Chapter 8

Gu Qinghuan’s family of three began to have lunch.

There were forty dumplings, and the three of them divided them up. Gu Qinghuan took twelve for herself and split the rest equally between her mother and grandmother.

“Mom, Grandma, hurry up and eat the dumplings.” Gu Qinghuan handed the divided dumplings to them.

Zhong Zijun looked at her daughter’s rough hands, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Using her right hand, which was still able to move, she took the lunch box and picked two dumplings from it, placing them into her daughter’s bowl.

“Huan Huan, you’ve been working hard. Eat more so you’ll have the strength. I’ve been lying down all day, I’m not hungry.”

Gu Qinghuan was taken aback.

In these times, who wasn’t hungry? Was it possible to complain about having too many dumplings when they tasted so good?

At this moment, she couldn’t help but feel a little envious of the original owner, because she had received her mother’s complete and unconditional love.

This was something she had always longed for in her past life, but had never received.

Not all parents love their children.

“Okay, Mom, you eat too.” Gu Qinghuan smiled sweetly and did not reject her mother’s love.

The word “Mom” slipped out more sincerely than before, carrying a warmth and affection.

After all, there was also chicken soup, so it wasn’t a big deal to eat two fewer dumplings.

Chen Shuying watched the small actions between the mother and daughter and smiled knowingly.

She had always believed that no matter what circumstances they faced, as long as the family stuck together, they couldn’t be defeated. It was the warmth of family love that had helped her old body weather many storms.

This meal of dumplings felt especially delicious to the family. Even though they had eaten better, more luxurious meals before, nothing could compare to the warmth of this moment.

After finishing the dumplings, the three of them divided the chicken soup from the thermos. Gu Qinghuan made sure to leave the larger portion for Zhong Zijun, as her mother needed the nutrition more.

The old lady praised the chicken soup without stopping, and Gu Qinghuan showered her pork and vermicelli stew with compliments, making her laugh heartily.

In the course of their conversation, they learned that the old lady’s son was the Director of the Supplementary Food Store, and her husband was a retired high-ranking official. The family’s financial situation was quite good.

However, when talking about good conditions, the Zhong family from before had truly been a prosperous family. Chen Shuying also came from a scholarly background.

So, the three of them had their own concerns, and in their conversation, there was no sign of envy, jealousy, or flattery. Instead, it made the old lady next door look at them with greater admiration.

After the meal, they found out that Zhong Zijun planned to go home after her infusion in the afternoon.

Gu Qinghuan specifically went to ask the doctor whether her mother could be discharged.

The doctor said that if possible, it would be best to stay for two more days, as the journey would be bumpy and there was a risk of the bones being misaligned.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t understand the treatment, but she knew listening to the doctor was the right choice.

“Mom, recovering from a bone injury is serious, we have to listen to the doctor. What if something goes wrong?” Gu Qinghuan said seriously.

For some reason, Zhong Zijun felt that her daughter seemed different today. She had changed from the usual listless self and was now vibrant, laughing and talking with ease, handling social matters appropriately.

Even now, when she was scolding her, there was a faint sense of authority in her tone, making Zhong Zijun subconsciously want to listen to her.

“I… Huan Huan, Grandpa has been alone in the village for the past two days, and I’m worried about him. He’s old, and if something happens to him… please, let me go back!” Zhong Zijun’s voice grew a bit pleading by the end.

Gu Qinghuan still didn’t relent.

“No, I’ll go check on Grandpa, you just focus on taking care of yourself.”

Chen Shuying, who was tidying up things beside them, saw her daughter being outwitted by her granddaughter and couldn’t help but chuckle. There really was no such thing as a tree that could block the sky—everything had its match!

“Huan Huan, I’m really fine. At home, the situation is strained because of my arm, and I can’t let you bear all the burden. Please, just let me go back!” Zhong Zijun was still not giving up, tugging at her daughter’s sleeve.

Gu Qinghuan looked at Zhong Zijun seriously.

“Mom, I’m here for you. You just focus on resting, and I’ll take care of everything else.” 

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a kind of unexplainable influence. It was calm and steady, making people believe that she really could follow through on her words.

Zhong Zijun suddenly felt that the person in front of her seemed somewhat unfamiliar. She didn’t seem like her daughter anymore. She shook her head, trying to push away this strange thought from her mind.

Who else could this be if not her Huan Huan?

In any case, this change gave her a sense of relief. Her child had grown up, and now could support her, shielding her from the storm.

If it weren’t for this child, she might have been left disabled or, perhaps, even worse, gone from this world after the injury.

Thinking of this, Zhong Zijun helplessly said: “Alright, I’ll listen to you. But, don’t come for the next couple of days. It’s not good to keep taking time off.”

Especially today’s lunch, it was too extravagant—pork and chicken, even better than what they had at New Year’s.

The family didn’t have much money, and she truly didn’t want Gu Qinghuan to spend any more on her. However, she couldn’t bear to scold her daughter for her kindness, as that would spoil the mood. So, she specifically reminded her not to come anymore.

Gu Qinghuan, knowing exactly what Zhong Zijun was really thinking, agreed with a smile: “Okay, I won’t come for the next couple of days. But when you’re discharged, I’m definitely coming to pick you up.”

Zhong Zijun knew she wouldn’t be able to argue, so she reluctantly agreed: “Alright then, you should head back soon. It’s not safe for a girl to be on the road alone.”

Especially when her daughter was as beautiful as she was.

Chen Shuying sent Gu Qinghuan out.

“Grandma, I don’t think you have much money left, right? Take this first.” Gu Qinghuan took thirty yuan from her space and pressed it into Chen Shuying’s hands.

It wasn’t that she was stingy and didn’t want to give more, but she truly couldn’t find a good excuse for where the money came from.

The last time, she had said it was borrowed from the educated youth, and this time, she really couldn’t come up with another reason.

“Child, you borrowed money again? Hurry up and return it to them. The hundred you gave last time, you paid sixty to the hospital, and if you stay for two more days with the medicine, it should be just over eighty. That should be enough. Let’s not cause any more trouble.”

Chen Shuying thought the young people didn’t know how to manage their money and were getting addicted to borrowing, so she quickly advised her.

“You still need to leave some money for living expenses. You both need to eat, drink, and take care of things, and your mom needs something good for her recovery.”

“The old lady next door told me secretly that you’ve been eating only biscuits and drinking plain water every day. How can that have any nutrition?”

“How can it not have nutrition? The plain flour biscuits are a rare good thing.”

“Don’t think I don’t know. Last year, you swapped all your fine grains for coarse grains to help us. You haven’t had fine grains in over a year, right? We’ve endured such hard times, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Child, it’s you who’s been suffering.” Chen Shuying said, her eyes brimming with tears as she held her granddaughter’s hand.

In the end, she insisted on stuffing the money back into Gu Qinghuan’s pocket.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t expect this to happen. She knew that if she left the money, they wouldn’t buy anything good with it, so she simply accepted it and didn’t try to give it back.

After saying goodbye to Chen Shuying, she turned around and went back to the hospital’s canteen, spending money to order two days’ worth of meals for both of them.

In the mornings, they each got two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge. For lunch, each had one meat and one vegetable dish with two liang (100 grams) of rice, and for dinner, each had a bowl of shredded meat noodles.

The total cost for the two days of meals was one and a half jin (750 grams) of grain tickets and five yuan.

To be honest, it wasn’t expensive, but the grain tickets made things a bit tricky. Fortunately, there were still some left from the original owner, though not many.

When placing the order, Gu Qinghuan specifically explained the situation to the canteen staff. She had ordered the food without telling her family, worried that they would be reluctant to spend money on meals.

Seeing her so considerate and filial, the staff members all gave her a thumbs-up and assured her that they would deliver the meals to the hospital when the time came.

People in this era were generally straightforward, and Gu Qinghuan wasn’t worried about them going against their word. She thanked them profusely and left.

That evening, just as Chen Shuying was about to go buy some biscuits, she received two bowls of shredded meat noodles delivered from the canteen. Both she and Zhong Zijun thought the delivery was a mistake.

To their surprise, the delivery person explained that the meals had been ordered by the patient’s daughter, and the money and grain tickets had already been provided.

Once they confirmed that Gu Qinghuan had placed the order, the mother and daughter exchanged a look, both seeing the same helplessness in each other’s eyes.

This child, she really was becoming more and more thoughtful.

“Comrade, the one who ordered is my daughter. Can the money and grain tickets be refunded?” Zhong Zijun asked immediately.

“They can’t be refunded! Your daughter specifically told us not to return the money and insisted that you two eat well.” the young staff member replied, setting the meals down and leaving.

Zhong Zijun looked at the two bowls of shredded meat noodles with a pang of heartache.

It was too extravagant.

The old lady from the next bed wiped away a tear, feeling sentimental. “Your daughter is really something—she’s capable and filial, better than a son. Our family doesn’t have a clue. Just looking at him makes me mad.”

The old lady then complimented Gu Qinghuan while throwing a glare at her own son.

Chen Shuying quickly praised her own son, saying: “My son is also very good—he’s the Director of the Supplementary Food Store. He must be very busy, yet he still remembers to bring me food after work. A true filial son.”

The man looked completely confused as he stared at his mother. He hadn’t done anything to upset her today, had he?

After the pleasantries, the two of them ate the two bowls of shredded meat noodles clean.