It was settled that Shang Wenli would be staying over at Jiang Wei's place. After getting her mother settled in her own room, Jiang Wei found an excuse to shut the bedroom door and come out.
Jiang Wei tiptoed her way to the balcony, where she found the pitiful Yi Ming crouched in the corner, shivering.
"My mom is staying here tonight."
Jiang Wei quietly fetched a jacket from Yi Ming's room and handed it to him. With the strong wind on the balcony and Yi Ming only wearing his pajamas, she was worried he might catch a cold.
"Huh?" Yi Ming was putting on the jacket when he suddenly froze. "Your auntie is staying... then what should I do?"
Jiang Wei pursed her lips, lowering her head to ponder for a few seconds. "Wait for my message. Once my mom falls asleep, I'll come get you. I told her that the roommate next door doesn't like others entering her room, so you can sneak in and sleep there. My mom won't find out there's someone inside."
After some thought, Yi Ming seemed to realize this was the only option.
"Okay."
After making arrangements with Yi Ming, Jiang Wei hurried back to her own room, determined to put her old mother to sleep as quickly as possible.
However, Shang Wenli was extremely curious about the little dog Xiao Shi that her daughter had recently adopted. She kept petting Xiao Shi's little head. Shang Wenli loved pets very much, but her unsettled living situation had prevented her from keeping one of her own.
Xiao Shi was surprisingly affectionate towards this "grandma" as well, perhaps because Jiang Wei's features resembled Shang Wenli's so much, which made Xiao Shi take a liking to her from the start.
"Mom, you've been busy with Dad all day. You must be tired," said Jiang Wei, handing her a cup of warm milk. "Drink the milk and get some sleep early. I remember you once told me that girls need to get their beauty sleep and shouldn't stay up late."
Shang Wenli was very pleased with her daughter's choice of words. She took the cup with a free hand and smiled at Jiang Wei, "My daughter is still so thoughtful."
Jiang Wei obediently smiled and took out a spare pillow from the cabinet, placing it beside her own.
"Mom, it's been a long time since we slept together."
Jiang Wei lay on her pillow, her soft hair scattered to one side. She gazed at the ceiling with a gentle smile. "The last time must have been when I was very little. I had a fever once and was crying miserably. You stayed by my side and sang me songs..."
"Yes, but unfortunately your mom sang so badly that you ended up crying even harder by the end," Shang Wenli said, lying beside her daughter. Her voice was as gentle as a flowing stream as she took Jiang Wei's hand and caressed it like she used to when Jiang Wei was little. "Do you remember what you told me then? 'Mom, it's so awful and scary. Can Yi Ming sing instead?'"
Before Shang Wenli could finish, she burst into laughter herself. "Even back then, you depended on Yi Ming a lot. That kid was truly adorable."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei felt a twinge in her heart. She pursed her lips and smiled lightly. "But all he could sing back then was 'The Yellow River Cantata.' When he came and sang it for me, it stirred up so much emotion that I couldn't fall asleep at all..."
As Jiang Wei finished speaking, mother and daughter broke into a fit of joyful laughter that filled the small room...
"Daughter."
"Yes, Mom."
"That Yi Ming... Isn't he from your school too? Where does he live now?"
Shang Wenli's sudden question made Jiang Wei tense up. She clutched the blanket and said, "He lives in the dorms."
"Hmm..." Shang Wenli nodded pensively. "I should meet him some time. Since you two are studying together, I need him to look after you a little."
"Mom, you don't need to meet him. He knows... He'll look after me."
