Addiction sets in at night; even the abstinent older man has fallen for it.

Qin Dongyang and Xia Guiying could both tell that Mu Tiantian was in a bad mood.

As parents, they naturally want their daughter to be happy.

But I can't allow my daughter to like Fu Zhengting.

They are also in pain.

Ling Yakun began asking about Mu Tiantian's condition and why she was hospitalized.

Qin Dongyang still had some things he wanted to say to Ling Yakun, so he took Ling Jieyu's phone and went outside to chat.

Xia Guiying asked Mu Tiantian, "Ruohan, are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"

You don't need to avoid so many foods when you have a fever; just avoid spicy food and you'll be fine.

Mu Tiantian only realized how hungry she was when asked.

I slept all day yesterday, then developed a fever last night and was rushed to the hospital. My stomach was empty.

But she wasn't in the mood to eat right now.

But not wanting her mother to worry too much, and remembering that she hadn't had dumplings in a while, she replied, "I want to eat steamed dumplings... and salted bone porridge."

Xia Guiying nodded. "There's a really good dumpling shop nearby. I'll go buy some for you to try now."

She'll just buy breakfast nearby and have it with her daughter before going home to cook.

She wanted to ask Ling Jieyu if they should go get the paternity test report now and go down together.

Although there shouldn't be any mistakes, getting the paternity test report sooner will give me peace of mind sooner.

The driver isn't here; they've probably all left. Without anyone watching over Mu Tiantian, she might not be able to resist leaving.

She gave Ling Jieyu a look.

Ling Jieyu cleverly understood and followed them out.

As they reached the door, Xia Guiying leaned close to Ling Jieyu's ear and whispered, "Ayu, stay with Tiantian for a bit. I'll go downstairs and buy breakfast before you leave."

Ling Jieyu hummed in agreement.

After Qin Dongyang finished his phone call, Xia Guiying and Qin Dongyang went into the elevator together.

Once inside the elevator, the two of them sighed.

Qin Dongyang didn't want Xia Guiying to worry too much about her daughter and Fu Zhengting's situation, so he comforted her, "I just talked to Lao Ling, and after the family reunion banquet, we'll arrange the wedding for the two children as soon as possible..."

It's okay to get married first and then develop feelings for each other.

In short, the sooner you get married, the better.

Xia Guiying nodded, but she was still a little worried when she recalled the slightly angry look in Mu Tiantian's eyes when she deleted Mu Tiantian's chat history not long ago. "I'm afraid my daughter is too stubborn. The more you force her, the more she will resist."

Qin Dongyang was also worried about this issue. "Then we can only use moral blackmail to force her to choose us. I believe our daughter is not love-struck. After learning about the feud between the Qin and Fu families, and knowing that we didn't even have a second child for her, she will definitely choose us despite the pain."

Xia Guiying thought of how filial her daughter was. For a filial person, how could romantic love compare to familial love?

Thinking this way, she was immediately filled with confidence.

Knowing Qin Dongyang's work habits, the driver arrived at the hospital early to pick him up.

Xia Guiying got into the car with Qin Dongyang. When they arrived at the dumpling shop, they packed some food to go. The driver then took Xia Guiying back to the hospital entrance before driving Qin Dongyang to his company.

Xia Guiying knew that her father-in-law also liked dumplings, so she brought him some as well.

Back in the ward, she saw Ling Jieyu sitting by the bedside, while Mu Tiantian lay down again, sleeping with her back to Ling Jieyu.

The atmosphere was particularly strange because neither of them spoke.

She placed the breakfast on the table and broke the awkward silence by saying, "Ruohan, the dumplings are ready."

He took out the dumplings while talking.

"I've eaten at this dumpling place a few times before, and it's pretty good."

Mu Tiantian tried to get up by herself, but because she was so hungry, her whole body ached and she was weak, making it difficult for her to even get up.

Ling Jieyu helped her up and thoughtfully placed a pillow on her back to make her more comfortable.

Xia Guiying was very satisfied. Dongyang was right. Ayu seemed to care little about anything, but once he did care, he became extremely serious.

"Ayu, I brought you one too." She said with a smile after Ling Jieyu helped him up.

Ling Jieyu doesn't like dumplings, but since his mother-in-law brought them, he'll eat a few anyway.

He also thoughtfully gave the only chair to Xia Guiying, and stood behind her.

They ate standing up.

He tried one and it wasn't bad, so he ate two more.

Then she placed the rest on the pulled-up tabletop, smiled at Mu Tiantian, and said, "Xiaohan, eat more."

Calling Xiaohan is more affectionate than calling her Ruohan.

Mu Tiantian got goosebumps from listening to this.

She looked at Ling Jieyu with the eyes of someone looking at a monster.

She had previously cursed Ling Jieyu as a playboy for Fu Zhengting's sake, and he actually managed to shout it out.

His sudden change in attitude must be out of revenge against Fu Zhengting.

She wouldn't be so narcissistic as to think that Ling Jieyu agreed to his parents' marriage proposal because he was attracted to her.

She didn't reply, her attitude remained indifferent, as if she hadn't heard, and continued eating her own portion.

Ling Jieyu wasn't angry.

He had plenty of patience and plenty of ways to slowly win her over.

He pushed the dumplings toward Xia Guiying, saying, "Aunt Xia, if Xiaohan can't finish them, you can eat them. You two can eat slowly. I'm going to the forensic department to get the report."

Xia Guiying smiled as she watched Ling Jieyu leave.

After Ling Jieyu left, only the mother and daughter remained in the ward. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere became even more awkward than before.

Xia Guiying felt sad again as she looked at Mu Tiantian, who was silently eating with her head down.

She started talking about food, "Ruohan, can you make dumplings?"

Mu Tiantian tasted it, "Yes, but it's not very well wrapped."

Actually, she doesn't like dumplings. She eats them occasionally to satisfy her craving, but she gets tired of them easily if she eats them often.

She learned to make them because Jiang Hui liked to eat them.

She didn't mention this because she was afraid her mother would be jealous.

Xia Guiying looked at Mu Tiantian with a hint of pride. Her daughter was really amazing; she could do everything.

"Mom's dumplings aren't very pretty, but as long as they're edible, they don't need to look too nice."

Mu Tiantian tasted something, unsure of what to say next.

"What kind of dishes do people usually eat in the countryside?" Xia Guiying asked again, as she was particularly interested in knowing about her daughter's life over the past twenty years.

"The vegetables we grow are usually cauliflower, buckwheat tea, and lettuce. The meat we eat is from pigs, chickens, and ducks. When it rains, we go fishing in the ditches..." Mu Tiantian said truthfully.

Xia Guiying recalled the rural life she had seen on short videos, and she could already picture it in her mind. "What do you usually do when school is out on weekends? Do you herd cattle?"

"Yes, I can do it. I can herd cattle, cut grass, and carry firewood."

Mu Tiantian answered Xia Guiying's questions truthfully.

Xia Guiying imagined the scene of Mu Tiantian's small body carrying firewood, and felt extremely sorry for her.

Mu Tiantian couldn't bear to see the pained and guilty look in her mother's eyes. "Actually, it's not hard. I like herding cattle. In the summer, we can go down to the river to catch snails, in the autumn we can pick wild fruits, and in the winter we can bake sweet potatoes. We can also play hide-and-seek with a bunch of friends. The childhood of rural children is very colorful..."

Xia Guiying felt both heartache and relief.

My daughter is hardworking and has an optimistic attitude.

Even more fortunately, my daughter didn't take shortcuts by selling her body in order to live a comfortable life.