Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Always Able to Find a Reason to Scold Him Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Always Able to Find a Reason to Scold Him Bai Dan sighed, why did everyone else’s child want to play while his own wanted to work even when sick?
Thinking about it like this made his face darken again. It must have been Bai Da’s forcing; the child had become accustomed to working. This wasn’t good. Children should be lively and mischievous.
“Xingxing,” Grandpa spoke up, “I heard other kids like dolls. How about I buy one for you?”
He knew about those dolls that could have their hair combed and clothes changed. Many little girls nagged their grandfathers and grandmothers to buy them. That’s what little girls liked,
“No need, Grandpa, I don’t like them.”
Bai Zhi refused outright. She was not really a little girl, nor did the original owner like them. Those were for carefree little girls. What she liked had to be more practical—it was small money.
Time flew as the grandfather and granddaughter chatted, and two rounds of IV fluids were changed without the food delivery arriving. Bai Dan frowned. Not to mention Xingxing, even he was hungry.
“Xingxing, I’ll go buy us some food. Your parents must’ve gotten lost.”
Really, if they were unwilling to bring food, they could’ve just said so. They weren’t so poor that they couldn’t afford food. Yet it had been one or two hours, and they still hadn’t shown up.
“Go ahead, Grandpa. I’m fine. I’ll call the nurse if I need anything.”
Bai Zhi didn’t refuse because she was hungry. She had walked all morning, and the ordeal earlier had left her exhausted. She estimated she could eat two bowls of rice.
“Mm, good girl.”
Bai Dan was quick to return, bringing back two topped rice dishes within minutes—one with potatoes and meat, the other with tomato and egg. The topped rice at this hour was served in such large boxes that even an adult could be satisfied.
Bai Zhi was stunned by the large portion. In her world, she would still be hungry after one box. But here, she had no intention of dieting.
With her slender frame, she didn’t have to worry about gaining weight—a little extra weight would actually be more normal. She was unhealthily thin, and the doctor had even advised her to drink some protein powder for nutrition.
So, it was time to let go. Bai Zhi asked the nurse to remove her IV and, clutching her rice, she split her potatoes and meat with Bai Dan,
“Don’t give it to me, don’t give it to me. Grandpa doesn’t like it.”
Bai Dan frowned at the sight. He had specifically bought the meat for Xingxing, so why did she give it to him?
“Grandpa, I like the tomato and egg. We’ll share half each, or I won’t eat at all.”
Bai Zhi clearly understood Bai Dan’s actual wishes and directly put it into his bowl, then started devouring the food. She was really hungry.
“Xingxing, take a sip of water.”
Beside them was a bottle of nutritional drink that Bai Dan had purchased for Bai Zhi, which he considered to be nutritious too.
Bai Zhi didn’t hesitate, taking it and drinking. The milk flavor was strong, but it was mediocre to her. As for drinks, she was quite open-minded—she could have anything.
The two finished their meals quickly, large bites and small. It was only then that Ye Xiu arrived, late, with two portions of wonton soup.
She walked briskly, still catching her breath, probably having run on her way. She brought two portions of wontons, one probably weighing one liang, the other two.
“Dad, Xingxing, sorry to keep you waiting. Something came up just now, so we were late.”
They were supposed to have finished their meal quickly, but unexpectedly, Bai Ye started having a stomachache, so they had taken him to get checked.
The doctor had a look and said he had eaten too much…
“No need, we’ve already eaten. What happened?”
Bai Dan’s face was stern. Although there was a reason, the fact that they had waited for two hours was undeniable. With so many of them there, couldn’t one of them have come and given an update? Was that so difficult?
She knew she hadn’t considered everything fully, so she pretended not to see her father-in-law’s scowl as she explained.
“Bai Ye had a stomachache, and we took him to get checked. The kid just overate, Dad, you don’t need to worry.”
“I’m not worried, he was bouncing around when he came by this morning. What could possibly be wrong?”
If there really was an issue, it would have been a case of making trouble out of nothing, so Bai Dan’s tone was rather unpleasant at the moment.
Bai Ye, outside the door, didn’t dare to come in after hearing his granddad’s words. It was as if he had committed a terrible crime. He took a step back.
Bai Da came in with the two kids and looked towards Bai Zhi on the sickbed. Her complexion was still very pale, bundled up small like she was only five or six years old.
“Dad, how is Bai Zhi doing?”
Bai Da was also concerned about Bai Zhi. Seeing her condition, he was quite worried. He hadn’t expected it to be so serious.
“Can’t you see for yourself? As a father, shouldn’t you know to care for your daughter without having to ask me?”
It was clear to anyone with eyes that things were bad, yet he deliberately played ignorant. How could Bai Dan not get angry?
“Dad–”
Bai Da really didn’t know what to do. No matter what he said, it seemed his dad could always find a reason to scold him.
“Don’t call me. Just go away, all of you. I don’t want to see you.” It would just make him angry and impact his mood.
Bai Dan spoke loudly. Xixi, unavoidably frightened, shrank behind Bai Da. This made Bai Yu’s heart ache so much that he took Xixi and left. Bai Da saw the kids leaving and, worried that something might happen, followed them. He didn’t say a word to Bai Zhi during the whole visit.
Not only Bai Zhi, but even Ye Xiu frowned at the scene. However, now was not the right time to speak. She was about to return to school; leaving today just happened to work out.
She was a boarding student, and although she could leave now and then, commuting home daily was not feasible. The school was about twenty minutes away from the market area.
She took out a few hundred yuan from her bag and placed it in Bai Zhi’s hand, but Bai Zhi tried to refuse it.
“I don’t want it.”
She didn’t want Ye Xiu’s money, not a single cent.
“Be a good girl, keep it. Your daily IV drips cost money. Granddad doesn’t make money easily. Keep what’s left to buy some treats. I’ll go get you some stuff, and you don’t have to wait for me. I’ll have Dad deliver them to you later.”
Originally, Ye Xiu had meant for Bai Zhi to wait, but then she thought better of it. They didn’t know how long they would be out, and Xingxing needed rest.
After pushing back and forth for a while, Bai Zhi still refused, so in the end, Ye Xiu could only use the money to pay the medical bills for several days.
The genuine concern in Ye Xiu’s eyes didn’t seem fake. Even if she didn’t care as much as she did for the “group pet,” at least she still had her daughter in mind. There was neglect, but there was also an attempt to make amends. That was not too bad.
Ye Xiu turned around and gave Bai Dan 200 yuan, saying it so pleasingly that no one would feel uncomfortable.
“Dad, I’m often not at home and I don’t have the time to take care of you. Please use this to buy something nice for yourself. Think of it as a little token of my affection. I’m not worried when Xingxing is at home, but Bai Da is too carefree. Since he doesn’t know how to take care of Xingxing, I can only trouble you.”