Zhu Jianjun's face was still a bit pale, but he was in good spirits. He said to Zhao Jing, "Jing, what's going on with TV dramas these days! The female lead isn't even as pretty as you."
Zhao Jing shot him a glare, though there was a touch of playful arrogance in her eyes.
Zhu Yaya looked at the TV curiously. Oh, it was "My Mother Tian Xiaohua". The heroine of this famous rural Mary Sue drama was indeed not as beautiful as Zhao Jing.
Carrying breakfast, Zhu Yaya walked over to Zhu Jianjun's bed. "Dad, are you okay?"
Zhu Jianjun cracked a melon seed between his teeth and waved his hand. "Pfft, this is nothing! Your dad is a seasoned veteran, why would I be afraid of this!"
Zhao Jing gave his arm a hard pinch. "Still playing the hero in front of your daughter! If Yan Heng hadn't taken you to the hospital in time, you wouldn't be here right now! Seasoned veteran my foot, you're just a lowly patrol cop."
Zhu Jianjun cried out in pain and said ingratiatingly, "My dearest wife, wasn't I just trying to comfort our daughter? I didn't want her to worry."
"Mom, patrol cops are awesome too!" Zhu Yaya spoke up for Zhu Jianjun.
Emboldened by his daughter's support, Zhu Jianjun chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. However, we really do need to thank Yan Heng properly."
Just a moment ago, Zhao Jing had told Zhu Jianjun everything that had happened that night.
After resting in the hospital for three days, Zhu Jianjun went home full of energy.
During these three days, Yan Heng came to visit Zhu Jianjun every day, although he never stayed for long. Zhu Yaya noticed that the exhaustion on his face was becoming more and more obvious, and she asked him about it out of deep concern.
Caught off guard by the question, Yan Heng looked a bit surprised. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I found another part-time job."
"You're already so tired, you need to take good care of yourself. If you have any difficulties, you can come to me! Don't always wear yourself out. And about those debts..." Zhu Yaya rattled off a whole bunch of words.
Yan Heng didn't interrupt her, his eyes looking tenderly at the chattering Zhu Yaya.
The police station also launched an investigation into the incident on New Year's Eve, but they didn't find anything.
Because their home had been broken into, both Zhao Jing and Zhu Yaya were left with psychological trauma. Zhao Jing installed security cameras at the front door and in the living room, and also bought door stoppers and some self-defense items.
After Zhu Jianjun was discharged from the hospital, Zhu Yaya finally had some free time. She thought about continuing to unlock her tasks, checking in at the "Once in a Lifetime" milk tea shop, and watching Murong Beichen and Xu Chun. But she never expected that a huge crowd of relatives would suddenly swarm in after the New Year.
On the fourth day of the lunar new year, Zhao Jing said, "Yaya, these are your eldest aunt, eldest uncle, second aunt, second uncle, uncle, and aunt. Say hello."
Zhu Yaya obediently accepted the red envelopes. "Happy New Year, eldest aunt, eldest uncle, second aunt, second uncle, uncle, and aunt!"
Her second aunt smilingly took Zhu Yaya's pulse and even asked to look at the coating on her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, Yaya, you have a bit of a cold womb! It's fine, I'll write you a traditional Chinese medicine prescription later, and have your mom get the herbs for you. Drink a bowl after every meal."
Zhu Yaya: ...
Zhao Jing whispered to Zhu Yaya, "Your aunts and uncles are all doctors!"
On the fifth day of the lunar new year, Zhu Jianjun said, "Yaya, these are your eldest uncle, eldest aunt, second uncle, second aunt, youngest uncle, and youngest aunt, say hello quickly!"
Putting on a fake smile, Zhu Yaya took the stage. "Happy New Year, eldest uncle, eldest aunt, second uncle, second aunt, youngest uncle, and youngest aunt!"
Her eldest aunt smiled kindly. "Yaya, do you want to learn women's grappling techniques?"
Zhu Yaya: !!!
Zhu Jianjun whispered to Yaya, "Most of the relatives on Dad's side work at the police station."
On the sixth day of the lunar new year, Zhao Jing and Zhu Jianjun said, "Yaya, these are your uncles and aunts!"
Zhu Yaya: !!!
Why was there another batch of uncles and aunts!
Zhu Yaya pulled Zhao Jing into a corner. "Why are there more uncles and aunts?"
Zhao Jing explained, "They are your extended relatives. Your grandfather had three brothers. They are the children of your eldest great-uncle, second great-uncle, and youngest great-uncle. That one is your eldest uncle, he is the eldest son of your eldest great-uncle, and also... blah blah blah."
Zhu Yaya kept a deadpan face: ...
Why did she have so many relatives! Even though it felt great to receive red envelopes, she was terrible at remembering people!
It was driving her crazy!
Because there were too many relatives, Zhu Yaya even made a fool of herself. There was a male relative on Zhu Jianjun's side who looked about the same age as Zhu Jianjun. Zhu Yaya naturally called him "Uncle."
That relative laughed heartily. "Yaya, I'm your youngest great-uncle."
Zhu Yaya: ... Uh oh! How awkward!
Zhu Jianjun pulled Zhu Yaya to a corner. "Your grandfather has four brothers. The one just now is the youngest, you have to call him youngest great-uncle..."
What was even more terrifying was the massive horde of bratty kids. One bratty kid was enough of a headache, let alone ten!
The key point was that Zhu Yaya was the oldest among that group of children. Therefore, the relatives all confidently left their kids with Zhu Yaya. "Yaya is the big sister, you must take good care of your younger brothers and sisters!"
The bratty kids swarmed towards Zhu Yaya--
"Big sister, big sister, I want to eat that."
"Big sister, I want to play with this!"
"Wah wah, big sister, little brother hit me."
...
The youngest great-uncle she had misidentified earlier came over carrying a five-year-old little girl. "Yaya, this is your little aunt. Help Grandpa take good care of your little aunt."
Zhu Yaya: ...
It wasn't until evening that Zhu Yaya managed to extricate herself from the pile of bratty kids and politely sent them all off.
Seeing Zhu Yaya's exhaustion, Zhao Jing comforted her, "Be a good girl, Yaya. We're only busy for these few days. Since your maternal and paternal grandparents have all passed away, it's up to us to maintain the bonds with our relatives. It will be the same for you when you grow up."
Zhu Yaya slumped on the sofa and nodded tiredly to show her understanding. That huge string of relatives made her lose all desire to grow up and become an adult.
That night, she chatted with Yan Heng on QQ and complained about it all.
Yan Heng was still at the milk tea shop. Looking at the various despairing emojis she sent, he thought for a moment and sent Zhu Yaya a message--
"I don't have any other relatives."
So, after they got together in the future, she wouldn't be so tired.
Yan Heng's ears felt like they were on fire, turning completely red.
Seeing this sentence, Zhu Yaya was stunned. She remembered Yan Heng's family background and felt uneasy. Had she hit a sore spot for Yan Heng? She wanted to send some words of comfort, but was worried that Yan Heng would be even sadder after seeing them. She typed and deleted in the chat box repeatedly, before finally typing out a sentence and sending it to Yan Heng--
"You have me."
When Yan Heng saw the message Zhu Yaya sent, not only did his ears turn red, but a faint blush also crept up his neck. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.
While washing the cups and utensils, he would also chuckle softly from time to time.
Xu Chun stood behind Yan Heng and pursed her lips.
