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Wang Zhenhe chased after them but couldn’t catch up with his wife and children. It was only when they reached the commune clinic that he saw Zhang Lan holding the child for a checkup.
At this moment, Wang Qian felt incredibly fortunate that she had been reborn in 1972. The doctors at the hospital were not like some in the future who wouldn’t treat you if you had no money. Even if they stitched you up but couldn’t pay, they would still remove the stitches and send you away. So, when Zhang Lan took her three children to the hospital, despite having no money, the doctor still prioritized treating this teary-eyed, frail young girl.
Observing the situation of the mother and daughter, the experienced doctor, though unaware of the incident, patiently began examining the children.
After the examination, the doctor couldn’t contain his anger. “What have you mothers been doing? The child is in such a condition, and you only bring her now. If it had been any later, the child might not have survived. Quickly get her an intravenous drip!”
The doctor didn’t wait for Zhang Lan to ask and swiftly wrote a prescription, handing it to the nurse, instructing her to administer an IV to the child promptly.
Once the drip was set up, Wang Zhenhe turned to ask the doctor about the child’s condition. The stern doctor glared at him, “Now you care about your child? What were you all doing earlier? The child not only has a concussion; I suspect there’s internal bleeding. We need to administer the IV quickly to reduce inflammation. Fortunately, the soft cartilage at the back of the head is intact; otherwise, you’d be waiting for your child to be disabled.”
The child’s head had swelled to an unusually large size, a sight even the experienced doctor rarely encountered. The child endured it well, merely whimpering a few times and shedding some tears.
Wang Zhenhe, after being scolded by the doctor, listlessly returned to the hospital room. He looked at his daughter, who was now peacefully sleeping, with a face full of remorse. He took the child’s small hand, placed it on his face, and kept searching.
“Wife, I really let both of you down today,” Wang Zhenhe couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
Both sides were his close family, and he felt torn between them. He knew the character of his mother and elder sister, but seeing his wife and children suffering because of them made him feel helpless and guilty. He wished the injuries were on him instead.
Zhang Lan, looking at her peacefully sleeping daughter, felt a mix of anger and helplessness. She understood her husband’s predicament, but she couldn’t forgive it.
“Zhenhe, what kind of people are your family? I think you know better than me. If our daughter hadn’t helped me today, I might have been beaten to death by your sister. Both of us would have died at your family’s doorstep. But today is a significant day; don’t you understand? You were there, drinking away. It was all planned by your sister and them. If you hadn’t gotten drunk today, would this have happened? If something happened to the child, our lives would be over. I’ll go back to my parents’ house. Even if I have to beg for food, I won’t endure your family’s oppression anymore.”
Zhang Lan wasn’t without temper, but she knew that dealing with the unreasonable people in her in-laws’ family was futile. Moreover, considering her own health, getting angry with them would only harm herself. The children were still young, and they needed their mother. To ensure her children and husband had a semblance of a family, she endured everything she could and couldn’t.
Now, she not only felt a chilling emptiness but also a profound sadness. If this continued, she didn’t know how she could endure this life.
“Dad, Grandma said we have to move out. Where are we going to move?” Wang Mingcheng asked with some distress.
Wang Zhenhe, though somewhat speechless about his birth mother, couldn’t say much in front of the child. “Don’t listen to your grandma; she’s just venting. In this cold weather, we can’t live outdoors. Besides, we have Dad.”
While being assertive in front of the children, Wang Zhenhe seemed capable, but in front of his mother and siblings, he became timid. Zhang Lan didn’t dare expect him to persuade his mother to provide a house.
“Zhenhe, when Dad and Mom have built houses for eldest and second brother, We’ve also contributed to them over the years with our earnings. I’m not trying to climb up, but when you go back, can you talk to Mom about letting us continue living in that room? Once we save enough money, we’ll move out immediately. We won’t ask them for money; we’ll manage on our own. I refuse to believe that as her sons, we’ll have to sleep outdoors.”
“Well, I’ll talk to Mom when I go back. I’m also her son; she won’t be so heartless. Once her anger subsides, we can return to our original room.”
Wang Zhenhe looked around and noticed a missing child. “Mingyuan, where’s your sister?”
Mingyuan shook his head. He didn’t know where his sister had gone. He hadn’t seen her in the yard today.
“Dad, sister went to wash clothes for Aunt and Grandma. She hasn’t come back since Grandma sent her.”
Mingcheng mentioned that Grandma had sent his sister to wash clothes, and at that time, he had expressed some dissatisfaction, asking why Aunt didn’t wash her clothes herself and made their much younger niece do it. Grandma had said something at that time, claiming that Aunt was their elder, and their nieces should serve her.
“Nonsense. It’s so cold, and they sent your sister to wash clothes. What kind of people are they?” Wang Zhenhe felt some resentment towards his sister. He thought it was outrageous for her, being this old, to boss around an 11-year-old to wash their clothes. His daughter was much younger than her.
However, he still defended his sister. “Maybe your younger aunt is not feeling well. I’ll talk to her when Dad goes back.”
Zhang Lan knew the character of her younger sister-in-law but didn’t bother saying much in front of her husband. After all these years, she didn’t believe her husband was unaware of what his younger sister was like.
“Wife, go to the nurse to get your injuries bandaged. Look, your face is also injured. Don’t leave any scars,” Wang Zhenhe awkwardly said.
His wife was quite beautiful, much more so than his sisters. If her face was left with a scar, it would be difficult to explain to his mother-in-law.
“Alright, you watch the child. I’ll be back after a quick visit,” Zhang Lan replied, feeling a burning sensation on her face. She wasn’t sure how serious the injuries were, but since they were already at the hospital, it was better to address them now to avoid potential infections later.
As Zhang Lan left, their eldest daughter, Wang Xuan, rushed in, panting. “Dad, is my sister okay?”
“Well, there shouldn’t be any major issues. The doctor said to administer intravenous antibiotics first. Why are you here?” Wang Zhenhe asked, wiping the sweat from his daughter’s forehead with his sleeve. Glancing at her swollen little hand, he held it tightly, hoping to transfer some warmth to her.
“Dad, I’m fine. I’m not cold. When I came back after washing clothes, I heard from the neighbors that my sister was admitted to the hospital, so I ran all the way here. Where’s Mom? Where did she go?” Wang Xuan asked, her heart sinking upon not seeing her mother immediately.