Chapter Eighty-six: The Gao Family's Reunion

  Today is New Year's Eve. Except for patients who can't move, everyone has found a way to return home and reunite with their families. The doctors and nurses are also not moving around much this afternoon. Tian Miao Miao is alone and desolate in the cold hospital, feeling increasingly bleak.

  It's time to do something. Turn on the TV. The Spring Festival Gala is on, and it's all about the New Year. The remote control is pressed faster and faster. The TV programs are flipped through quickly. Tian Miao Miao turned off the TV in frustration. She took out her phone and connected to the internet, but then resolutely turned off the data traffic. She didn't dare open QQ or log in to WeChat. What's the point of being afraid of this and that? She opened the client and continued reading a novel called "The Man Was Captured". It's a family drama with a bit of humor, not too exciting. The story is about ordinary people's lives. Tian Miao Miao has been following it for 4 months, but the author is a bit lazy, only updating 3000 words every day. For more and faster chapters, please go to... (Tian Miao Miao's neck has grown longer from waiting...)

  Opened. The result just happened to be written until the new year. This can't be tolerated. Angry, threw the phone onto the bed. Depressed, staring at the ceiling back and forth.

  She couldn't bear lying down anymore. She got up and looked out the window at the cold, quiet streets. The usually bustling streets were unusually quiet. It was a moment when families gathered together. But by her side, there was only loneliness and desolation. At this moment, Tian Miao's heart needed the warmth of home more than ever, and it was even harder to bear. She couldn't hold back her tears again...

  Just as Tian Miao was secretly grieving here, the phone rang. Very reluctantly picked it up and looked at it, it turned out to be Gao Xiang's call. Tian Miao, who was in a terrible mood, threw the phone onto the bed. She leaned against the bed and continued to wipe away her tears.

  Gao Xiang made a phone call at home, but Tian Miao Miao didn't answer. He updated for the first time? In the room, he was anxious and turned around in circles. Tian Miao Miao thought that no one would answer his call, so she calmed down after a while. But who knew Gao Xiang wouldn't give up. He called again and again... until the 7th time when Tian Miao Miao finally picked up: "Hello..."

  "Miao Miao, it's me, Gao Xiang. How come you picked up the phone only after half a day?"

  Wiped away tears. Took a deep breath. Tian Miao Miao replied in a low voice, "I... went to the bathroom. Didn't hear."

  "I... wish you a happy new year. I'll send some dumplings over later." Gao Xiang seemed to have something he couldn't say, and was a bit tongue-tied.

  She fell silent for a moment. Tian Miao couldn't help but sob, and quickly sniffled her nose, saying: "No need, no need, Gao Xiang. Thank you, thank you for helping me pass on the good news to Uncle and Auntie. For more and faster chapters, please go to... Also, happy new year to all of you."

  "Miao Miao. You...are okay, right?"

  "I'm fine. That's it... " Tian Miao hung up the phone, looking as if she had been wronged. Tears flowed uncontrollably.

  Gao Xiang, still in the phone call posture, stood there for 10 minutes. He finally made a decision and picked up the car key on the bed. Putting on a down jacket, he opened the door and hastily said "I'm going out" before leaving. The elderly couple was left behind, confused and scolding.

  "Ah..." The sound of the door opening brought Tian Miao back to her senses. She thought it was her uncle coming to see her. Excitedly, she lifted her head and looked up, only to find Gao Xiang standing in front of her bed, wearing a thick down jacket.

  "You... how did you come?" Tian Miao Miao really didn't expect Gao Xiang to have arrived.

  "Get dressed. Follow me." The usual gentle tone was gone. The high-flying one in front of him had a somewhat overbearing attitude, casually tossing out a sentence like that.

  "You're ill, aren't you? It's rare for you to know to come and pay respects to me on a day like today. I appreciate it. You may take your leave." Tian Miao Miao teased with a hint of unease.

  Gao Xiang silently stared at her. He took off his down jacket and handed it over. Tian Miao Miao looked at the clothes that were handed to her: What the heck.

  "Put it on. Follow me." Gao Xiang's tone was unusually firm.

  "Are you okay? It's New Year's Day and you're calling me out."

  "Come to my house for the New Year. Hurry up." Gao Xiang urged Tian Miao Miao to put on her clothes and follow him. The latter stared at him blankly, and after a while, she whispered: "I'm not going. You go ahead, Gao Xiang..."

  She let out a sigh. Gao Xiang silently walked up to her, wrapped the down jacket around her body, picked up her shoes, and scooped her up in his arms with one hand behind her neck. It was a princess carry. She was being carried out of the door by Gao Xiang before she came back to her senses. Kicking and struggling, "Gao Xiang, put me down! I really can't go. It's New Year's Day, you should go home and accompany your parents." Gao Xiang acted as if he was deaf, ignoring her as he carried her out. Just as they were leaving the door, she let out a loud cry of "Ah!"

  Tian Miao's temper flared up and she bit his arm. He roughly stuffed Tian Miao into the police car, put it in second gear and sped off with a screech of tires.

  The melodramatic plot twists he had worried about, such as forcibly opening the car door and jumping out or grabbing the steering wheel, did not occur. What he didn't know was that at the moment he carried Tian Miao Miao out of the hospital without saying a word, she had stopped struggling and didn't want to struggle anymore; the warmth of Gao Xiang's chest had passed through Tian Miao Miao's face and reached her heart... At this time, she really needed someone close to her, even if it was temporary.

  Tian Miao Miao got on the car and didn't say a word. She kept turning her head to look out of the window. Gao Xiang opened the CD player to ease the tense atmosphere. The music started, it was a song in Shaanxi dialect. Tian Miao Miao hadn't listened carefully at first, but when it came to the chorus, she heard it clearly:

  How long has it been since you last reflected on your own mistakes?

  Then let's take our seats together

  How many people give up their tomorrow for today?

  How many people strangle today for tomorrow?

  How many people have been deceived for the sake of today's parasitism?

  How many more people will be deceived just for a thread of dignity?

  How many people live in others' shadows for the sake of dignity?

  How many people live just to support him and his family?

  How many people gesture and lecture others on morality?

  How many people talk about reason but don't practice morality themselves?

  How many communication devices have installed countless functions

  But always unable to communicate with the closest people

  How many people and things actually we all understand

  But understanding too much finally turned intelligence into a bear dog

  How many people got tired of listening after hearing it here?

  How many people heard this and cried while listening?

  How many stories we can never go back to

  How many people we miss are listening in heaven

  Listening and listening, I was fascinated. Tears unknowingly filled my face. Gao Xiang happened to turn his head and glance at Tian Miao Miao. One look and he was in trouble, hastily stabilizing the steering wheel. He pulled over and quickly turned off the broken CD player. Then, the whole car searched for tissues for Tian Miao Miao.

  "What was the name of that song just now."

  "Uh, I once heard it online by chance. It's called 'Machine Spirit Cleaver'."

  "This name... is a pretty good song. Why turn it off? I still want to listen..."

  "Miao Miao. It's already past New Year's. Don't listen anymore. Otherwise, I'll find a festive song... How about 'Little Apple'?"

  Shaking his head, Gao Xiang refused to make any noise. The atmosphere in the car fell silent again. They left the city and passed by the northern suburbs. The unfamiliar environment sparked Tian Miao's curiosity. She only knew that this was a fairly large factory. It turned out that Gao Xiang lived here.

  They drove past the factory and into a residential area, where the police car stopped in front of an old-looking apartment building. Just as they were about to get out of the car, Tian Miao Miao suddenly became stubborn; no matter what was said, she refused to get out of the car. This left Gao Xiang at a loss for words. All he could do was talk about his family, saying that only his father and mother lived with him, and how kind they were. He went on and on about all the delicious dishes he had made, and how they would spend the New Year's holiday together. Tian Miao Miao was so angry that her stomach was churning. In her heart, she was thinking: "Is this idiot really stupid or just pretending to be? I'm still wearing my hair in a bun and dressed in hospital clothes, with no color in my face... am I supposed to go to his house like this? It's all my own fault for being so foolish. What is the point of following him here now?"

  She sneaked a peek at Gao Xiang's speechless and furious expression. Tian Miao Miao's dark side was triggered again. This guy is quite fun to play with. If she didn't tease him, it would be a waste. She opened her mouth and said: "Hey, your expression looks like you're angry. You want to scold me."

  "I'm not angry. Besides, you're still hurt. Just look at your face, it's pale."

  "What's with this expression of yours?"

  "I... Miao Miao have all gone downstairs. Just consider it a favor, okay? The old couple is waiting for us to make a move..."

  One sentence touched Tian Miao's softest spot. Qi Gao Xiang was puzzled. He could only helplessly say: "Look at me like this, just going up like that. Aren't you afraid of inviting bad luck..."

  "Shoo! Don't spout nonsense on the first day of the year. You've just made a great achievement, it's a joyous occasion. Look at me, I'm such an idiot. Never mind, go ahead and say more. Put that hat back on."

  He took out a deep blue woolen hat from the storage compartment. It's very suitable for detectives to buy such a hat when they go out on duty in winter, it can cover part of their face, convenient for hiding their identity, and also keep their ears warm.

  Anxiously, he followed Gao Xiang upstairs. He prepared himself but didn't dare enter the door. Gao Xiang was being mischievous behind him and intentionally shouted loudly: "Mom, mom, we have a guest! Where did we put our slippers?"

  It's too late to hide now. Gao Xiang's mother came out quickly. The first thing she saw was a young girl wearing her son's down jacket and hat, but the lower half of her body was wearing... pajamas.

  Still studying Tian Miao's outfit, she discovered that Gao Xiang was making faces behind her. She was taken aback for a moment. The tacit understanding between mother and son over the years allowed her to react quickly.

  Overjoyed, he greeted with a smile: "Hey, no need to change shoes, come in quickly, girl..." His hands were not polite at all. His left hand was holding Tian Miao Miao's hand tightly, and his right hand pulled her into the house with one pull. He didn't forget to glare back at Gao Xiang, telling him to hurry up and come in. Then... he locked the door.

  Gao Xiang almost burst out laughing at the back of her head. This is really ridiculous. You don't even ask who that person is, and you drag them home like they're your daughter-in-law. Tian Miao Miao felt a bit dizzy, she didn't expect this to happen.

  As the CCTV hosts said "Dear audience friends, Happy Spring Festival" on TV during the Spring Festival Gala, the reunion dinner at Gao Xiang's home also began.

  The four wine glasses on the table clinked together in a toast. Tian Miao Miao, sitting next to Gao Xiang, was now wearing a white woolen dress with three-dimensional floral prints that resembled clouds climbing up her body; the warm air in the house made it feel cozy and not cold at all. She had also changed into a pair of fluffy slippers on her feet and applied a light layer of makeup on her face, which no longer looked so pale. The only regret was that the edge of her woolen hat covered up her beautiful hair.

  This is Gao Xiang's mother who knew the truth and ignored Tian Miao Miao's opposition, dressing her up in her own clothes.