The next day, early morning!
Li Yi was dozing fitfully when he suddenly felt someone calling his name.
He opened his eyes to find Jiang Shiying standing right by his bed. Li Yi was so startled he sat bolt upright.
Man, that guy really knows how to give someone a heart attack!
“Uncle… Father-in-law, what’s going on?”
“Yun’er is awake and wants to see Xue’er. I can’t go in there to get her,” Jiang Shiying said.
“Got it!”
With that, Li Yi immediately put on his shoes and headed straight for the neighboring hospital room!
When Li Yi entered the room, he saw his third sister having breakfast with Tang Xue. They sure were up early.
Seeing Li Yi come in, Li Na asked right away, “Have you eaten yet? If not, there’s still half a bowl of congee left here!”
“No, thanks. Why are you two up so early?”
Tang Xue smiled and said, “It’s Sister Na who woke up hungry—she didn’t eat dinner last night!”
“What do you mean ‘last night’? I haven’t eaten since yesterday at noon—all the way through the night until dawn! I’ve been starving for ages!” Li Na added.
“Then why didn’t you say anything yesterday?” Li Yi asked.
“I… I didn’t dare say anything!”
Seeing his third sister looking so timid, Li Yi shook his head.
Then he turned to Tang Xue and said, “Xiao Xue, your mother has woken up. She says she wants to see you!”
“My mom’s awake?”
Tang Xue immediately put down her chopsticks, got out of bed, and looked thrilled.
Li Na quickly put down her bowl, stepped forward to support her, and said, “Take it easy—you two really have me on edge!”
Then, with Li Na by her side, Tang Xue made her way to her mother’s hospital room.
When mother and daughter were reunited, there was naturally another outburst of emotion.
Fortunately, after last night’s emotional outburst, the two were mostly overjoyed and no longer had tears welling up in their eyes!
Watching the mother and daughter whispering to each other, Li Yi felt that the men present were surplus to requirements.
So, he took Jiang Shiying and the sleepy-eyed Jiang Longcheng downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast; they must have been hungry by now.
After ordering some simple steamed buns and thin porridge, the group found a table by the window and sat down.
After just a couple of bites, Jiang Shiying turned to Li Yi and said, “I have to leave in a little while. I’m leaving Yun’er and Xue’er in your care!”
“In such a hurry?”
“Yeah, there’s an important matter in the province that needs my attention. I was supposed to go back the day before yesterday, but I’ve already been delayed two days because of Xue’er’s situation—I can’t put it off any longer!” Jiang Shiying said.
Li Yi knew the nature of his work was unique, so he immediately replied, “Alright, leave the family matters to me!”
“Once Yun’er has recovered, you two should move back to the old family home together!” Jiang Shiying said again.
“Let’s discuss that later!”
Jiang Shiying sensed Li Yi’s reluctance. He knew his son-in-law wasn’t the type to be pushed around, and that he likely didn’t want to live at his father-in-law’s house permanently.
He understood Li Yi’s perspective, so he nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll discuss this later!”
After that, the three fell silent and turned their full attention to the breakfast before them!
……
Li Yi was extremely busy all morning.
First, he saw Jiang Shiying off, then dealt with several waves of relatives who came to visit Ye Lingyun and Tang Xue.
Goodness, they were all close relatives from the Jiang and Ye families, and the moment they arrived, they started handing out gifts.
Some brought clothes and health supplements, others gave jewelry and accessories, and still others simply handed over cash—often tens or even hundreds of yuan—all of it for Tang Xue.
Tang Xue had never seen anything like this before. Back at the Tang family, she had been a complete nobody—no one cared about her feelings, or even whether she lived or died.
She never imagined that just by finding her biological parents, her treatment would suddenly be elevated like this.
Such a sudden change left her struggling to adjust.
Fortunately, Li Yi was there to help her handle these relatives one by one.
At the same time, Li Yi took Tang Xue to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for a prenatal checkup.
After all the ups and downs of the journey, with its mix of tears and laughter, Li Yi was deeply worried.
Fortunately, the results showed that both the mother and the fetus were doing well. Upon seeing the report, Li Yi’s heart finally settled.
That matter was settled, but another issue needed to be resolved as soon as possible—housing!
They say plans never keep up with changes, and Li Yi now understood this all too well.
When he came this time, he hadn’t expected Tang Xue to stay here long-term; he’d actually planned for her to return to the village for her postpartum confinement!
But judging by the current situation, it would be very difficult for Tang Xue to return to Nianzi Mountain Village anytime soon.
Even if she were willing, Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun—her in-laws—would certainly object, and the elders of the Jiang and Ye families would surely disapprove as well.
Especially his mother-in-law, Ye—these days, she can’t wait to see Tang Xue the moment she opens her eyes, acting just like a child.
Plus, with the Lunar New Year approaching, barring any surprises, Tang Xue would likely give birth and spend her postpartum recovery in Beijing.
Li Yi didn’t object to this; after all, medical care in the capital was superior, and it would be better for Tang Xue’s delivery and recovery.
However, judging by what Jiang Shiying had said that morning, his father-in-law wanted him and Tang Xue to move into the Jiang family’s ancestral home.
And that was something Li Yi was genuinely unwilling to do!
On one hand, it was certainly due to some machismo at play; according to local customs, only a man who marries into the family would live under his father-in-law’s roof for an extended period.
Clearly, as a man of his stature, Li Yi had no desire to be a son-in-law living under his father-in-law’s roof. He wasn’t short on money, so why would he want to live off his father-in-law?
Secondly, the Jiang family’s old mansion had too many rules—with security guards and secretaries in the courtyard—making it far too inconvenient.
After all, he planned to run a business in the future, which would inevitably require him to come and go frequently; living in his own home would be much more suitable.
Moreover, Li Yi had already planned to buy a property in Beijing, so the matter of purchasing a home had to be put on the agenda.
However, since he currently needed to stay at the hospital to care for his mother-in-law and had no time to look around, he had no choice but to find someone to handle it for him.
Just as Li Yi was agonizing over who to ask, someone came right to him!
In the hospital corridor, Jiang Longcheng walked over, carrying a large bundle of luggage and bedding.
Spotting Li Yi, he called out breathlessly from a distance, “Quick… quick, help me out!”
Li Yi immediately stepped forward to take some of the luggage from his hands and asked, “Why are you carrying so much stuff?”
Jiang Longcheng grimaced and said, “Do you think I want to do this? It was the old man’s idea. He was worried you’d be cold in the hospital, so he had me bring some bedding over!”
“Didn’t you tell him the hospital has great heating and already provides beds and bedding?”
“Of course I explained it, but if explaining worked, he wouldn’t be my grandpa!”
“Alright, you’ve brought everything. Stop rambling!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Uh-huh!”
After the two of them carried the items into the ward where Tang Xue and the others were staying, Jiang Longcheng, still panting, turned to Li Yi and said, “Bro-in-law, when are you going to take care of that thing you promised me?”
“What thing?”
“That mess at our factory—you said you’d draw up a plan for me. If we don’t get this sorted out soon, we won’t be able to hold on much longer!” Jiang Longcheng said with a grim expression.
Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Here’s what we’ll do: later, take me to see your factory’s warehouse, and then I’ll draw up a plan for you!”
“Don’t say ‘later’—can we go right now?” Jiang Longcheng asked.
“I can’t do that right now. Who’s going to look after Xiao Xue and my mother-in-law if I leave?” Li Yi said.
“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll find someone to look after them. How about you help me sort out that mess?”
Li Yi could tell the guy was really desperate. He frowned and said, “Forget it. Go to the shop and bring Zhang Xinyao and that Auntie An Hong over here. Add my third older sister to the mix—three of us taking care of two people shouldn’t be a problem!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll go right now…”
“Wait, do me one more favor!”
“What is it?”
“See if there are any suitable apartments in the city. I want to buy one!” Li Yi said.
“What kind of place are you looking for? An apartment building or…”
“No apartment building—preferably a traditional courtyard house!”
“Why on earth would you want to buy one of those run-down courtyards? The plumbing’s terrible, and there’s no central heating. You’d be better off buying an apartment. Are you short on cash or something…”
“It’s got nothing to do with money. Xiao Xue and I are used to living in a single-story house!”
Li Yi then added, “Remember, I want a traditional courtyard house—don’t try to pull a mixed-use courtyard compound on me!”
“Alright, alright, leave it to me!”
With that, Jiang Longcheng hurried out of the hospital.
Watching the guy’s receding figure, Li Yi couldn’t help but sigh. With a brother-in-law like this, he was in for a lot of work in the future!