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Wang Qian shifted her position. “Mom, I wasn’t suggesting anything negative. I haven’t finished explaining yet. Let’s build a bigger house for Grandma. In the future, our family members can have the opportunity to stay near the seaside. Who knows, the seaside might become a desirable location, and property prices could soar. Expanding our housing options isn’t a bad idea. We could even consider buying a house from someone else.”
She remembered how in the future, seaside developments were incredibly lucrative, with property prices rapidly increasing. If they were fortunate enough to be part of such development, they might end up living in an apartment building.
With New Year’s Eve approaching, Geng Lianhua didn’t want her daughters staying by her side all day. She wanted them to be active and not tired for the next day.
“Well, let’s discuss this later. Both of you go to sleep now. Tomorrow, we all need to rise early for the festivities. We need to celebrate the New Year properly, with the young and old in the family. Did you also buy new clothes for Chen Xu, that child? Yesterday, he was running around the house, and thankfully he kept me busy. Otherwise, your father and Old Chen wouldn’t have had the energy,” Geng Lianhua remarked.
Assisting her mother to lie down, Zhang Lan reassured her, “Mom, don’t worry. Everything is prepared. Just relax and enjoy the New Year.”
After seeing the couple off from the space, Wang Qian climbed into bed to keep her grandmother company. “Grandma, if you feel uncomfortable, just let me know. I’ll bring you some fruit juice to sip on.”
Geng Lianhua spent the night in this magical place, feeling somewhat relieved. Before dawn, she woke her grandaughter by her side.
“Qianqian, help Grandma out. I need to use the restroom,” she requested.
Wang Qian, still groggy, jokingly suggested, “Grandma, just go pee in the field.”
Geng Lianhua quickly rebuked, “Girl, we can’t do that. This place is special. We mustn’t disrespect it, or we might get struck by lightning.”
The mention of being struck by lightning startled Wang Qian, as she remembered that the space was granted to her because of a lightning strike. She swiftly got dressed and helped Geng Lianhua out of the space.
Zhang Lan and the others were awake, getting dressed. Upon seeing Geng Lianhua emerge, they rushed to assist her. “Mom, how are you feeling?” Zhang Lan inquired.
Geng Lianhua shook her head, “I’m fine. I feel quite good. Help me to the restroom. Qianqian, don’t go out in this cold weather and risk freezing.”
As the mother and daughter left, Wang Qian learned from Wang Zhenhe that her grandmother had a malignant tumor in her esophagus and was currently inoperable.
“Dad, should we inform my uncle about Grandma’s condition?” Wang Qian inquired. She was concerned about the situation and the possible outcomes if even the space couldn’t ensure her grandmother’s recovery.
Wang Zhenhe shook his head, “Your grandma and grandpa don’t want your uncle to know yet. Let’s wait and see. If there’s no improvement, we can reconsider. After all, leaving the military isn’t simple; he’ll need to take leave. Let’s not rush things for now.”
Assisting Geng Lianhua back inside, they noticed she was a bit hungry. She hadn’t eaten properly for some time, having only had a liquid diet the night before. With her bladder now empty, her stomach was practically devoid of food.
“Daughter, I’m hungry. Can you get me something to eat?” Geng Lianhua requested.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan felt delighted. “Alright, I’ll prepare something for you. Qianqian, bring out some fruits and persimmons. I’ll mash them up for Grandma to drink.”
Since she had made a good amount of fried noodles the previous night, they could use them to make a drinkable mixture.
After feeding Geng Lianhua the warm porridge, she didn’t experience any nausea this time. This brought great joy to Zhang Lan, as she knew that if her mother could eat, her recovery would progress. Her biggest fear was that her mother wouldn’t be able to eat.
“Mom, take your medicine again. It’ll help speed up your recovery,” Zhang Lan suggested.
After finishing the medicine, Zhang Lan helped her mother lie down again while she and her husband continued preparing for the New Year festivities.
In the morning, Ming Cheng and the others gathered around Geng Lianhua, each sitting obediently by her side, sharing amusing stories to lift her spirits.
“Third Aunt, I came to bring you some things. Yesterday, no one was home, so I collected a package for you,” Liu Hui announced as she entered with a load of items, accompanied by her husband, Wang Shibao.
“Aunt, how is your mother doing? Yesterday, Auntie mentioned your mother’s illness. It’s so unexpected for her to fall ill out of the blue,” Liu Hui inquired, as she and her husband approached to check on Geng Lianhua.
Geng Lianhua, feeling weak, apologized as she conversed briefly with the couple before they left. After bidding farewell to Liu Hui and her husband, Zhang Lan carefully examined the packages sent over. There were parcels from Zuo He to her daughter, some from Zuo Hao and others for the siblings, as well as packages from the elderly men in the family, including gifts from the eldest and second brothers of the Zuo family.
The family gathered on the kang, opening the parcels to inspect their contents. Wang Qian discovered that her package was filled with stamps, bringing her immense joy. Fortunately, the stamps were not severely damaged despite being packed alongside cardboard by Zuo Zhanshan.
The elderly men and other relatives from the Zuo family had sent clothes and some food items, along with letters suggesting they hadn’t had enough honey and would appreciate more if possible.
There was also a parcel from Hao Lianchun to Grandpa Chen, containing brand new clothes inside and out.
“Uncle, take a look. Auntie sent this to you. Here, these are for you and your grandson,” Zhang Lan handed over the two sets of brand new clothes to the grandfather and grandson. Chen Xu looked surprised, while Grandpa Chen calmly accepted the gift.
“Auntie, I don’t know how to thank you. Thank you so much,” Chen Xu expressed gratefully.
Chen Xu felt emotional, his heart filled with waves of emotions. Since he defied his parents and came here, his family had almost cut off contact with him. Thankfully, living with the Wang family ensured he didn’t have to worry about food and drink. Otherwise, with the current situation, he couldn’t have avoided hunger.
He understood the situation of his classmates in the rural work point better than anyone. Everyone had limited rations, and exceeding them meant consuming their future food supply. Overeating meant drinking cold water for the next half month.
Zhang Lan comforted him with a pat on the shoulder, “Xiao Xu, we are family. Please don’t be shy. Learn from your grandfather and consider this place your home.”
The grandfather affectionately patted his grandson’s shoulder, “My Niece, I don’t need to work now. Starting today, I’ll teach Chen Xu’s classmates. Let Mingcheng join in as well. This way, we can save time, and in the evenings, I’ll provide extra tutoring for the two of them. This way, the children will grasp the concepts better.”
Zhang Lan hoped the children could learn more. With enough firewood at home, Mingcheng could go and learn from his grandfather when he had free time.
Meanwhile, Mingyuan and Wang Qian kept Geng Lianhua company on the kang, engaging in conversation. Wang Xuan, now a grown-up, helped her mother with cooking duties.
Wang Qian prepared a cup of honey water for her grandmother to drink as water. After helping her drink it, Mingyuan gently wiped Geng Lianhua’s mouth, making her very happy. “Our Mingyuan has grown up; he can take care of Grandma now.”
Mingyuan, feeling protective, said, “Grandma, just wait. I’ll find a way to deal with Zhou Ping. If Zuo He and the others were here, the four of us could confront that troublemaker without any issues.”
Geng Lianhua’s illness had fueled a strong resentment in Mingyuan’s young heart towards Zhou Ping. He yearned to vent his frustrations, knowing his grandmother had treated them well, unlike the superficially pleasant yet cunning Zhu Qiyu.
“Silly child, don’t get involved with that troublemaker. She’s unstable and unpredictable. What’s there to fear from her? She has little restraint left, and you’ll end up getting hurt if you confront her,” Geng Lianhua cautioned Mingyuan.
Mingyuan turned to Wang Qian, asking, “Sister, do we have any ideas? We can’t just stand by and watch Grandpa suffer.”
Wang Qian had pondered this issue before. It was indeed a challenging situation, as legal recourse was limited, and even involving the authorities might not yield a lasting solution.
Moving away was an option, but the elderly couple was attached to their home – leaving their homeland was not easy. They both felt somewhat perplexed. “Brother, I haven’t figured out a good solution either. Let’s think about this slowly. There will be a way eventually,” Wang Qian suggested.
Feeling disappointed that even his usually resourceful sister couldn’t come up with a solution, Mingyuan decided to ponder the issue further on his own.
At noon, Zhang Wanyou hurried over, concerned about his wife. He needed to see her with his own eyes to feel reassured.
“Dad, why did you come? Come inside quickly. It’s freezing out here. Since you’re here, why not stay and celebrate the New Year with us before going back?” Zhang Lan urged, ushering her father inside.
Reluctantly, Zhang Wanyou entered the house. Seeing his wife looking better than the day before on the kang, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. “Darling, how are you feeling? Can you eat anything?” This was his main concern – not eating for a week could be detrimental, but if she could eat, there was hope for recovery.
Geng Lianhua felt touched seeing her husband rush over. “I’m much better now. Why did you come on such a cold day? If there were any issues, the kids would have informed you. Did you eat dinner last night and breakfast this morning?” she inquired.
The old man nodded with a smile. “I did. I went to our neighbor’s house for a meal. I didn’t just freeload; I gave them some oil from our home, enough for them for a while. I asked them to help feed our pigs, so I could stay here and accompany you. I hope I did the right thing,” he replied cautiously, wary of his wife’s reaction regarding the oil.
Geng Lianhua, knowing about the special space her granddaughter had, didn’t mind about the oil at all. She had seen the soybeans growing inside, which were far more valuable than cooking oil.
“Well done. We shouldn’t accept favors without giving something in return,” Geng Lianhua praised her husband.
As she began to vomit again, Zhang Wanyou hurriedly helped by patting her back and cleaning up the mess. Wang Qian then helped Geng Lianhua rinse her mouth and offered more honey water. Continuous vomiting without eating would be detrimental.