Amanda and Andrew got back from school at night. Amanda sat beside Jayden’s bed and folded a
paper crane with a piece of colour paper, “Our art teacher taught us this.”
“Yeah?” Jayden stroked Amanda’s hair, “Did you master it?”
“Not yet. Our teacher’s is nicer,” Amanda looked concentrated in folding her paper crane.
“I believe you’re going to master it.”
Amanda looked up and said, “Grandpa, I’m going to fold a lot of these.”
“Why?” asked Jayden.
Jayden was leaning on the bedside. He looked pale and weak.
“Legend has it that if we fold a thousand paper cranes with all our heart, it will bring blessing and good
luck for the person we love. I wanted to give you a thousand paper cranes so that you’d recover faster.”
Amanda said earnestly.
Jayden felt warm. Amanda had been getting better at making people happy, “Where did you hear it
from? Don’t learn all these nonsenses.”
“Our art teacher told us when she taught us how to fold paper cranes. Is she teaching nonsense?
Then, I won’t listen to her, and I’m not going to do my homework anymore.” Amanda was smart.
Jayden said in a loving tone, “No, I was wrong. It’s not nonsenses.”
Amanda blinked her eyes and looked at Jayden earnestly, “Grandpa, I’ll pray hard for your fast
recovery.”
Jayden had nothing that he couldn’t let go of. Three of his grandsons were his only concern. Victoria
wanted to see them going to school and Victoria giving birth when she was alive, but she didn’t get to
see all of these events.
“I’ll go hand hang it up,” Amanda used a thin thread to hang the paper cranes onto the curtain.
Dolores walked in with Joshua in her arms. She quickly came to help Amanda when she saw her
stepping on the chair to hang the paper cranes onto the curtain, “Be careful.”
“I’m fine. I’m all grown up,” Amanda got down and asked Dolores, “Mommy, did you bring Joshua to
come and see grandpa?”
Dolores nodded, “Yes, your little brother misses his grandpa.”
“Hey,” Amanda pinched Joshua’s cheek, “His cheeks are soft.”
Dolores patted away Amanda’s hand, “Don’t pinch his cheek. He’ll drool all over.”
Amanda pouted and left the room.
Amanda saw Matthew when she walked out of the room and was about to shut the door. She called
Matthew in a sweet tone, “Daddy.”
Matthew answered her and said, “Go play with your brother in the living hall.”
“I don’t want to play with him. He’s a bore,” Amanda then headed back into her room.
Andrew was a clever child. There were only two people in the house who didn’t know what was going
on with Jayden- Amanda and Joshua. Andrew felt sad. He used to be a quiet person, and now he didn’t
even want to speak at all.
Amanda said Andrew was acting to be mature.
Andrew ignored Amanda’s comment.
Matthew shut the door and walked towards Jayden’s bed. He pulled a chair over and sat beside
Dolores.
Jayden didn’t like to carry Joshua after he got sick. Jayden’s illness wasn’t contagious, but he still felt
worried that the bacteria on him would affect Joshua’s health.
Joshua was so tiny, and he had weak immunity.
“Why did you bring him here. Stay away from me,” Jayden stopped Dolores.
Dolores said, “Matthew and I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Jayden looked at Matthew.
“Matthew and I have decided to send Joshua to Armand and Theresa. They’ll adopt him,” said Dolores.
Jayden looked down for a while. Then, he looked at Joshua. Jayden said, “He’s your child. You should
make the decision. I’ve no comment.”
Jayden reached out his hand, and Joshua caught his finger immediately. Then, Joshua laughed.
“It’s for the best.”
Jayden was ill, but he knew better. He understood why Matthew and Dolores made that decision.
“You’re their only daughter. Joshua took your father’s surname, and he’s going to take over your family
business. It’s a good thing. I didn’t get to meet them when they were alive, but I could help you to give
them a message if I meet them in the afterlife.”
Jayden sounded soft and weak.
Gloominess filled the air in the room, especial when Matthew and Dolores heard the last sentence
Jayden said. They chatted for a while until Jayden told them that he felt tired. Dolores and Matthew
then left the room for Jayden to rest.
In the middle of the night, Dolores turned over, and she found out that the other side of the bed was
empty. Dolores opened her eyes, and she saw a man standing on the balcony through the sheer
curtains. Dolores got off the bed, wore her slipper and took a jacket over to the balcony. She put the
jacket on Matthew’s shoulder, “Why weren’t you in the bed?”
Dolores could see Matthew’s face under the soft moonlight. He had a complicated look on his face.
Matthew took off the jacket and put it on Dolores. He held her hands and said, “I can’t sleep. Keep me
accompany, please.”
Dolores promised Matthew. They stood at the balcony without saying anything. They were showering
by the moonlight.
“You felt reluctant to send Joshua away?” Dolores looked at Matthew, “If you like kids, we can have
another one in the future.”
Matthew held Dolores’ hand tightly and said, “You can’t afford to have another one. I don’t need
another child. Andrew and Amanda are enough for me. They’re our firstborn. I’ve no regret.”
Having a boy and a girl was already the best thing that happened to them.
“I know what you did was for me. You agreed with Joshua to take the surname of Lennon, and allowed
him to take over JK was to keep my family business running. So that everyone would still remember my
family,” Dolores looked down and stroked the back of Matthew’s hand, “Getting Armand and Theresa to
adopt Joshua would only add them to the list of the people who love Joshua. It’s not a bad thing.”
It was always easier to say than done.
“Let’s go back to bed,” Matthew led Dolores back into the room.
It was hard for Matthew to fall asleep even when he laid on the bed. Things about Joshua and Jayden
kept lingering in his mind.
There was another person who couldn’t sleep as well.
Jasmine kept feeling nauseous these days. She didn’t have much food for dinner, yet, she felt
nauseous. Jasmine wanted to try vomiting, but it won’t work. The nauseous feeling kept lingering, and
she couldn’t sleep with it.
Jasmine went to a clinic earlier in the morning. The reason why she didn’t go to the hospital was that
there was always a long queue in the hospital. Plus, she was hired as an intern by a company, and she
can’t be late for her job, or they might deduct her salary. Furthermore, it would also leave a bad
impression on her for being late for work.
There weren’t many people in the clinic this early.
Jasmine told the doctor about her symptoms, “I’m feeling nauseous these days, but I wasn’t vomiting. I
also have a loss of appetite, and I didn’t feel like eating.”
The doctor asked, “Have you experience this before?”
Jasmine shook her head, “I’ve always been healthy.”
“Have you stay up late lately?” asked the doctor.
“No.”
“It might be the nauseous and loss of appetite caused by Gastroenteritis,” the doctor said, “I’ll give you
some meds.”
Jasmine replied, “Sure. Thanks, doctor.”
The doctor prescribed a few kinds of medicines for Jasmine, and she stuffed them into her bag. She
bought a cup of warm soymilk on the way to the office and took medicines with it.
Jasmine wasn’t late to work.
Jasmine just started her internship, and she got assigned some simple tasks like photocopying
documents and pasting forms. However, she didn’t feel better after taking the medicines.
Jasmine thought maybe it was because she just took the medicines, and it hadn’t taken effect on her
yet. So, she continued to take those medicines after lunch.
Jasmine’s condition didn’t get any better in the evening when she got off work. Elaine called her to
invite her to dinner.
Jasmine felt exhausted after a long day of work. She didn’t feel like going. Elaine said, “You’re not my
best friend if you don’t come.”
Jasmine sighed. She knew Elaine well. Jasmine had no choice but to go, or Elaine won’t be talking to
her for quite some time.
“The noodles here are nice,” Jasmine and Elaine met in front of their school. Elaine held Jasmine’s
hand and walked to a restaurant.
“I haven’t been here for quite some time,” Elaine pulled Jasmine into the restaurant and told the boss, “I
want two bowls of noodles and a pancake.”
“Sure. Just a moment.”
After a while, the boss served them with two bowls of noodles. The noodles were thin. It had some
shredded potato, thin-sliced beef, coriander and shallots. It became a delicious and fragrant bowl of
noodles after pouring in the hot soup.
Elaine was almost drooling, “Ah, it’s so tempting.”
Jasmine used to love the noodles here. The fragrant bowl of soup, the noodles and the pancake were
all delicious together. However, Jasmine didn’t feel like eating them at all.
Elaine got some sliced beef and noodles into her mouth. It was such a satisfaction to be able to eat
something she liked. She felt blessed.
“Jasmine, why aren’t you eating?” Elaine took a bite on the pancake and asked Jasmine when her
mouth was stuffed with food.
Jasmine replied, “I don’t feel well. Loss of appetite.”
Elaine swallowed her food and asked again, “What’s wrong?”
“Nauseous. It didn’t get better even after I took medicine,” Jasmine covered her chest out of a sudden.
She was feeling nauseous again.
Elaine widened her eyes, “Jasmine, you’re feeling nauseous? Are you
pregnant?”
“| haven't been here for quite some time,” Elaine pulled Jasmine into the restaurant and told the boss, “I
want two bowls of noodles and a pancake.”
“Sure. Just a moment.”
After a while, the boss served them with two bowls of noodles. The noodles were thin. It had some
shredded potato, thin-sliced beef, coriander and shallots. It became a delicious and fragrant bowl of
noodles after pouring in the hot soup.
Elaine was almost drooling, “Ah, it's so tempting.”
Jasmine used to love the noodles here. The fragrant bowl of soup, the noodles and the pancake were
all delicious together. However, Jasmine didn't feel like eating them at all.
Elaine got some sliced beef and noodles into her mouth. It was such a satisfaction to be able to eat
something she liked. She felt blessed.
“Jasmine, why aren't you eating?” Elaine took a bite on the pancake and asked Jasmine when her
mouth was stuffed with food.
Jasmine replied, “I don’t feel well. Loss of appetite.”
Elaine swallowed her food and asked again, “What's wrong?”
“Nauseous. It didn’t get better even after | took medicine,” Jasmine covered her chest out of a sudden.
She was feeling nauseous again.
Elaine widened her eyes, “Jasmine, you're feeling nauseous? Are you
pregnant?”
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