the single bed added later, which Chen Chao was now lying on. For the past two days, Grandpa Chen had been sleeping on Chen Guangda's bed, while Chen Chao slept alone. If Miao Jiayan wanted to stay here, he could only sleep on the floor. But the ground floor was not like Chen Chao's room upstairs; upstairs had a wooden floor, while the ground floor had tiles. You couldn't sleep on the floor.

Since Chen Chao wouldn't let him stay, Miao Jiayan didn't dare to insist. In the end, he could only return with his blankets, a look of reluctance on his face.

"Call me if you need anything," Miao Jiayan said to Chen Chao before leaving. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning."

Chen Chao nodded and "mhm"-ed.

He looked really well-behaved. Miao Jiayan watched him for another moment before leaving.

The father and son weren't too much trouble. Especially Chen Chao, who basically had no demands. Before bed, he would be pushed to the bathroom in his wheelchair, and that would be it for the night. When Grandpa Chen pushed him, he was very kind and not harsh at all. But when it was time to push Chen Guangda, you could hear the father and son bickering all the way.

"Dad, slow down!"

"Stop being so difficult. If you weren't going yourself, the fact that I'm willing to serve you is more than generous enough," Grandpa Chen said, irritable and cold.

"Well, since you're already serving me, you might as well do a better job, right?" Chen Guangda said.

"Just hurry up, I'm usually long asleep by this time! I'm almost seventy and I still have to be here to take care of your every need!" Grandpa Chen grumbled.

Chen Guangda asked, "How come you don't say anything to your grandson, only to me?"

"I dote on my grandson, I'm happy to serve him," Grandpa Chen said, placing his wheelchair by the toilet. "Do I dote on you?"

Miao Jiayan came very early the next day. When he arrived, the courtyard gate wasn't even open yet; he let himself in.

Grandpa Chen and Chen Guangda were still asleep, but Chen Chao was already awake. Miao Jiayan was surprised to see him with his eyes open, as Chen Chao usually slept in late.

"You're awake?" Miao Jiayan walked over, his voice hushed to a whisper.

Chen Chao nodded and asked him, "What are you doing up so early?"

Miao Jiayan was too embarrassed to say he hadn't slept well, so he just said, "I got up when I woke up."

Chen Chao said, "You don't have to come so early. Get some proper sleep."

Miao Jiayan didn't reply to that, instead sitting by his bed and saying softly, "Why don't you sleep a little longer? It's still early."

So Chen Chao closed his eyes again, and Miao Jiayan straightened his slightly crooked pillow.

It seems that once a person is trapped in a small space, unable to move and with nothing to do, they begin to show a kind of silent obedience.

Confined to his bed, Chen Chao seemed to have suddenly lost his temper, becoming a quiet and obedient child.

He would do whatever anyone asked of him, always being very cooperative, as if he knew he had caused trouble for everyone. Miao Jiayan came every morning and left every night, always within Chen Chao's line of sight. With him around, things were much easier for Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen. Miao Jiayan did almost everything for them; he was gentler than Grandpa Chen and wasn't harsh with Chen Guangda either.

Miao Jiayan had been completely quiet since he came home, so Jiang Xun gave him a call that day.

"What have you been up to?" Jiang Xun asked him. "I thought you'd disappeared."

Miao Jiayan had just juiced a glass of watermelon for Chen Chao and was bringing the cup in. Miao Jiayan said, "I'm at home."

"Well, you've been quiet," Jiang Xun asked. "Are you coming back to the city for a few days?"

Miao Jiayan said, "I'm not coming back."

"Aren't you bored at home, girlie?" Jiang Xun was probably playing a game on his end, the keyboard clacking away. "What's there to do at home?"

Chen Chao didn't want others to know he was home, so Miao Jiayan said, "Keeping my grandma company."

Jiang Xun didn't have anything important to talk about, so they hung up after a few sentences.

Chen Chao was sitting and drinking watermelon juice when Chen Guangda said, "Let me have a sip."

"Then I'll make you a glass too, Uncle Chen," Miao Jiayan said quickly.

"No need, Miao'er. I just want a taste, I'm not a big fan of this stuff," Chen Guangda said.

Chen Chao put the glass on the bedside table and pushed it over, saying, "I asked you just now and you said no."

"If you have things to do, just go," Chen Chao said, looking up at Miao Jiayan. "You don't have to stay at home all the time."

Miao Jiayan said quickly, "I don't have anything to do, school hasn't started yet."

"What about your own things?" Chen Chao asked. "Aren't you taking pictures recently?"

"No." After saying that, Miao Jiayan was silent for a few seconds before speaking again slowly, "Brother Chao... don't keep trying to send me away."

Chen Chao looked at him first, then averted his eyes and said, "I'm not sending you away."

"You and Uncle Chen both need to rest, I just want you to recover well." With his back to Chen Guangda, Miao Jiayan looked into Chen Chao's eyes as he spoke. "Even if you weren't home, if it was just Uncle Chen, I would still do this."

Miao Jiayan seemed to want to explain something, but he couldn't say it too clearly, especially with Uncle Chen right there. He didn't know what to say, and after thinking for a moment, he added, "I'm not thinking about anything else, and you shouldn't... shouldn't think that I'm..."

Chen Guangda sensed the atmosphere was a bit off and looked over, but he couldn't understand at what point the two of them had started acting so awkward.

Finally, Miao Jiayan said to Chen Chao, "I'm just a regular neighbor. Please stop sending me away... Brother Chao."