Tian Jing smiled and said, "You're a grown-up now, yet you're crying. I'm fine, don't worry anymore."
Li Weihao and Li Weibo could only vent their joy onto their younger brother. If it weren't for him, their mother might not have woken up.
Li Weixin received a punch on each shoulder and immediately crawled to his mother's bedside to complain:
"Mom, when you can get up, you have to avenge me. Dad hit me, and everyone else did too."
"Why?"
"Because they said I remembered the Ren family's prescription too late and was too slow to find the herbs. Otherwise, you would have woken up earlier."
Li Weihao and Li Weibo's hands itched again. Their younger brother wasn't just complaining but also bragging.
Tian Jing's smile deepened, "Thank you, Ranran."
"You're welcome."
Li Weixin patted his chest, "The decision to give birth to me was correct. I'm more suitable to be your little cotton-padded jacket than your sister."
"Heh heh."
Tian Jing chuckled, "All good children."
Li Zhengguo called his sons, son-in-law, and nephew away, leaving only his little son who was boasting and seeking praise.
Li Weixin told his mother everything he knew and everything he had done in the past year:
"...Dad's hair slowly turned white under the strain of worry and work."
"But don't worry, I gave Dad ginseng essence, and I gave him some to keep. Try it and see if it's the same as what you extracted. Dad couldn't tell the difference."
Tian Jing nodded, "My stomach still needs time to recover. I'll try it in a few days."
Li Weixin asked cautiously, "Your body, do you know about it?"
"I know."
Tian Jing didn't care at all, but she added, "Even if it's lost, it should be kept a secret. It will be a deterrent to outsiders. When you go to the labyrinth to force the growth of ginseng, you must avoid your teammates."
Speaking of teammates, Li Weixin remembered Shen Wei's identity that he later investigated...
Tian Jing was surprised. She didn't realize Matvey's ambition was so great. "Aren't the labyrinth and the dungeon exposed?"
Li Weixin nodded, "The captain said Matvey must have only told his backers."
Tian Jing believed him. Matvey's ambition was evident in his arrangement for his illegitimate son to join the special team, so he wouldn't have shared any advantageous information with others.
It was just a pity for those super-powered members who went to support with Zeng Jingrong.
...
The Li family's four tough guys and Han Lushí left after dinner, leaving Li Wanting and her son at home.
Before going to sleep, Xuanxuan ran into the west room. Everyone had talked to Grandma; it was her turn now, right?
"Grandma."
"Eh!"
Tian Jing wanted to reach out to her granddaughter, but her arm still lacked strength.
Xuanxuan's small hand rested on her grandmother's hand, "They all say you're a great hero."
"Who said that?"
"The uncles and aunts from the team said so."
Tian Jing smiled faintly. She just didn't want future generations to experience a terrifying, endless apocalypse. "Grandma just did what she wanted to do, and never thought of being a hero. Heroes bring happiness to others and pain to their own families."
Xuanxuan didn't understand. "Then why did you become a hero?"
Tian Jing knew her granddaughter meant that she brought pain to her family. "What Grandma did, although it seemed to be for everyone, was also for her family."
...
News of Tian Jing's awakening spread quickly. Villagers came to visit one after another. Mother Li, along with her elder daughter-in-law and daughter, greeted them.
Regardless of whether the villagers' visits had any effect on their younger daughter-in-law's awakening, Mother Li was grateful because the villagers were all sincere.
Zeng Jingrong came with Zeng Jingchu.
Seeing the frail Tian Jing, Zeng Jingchu's eyes welled up. He knew Tiantian had gone on a mission, and now that Matvey was gone, Tiantian had avenged him.
Tian Jing leaned against the quilt and smiled at Zeng Jingchu, "You came all the way here just to cry at me?"
Zeng Jingchu rubbed the corners of his eyes. "Yulia is pregnant and couldn't come. She asked me to congratulate you."
Tian Jing said, "I should be congratulating you. Congratulations on becoming a father again."
"Same to you, same to you."
Zeng Jingchu grinned, "You're going to be an aunt again."
Zeng Jingchu said a few more words before giving space to his cousin. He went to see his aunt, who had been incredibly kind to Tiantian while she was unconscious, unlike his own mother.
He remembered calling his mother to say Tiantian was in a vegetative state, and his mother didn't even bother to visit, saying the Li family would take good care of Tiantian.
He couldn't help but recall Tiantian's hypothetical scenarios...
After interacting with Tiantian more, his perspective changed. Now, looking at his mother's actions, he saw selfishness everywhere...
Mother Li was in a very good mood. Seeing Zeng Jingchu, she kept chattering about all the subtle signs before her younger daughter-in-law woke up...
In the west room, only Zeng Jingrong and Tian Jing remained.
Zeng Jingrong told Tian Jing everything he had done while taking advantage of the situation...
Tian Jing gently raised her hand, showing Zeng Jingrong her weakness. "Did Ranran tell you about my condition?"
"He did."
Zeng Jingrong's expression became serious. "Is there any hope of recovery?"
Tian Jing shook her head. She not only couldn't feel her powers but was also very weak. Ranran had also said her meridians had closed. "Please process my retirement. Just say I retired due to illness. Don't announce the disappearance of my powers to the public; it can serve as a deterrent."
"The area I sectioned off in the labyrinth will be given to Ranran. Continue to say I'm cultivating it, and don't expose Ranran again. I don't want him to be as tired as me. Managing the special team in the future will be tiring enough for him."
Zeng Jingchu refused, "Not retiring is the real deterrent. Once you've recovered from your injuries, try going to the labyrinth and dungeon again."
Tian Jing didn't insist, saying she would discuss it after her body recovered.
Shortly after Zeng Jingrong and Zeng Jingchu left, Shen Jianrong and Shen Jianfang arrived.
"It's good that you're awake. It's good that you're awake."
Seeing the conscious Tian Jing, Shen Jianrong wiped away tears and then said to her daughter behind her, "Quickly bring Sipei over for his grandma to see."
Yu Ziyu's vision was blurred. She placed her second son directly on the bed. "Mom, this is Sipei. He's a month younger than your eldest grandson, Sirui."
Tian Jing's gaze fell on her sleeping grandson beside her. "You and Wanting have both worked hard. I couldn't help you and made you worry."
"It's not hard."
Yu Ziyu wiped away her tears. She didn't know why her mother-in-law became a vegetable, but her husband and father both said her mother-in-law had made a great contribution. "With my mother and Aunt Cai here, I'm very relaxed."
Shen Jianfang felt ashamed. She hadn't been able to help either of her daughters during their postpartum confinement.
Yu Siji hugged his mother's leg from behind. "Mom, are you abandoning me?"
Yu Ziyu turned and knelt in front of her eldest son. "Don't be silly. Didn't Mom bring your brother to see your Grandma? I plan to stay for a while. What about you? Will you go back with your Grandma or stay?"
To differentiate between the two grandmothers, Siji called Shen Jianrong by her surname, as was the northern custom for a single character.
"I want to continue practicing martial arts with my paternal aunt. I'm not going back."
Siji waved his hands and took two steps back before running away, as if he would be taken away the next second if he didn't.
Shen Jianfang and Shen Jianrong went to settle down. Yu Ziyu left with her second son. Ouyang Meihua pulled away the quilt behind Tian Jing, letting her lie flat, and then massaged her muscles.
For months after Tian Jing was discharged from the hospital, Ouyang Meihua had been giving her muscle massages.
Tian Jing already knew from her husband and mother-in-law and was very grateful to her sister-in-law. "Thank you, Sister-in-law. I've tired you out by collapsing."
Ouyang Meihua massaged without looking up. "That's why you need to get better quickly. This family can't do without you."
"Mm."
Tian Jing nodded gently. "I will try my best."
Ouyang Meihua, however, was worried. She was a martial artist and knew the condition of her sister-in-law's muscles as soon as she touched them. But she dared not say it. If she were to go from an expert to a cripple, she would go mad.