Chapter 319: I Listen to My Sister
Chapter 319: I Listen to My Sister
An Ran, standing next door, hears Doll’s laughter. At first, she doesn’t understand what’s happening, so she hurries over to take a look.
Standing by the door, she sees Zhan Lian lying by the guardrail of Doll’s crib, teasing Doll from a distance, and then from close up.
Is Doll really responding to him like this?
Which mother doesn’t want to hear her child laugh like that?
She stands at the door and slowly exhales. After a moment of thought, she turns around and decides not to disturb the father and daughter, letting Zhan Lian and Doll continue their play.
An Ran goes back to the next room and sees that Little Mint has finished the entire bowl of noodles. An Ran sits down in front of Little Mint, pulls out a chair, and straightens her back. She looks at Little Mint’s quiet, almost numb expression. She opens her mouth, hesitates for a moment, and finally says: "Mint, your test results are out."
Little Mint doesn’t react, but she raises her bright eyes and looks at An Ran with full trust.
An Ran fidgets with her hands, thinks for a moment, and then chooses a more casual tone to speak to Little Mint: “The test says... um... there’s a shadow in your body, but it’s unclear if it’s a cyst.” She hesitates, then adds silently in her mind, or if you’re pregnant.
An Ran doesn’t say the last part out loud. Although the symptoms seem to indicate pregnancy, An Ran doesn’t want to burden Little Mint with such a cruel possibility before a diagnosis is confirmed.
"Cyst?" Little Mint asks, raising her face, clearly not understanding. Her face, freshly washed, looks so clear and transparent. She catches the key point of the last two words, asking, "Me?"
"Yes, you. Um... there’s a shadow, Mint. Doctor Zhao says that, given your current condition, surgery is not ideal. There’s a risk of heavy bleeding. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have surgery. If you insist, we could go to a larger hospital."
"Oh." Little Mint nods without showing any emotion or interest. She looks into An Ran’s eyes, still full of trust, and says, “I’ll listen to Sister.”
She is too young, and the apocalypse arrives before she can form her own worldview. Little Mint might have a vague idea of what those men have done to her, but her sense of shame or resentment is not strong. As for whether she has a baby or a cyst, she doesn’t understand the implications of it.
For her, in this moment, living a good life is enough.
Now, Little Mint’s entire personality and worldview are distorted. She is almost paranoid in her obedience to An Ran—she does whatever An Ran says.
If An Ran asks her to have surgery, she will. If An Ran tells her to have a baby, she will!
But does An Ran know how to make the right choice?
An Ran doesn’t know if the surgery is too risky, or if being pregnant and giving birth would be unfair to both Little Mint and Doll, especially with the apocalypse in full swing. Perhaps Yun Tao would know what to do.
An Ran trusts Yun Tao. After all, he has lived a long life and has more experience.
Thinking of this, An Ran feels a little more at ease. She comforts Little Mint, saying, "I don’t know what the best decision is. Why don’t we ask Uncle Yun? He can help us figure it out. No matter what, your safety is the top priority. As for the rest, we can only take things one step at a time."