Before he died, my grandfather forced me to marry the richest man in the capital.

The eighth day of the first lunar month.

The Lan family boarded a private jet and returned to Lan City, where the Ji and Han families saw them off.

Lan Zhiyu requested to stay alone at his maternal grandmother's house so he could visit his younger siblings during the day and see Hanhan more often before school started.

Lan Yunchen agreed. The Lan family has always valued and respected the children's ideas, just like when Xixi was pursuing Han Yue. They would investigate, but they wouldn't interfere excessively.

Before the Lan family boarded the plane, Han Yue told Lan Yunchen not to come and pick up Xiao Yu, as he would take her to Lan City.

Every day after that, whenever the children had free time, they would come to Hanhan's room, while Lan Zhiyu would sometimes stay at the Han family's house, sometimes at the Yan family's house, and sometimes at the Ji family's house.

During that time, whether it snowed, rained, or was sunny, Ji Hancheng would tell his daughter everything in detail, while Ji Xinyu would share the interesting things that happened every day with her older sister.

In a short period of time, Yuan Shu and Ji Hang both lost weight and aged.

As time went by, Ji Hancheng's white hairs increased one by one, and Tang Junyao cut them off as soon as they appeared, so as not to worry the man.

The Lantern Festival is fast approaching.

Lanterns were hung in the courtyard of the Ji residence. To add to the festive atmosphere, Ji Jiale personally purchased colorful rotating lanterns. As they rotated, the colorful lights shone on the green plants in the courtyard, making the already lush green plants even more vibrant.

Ji Xinyu hung up small red lanterns in the yard, and after she finished, she took a picture of the yard.

The phone rang, and Ji Xinyu slid to answer it. The screen showed the Han family villa, where Han Yinuo and Han Yichen were hanging lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere.

"Sister, have you hung up the lanterns?" Han Yinuo asked the screen happily.

Han Yichen, who was tilting his head and entering the frame from behind, leaned closer to the screen and said, "We're coming right away."

Han Yinuo: "Yes, brother has already left the Yan family."

Ji Xinyu walked into the living room with her phone in hand, brushing the fallen leaves off her clothes—they were stuck on from hanging lanterns—and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you at home."

"Okay, okay." Han Yinuo nodded dutifully, looking very cute and obedient, which contrasted sharply with Han Yichen behind her, who was tilting his head and looking indifferent.

After hanging up the phone, Tang Junyao, who came out of the kitchen, asked her daughter, "Is anyone coming over?"

"Yes, Nuonuo, Xiaochen, and Xiaoyu."

Tang Junyao was both touched and heartwarming. She scolded them, "These children should be at home with their grandparents on the Lantern Festival. Why are they running here? It's okay if they miss one day."

"Maybe she wants to talk to her sister about hanging lanterns today. Mom, why don't we invite everyone over to celebrate the Lantern Festival?"

"Don't organize things haphazardly."

In Tang Junyao's view, the Lantern Festival is a very important festival and should be celebrated at home with her family. The children come to the Ji residence almost every day and have been staying there for the entire holiday. She can no longer demand that they stay at the Ji residence for the Lantern Festival.

Seeing that her mother didn't agree and was quite serious, Ji Xinyu pouted. She thought it would be fun for everyone to celebrate the festival together, so she said, "Okay."

Tang Junyao knew that everyone would come if she called, but the elders might not. If the elders didn't want to come, it would be lonely and inappropriate for them to be alone at home.

After saying that, Ji Xinyu ran upstairs. Since she wasn't going out, she was wearing a beige winter pajama set, and her hair was just casually tied back.

Watching her daughter's cheerful figure disappear into the distance, Tang Junyao fell silent for a second. The ringtone interrupted her wandering thoughts. She picked up her phone and saw that it was her aunt in Blue City. She put on a smile and said, "Auntie, Happy Lantern Festival."

On the screen, Shen Muyun was still wearing a plain cheongsam, her hair was up, and she sat gracefully on the sofa with a smile on her face. "Yaoyao, Happy Lantern Festival. How was Hanhan today?"

Tang Junyao replied truthfully, "It's much better. My fingers have been moving frequently these past few days."

Lan Chumu on the screen nodded and reminded, "Then the room can't be empty. Hanhan might wake up today or tomorrow."

"Uncle, Hancheng brought all the food to Hanhan's room to eat, afraid of missing the time when Hanhan woke up. We basically chatted in Hanhan's room."

Lan Yunchen: "That's good. Is Xiao Yu being a good boy?"

Standing at the top of the stairs, Tang Junyao replied, "Brother, don't you know what kind of person Xiao Yu is? The word 'well-behaved' is hardly enough to describe him."

Lan Yunchen and Yan Na appeared on camera and both smiled. Indeed, Xiao Yu was a very easy child to take care of; he didn't talk much, but he was reliable in doing things. Yan Na said, "Yao Yao, if Han Han wakes up, remember to let us know."

Lan Yunchen's gentle voice emanated from the screen, reminding his sister, "Nothing is more important than Hanhan. The company won't go bankrupt even if it's closed for a day. Remember your sister-in-law's words."

In the eyes of the Lan family, nothing is more important than their child. Losing some money is nothing, as long as the child is healthy. The child comes first, and making money comes second.

So, just like Xixi said, her parents always showed up at every parent-teacher conference she and her brother attended, no matter how busy they were.

Tang Junyao agreed, "Okay, brother, I'll call you as soon as possible."

Just then, Lan Zhiyu, wearing black shorts and a down jacket, came in through the door. Tang Junyao waved to her nephew, "Xiao Yu, come here."

Lan Zhiyu strode towards his aunt, his eyes revealing composure and understanding. "Auntie, what's wrong?"

As she approached, she noticed that her aunt was video chatting with her parents. Looking at the four people on the screen, Lan Zhiyu called out to them one by one, "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom."

The four people opposite responded in unison. Lan Yunchen said, "Yes, listen to your aunt and don't cause trouble."

"Hmm." Lan Zhiyu always spoke very little, even less than Ji Jiale.

Lan Yunchen didn't force his son to keep chatting with him, "Go chat with Hanhan, and call her if you need anything."

"it is good."

Tang Junyao spoke a few more words to the person on the phone. Before hanging up, Lan Yunchen once again instructed Yaoyao not to keep anything to herself, and Tang Junyao made sure again and again.

Indeed, people shouldn't lie; once they lie, their credibility is greatly reduced.

Just as the call ended and was tucked into his pocket, Han Yinuo and Han Yichen came in from the doorway. Han Yinuo was wearing a beige long down jacket and white sneakers, and one look at her braided hair revealed that it was braided by Han Yue.

Han Yichen prefers hoodies and doesn't like wearing sweaters. He always wears a hooded hoodie under his white down jacket, paired with jeans and white sneakers.

"Xiao Yu just went upstairs. Have Mom and Dad gone to work yet?"

Han Yinuo answered softly, "Auntie, Mom and Dad went to work. They said they'll come over after get off work."

Tang Junyao touched her niece's hair and thought that Han Yue's hair-braiding skills were really good. Once upon a time, Ji Hancheng also let Hanhan and Xiaoyu grow their hair long, but Hanhan felt that it was too troublesome to have long hair, so Ji Hancheng never had the chance to show it off.

It's already good that Hanhan doesn't cut her hair short; at least she still has shoulder-length hair that she can tie up.

Lost in thought, I drifted off again. Coming back to my senses, I said, "Let's go."

Then she went back into the kitchen to prepare some fruit for the children.

Upstairs, in Hanhan's room.

Several children were chatting, pulling up stools and sitting in a circle around them, chattering away. Ji Hancheng didn't leave this time; he sat down beside them and said to his daughter, "Hanhan, it's the Lantern Festival. Nuonuo, Xiaochen, and Xiaoyu have come to see you. Xiaoyu has decorated the yard."

Just as everyone continued chatting, the person on the bed, eyes closed, asked wearily, "Are the fairy lights up?"

The conversation abruptly stopped, and everyone held their breath. The room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard. Everyone thought they were hallucinating and stared at the silent person on the bed, their eyes fixed on Hanhan's lips and eyes.

Ji Xinyu, overwhelmed with emotion, knelt down beside the bed, grasped her sister's hand, and stared wide-eyed in shock, asking, "Dad, was that my sister speaking just now?"

Ji Hancheng's expression broke down, his eyes reddened, and he reached out with trembling hands to hold his daughter's hand. He did not answer Xiaoyu's question, and everyone dared not make a sound, waiting for the person on the bed to speak again.

"Hanhan, it's Daddy." Ji Hancheng was afraid that what he had just heard was a hallucination, so he spoke carefully, his hands on the bed clenched into fists, very nervous.

Under everyone's gaze, the person on the bed slowly opened their eyelids, looking somewhat dazed as they opened their eyes.

The moment their eyelids were lifted, everyone's heart raced with excitement, their eyes welled up with tears, and Han Yinuo, with her shallow eye sockets, had already blurred her vision.

After a moment, Ji Xinhan slowly turned her head, clasped her hands together, and looked towards Ji Hancheng, following the sound, "Dad, the captain is gone, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Hancheng restrained his emotions, held his daughter's small hand tightly in his palm, swallowed, and felt a lump in his throat. He knew that the first thing his daughter would ask when she woke up was, "When you're better, I'll take you to see him."

Lan Zhiyu pressed her fingertip to the corner of her eye, holding back the tears that were about to fall. She turned and went downstairs, where she ran into Tang Junyao, who was coming up to deliver fruit. "Auntie, you're awake."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Junyao almost dropped the plate she was holding. Luckily, Lan Zhiyu was quick enough to grab it, and she walked past him and rushed inside.

Everyone was crying, and she herself couldn't hold back her tears either. She quickly wiped them away, walked to Ji Hancheng's side, bent down, and asked softly, "Hanhan, are you feeling unwell? Can you see clearly?"

Ji Xinhan's eyes were filled with tears. She held her father's and sister's hands with all her might. There were things she had expected, and things she could not accept. "Mom."

Ji Hancheng knew what was hidden in her eyes, and he could sense what his daughter was thinking through her eyes. He advised, "Don't worry, Dad has already taken care of it. You'll see him soon."

Ji Xinhan nodded, but after a few seconds, she loosened her grip and asked, "Why are you all here? How long have I been asleep?"

Tang Junyao had already taken the equipment and was examining her daughter's body. After the examination, she finally relaxed, breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded to Ji Hancheng.

Ji Hancheng finally managed a nice smile, but there was a glimmer of light in his eyes—tears of excitement.

This is perhaps what it means to cry tears of joy.

The couple exchanged a smile.

Han Yichen excitedly paced around the room, his voice trembling with excitement, "I want to tell them, Auntie, I'll tell Dad and the others."

Han Yinuo raised her hand to wipe away her tears, stood by the bed, and smiled foolishly at her sister.

Ji Xinhan's eyes kept darting around, looking at this and then at that.

"You didn't sleep for long, just a few days. You'll be fine when you wake up. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Daddy will make it." Ji Hancheng affectionately stroked his daughter's forehead.

"Dad, I'm craving some pickled vegetable noodles."

Upon hearing this, Tang Junyao immediately put the things away. "Mom will go make it now. But since you just woke up, could Mom cook the noodles a little softer?"

"Okay, Mom, feel free to use your skills, I trust your abilities," Ji Xinhan said with a smile.

After Tang Junyao left, Ji Xinhan had already guessed that she must have slept for more than a few days. Everyone was there, and they were all crying. In her dazed state, she heard many people talking to her, and some even cursing her.

She dislikes sentimentality and a sad atmosphere. "Why are you all crying? I'm perfectly fine. Stop crying, or I'll think I'm having a final burst of energy before I die."

"Sis, what are you saying?" In the past, Ji Xinyu would have laughed if her sister had said this, but now Ji Xinyu couldn't stand hearing such unlucky words from her sister.

Ji Xinhan forced a smile, hiding the sadness in her heart, "I was just saying, you actually took it seriously. Never mind, never mind."

Ji Hancheng took in his daughter's expression. He held her hand tenderly, remaining silent.