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Su Ying’s eyes narrowed slightly. In a flash, she understood: So this is why his attitude suddenly changed. Poor Chen Shuyun had actually thought he’d turned over a new leaf and accepted the two of them as family.
“I’ll think about it. You can go now.”
Su Jianshe frowned. Su Ying said she’d consider it, but why wasn’t she upset? No anger, no questions, no sadness—just a calm “I’ll think about it.” That wasn’t right.
Still, he figured he shouldn’t push too hard. He’d go home and talk to Zhao Yumei again. If Su Ying agreed to take the university entrance exam in Xiaohan’s place, then maybe she didn’t have to marry that crippled soldier. Especially with her poor health—he worried she wouldn’t live long if she did. Taking care of someone else in her condition would be asking for trouble.
Su Jianshe stood up.
“Well, I’ll head back now. Your mom has some money—have her buy you something to eat. I’ll come see you both tomorrow.”
Su Ying looked up at him and said,
“Don’t tell my mom about my condition.”
Su Jianshe nodded. For a moment, his opinion of Su Ying shifted slightly—seemed like she still cared about her mother, at least.
“Okay. Don’t forget to pick up your medicine.”
As he walked away, Su Ying lowered her gaze, sighing as she clutched the scan film in her hands.
No wonder she always had headaches. The aftereffects were serious. She really needed to start working and making money—fast. If her condition got worse, then what?
It was the 1980s. Business opportunities existed, but they all required capital. Suddenly, she realized: the “solution” Su Jianshe had mentioned earlier… might really be the most practical option to fund her treatment.
“Yingying, here’s the water.”
Chen Shuyun came over with an aluminum lunchbox, switching hands as she walked because it was hot.
“Hurry and drink. I blew on it the whole way back, so it’s not too hot now.”
Su Ying took the box but quickly set it on the wooden bench because it was scalding. She pulled Chen Shuyun’s hand over and saw her fingers were red from the heat—but thanks to the calluses, there was no burn.
“I’m fine. You drink it quickly, and we’ll go see the doctor after.”
Su Ying took a few sips, then asked,
“Where’d you get the lunchbox?”
“I borrowed it from a patient. She just finished dinner and was about to wash it, so I told her I’d wash it for her if she let me borrow it for a bit. She agreed.”
Afraid Su Ying might be picky, she quickly added that she washed it five times and scalded it with hot water to disinfect it before filling it.
Su Ying smiled, drank a bit more, then handed the rest back to Chen Shuyun.
“Mom, have some too.”
“I’m not thirsty. If you’re done, let’s go see the doctor and look at the scan.”
Su Ying insisted. With no choice, Chen Shuyun drank the remaining water and then helped Su Ying up.
“Let’s check the scan first. I’ll return the lunchbox afterward.”
Su Ying gently pulled her back.
“Mom, I already found a doctor to look at it. We don’t need to go again.”
“You already saw a doctor?”
Chen Shuyun looked at her anxiously.
“What did they say? What about the blood clot?”
Su Ying smiled.
“There’s no blood clot. Nothing serious. Don’t worry.”
“No blood clot? But didn’t the county hospital say—”
“They were just guessing based on experience. They didn’t even do a scan. Now that we’ve done one, there’s nothing there.”
Chen Shuyun let out a long sigh of relief and broke into a smile as she looked at her daughter.
“So… that means you’re okay? It’s not something serious, right?”
Su Ying nodded and looped her arm through her mother’s, walking with her.
“Right. Just a minor issue. We’ll go home, take some medicine, and I’ll be fine.”
Back at home, Su Jianshe rushed in. Zhao Yumei had already finished cooking dinner. Seeing the three dishes and one soup on the table, he quickly went to wash his hands.
“Braised pork tonight? Your cooking smells amazing—I could smell it all the way down the hall.”
Su Xiaohan came out of her bedroom, smiling as she helped set the table.
“Dad, Mom made this especially for you. She wouldn’t even let me touch it before you got home. She really dotes on you.”
Su Jianshe picked up a piece of meat and put it in her bowl before turning to Zhao Yumei.
“No need to wait for me next time. Let Xiaohan eat first—she studies hard and needs good nutrition.”
Zhao Yumei took off her apron and sat down.
“She’s not lacking anything—she gets all the eggs and meat she needs. But our Xiaohan is so considerate, she always saves some for you.”
Su Jianshe looked at Xiaohan fondly and, once again, thought of Su Ying. From the moment they met, that girl had never smiled at him—always cold or hostile. Completely unlikable.
“By the way, how’s that daughter of yours? Her injury serious?”
With a steamed bun in hand, Su Jianshe sighed.
“Not great. External head injury, but it’s left her with some neurological aftereffects. Frequent headaches, dizziness… the doctor said she might even experience vomiting or fainting spells. If it gets worse, it could lead to paralysis or epilepsy. Needs long-term medication and regular checkups.”
Xiaohan looked up.
“Dad, is Sister really that badly hurt?”
Zhao Yumei glared at her.
“What sister? You’re our only daughter. Where’d you get another sister from?”
Xiaohan quietly looked at her father, signaling her mother to stop, but Zhao Yumei just scoffed.
“Am I wrong, Su Jianshe? How many times have you even met that girl? Some bumpkin from the countryside—how could she be Xiaohan’s sister?”
Su Jianshe chuckled awkwardly and said to Xiaohan,
“Your mom’s right. You don’t have to call her ‘sister.’”
Xiaohan pursed her lips and sat down but still tugged gently on Zhao Yumei’s arm.
“Mom, that’s enough. Let’s eat.”
Seeing how Xiaohan always thought of him, Su Jianshe’s heart softened even more toward this daughter who wasn’t his by blood. Compared to Su Ying, Xiaohan was far more lovable. He firmly believed he’d made the right choice—Xiaohan was the one he could count on.
Xiaohan ate a bun and a few pieces of braised pork before saying she was full.
“I’m going back to my room to study.”
Su Jianshe looked pleased.
“With how hard you study, Xiaohan, you’re sure to get into a top university.”
Zhao Yumei beamed.
“Of course. She’s going to land a stable job with benefits. Maybe she’ll even stay in Jiangcheng. You’ll be depending on your daughter in the future.”
Su Jianshe nodded with a smile.
“Absolutely. We’ll make sure she finishes school. Once she’s working in the system, our family’s going to enjoy some real benefits.”
Inside her room, Xiaohan sat at her desk, thinking hard about the past.
She’d never cared much about Su Ying… until she failed the college entrance exam—didn’t even get into a junior college. But Su Ying had gotten accepted.
That’s when her mother suggested she take Su Ying’s place, and Xiaohan had thought it was a brilliant plan.
But on the day she went to register, Su Ying made a scene at the education bureau, got the official involved fired, and even caused her father to lose his job as factory director. He’d been dismissed from the textile plant.
And her mother—thanks to her domineering ways in the factory—had made a lot of enemies. They took the chance to retaliate, and she lost her job too.