From Estranged Stepmother to Family Pillar

The door to the hospital room creaked open, and the lights flickered on instantly.

It had already grown dark outside.

I thought it must be the child from the next bed bringing her mother dinner, and I felt even more sluggish.

"Mom!"

"Mom! We're here."

The familiar voices startled me, and I quickly sat up on the bed, pulling the blanket around me.

It was Owen and Lydia.

I fumbled, unsure of what to say. "You... How did you get here? Didn't they say it was just a minor issue?"

Owen set the lunchbox on the bedside table. "Mom, seriously. After all this happened, how could you not tell us? If I hadn’t overheard the nurse, would you have planned to keep this from us forever?"

Owen's voice was a little louder than usual.

I nervously looked at them, at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

Did he think I was causing him trouble?

A wave of sadness washed over me.

Lydia gently patted Owen’s arm. "Speak nicely."

With that, she placed the fruit and milk she was holding on the bedside table. "Mom, eat first. I brought some rib soup. Owen only told me about this this afternoon, but luckily, we had soup at home this morning. Here, drink it while it’s still warm. We also bought food for you. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? You must be starving."

She opened the lunchbox.

The delicious aroma of the food wafted up, and I suddenly realized how hungry I was.

Lydia has always known how to talk well, but today, I realized just how skillful she was at it.

I took the soup from her and smiled. "I just didn’t want you two to keep running around like this."

After taking a sip of the soup, I found it perfectly seasoned, warm and soothing as it traveled down into my stomach—comforting enough to make me sigh.

"Mom, you always keep your distance with me. Enough with that. Eat your food first. I’ll go find the doctor." With that, Owen turned and left the room.

I watched him walk away, my eyes welling up.

Lydia pulled out the food. "Mom, try this. How’s the taste? Is it to your liking? Owen said you like ribs…"

I paused, holding the spoon mid-air.

So, Owen knew my preferences.

A quiet joy spread through my chest, slowly winding around my heart.

"Alright, alright, come sit down. You must be tired from the trip, huh? I’ll give you the keys later. Stay the night at the house. It’s just that it hasn’t been tidied up for a while…"

"Mom, just eat your food, don’t worry about that. Owen and I are adults now, not kids. We can take care of things." Lydia gave me an amused look.

I hesitated, then smiled sheepishly. "Okay, I’ll eat."

The elderly lady in the bed next to me interjected with a laugh. "Oh, so you didn’t tell your son and daughter-in-law, huh? That’s where you went wrong. Something as big as being hospitalized, you should definitely inform the younger generation. Otherwise, people might think the kids aren’t being filial."

I glanced at the old lady, a little speechless. Was she trying to stir things up?

I nervously looked at Lydia. Was she upset?

Lydia smiled at me, then turned to the elderly lady with a grin. "Auntie’s right. This is a big deal, of course, the younger ones should be told. It’s best to call the whole family over, have everyone gather around and take care of you. How else can you enjoy life?"

I was dumbfounded.

How did Lydia know exactly what that old lady was like?

The old lady was left red-faced, fumbling for a response before grumpily muttering, "You really shouldn’t talk like that. My children and grandchildren come to see me, that’s their way of showing respect…"

She grumbled a few more words and turned her back to face the wall, falling asleep.

Lydia winked at me, flashing a mischievous smile.

I moved my lips, wanting to ask Lydia how she knew about the old lady’s character, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to ask.

Lydia suddenly leaned in, whispering gently in my ear, "You can tell by the way she looks, she’s not easy to get along with."

I gave her a thumbs up.

Lydia covered her mouth, her eyes squinting with laughter.

In that moment, a closeness blossomed between us.