An Xin gave her room a quick scan to ensure there were no safety hazards, locked the door, and prepared to leave. Just as she stepped out, her neighbor, Sister Chen, called out to her.

“Hey, An Xin, heading out again so early? Where are you off to this time?”

Sister Chen had made it her pastime to observe An Xin’s every move since her marriage to Captain Bai. She had concluded that An Xin never stayed home for a single day. Instead, she was always out and about, probably wasting Bai’s salary. Always running to the city? What a spendthrift woman.

An Xin had no intention of engaging with Sister Chen’s nosy comments. She responded plainly, “My mother is sick and in the city hospital. I’m going to take care of her.”

Seriously, some people had far too much time on their hands. Sister Chen, for example, seemed to dedicate her life to sitting at her doorstep, gossiping, and keeping tabs on others. An Xin thought that if Sister Chen spent even a fraction of that energy earning money, her family might not be in such poor financial shape.

From what An Xin had observed in her brief time in the neighborhood, Sister Chen’s family wasn’t doing well financially. And yet, she just lounged around, relying solely on her husband’s income. At this rate, her family would only continue to spiral downward.

Hearing An Xin’s response, Sister Chen’s lips curled in a mocking smile, her words dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh my, you’ve only been married a few days, and your family’s already running to the hospital.”

Sister Chen knew all about An Xin’s mother, a sickly woman who had been struggling for years. Rumor had it that she was barely clinging to life, and without An Xin’s marriage to Captain Bai, she might not have made it this far. If An Xin hadn’t married such a good man, her mother would probably already be gone.

Honestly, Bai Yichen must be exceptionally kind-hearted to allow his wife to use his hard-earned salary to support her family. What other man would tolerate such behavior? An Xin’s luck was just too good.

An Xin, of course, caught the veiled insults in Sister Chen’s words but had no interest in wasting her time arguing. She replied coldly, “It’s our family’s business. Why are you so concerned about it?”

What was this woman’s problem? Taking care of her mother didn’t cost Sister Chen a single grain of rice, nor did it dip into her pocket. Where did she get the nerve to criticize?

Not waiting for a response, An Xin strode off toward the city.

“You…” Sister Chen was left standing there, her face alternating between red and white with anger. Once An Xin was out of sight, she huffed loudly for anyone nearby to hear.

“What’s wrong with discussing it? If you don’t want people talking, don’t do it! Stop using captain Bai’s salary to prop up your sickly mother!”

“Ugh, she’s infuriating!”

Even as she walked away, An Xin could still hear Sister Chen muttering curses under her breath.

An Xin sighed inwardly. This was why it was best to avoid interacting with petty gossips—they had the energy to shout at walls if no one was listening.

By the time An Xin arrived at the provincial hospital, it was around 9 a.m. In the room, her twin younger brothers were quietly reading books while An Yang sat by Chen Hongyan’s bedside. Seeing An Xin enter, An Yang’s face lit up.

“Sister! You’re here!”

Chen Hongyan, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened her eyes when she heard An yang’s call, her gaze quickly found her daughter.

“Oh, why are you here again?” she said with a hint of reproach, though her joy was evident on her face.

An Xin smiled inwardly—her mother was all bark and no bite.

She nodded to An Yang and asked, “Of course I came. There’s nothing to do at home, so I might as well come spend time with you all. Have you eaten yet?”

Though her words were addressed to An Yang, they were clearly intended to reassure her mother, who was prone to feeling guilty about being a burden.

An Yang nodded obediently. “Yes, we’ve eaten. I made congee with the pork bone broth you left yesterday for Mom this morning.”

Last night, An Xin had prepared pork bones and left them to simmer overnight so they could make nutritious congee in the morning. Their family had been struggling for years, with everyone malnourished and frail. This was a good opportunity to help them recover, especially her brothers and sister, who were previously so skinny they looked like little bean sprouts.

Now, after just a few days of decent food, their faces were already starting to show some healthy color.

An Xin patted An Yang’s head and praised her, “Well done!”

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out steamed soup dumplings. “Look what I brought—soup dumplings! I made them myself. They’re delicious!”

The two younger twins, who had been playing boisterously, immediately froze and stared at the dumplings in her hands, their eyes wide with anticipation.

Little boys were naturally active, and the congee they had eaten earlier had long since been digested. They were now famished and practically drooling at the sight of the dumplings.

From her bed, Chen Hongyan shook her head in mock disapproval, though her expression softened.

“I told you not to spoil them, and here you are making meat dumplings for them.”

Despite her words, Chen Hongyan felt a surge of pride. An Xin was such a kind-hearted daughter, always thinking of her siblings.

But she couldn’t help worrying. How long would Bai Yichen tolerate this generosity toward her family? Would he grow tired of An Xin prioritizing her siblings and mother?