The children from the nursery became the kings and queens of the whole family compound.

Over seventy percent of the children studied in the nursery in the morning and in the afternoon, they were taken by their class teachers to the vegetable fields behind the hill to clear the land.

The children couldn’t use hoes to till the land or use machetes to cut down trees, so they just pulled out weeds.

Tasks like loosening the soil and cutting trees were left to the comrades from the army.

There was one particular group of children who were exemplary in earning money.

The children worked enthusiastically.

It has to be said that apart from snacks, money was a real temptation for the children.

From ancient times to the present, from young to old, there’s hardly anything that money can’t solve.

If it can’t solve it, it simply means there wasn’t enough money.

Even some family members secretly went to the hill to see their children earnestly working.

They couldn’t express their feelings but felt both reluctant and relieved at the same time.

Even the director of the nursery said that having led so many children, this group of children was the most obedient and hardworking.

The director of the nursery didn’t know that this was what future generations would call “kings and queens”.

As the children busied themselves, the weather gradually got hotter.

Summer vacation arrived quietly without them realizing it.

Unfortunately, the children from the nursery didn’t have a summer vacation.

They were different from the children in future kindergartens.

If their parents were working during the holidays and had no one to take care of them, they would be sent to daycare centers.

And in this era, the nursery was similar to the daycare centers of the future, only for child supervision.

So, there was no summer vacation.

The children didn’t care about this.

The nursery was their playground. Even if it was summer vacation, they would still play together.

As the weather got hotter, Ning Shu, who had originally wanted to return to Qinglin Bay Production Brigade to dry bamboo shoots, gave up the idea.

Because it was torture to travel by train in the summer.

It was not only hot inside but also the smell was suffocating.

Last September, when the weather wasn’t as hot as it is now, she couldn’t stand the train ride, let alone now in the scorching summer.

So she decided to postpone her return to her hometown until mid-November.

By mid-November, the weather had gradually cooled down.

It wouldn’t be hot inside the train, and there wouldn’t be various sweaty smells mixed together.

But just when she was finally ready to return home in mid-November, Lin Guodong received a mission.

He had been with the army for over nine months, and he had only been on one mission in between.

Unexpectedly, now, just as she was about to leave, there was another mission.

Since Lin Guodong had to go on a mission, she naturally couldn’t leave, or else there would be no one to take care of the children.

So, her return to Qinglin Bay Production Brigade was postponed.

Ning Shu could only delay for a while longer.

That delay lasted for a month, until mid-December.

Lin Guodong still hadn’t returned, but a call from their hometown came.

“Comrades Lin Guodong and Ning Shu, there’s a call from your hometown…” a soldier shouted loudly at the gate of the courtyard.

“Here, here…” Ning Shu was inside, making cotton pants for their three children.

The kids were growing well and eating well.

The cotton pants she made last year were a bit short now, so she needed to adjust them.

She was somewhat surprised to receive a call from her hometown. Usually, Lin’s parents wouldn’t call unless it was something urgent.

Thinking this, she followed the soldier to the guard post.

Soon after Ning Shu arrived at the guard post, the phone rang. “Hello?” Ning Shu answered immediately.

“Hello… Third daughter-in-law? It’s Father.” It was Lin’s father calling.

He had wanted to talk to his son, but thinking his son might be busy or on a mission, he asked the soldier at the guard post to call him and included his daughter-in-law as well.

“Dad, it’s me. Is there something you need?” Ning Shu replied. “Guodong is on a mission and hasn’t returned yet.”

Lin’s father hesitated for a moment.

He was worried and didn’t know how Ning Shu would respond to what he had to say next.

“Third daughter-in-law, Haicai got into a fight with Zhuang Jiaxiao and was pushed into the little stream where we wash clothes.

There was nobody around at the time, and he’s young, so he was in the water for quite a while before someone found and rescued him.

The doctor in the county said there might be some problem with his lungs and advised us to take him to the city hospital. But… we don’t have enough money for this.

So, I wanted to ask if you could lend us some.”

Normally, Lin’s father wouldn’t have made this call; it would have been Lin’s Mother.

But now, both Haicai Parents and his wife were busy with Haicai’s situation, so Lin’s father had to call, feeling somewhat embarrassed about it.

But his grandson’s health was more important, so he had no choice.

Ning Shu felt a pang in her heart upon hearing Lin’s father’s words.

She hadn’t expected such an incident, especially when there were fences around the village ponds now.

“Dad, it’ll take about ten days for the money I send through the mail to reach you.

How about this: ask the county doctor if Haicai’s condition allows him to take a two-day train journey directly to the military hospital here.

The medical facilities here are better. If you come directly, it won’t delay the time for the mailed money.

If the doctor says it’s not possible, then borrow some money from the village and go to the nearest provincial hospital. I’ll send money over immediately.”

Upon hearing Ning Shu’s suggestion, Lin’s father agreed.

They hadn’t been to the provincial capital before, but for Haicai’s sake, they had to.

Lin’s father hung up the phone and hurried to the hospital.

Ning Shu wasted no time.

After ending the call, she went straight to the military hospital.

Military Hospital

The military hospital had doctors on duty 24 hours a day.

When Ning Shu entered, she asked the nurse about her nephew’s condition, “Comrade, I’d like to inquire about a lung problem. Who should I talk to?”

The nurse smiled, “You’ll need to speak with Dr. Zhang. His office is in room 205.”

“Thank you.” Ning Shu registered and went straight to room 205.

Because it was a military hospital, there were usually fewer people around.

When Ning Shu arrived at room 205, there were no patients inside, so she went straight in.

“Hello, Dr. Zhang.”

“Hello, comrade,” Dr. Zhang, a middle-aged male doctor, greeted her. “What can I help you with?”

Ning Shu explained, “Dr. Zhang, it’s about my nephew. He’s six years old and was pushed into a small stream where we wash clothes a couple of days ago…”

She recounted what Lin’s father had told her.

“Now, the doctors in the county say there’s a problem with his lungs, and they can’t treat it there.

They suggest going to a big hospital in the provincial capital. I wanted to know if we could get treatment here at our military hospital.”

Dr. Zhang, after hearing the situation, understood roughly. “This sounds like water in the lungs, which may have led to a lung infection.

We have a collaboration with the hospital in the city.

They should be able to handle it.

But this is just my speculation; I can’t confirm without seeing the patient myself. My speculation is based on your description.”

Ning Shu understood. “Thank you, Dr. Zhang. If the county hospital says they can send him here, would there be any problems on the way? It takes three days and two nights by train.”

Dr. Zhang replied, “I can’t say for sure without examining the patient.

You’ll need the doctors at the county hospital to decide. If possible, I suggest going to the provincial hospital near the county first and seeing what they say.”

Ning Shu nodded. “Thank you, doctor. I understand.”

After leaving the medical office, Ning Shu headed home.

Ning Shu heard the voice of the soldier at the guard post again: “Sister-in-law… Comrade Ning Shu, there’s another call for you.”

Ning Shu asked, “Is it from our hometown again?” It should be Lin’s father.

The soldier replied, “Yes, it’s from the same person as before.”

Ning Shu understood.

It must be Lin’s father calling to inform her about Haicai’s condition after consulting with the doctors at the county hospital.

When Ning Shu reached the guard post, after about three minutes, the phone rang again.

“Hello?” Ning Shu answered the call.

“Hello, it’s me, dad,” indeed it was Lin’s father.

“Dad, it’s me. Is there any news about Haicai? What did the doctor say?” Ning Shu asked with concern.

She was worried about Haicai’s condition as well.

“Yes. We asked the doctor. The doctor said it’s okay for Haicai to take a few days’ train journey to your place.

They’ll provide some medicine for him to take on the way, but he might feel some pain when he coughs during the journey. He’ll have to bear with it,” Lin’s father said, his eyes turning red.

His grandson was still so young, only six years old.

How could he endure such pain? “So, should we head to the military hospital next?”

Ning Shu thought for a moment and said, “I went to the military medical office earlier.

The doctors said they could treat Haicai’s condition here, but since they haven’t seen him personally, they can’t be absolutely certain about his condition.

However, they suggested that to prevent the condition from worsening, it’s best to go to the nearest provincial hospital first.

The provincial hospital’s doctors and resources are similar to ours here.

So, why not go to the provincial hospital first? I’ll go to the post office tomorrow morning to send money over.”

Lin’s father carefully considered Ning Shu’s words.

He thought what Ning Shu said made sense.

What if Haicai’s condition worsened on the way? After all, they had to take a train for several days.

Moreover, if they went to the provincial hospital, they could reach there on the same day. “Okay, we’ll go to the provincial hospital tomorrow. Today, we’ll borrow some money from the village, and we’ll repay them when your money arrives.”

Ning Shu agreed, “Alright, dad. By the way, what about Zhuang Xiaopang? How are you going to handle that?”