Chapter 54

Han Jinzhu pondered, “What should we do?”

Qian Guoguang raised an eyebrow. “Did you forget what your brother-in-law does? Recently, our funds have been tight, so we’ll need to get some money from other places.”

Han Chunguang’s eyes darkened instantly. “I see. I’ll make arrangements right away.”

The next day, Li Yuechan slept in until nearly noon. She didn’t have time to go out, instead working inside the space. There was so much to do, and it was exhausting.

That evening, at the dinner table, Li Jianguo spoke up. “Mom said she wants to celebrate her birthday tomorrow. She called me today.”

Su Lizhen frowned. “Celebrate her birthday? Didn’t she say last month that she wasn’t going to have one?”

Li Jianguo explained, “She’s been having these twitching eyelids lately, so she just wants to have a little celebration.”

Su Lizhen nodded. “Well, whether or not she celebrates, we’ll send the usual gift money on time.”

“Then I’ll take the day off tomorrow,” Li Jianguo said.

“Don’t take a leave,” Li Yuechan interrupted. “I already told Mom. It’s hard to get leave last-minute, and your factory is busy. Our steel plant also got new orders, so I can’t take a leave either. Mom said she understands, and we’ll just send Yuechan back.”

Su Lizhen thought for a moment before saying, “Alright, but I don’t have any fabric coupons left, so I can’t make her a new dress.”

“No need to make her a dress. Just give her ten yuan like we’ve always done.”

Su Lizhen nodded. “Okay.” Then she looked at her daughter, who was quietly eating. “Yuechan, do you have anything to do tomorrow?”

“No, I’m fine. I love birthday celebrations, and there’s always good food! I’ll go early tomorrow.”

Li Jianguo smiled warmly. “Yuechan, listen to Grandma when you’re there. She really cares about you.”

Li Yuechan pouted. “I know, Dad.”

After dinner, Li Yuechan went back to her room. She thought for a moment, then decided she should take care of Han Chunguang first. She couldn’t let this resentment go unresolved.

Listening for any sound, she slipped out through the window and quietly headed to the First People’s Hospital.

At midnight, the hospital was nearly empty. She hid in the space and peeked into Room 307. Han Chunguang was fast asleep, snoring loudly.

She clenched her fist, itching to punch him. But then she had a better idea. Smiling slyly, she snuck into the doctor’s office and grabbed a white coat.

Slipping into the space, she quickly changed into the coat, put on a mask, and dashed back to Room 307.

Luckily, there were no cameras around, and she wasn’t afraid.

She gently pushed open the door and tiptoed inside, squinting at the deeply sleeping Han Chunguang.

With a flick of her wrist, a silver needle appeared in her hand—one she had received from her master when she learned her craft on the mountain. She had stopped using it during the apocalypse, but had kept it close ever since.

Her lips curled into a smirk. In one swift motion, she plunged the needle into the man’s neck.

A few moments later, she withdrew the needle and quietly slipped away.

The next morning, when the nurse came in to check on Han Chunguang, she gasped. The man on the bed was foaming at the mouth, his body twitching uncontrollably.

Panicking, the nurse screamed, “Doctor, come quickly, doctor!”

Meanwhile, Li Yuechan was leisurely riding her bike toward the village.

She entered the gate and, seeing the empty courtyard, shouted, “Is anyone here?”

Her grandmother, Huang Hehua, came out from the house, shouting, “What’s all this yelling, you brat?”

Li Yuechan rubbed her ears. “Grandma, aren’t you celebrating your birthday today? Where is everyone?”

“Just because it’s my birthday, does that mean I don’t work? Come help me cook later.”

Li Yuechan parked her bike and said, “Alright, you’re the birthday star, you’re the most important!”

Huang Hehua entered the kitchen, looking at the eggs and some flour she had prepared earlier. She felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Li Yuechan widened her eyes, staring at her grandmother in disbelief. “Grandma, you even prepared a chicken!”

“Hmph, your big cousin specially caught it for us. And you, you little rascal, came back empty-handed!”

“Well, what can I do? Here, I brought this for you. Wishing you health as great as the Eastern Sea and a life as long as the Southern Mountain.”

Huang Hehua looked at the money and, grinning from ear to ear, reached out her chubby, dark hands to take it.

“Alright, you’ve got a bit of conscience after all!”

Li Yuechan looked at the dishes for the day and was actually quite impressed. She cheerfully helped Huang Hehua prepare the meal.

Huang Hehua looked at the abundance of food, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. She really didn’t want to let this little rascal eat it all. She wished she could save it all for her little grandson!

But then, she remembered the 200 yuan her son had promised her and gritted her teeth.

By noon, everyone had returned one by one.

The aroma of the meal wafted through the air, and their stomachs were already growling. They eagerly watched as their mother came out of the kitchen.

Li Jianguo quickly called out, “Mom, you’ve worked hard!”

“Hmph, let’s get ready to eat!”

Li Yuechan also came out of the kitchen. “Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Cousin-sisters, you’re back!”

“Hehe, Xiao Chan is back too.”

Huang Hehua impatiently said, “Alright, alright, go wash up and get ready to eat.”

“Okay, Mom,” they all responded.

Everyone sat down on the benches. Although they didn’t know why their mother had suddenly decided to celebrate her birthday, they were all sensible enough not to ask anything.

At the dinner table, everyone chatted and laughed.

Liu Xinghua’s eyes were darting around, and she couldn’t help but mutter to herself. “This old woman is really strange today. The food is too good, isn’t it?”

She noticed there was chicken and eggs, which was a rare treat in their house. Even if they occasionally had them, most of the time, the old lady would leave them for the little nephew in the evening.

And in the past, birthdays were always celebrated when the second son and Shengli returned at night, but today, she was being so generous and serving the whole chicken at lunch. This was really unprecedented.

But no matter what trickery was behind it, they decided to fill their stomachs first.

Everyone took turns wishing Huang Hehua well before eagerly picking up their chopsticks.

The speed at which they ate was so fast that it seemed like the chopsticks were a blur.

Li Yuechan wasn’t about to be outdone. She had worked hard in the kitchen today, and her speed at picking up food was faster than anyone else’s. In no time, her small bowl was piled high.

She ate with big mouthfuls, constantly muttering, “So delicious!”

After the meal, Li Yuechan saw that Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt had gone back to their rooms, while Li Meiling and Li Meixia started cleaning, Li Meili went to water the plants, Li Xiangdong went to fetch water, and Li Xiangxi went to feed the chickens.

She admired how quickly the whole family got busy and couldn’t help but admire her grandmother’s managerial skills.

Huang Hehua came out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of sweet water, and handed it to Li Yuechan. “Xiao Chan, this is some sugar water, drink it. Your dad said I should treat you better.”

Li Meiling and Li Meixia frowned when they heard this, puzzled. When did Grandma start being so nice?

Li Yuechan was still a bit surprised. Her grandmother actually gave her sugar water.

But after hearing the second half of the sentence and recalling what her father had said yesterday, she took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

Wow, it’s really sweet!

Huang Hehua took back the bowl and said, “Go rest in your room. You can head back in the afternoon.”

Li Yuechan nodded, preparing to take a nap before heading back.

The whole family was busy, and after finishing their tasks, they all went back to their rooms to rest.

Huang Hehua checked the time and soon came out to call, “Still sleeping? Time to work, get up!”

One by one, everyone came out of their rooms, ready to get back to work.

“Xiangdong, you don’t need to go today. You worked hard catching chickens yesterday, so take the afternoon off.”

Li Xiangdong quickly shook his head, “Grandma, I’m not tired, really, I’m fine!”

“If you’re not tired, then go tidy up your room. Look at it, it’s a mess! You’re a grown boy, how can you live like this?”

Hearing this, Li Xiangdong’s face instantly turned red. He always cleaned his room!

Li Xiangxi heard his grandmother’s words and quickly ran out. The room was where the two brothers lived.

Li Xiangdong watched his younger brother leave in a hurry, feeling a bit awkward as he looked at his grandmother. In the end, he went back to his room to clean up.

Liu Xinghua frowned, puzzled. What was this old woman up to?

Li Dajian looked at his wife, sighed, and then picked up his hoe and left.

Li Yuechan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, feeling an inexplicable restlessness in her body.

Just then, she heard a loud knock on her door.

Irritated, she got up and opened the door. “Grandma, what is it?”

“Don’t you see what time it is? Still sleeping? Your cousin fell while catching chickens yesterday and hurt his back. Go put some medicine on him.”

Li Yuechan took the red medicine and muttered, “Grandma, he was injured yesterday, why are we applying it now?”

“You silly girl, stop asking so many questions! We didn’t have it at home yesterday, but I just bought some today!”

“Okay, fine.”

Li Yuechan knocked twice on the door and, seeing it wasn’t locked, opened it with a creak.

“Cousin, I’m coming in!”

“Xiao Chan, why are you here?”

“Grandma said you fell while catching chickens yesterday and told me to apply some medicine for you.”

“It’s fine, there’s no need for medicine.”

“Cousin, don’t be careless. The injury is heating up. If you don’t apply medicine, it could get infected.”

“Just leave it there. I’ll do it myself.”

“How can you do it on your back, cousin?”

“Ah, just hurry up, stop wasting time!”

“Alright…” Li Yuechan walked up to him. Her cousin quickly took off his coat, his back to her, his face slightly flushed.

Li Yuechan glanced at the cut on his back, long but not deep, and quickly applied the red medicine.

As she finished, she looked at his tan skin, firm muscles, and broad shoulders, feeling her throat tighten. Without thinking, she swallowed.

Oh my god, had she really gotten so desperate? She couldn’t believe that she was feeling this way towards her cousin.

“Cousin, is it done?”

Li Xiangdong turned around after a while, noticing that Li Yuechan hadn’t moved. He looked at her with concern. “Xiao Chan, are you okay?”

Li Yuechan looked at his sharp features and her gaze slowly lowered to his chest, which was full of powerful muscles.

She felt a strange sensation rising within her and, before she could control it, her eyes involuntarily lifted to meet his.