Chapter 4

Xu Di insisted, so her mother, Li Hua, went back to work. She left her with ration coupons and money, telling her to go to the canteen for lunch.

This was the era of planned economy, where many things were not available even if you had money.

Xu Di, because she was hospitalized, had hospital food to eat. She went to check it out at noon.

After her mother left, Xu Di lay in bed, closing her eyes and resting, thinking about her future.

Wang Lan left Xu Di’s ward and returned to her grandson’s ward.

“Mom, how is that girl?”

“She’s been saved, but she suffered a lot. The nurses said that yesterday, the child stopped breathing for a while, and then she was saved. This is a great kindness!”

Wang Lan was still afraid when she thought about it. If she hadn’t been saved, her grandson would have carried the burden of a life on his shoulders for the rest of his life, it would have been too heavy.

“It’s a great kindness, we need to thank her properly. Mom, how old is that girl, what can we do for her?”

“She’s seventeen years old, she’s going to start her second year of high school in September.”

These things were mentioned by Xu Di’s mother when they were chatting.

“She’s still in school, this is tricky, we can’t just give her money, right?”

“No, we can’t do that, she wouldn’t accept it. Xu Di, the girl who saved Kangkang, her parents are both regular workers in the Red Star Machinery Factory in Beijing.”

Wang Lan worked for the Women’s Federation, she was good at chatting about family matters.

“Then what should we do, we can’t just pretend nothing happened?”

“Let’s see, if this child is of good character, we can give her the job position left by your father-in-law, as a way of repaying her for saving Kangkang’s life.”

There was only Kangkang in the ward, so the mother and grandmother could talk without worrying about being overheard, but they deliberately lowered their voices.

“Mom, that was my father’s compensation from the company after his sacrifice.”

“It’s okay, our family is small, we’ve been a single-child family for generations, Liang Bo doesn’t have any siblings, and there are no close relatives. Using Kangkang’s grandfather’s favor to save the child from disaster is worth it.”

Wang Lan thought it through, they didn’t have any close friends or relatives, they couldn’t rely on anyone for this.

A job at this time was extremely valuable.

Xu Di didn’t know that the problem she was worrying about was about to be solved.

In the afternoon, Kangkang’s mother, Yan Fangfang, brought a net bag full of food to Xu Di’s ward.

“Xu Di, I’m Kangkang’s mother.”

“Hello, sister, I’m fine now, I’ll be discharged tomorrow. Don’t worry about this, just take good care of your nephew, he’s so young, he must have been scared.”

Xu Di quickly sat up. This family was really polite, but it was understandable. Although Xu Di had finished her tribulation and returned to the Nine Heavens, she had truly stopped breathing at that time.

“Xu Di, you saved my son, I will never forget this. You’re still young, you may not understand a mother’s feelings.”

Thinking about her son’s lifeless face when he was rescued, her heart still trembled.

Xu Di thought, she had also been a mother, how could she not understand a mother’s feelings?

She had raised her son from a baby, and when he was sick, she wished she could feel his pain for him.

“You must be a good mother, your nephew is blessed, he has a good mother, just like me.”

Xu Di wasn’t lying, her mother was really good to all her children, she didn’t favor any of them, she tried to treat them equally.

She was a little more fond of the original Xu Di because she hadn’t grown up with her and felt a little guilty.

“Girl, we’ll visit often from now on. Eat more of these, it’s good for your health. When your nephew gets better, I’ll take him to your house to meet you.”

Although Yan Fangfang had met Xu Di for the first time, she felt good about her, and it was comfortable to be around her.

How could it not be comfortable? In her previous life, Xu Di was over forty years old and also a mother, they could connect on a deeper level.

Yan Fangfang was worried about her son and didn’t say much. She left a net bag full of food and left.

Xu Di looked at the food items that were typical of this era, it was quite complete: malted milk, canned peaches, peach cookies, and milk powder.

In the evening, Xu Di’s father and mother came with Xu Di’s younger brother, Xu Jun.

“Xu Di, how are you? Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“Mom, I’m fine, I’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

“We’ll wait until the doctor checks you tomorrow, then we’ll discharge you.”

Xu Di’s mother made the final decision, and Xu Di could only agree.

“Second Sister, are you scared?”

Xu Jun was seven years younger than Xu Di, he was ten years old this year. At that time, her mother was injured when she gave birth to Xu Di, and they thought she couldn’t have any more children.

Unexpectedly, she got pregnant again when she was over thirty.

What could they do, they had to give birth to him.

“I didn’t think about it that much, but the lake water going down my throat was really uncomfortable.”

“Then I have to be careful from now on, I can’t fall into the water.”

Xu Jun patted his chest. His second sister was the most capable in the family, she could go up mountains and down rivers. If she said it was uncomfortable, it must have been really bad.

“Yes, be careful, don’t go to places where the water is deep, especially don’t go swimming alone.”

The siblings discussed for a while, Xu Di’s mother looked at the time and told her husband to take their son back. She would stay with her daughter tonight.

“Mom, you go back too, there’s no place to stay here, you have to go to work tomorrow. These things were sent by Sister Yan, Aunt Wang’s daughter-in-law, you can take them back too.

If the doctor says I can be discharged tomorrow, I’ll go home directly. Don’t worry, I’m so old now, I can take care of myself.”

Xu Di reassured her mother again and again, and her mother finally didn’t insist. Seeing her condition, she was recovering well.

Xu Di couldn’t sleep all night. She got up in the morning, packed her things, and waited for the doctor to come for rounds.

“You’re recovering well, you can be discharged.”

“Thank you, doctor, thank you for your help.”

Xu Di thanked the doctor and then went to say goodbye to Aunt Wang and the others. “Aunt Wang, Sister Yan, the doctor said I’m fine and can be discharged. How is your nephew, is he feeling better?”

“He’s much better, he was probably scared, he still has a little fever.”

Yan Fangfang looked at Xu Di, who was full of energy, and her heart finally settled down.

“Kangkang, is your name Kangkang? Do you remember your aunt? We fought monsters together in the lake, you were very brave, you chased away the monsters.”

“Fought monsters, really? I don’t remember, I only remember it was so uncomfortable, so dark.”

“Of course it’s true, your aunt even got hurt, look.”

Xu Di raised her arm, she didn’t know how she got it, but there was a long cut on it.

“Really? So I was fighting monsters, I’m as strong as Sun Wukong, I’m not afraid anymore.”

The little boy on the bed, three or four years old, his face flushed with excitement, truly believed that he was a hero who had defeated the monsters.

“You are a hero who defeated the monsters, you don’t need to be afraid, only monsters are afraid of us.”

Xu Di understood, it was natural for a child to be scared after suddenly falling into the water.

Such a young child, being frightened, can be difficult, and if it’s serious, it can lead to fever, even convulsions and seizures. Her son had been scared like that when he was little.

“Aunt, are you leaving?”

“Yes, your aunt is going home, we’ve already defeated the monsters. You have to work hard too, go home soon.”

“Okay, I’m not afraid anymore, I want to go home soon too.”

The little guy was quite cute, Xu Di reached out and high-fived him.

“Aunt Wang, Sister Yan, I’m going home, I hope Kangkang is healthy and strong, just like his name.”

“Thank you, Xu Di.”

Xu Di waved goodbye and left with her things.

The sun was shining brightly in August in Beijing, it was really hot.

Xu Di followed the memories in her mind, left the hospital, got on the bus home, and went to a place that was both unfamiliar and familiar, starting a new life.

In this life, she wanted to live differently, she didn’t want to live the lonely and angry life she had with one person, she would rather choose someone who was always away from home and sent his salary back home.

Xu Di knew that getting married was unavoidable in the 1970s.

So she would choose someone who was always away from home, sent his salary back home, and build a family with him, living a life of wealth and leisure.

She would have two lovely children, she loved children, and she couldn’t be without them in this life.