Chapter 38.1 – Hospital Visit
Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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After arriving at the hospital, Song Jin and Song Xinglan took the elevator together. Yuan Ya’s hospital bed was by the window. They walked through the ward and saw Yuan Ya behind the curtain.
Women are such fragile and precious beings. Time and suffering always leave marks on their faces. A few years ago, the gentle and graceful teacher had transformed into this thin, pale figure after experiencing a miscarriage, her husband running away, the collapse of the company, and illness. Song Jin felt an unprecedented thought in his heart: Song Xiangping truly deserved to die.
He used to know what kind of person Song Xiangping was and only wanted to distance himself from the Song family. However, at this moment, connecting everything together and putting aside the wounds he had suffered, he realised that for other people, such as Song Xinglan, who had been abused, Yuan Ya, who had suffered so much, and his deceased mother, he had never wished so much for Song Xiangping to atone for his sins with death.
“Xinglan is back too,” Yuan Ya said, leaning on the hospital bed with an IV drip in her hand. She smiled, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you two brothers together.”
Song Jin placed the fruit he had bought on the cabinet by the bed and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about your surgery?”
“It was just a minimally invasive procedure. A small matter,” Yuan Ya said, looking up at Song Jin with a smile. “I didn’t want to disturb you. You both have a lot of things to deal with. On New Year’s Day, both of you transferred money to me. And with that, I’m already very content.”
On New Year’s Day, Song Jin did transfer some money to Yuan Ya. It wasn’t a lot. But it was significant enough given their relationship. However, he didn’t expect that Song Xinglan would also transfer money to Yuan Ya.
Since entering the ward, Song Xinglan had been standing silently at the foot of the bed. Song Jin poured a cup of warm water for Yuan Ya and asked, “What else did he say to you?”
At the mention of this, Yuan Ya’s expression faltered. She took the water and said, “He called in the middle of the night. When I answered, he said I was really capable, joining forces with his two sons to bring him down, making him end up in such a miserable state. He also said it’s no wonder Xinglan took his shares early on and cut ties with him. And now that he’s in trouble, he’s being forced to hand over money. Who knows if that money was used to pay off debts, or maybe we split it among ourselves.”
Yuan Ya lowered her eyes, looking weary. She sighed. “That’s all. But I think he’s gone mad. I’m just afraid that one day he might come back to find me. And I really…”
Song Jin gently pressed her shoulder and was about to comfort her when Song Xinglan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, “If he dares to come back, he’ll either end up in prison or dead. You don’t need to worry.”
His tone was very calm. Yuan Ya was taken aback and looked up at him. Song Jin knew how deep Song Xinglan’s hatred for Song Xiangping ran. But hearing such words still sent a chill down his spine.
Song Jin had no doubt that if Song Xiangping dared to reappear, Song Xinglan would take care of him before the police could find him.
“You…” Yuan Ya seemed to choose her words carefully and said with some concern, “Xinglan, don’t be impulsive. If he comes back, we can just call the police.”
Song Xinglan didn’t respond. Song Jin knew that his brother preferred to express himself through silence rather than make false promises to Yuan Ya. Once things happened, impulsive or not, Song Xinglan would act according to his own will. His brother had always been like this.
“Ayi, don’t worry. He surely doesn’t dare to return to the country now. Just change your phone number and don’t answer calls from unknown numbers,” Song Jin said. “If anything happens, call me or Xinglan. Don’t be afraid to trouble us.”
Yuan Ya nodded, “Okay. I understand.”
The topic ended there. Yuan Ya took a sip of water and asked Song Jin, “Are you planning to take the graduate school entrance exam this year?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“If you need any help, feel free to contact me,” Yuan Ya said with a gentle smile. “Although I teach high school, I can still offer some advice in this area. Are you planning to prepare for the exam at home?”
“I’ll probably go back to the city, rent a place, and study at the library,” Song Jin said. “That’s the general plan.”
“Okay.” Yuan Ya pursed her lips. “Choose a major you like. I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Song Jin nodded. Yuan Ya seemed to pause for a moment. She then gently took his hand, her thumb brushing over the back of his hand. She glanced at Song Xinglan, her expression was that of a mix of relief and emotion. “You’ve both grown up. It’s really nice.”
She smiled somewhat bashfully. “Although I haven’t really taken care of you and can’t be considered your guardian, seeing that you’ve both been doing well these past few years makes me very happy.”
Song Jin’s fingers twitched slightly. Yuan Ya’s palm was warm. When she held his hand, it felt completely natural, not awkward at all. That long-missed warmth drew him into distant memories. Song Jin remembered his brief childhood before the family fell apart when his mother used to hold his hand like this, and he would also hold Song Xinglan’s hand.
Such precious yet blurry memories—they could never have anticipated, in their childhood, how their lives would later unfold.
Something pressed painfully on Song Jin’s heart and his eyes stung. He avoided Yuan Ya’s gaze, afraid she would see the redness in his eyes. But in the process, he accidentally met Song Xinglan’s eyes.
His brother’s gaze was always calm, dark, and silent, with little expression on his face. Yet, when he looked over, Song Jin couldn’t ignore that feeling. For the first time, he realised that some things didn’t need to be conveyed through eyes or expressions. Just the crossing of gazes could make one feel something unusual.
But Song Jin couldn’t identify the nature of this unusual feeling. He just couldn’t bear to look directly at it. Compared to the past, Song Xinglan was much more restrained now. But the lingering fear in Song Jin’s heart never dissipated.
“Get some rest,” Song Jin said, coming back to himself. “Don’t worry about anything. Everything will be fine.”
Yuan Ya nodded. “You both haven’t had lunch, right? My stomach can’t handle eating with you. But don’t go hungry. Go get something to eat.”
“I’ll come see you when I have time,” Song Jin said. “Call me anytime if you need anything.”
“Okay,” Yuan Ya smiled, “Go on.”
Leaving the inpatient hall, Song Jin lowered his head and walked in the opposite direction of the parking lot. He couldn’t possibly have a meal with Song Xinglan. This was where it ended.
“Where are you going?” Song Xinglan asked, standing in place.
Song Jin stopped and stood with his back to him. “I’ll go back by myself.”
“It’s going to rain,” Song Xinglan said.
Song Jin didn’t turn around. “I’ll go back by myself.”
He stepped toward the hospital entrance, raised his hand to hail a taxi, and got in.
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Next update: -Daily-
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