Mo Mansion.
It was past nine at night by the time Mo Ling returned home.
He was accompanied by a woman in her thirties when he came home.
She wore a dark blue skirt with a scarf tied around her neck and her hair was parted to the side with a beautiful crystal hair clip which made her look very mature.
She was not a very beautiful woman, but she gave off a kind and gentle air.
âYour dad must have gone to bed by now, right?â she asked Mo Ling.
Mo Ling looked in the direction of his fatherâs room and saw that the door was ajar and he could also see the light spilling out from his fatherâs room.
His father used to stay upstairs but after his illness, Mo Ling requested that his fatherâs belongings be moved to a room on the first floor so that it would be easier for his father to move around.
âHeâs still away,â he said and he brought this woman who was 11 years older than him to his fatherâs room.
They stood outside his fatherâs bedroom, but Mo Ling didnât head inside immediately.
Instead, he stood by the doorway and watched his father who stared out at the window.
His father seemed to be deep in thought as he stared out of the window and he was so lost in his thoughts that he didnât notice their presence.
Mo Ling was about to call out to him when he heard his father say, âCome in.â
Mo Ling gestured for the woman to walk into his fatherâs bedroom.
âDadâ¦â Mo Ling said as he walked up to his father and placed a hand on his shoulder.
âDad, I helped you hire a nurse who will be taking care of you while you recuperate,â he said as he tugged at her sleeves.
The woman immediately smiled and looked at the man who sat in a wheelchair.
âHello, Mr. Mo. Iâm Lin Wan, a nurse who has been hired by your son,â she said.
She felt extremely awkward when the man in the wheelchair had no reaction after she introduced herself. He sat in his wheelchair dumbly and did not move an inch except to blink once in a while.
Mo Ling immediately gave his father a pat on the shoulder.
âDad, this is Auntieâ¦Lin. I hired her to look after you,â he said.
He hesitated over her form of address since he had initially planned on calling her Ms. Lin since she was just 11 years older than him.
Mo Yixuan finally reacted to his sonâs words. He slowly turned around, lifted his head, and looked at the woman who stood on his right.
He did not recall ever seeing this woman.
He frowned and shook his head before he turned to look at his son.
âMo Lingâ¦Iâ¦donâtâ¦.needâ¦to be looked after,â he said and sounded as though he had a slight stammer.
Then, his expression darkened and he looked as though he was very upset with how he sounded.
He decided to stop talking and took out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket.
âPlease tell her to go home,â he wrote through trembling hands. He wrote very slowly, as though his hands were cramping.
Mo Ling didnât move at all.
He had no intention of asking the nurse he hired to leave.
He thought for a moment before he said, âDad, didnât you want to learn how to draw? Auntie Lin used to be an art teacher, so she could teach you how to draw.â
His father had started doodling in a sketchbook to his surprise after his motherâs visit several days ago. There was a long road ahead to recovery and his fatherâs hands were not as nimble as they were before, so his drawings looked terrible. He couldnât even tell what his fatherâs drawings were supposed to be.