Chapter 113: The First Dying Person
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“Little Bear Sister!” Molly ran up to An Bu with her backpack, her face beaming with a happy smile.
Although An Bu’s impression of her came solely from the diary, they didn’t feel estranged when they were together. An Bu patted her shoulder and said, “Give your backpack to Auntie Yu (the nanny), we’ll take you out for dinner.”
Molly obediently nodded and handed her backpack to the nearby Yu Fangmiao.
“Auntie Yu, thank you for taking care of Molly for this time. She won’t be going back tonight, I’ll bring her over tomorrow,” An Bu said.
“Alright, have fun, Molly’s medicine is in her pocket, she’s already taken it today,” Yu Fangmiao reminded warmly.
“Okay, got it.” An Bu appreciated her thoughtfulness and, after exchanging greetings, took Molly and Jian Ningxuan out together.
“What does Molly want to eat?” An Bu asked.
“Whatever Little Bear Sister likes, Molly likes,” Molly said, indicating that she wasn’t picky.
An Bu smiled, “Does Molly like vegetables if Little Bear Sister does?”
“Yes,” Molly nodded earnestly. After being abused by her previous nanny, she was much more mature than other children her age.
“Alright, let’s go eat lobster then.”
When Jian Ningxuan heard the word “lobster,” he immediately instructed the driver, “To Golden Dragon Restaurant.”
The Golden Dragon Restaurant was a well-known dining establishment in the city, specializing in seafood but offering a wide variety of other delicacies.
Guided by a waiter, the three of them headed upstairs. When they reached the staircase, they bumped into a few people.
An Bu moved aside with Molly, but Jian Ningxuan stood still, looking expressionlessly at one of them, calmly addressing him, “Father.”
Hearing this, An Bu looked up and saw a middle-aged man in his fifties standing in front of them, his gaze sharp and imposing. He was Jian Ningxuan’s father, Jian Xun. Behind him were several men with respectful expressions. Upon hearing Jian Ningxuan’s address, they cast curious glances at them.
Jian Xun glanced at An Bu and Molly, showing no surprise in his eyes, then nodded casually at Jian Ningxuan, bypassing him with the others in tow.
Jian Ningxuan’s face remained impassive as if he hadn’t encountered Jian Xun at all, and he walked into the private room with An Bu and Molly without looking back.
The relationship between father and son was as distant as strangers.
An Bu had learned about their past from the diary. As an outsider, she wasn’t qualified to judge right or wrong, but she could see the stagnant energy in Jian Ningxuan’s heart area. She would have to remind him of this when the opportunity arose.
After ordering their dishes, An Bu instructed Molly, “Molly, don’t eat too much seafood later, eat more vegetables.”
Molly obediently nodded.
When Molly behaved, someone else became less self-aware. Once the dishes arrived, he focused solely on the seafood, happily peeling shrimp, crabs, and clams.
An Bu noticed his bad mood but didn’t want to see him indulging in seafood alone. She brought a clean plate to him and said, “Don’t just think about yourself, peel some shrimp for Molly.”
Jian Ningxuan paused and put the shrimp he had just peeled and was about to eat into the plate, then dutifully served Molly.
An Bu smiled and fed him a piece of tofu.
As Jian Ningxuan ate the tofu, the gloom in his eyes gradually dissipated, turning into a serene tranquility.
Molly silently drank her soup, her eyes shining as she watched them. She unknowingly ate a bowl of dog food.
After dinner, An Bu and Jian Ningxuan took Molly to the amusement park to play to their hearts’ content.
By the time they returned home, she had fallen asleep, a satisfied smile on her face.
An Bu gently placed her on the bed, helped her undress, and wiped her face.
“Mama…” Molly grabbed An Bu’s finger, murmuring unconsciously.
She hadn’t asked about her parents all day, probably already guessed what had happened. The reason she didn’t ask was simply because she was afraid.
An Bu sighed silently, tucked her in, and walked out of the room.
The next day, Molly woke up refreshed, tidied up her bed, cleaned herself up, and ran to the living room. Seeing An Bu doing handstands against the wall, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise.
“Molly, good morning.” An Bu flipped back onto her feet, smiling and greeting her.
“Good morning, Little Bear Sister. What were you doing just now?”
“Exercising.”
Molly nodded in incomprehension, “Oh.”
“Breakfast is on the table, go ahead and eat.” An Bu pointed to the dining room, intending to continue her unfinished activities.
Before long, Jian Ningxuan also emerged from his room, greeted An Bu, and automatically sat opposite Molly, joining her for breakfast.
An Bu glanced at the two with her peripheral vision. Although they didn’t say a word, the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. Jian Ningxuan didn’t dislike children; it was just that due to his own condition, he wasn’t very close to them usually. If not for this, he would definitely be a good father.
In the morning, An Bu taught Molly how to braid ropes and make stickers. Afterward, they had lunch at home before reluctantly sending Molly back home.
“Any news from Molly’s parents?” An Bu asked.
Jian Ningxuan shook his head, “None.”
“I hope they’re safe.” If it weren’t for the distance and not wanting to worry Jian Ningxuan, An Bu might have personally gone to the location where they went missing to take a look.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find them eventually.” Jian Ningxuan didn’t tell An Bu that he had secretly hired international mercenaries familiar with the local area, believing that there would be news soon. Anything that concerned An Bu, he would do his best to handle.
A few days later, An Bu’s credentials were certified, and she officially became an end-of-life care attendant. She quickly received her first assignment, to take care of an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and bedridden paralysis. According to the doctor’s diagnosis, she might not make it through the next month, so the woman’s daughter ultimately decided to hire an end-of-life care attendant to make her more comfortable.
“Miss Dong, hello.” An Bu arrived at Dong’s house on time to meet her employer.
Miss Dong carefully scrutinized the girl in front of her. She was clean and neat, with no traces of makeup on her face, and her nails were neatly trimmed, indicating that she was a meticulous person.
Miss Dong shook hands with her and then led her into the house. “You should have already learned about my mother’s condition. There’s a dedicated caretaker for her daily needs, so what you need to do is try to keep her happy. I’m usually busy with work and can’t always be with her. What’s more important is that I don’t know how to communicate with her.”
People suffering from Alzheimer’s disease often exhibit characteristics such as memory confusion, aphasia, apraxia, executive dysfunction, as well as personality and behavioral changes, making normal communication impossible. Although Miss Dong wanted to filially serve her mother, she didn’t know where to start.
“Miss Dong, don’t worry, I’ll do my best.” An Bu followed Miss Dong to the door of a bedroom. Just as she was about to push the door open, she saw it being opened from the inside by a man in his thirties.
“Dong Chengshao, what are you doing here again? Didn’t I tell you not to come back and disturb Mom?” Miss Dong reprimanded.
“She’s also my mom. Who are you to stop me from coming back?” The man named Dong Chengshao snorted disdainfully, but his eyes lit up when he saw An Bu behind Miss Dong. “Oh, who’s this?”
“None of your business. Get out of here immediately.” Miss Dong pointed to the door, driving him out unceremoniously.
Dong Chengshao put his hands in his pockets and left nonchalantly.
Miss Dong reminded, “An Bu, that’s my younger brother Dong Chengshao. Stay away from him in the future. If he causes trouble for you, remember to inform me immediately.”
“Okay.” An Bu didn’t care about this kidney-deficient passerby.
In the spacious bedroom, a real wooden bed was placed by the window, and an elderly woman with white hair lay quietly on it. Her eyes were vacant, her mouth crooked, looking somewhat terrifying.
Although the bedroom was very bright, to An Bu’s eyes, it was filled with dead air, dark and gloomy.
“Mom, I’m Little Qin. How are you doing?” Miss Dong bent down, leaning closer to the elderly woman, “Let me introduce you to a friend. Her name is An Bu. She will be with you from now on to keep you company. You can talk to her if you have anything to say.”
The elderly person made incomprehensible sounds from her mouth, as if she hadn’t heard anything, with no response at all.
Miss Dong sighed, straightened her body, and said to An Bu, “If you have any questions, you can ask the caretaker. She has been taking care of my mother for half a year and knows her daily habits very well. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll leave it to you and the caretaker.”
“Alright, take care.” An Bu didn’t say much either, watching the tired Miss Dong leave the room.
Approaching the bed, An Bu looked at the elderly woman who was nearing the end of her life and smiled, “Hello, Madam. I’m An Bu. It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can get along well in the days to come.”
The elderly woman showed no response, not even moving her eyes.
Unperturbed, An Bu continued, “I’ll come to accompany you for three hours every day from now on. You can talk, listen to plays, play cards, or watch TV.”
The elderly woman remained expressionless.
“I don’t want to be paid for nothing, so during the three hours of my work, I hope Madam can drop the act and relax.”
After saying this, there was finally a slight change in the expression on the elderly woman’s face, but it quickly returned to blankness.
An Bu smiled, “Although I don’t know why you’re doing this, I promise to keep your secret and respect your decision.”
The room fell silent for a while until an elderly voice finally sounded, “How did you figure it out?”
“Professional secret.” An Bu smiled at her.
In fact, she had noticed it as soon as she entered the room. The source of the stagnant energy in the elderly woman came from her heart, lungs, and stomach rather than her brain. In other words, even if she did have Alzheimer’s disease, it wouldn’t be severe enough to render her completely unresponsive to the outside world. So An Bu easily concluded that the elderly woman was pretending to be senile.
She didn’t expect that her first client at the end of life would still have the energy to play tricks.
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