While I was shopping in the afternoon, the alarm went off twice, once at 4 p.m. and once at 6 p.m.
After reviewing the memo, she realized that her memory was misaligned again, but within minutes, she forgot about it again, unable to control herself from following the instructions her brain was giving her. She bought a lot of pajamas and loungewear.
Xi Jia patted her head. "She's been married to Mo Yushen for two years, this isn't the first time they've lived together." She reminded herself again.
Mo Yushen came out of the villa and opened the car door for her. "What did you buy?"
Xi Jia: "You know that."
Mo Yushen: "Home clothes and pajamas?"
Xi Jia nodded and hugged him, "I'm sorry to have made you worry again."
"It's alright, otherwise I'd be bored too." Mo Yushen took all the bags out of the trunk and led her upstairs.
Xi Jia returned to her bedroom and put the loungewear she had bought that day into the closet one by one. Then, her memory was forced back to the time when she first lived with Mo Yushen.
Mo Yushen didn't explain further and went along with everything she said. This feeling was reminiscent of when they first started living together.
They each took a shower and prepared to rest.
Xi Jia and Mo Yushen both knew exactly what was going to happen tonight. She took out the things she had bought at the convenience store from her bag and handed them to Mo Yushen.
Mo Yushen looked at it; it was the large size.
Xi Jia's alarm rang again, reminding her of ten o'clock. After reading it, she helplessly nestled in Mo Yushen's arms, "I was just secretly pleased, thinking I was about to get you."
Mo Yushen was speechless. He asked her, "You only bought this one number?"
Xi Jia nodded and asked, "How many accounts did I buy before?"
Mo Yushen: "Two sizes. Two sizes."
Xi Jia laughed, "Congratulations. You've not only been remembered by the heart, but also by the kidneys."
Mo Yushen: "..."
On New Year's Eve, the Ji family was the most lively this year, with Xi Jia and Mo Yushen also spending the New Year there.
Mo Yushen and the Ji family father and sons started a card game in the living room. Xi Jia leaned against Mo Yushen and played games with Wu Yang.
In the kitchen, the chefs are busy at work.
Xi Yelan was also busy, personally cooking for Xi Jia's favorite food.
The game ended, and Ji Qingshi lost. He hadn't won a single game all afternoon, always finishing last.
The loser is also responsible for shuffling the cards.
Ji Qingshi felt like he was having a run of bad luck. Nothing had gone his way this year, and even on the last day of the year, he was still incredibly unlucky.
Ji Zhenghe looked at Ji Qingshi and said, "If you continue like this, you won't even be able to find a wife in the end."
Ji Qingshi was so taken aback by those words that he almost choked to death. The women who were pursuing him would probably circle the Fifth Ring Road countless times, but he simply kept to himself.
I really thought he was short of women.
"If all else fails, I'll just follow Mo Yushen's example and go on blind dates."
Mo Yushen: "..." With his father-in-law standing next to him, he was too embarrassed to directly confront Ji Qingshi.
Ji Qingyuan couldn't stand it anymore and glanced at Ji Qingshi, "A blind date requires good character."
Ji Qingshi threw the cards on the table and said, "I'm not playing anymore, you guys play."
Ji Zhenghe objected: "If you don't fight, whose money will we win?"
Mo Yushen chuckled.
After Xi Jia finished her game, Wu Yang's family called him for dinner, so she also left the game.
She turned to Ji Qingshi and said, "Dad still wants to win me New Year's money. You dare not to?"
It's true that Ji Zhenghe wants to win Ji Qingshi's money, and it's also true that he's worried about Ji Qingshi's love life. "Jia, didn't you write so many romance novels? Find a couple for your second brother to read, so he can learn from them."
Xi Jia leaned against Mo Yushen's back, resting her chin on his shoulder, and shook her head. "There's no one suitable for him. Someone like him would always be a supporting male character in my scripts, and the ending would always be a tragic one."
Ji Qingshi rubbed his stomach and drank half a cup of warm water.
Ji Zhenghe tidied up the cards on the table, and the game continued. "Jia, I saw on your entertainment news that Ye Qiu and Huo Teng are together. Is it true?"
Ji Qingshi paused in his hand holding the cards. "Dad, you can't keep making things difficult for me just so I can lose. If you have a heart attack and can't even play cards, how will you win?"
Ji Zhenghe shook his head. A guilty conscience always feels that others are reflecting on them.
My phone rang; it was Secretary Liang.
Ji Zhenghe put down his cards. "Your Uncle Liang called me."
Secretary Liang is currently at her hometown, having been busy all day. She only just found the time to call Ji Zhenghe. Secretary Liang is worried that she won't have time tomorrow morning because she'll be taking care of her mother, so she's offering her New Year's greetings in advance today.
Ji Zhenghe asked Secretary Liang how Grandma was doing.
Secretary Liang sighed slightly, "They're still confused. They spent the whole afternoon making me and my sister re-wrap the old bookcase in my father's room with plastic sheeting, saying that the rain will make it damp and moldy."
That bookcase was clearly wrapped in several layers of thick plastic sheeting.
But my mother insisted that it wouldn't work, because it would leak.
Actually, the plastic sheeting on that bookcase was replaced last summer. It wouldn't need to be replaced again for the next three to five years. But he and his sister wanted to please their mother, so they replaced it all as she instructed.
Secretary Liang added, "My mother was talking about Jiajia today, saying that we've run out of Chinese herbs at home and asked me to go to the pharmacy in town to get some more to make medicine for Jiajia."
For the past six months, my mother has become increasingly confused, and her memory has become chaotic. However, she remembers some things exceptionally clearly, especially those related to my father.
Ji Zhenghe chatted with Secretary Liang for a while before hanging up.
Xi Jia only knew that Uncle Liang was her father's secretary; she had forgotten everything that happened afterward, and she didn't remember who the old woman was. "Dad, what happened to Uncle Liang's mother?"
Ji Zhenghe glossed over the part about her time living in the mountains, saying only, "Mild Alzheimer's disease. She can currently take care of herself, but her mind is starting to become confused."
Mo Yushen now finally understands why Secretary Liang took early retirement in June of this year.
Secretary Liang worked at Jiashi Group for over thirty years. After Ji Zhenghe left Jiashi Group, Secretary Liang became Ji Qingyuan's secretary.
Secretary Liang's abilities and contributions to the Jiashi Group are evident to all. His personal charisma is similar to that of Chairman Li of their Mo Group.
Admirable.
At the time, he wondered why Secretary Liang retired at the age of fifty-eight.
At that time, Xi Jia was still hospitalized. When his condition was at its worst, he couldn't leave his side for a moment and didn't have the mind to pay much attention to other people's affairs, so he forgot to ask Ji Qingshi what exactly happened.
Now I understand, it turns out that Grandma has a bad memory, so Secretary Liang went back to his hometown to take care of his mother.
Ji Zhenghe was still talking about his grandmother: "When her memory was just starting to get fuzzy, she would always clamor to go up the mountain to cut pig feed and catch grasshoppers. These were all things from when she was a child."
Xi Jia suggested to her father, "Then you should quickly have Uncle Liang bring Grandma to Beijing. Grandma's condition is similar to mine; let Professor Xiang take a look."
Ji Zhenghe shook his head. "I've seen it, and even Professor Xiang didn't have a good solution. There's no good cure for it in medicine worldwide. Your grandmother's condition looks the same as yours, but there are differences. After all, she's older, eighty-five years old, and it's an age-related condition."
Xi Jia sighed.
Mo Yushen: "Did the old lady come to Beijing to see a doctor?"
Ji Zhenghe nodded, "The end of June." When Xi Jia's condition was at its worst, the side effects of the clinical trial drug tormented her; she couldn't eat or sleep.
At that time, Xi Jia didn't remember the old woman, so she didn't mention it to her.
Mo Yushen nodded slightly.
A few days ago, Professor Xiang mentioned a case he had encountered involving an Alzheimer's patient whose memories were misplaced back to childhood. It turned out to be an elderly woman.
"What about Grandma's memories now? Or from before?" Mo Yushen asked.
Ji Zhenghe: "Not now. That situation lasted for more than three months, but he is still confused and keeps talking about Lao Liang's father, thinking he is still alive. Today, Lao Liang wrapped the bookshelf in plastic again."
Mo Yushen remembers that bookcase; it was very old, and it contained his grandfather's short stories. Xi Jia lived there and loved to read them.
The four legs of the bookcase were all tied with thick plastic sheeting, and the bookcase was spotless.
Mo Yushen looked at Xi Jia and said, "When you recover, let's go see Grandma. The mountain where Grandma lives now is also Mr. Yue's hometown. The two families are only separated by a lake."
Xi Jia didn't know why Mo Yushen wanted to visit the old woman; perhaps he was acquainted with Uncle Liang. She agreed. However, she didn't know when she would recover.
The New Year's Eve dinner was ready, and Xi Yelan called them to the restaurant.
Ji Zhenghe: "Let's continue playing after we finish eating." He gestures to Ji Qingshi: "Don't mess up the cards."
Ji Qingshi: "..."
Mo Yushen put down his cards and led Xi Jia to the restaurant.
Ji Qingshi glanced at Mo Yushen, and taking advantage of Mo Yushen's inattention, he swapped all his cards with Mo Yushen's, and then went to the restaurant as if nothing had happened.
Xi Jia whispered in Mo Yushen's ear, "I just saw my second brother secretly switch your cards."
Mo Yushen: "Perfect. My hand is terrible this round. If he doesn't switch with me, I'm sure I'll lose."
Xi Jia burst out laughing.
Ji Qingshi sat down next to Xi Jia and ruffled her hair. "What are you laughing at!"
Xi Jia: "I'm happy, it's none of your business."
At the dinner table, they started talking about the old lady again.
Xi Jia still longed to bring her grandmother to Beijing for better treatment, hoping it might be helpful.
Xi Yelan said, "Grandma can't leave that place. Last time I was in Beijing for a few days, she kept making a fuss about wanting to go home. When you're sick, your mood is the most important thing."
Xi Jia: "Don't all elderly people hope to return to their roots?"
Xi Yelan: "That's one aspect. The most important thing is that your grandfather is there. It's okay for the elderly to have a little memory lapse as they get older. As long as they live happily and have a pillar of support, that's better than anything else."
Xi Yelan looked at her daughter, who had absolutely no recollection of life in the mountains. It was the Lunar New Year, so she didn't tell her daughter much, afraid that her daughter wouldn't remember and would feel conflicted and uncomfortable.
Actually, the old lady's illness had been showing symptoms for some time. Every time Xi Jia went to the old lady's place to recuperate, the old lady would roast corn for her every day.
Grandpa loved corn the most when he was alive, and Grandma would roast it for him every day.
Later, Xi Jia left the mountains and returned to Beijing.
The old lady still bakes them every day, and then piles them up there.
When Lao Liang got home, he was stunned and realized something was wrong.
This situation is similar to when Xi Jia didn't remember Mo Yushen for a period of time, but she would walk through Wutong Alley every day to buy a sweet potato from the roasted sweet potato shop and bring it back.