At Liangzhou City Hospital

This wasn’t the first time Chuxia had been to this hospital, but it was her first time visiting a patient here.

Luo Chuming was lying on the bed, wrapped entirely in bandages, making it impossible to recognize him.

If Wang Yulan hadn’t been leading her, Chuxia wouldn’t have realized that this was her brother.

“Chuxia, look at your brother. If you don’t help him, what will happen to him?” Wang Yulan’s tears had not stopped the entire journey.

Chuxia sat with her on the bus, attracting the attention of many people.

Eventually, Chuxia moved to the back, letting her cry as much as she wanted.

“I’m not a doctor. How am I supposed to save him? Looking at him, you should be asking the doctors. I’ve seen him now, so I’m leaving.”

Chuxia wasn’t planning to stay in the ward for long.

She came mainly to avoid gossip since it was her brother who was hospitalized.

But staying there wouldn’t help; she didn’t know how to take care of Luo Chuming.

The ward wasn’t empty.

Luo Dafu was there too.

Hearing Chuxia’s words, he stood up from the corner and angrily pointed at her. “Do you have no conscience? Your brother is in this state, and you can say such things!”

Chuxia didn’t want to argue with him, so she turned to leave.

Despite Luo Chuming’s condition, it seemed he wasn’t in critical danger; otherwise, Wang Yulan wouldn’t have had the energy to come find her.

“Chuxia.” Wang Yulan quickly grabbed her, her face full of worry. “We’ve run out of money. We still haven’t paid off your brother’s hospital bills…”

Chuxia pulled away from Wang Yulan’s grasp, looked at her, then at the furious Luo Dafu, and laughed. “Mom, so you came to ask for money again. The few thousand yuan you took from me before—I only got 500 back. Do you think I have any more money?”

Chuxia frowned and sighed. “I want to help, Mom, but I still have to support my family and kids. Zhengnian isn’t home either. You can’t push me to the brink just for my brother.”

This wasn’t a private ward.

There were many other patients in the room.

Initially, Chuxia’s attitude made others look at her as if she was cold-hearted.

But after her words, their gazes shifted again, this time with disapproval towards Wang Yulan and Luo Dafu.

Forcing a daughter to support a son, even after she had already given so much to her family, was too biased.

No wonder the daughter didn’t want to help—they wouldn’t either.

Chuxia seemed oblivious to those looks as she continued, “If it were you or Dad lying in that hospital bed, I’d contribute money no matter how hard it was, along with my siblings. But this is my brother, and both you and Dad have jobs. It’s not my responsibility to pay. Besides, he made a lot of money from transportation work before. Mom, you can’t hide the money and still expect me to pay.”

This strategic retreat won Chuxia the support of others in the ward.

Wang Yulan was at a loss for words, her eyes filled with resentment as she turned to cry in Luo Dafu’s arms.

Luo Dafu’s eyebrows shot up, ready to explode, but Chuxia interrupted him, “Dad, there are other patients in the ward who need to rest. Please keep your voice down. Since you’re here with Chuming, you don’t need me. I have to go pick up my son from school, so I’ll be leaving.”

With that, she turned and left without any hesitation. Luo Dafu wanted to shout in anger, but Chuxia’s words were like a stopper, choking his fury in his throat.

He cared a lot about his image, and the eyes of the other patients and their families were all on him, making his face turn red with suppressed anger.

Chuxia didn’t know that not long after she left, her eldest brother and sister-in-law came over after work.

They directly asked Wang Yulan if she had gotten any money from Chuxia.

Wang Yulan had a worried look on her face, and with a long sigh, she looked at Luo Chuming anxiously and said, “She said she doesn’t have any money.”

Her eldest brother frowned but said nothing, though it was clear he didn’t want to contribute money either.

His wife wasn’t as polite, letting out a cold “hmph” and saying, “If she doesn’t have money, we don’t have money either. Mom, didn’t our younger brother always brag about making big money before? Where did all that money go?”

Wang Yulan grew even more distressed, casting a resentful glance at her daughter-in-law. “Chuming kept all his money himself, and now that he’s lying here unconscious, I don’t know where it is.”

She was telling the truth.

If she had Luo Chuming’s money in her hands, she wouldn’t be looking at her children’s faces like this.

None of them were filial.

Her eldest son might have been obedient, but all the money in his household was controlled by his wife—useless!

She shouldn’t have raised him to be so weak.

He was of no help in critical times.

Neither of her daughters were useful either—one had her money controlled by her mother-in-law, and the other spoke nicely but didn’t give a cent.

Her daughter-in-law didn’t believe Wang Yulan’s words and was just there to bring food. “Mom, then you should go ask the transportation team. Also, our younger brother got into this situation while working for them. Don’t they have any responsibility?”

She was of the mind that as long as she didn’t have to pay, she could offer suggestions.

Whether her mother-in-law could get any money depended on her abilities.

After her in-laws finished their meal, she took the food containers and left, unwilling to stay a minute longer.

Her eldest son didn’t say a word the whole time.

He just squatted in the corner, and when his wife left, he followed.

This infuriated Wang Yulan to no end.

Luo Dafu had to return to work in the afternoon, but Wang Yulan had taken leave.

He couldn’t keep taking time off—no work meant no pay, and where would the money come from?

Wang Yulan eventually went to the transportation team.

She had no choice; someone had to pay her son’s hospital bills.

People might say she loved her son, but spending money still pained her.

In reality, she was the most selfish person in the Luo family.

Chuxia didn’t go straight home after leaving the ward.

Since she was at the hospital, she decided to visit Dr. Li Guanzhong for a follow-up. It was about time for her check-up anyway.

Dr. Li liked Chuxia as a patient.

She was obedient, and her recovery was one of the best and fastest he’d seen.

Of course, Chuxia herself was a doctor, so she knew exactly what kind of patient doctors preferred.

Dr. Li adjusted her prescription slightly to better suit her current condition.

After getting her medicine, Chuxia finally headed home.

Since she said she was going to pick up An’an, Chuxia dropped the medicine at home and leisurely walked toward the affiliated elementary school.

The heavy snow from last time had long since melted, but there were still small patches of white snow by the roadside that hadn’t completely thawed.

Icicles hung in rows from the eaves on both sides of the road.

Some playful young people would jump up and knock down a large piece as they walked by.

Chuxia wrapped herself tightly, exposing only her eyes.

She was particularly sensitive to the cold these days and always bundled up before going out.

Seeing others knock down icicles, she was tempted to join in but lacked the ability.

The school was nearby, and it didn’t take long for Chuxia to arrive.

The students hadn’t been dismissed yet, but several vendors selling snacks and toys were already set up at the entrance.

There were also stalls selling sugar-coated hawthorns and other treats popular with kids.

The sugar-coated hawthorns at that time didn’t have many varieties—just pure hawthorn, bright red and especially tempting.

Chuxia couldn’t resist and bought six sticks, holding five in one hand and eating one with the other as she waited at the school gate for Cen Huai’an.

She had only eaten two when the sound of a bell rang out, and the previously quiet campus erupted with the chatter and laughter of students, making the place lively.

“An’an!” Chuxia called out, waving the hand holding five sticks of sugar-coated hawthorns when she saw Cen Huai’an and his friends walking out.

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

Cen Huai’an, who had been expressionless, suddenly brightened up at the sight of Chuxia.

He ran over and looked up at her. “Mom!”

Chuxia smiled and stuffed a candied hawthorn skewer into Cen Huai’an’s mouth. “Is it sweet?”

Cen Huai’an took the skewer in his hand, bit into one, and nodded emphatically. “Sweet.”

“Bangzi, this is for you all.” Chuxia waved at Bangzi and handed the remaining skewers to the group.

“Thank you, Auntie!”

The kids didn’t hold back and started munching eagerly.

The cat-eyed kid grinned widely. “Auntie, it’s really sweet!”

Chuxia laughed along with them. “If you like it, I’ll buy you more next time.”

She then asked Cen Huai’an if he was planning to sell things with Bangzi and the others this afternoon.

She noticed Bangzi had already set up his stall while eating his skewer.

If An’an wanted to join, she would wait for him, skip cooking, and eat at the state-run restaurant.

Cen Huai’an held Chuxia’s hand and said, “Mom, I’m not selling today. Let’s go home.”

He waved to Bangzi, who understood and waved back, signaling him to leave.

On their way home, Chuxia noticed Cen Huai’an wasn’t wearing gloves.

She took a pair out of his backpack and put them on him. “Do you want to freeze your hands off even more?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head; he’d just forgotten.

The original Chuxia and Cen Huai’an always suffered from frostbite every winter because they didn’t protect themselves well.

Aware of this, Chuxia had bought medicinal ingredients at the first sign of cold weather and made an effective ointment for frostbite.

She applied it on both herself and Cen Huai’an every morning and evening.

Thanks to her diligent care, she hadn’t suffered from frostbite on her hands, face, or feet this year.

However, Cen Huai’an often forgot to wear his gloves, especially when selling things.

Despite Chuxia’s best efforts, his little finger and ring finger were red and swollen with frostbite, though it wasn’t as severe as before.

Seeing this, Chuxia was furious and docked ten “little red flowers” from his reward chart, warning him that he had to protect his hands or lose more.

Cen Huai’an still occasionally forgot his gloves, but when his hands got cold, he would stuff them into his pockets.

Except when selling, he managed to avoid worsening his frostbite.

Cen Huai’an obediently let Chuxia put on his gloves, continuing to hold her hand and eat his candied hawthorn, feeling the sweetness in his heart as well as his mouth.

“Mom, why did you come to pick me up today?”

Chuxia hadn’t picked Cen Huai’an up from school in a long time; he usually walked home with other kids from the residential area or with Bangzi and his group.

When Cen Zhengnian had been around, he’d done the school runs for a while.

After he left, Chuxia stopped picking him up.

“I missed you, so I came to pick you up.”

Even though he knew his mom was just saying that to make him happy, Cen Huai’an couldn’t help but smile, feeling like his candied hawthorn tasted even sweeter.

When Chuxia returned to the factory that afternoon, one of the well-informed women asked her, “I heard your brother is in the hospital. How is he? Is it serious?”

Chuxia sighed. “He’s not in critical condition, but there’s no telling when he’ll wake up.”

Someone asked how he’d ended up so badly injured.

Chuxia shook her head. “I don’t know. My mom was upset and didn’t say much.”

But she could guess what had happened. Injuries from working in transportation, especially severe ones, usually meant getting ambushed by robbers.

This was the risk of working in transportation; the roads were poorly policed, and sometimes entire villages would work together to rob passing trucks.

It was a lucrative but dangerous job, with drivers always on edge, knowing their lives were at stake.

Seeing that Chuxia had nothing more to offer, the women shifted the conversation to other topics.

The office was always filled with gossip when things were slow.

Chuxia didn’t participate in these conversations, quietly sitting in the corner to memorize her study notes.

Before New Year’s, the sixth school had held its midterm exams, and Chuxia ranked second in the entire school, just two points behind the first-place student.

The top student, Wang Chaoxi, got visibly nervous every time she saw Chuxia, lowering her head and studying even harder, terrified that Chuxia would surpass her next time.

Chuxia wasn’t obsessed with being first; she just wanted to bring her grades to an ideal level to secure admission to her desired university.

After work, Chuxia saw someone selling sweet potatoes and bought two jin. She prepared dinner and then placed the sweet potatoes on the coal stove to roast.

By the time they finished dinner and cleaned up, the entire hallway was filled with the sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes.

When Chuxia went out to get them, she noticed two of the sweet potatoes were missing, and they were the largest ones.

She widened her eyes and searched around the stove but couldn’t find them.

“An’an?” Chuxia called Cen Huai’an over and pointed at the coal stove. “Didn’t I put four sweet potatoes on here?”

Cen Huai’an frowned at the stove, where only two sweet potatoes remained, and nodded with certainty. “Yes, there were four.”

“That’s odd. Why are there only two now?”

In the residential area, everyone cooked outside, leaving their doors open while they prepared meals and then bringing the food inside.

It was rare for food to be stolen unless left outside for too long.

Some people had sticky fingers and might grab something if left unattended, but most neighbors were honest and would say something if they took food, knowing that sharing among neighbors was a common courtesy.

Chuxia was sure someone had taken her two large sweet potatoes when she’d briefly closed the door to eat.

Aunt Li, hearing the commotion, came out and saw Chuxia looking upset. “What happened?”

Chuxia pointed at the two remaining sweet potatoes on the stove and said, “My roasted sweet potatoes… someone took two.”

Sister Li obviously saw this kind of thing often and said to her, “When you’re making something outside, you must keep the door open and watch it. Otherwise, if there are greedy kids or adults passing by, they might take it.”

Before early summer, Chu Xia had never lost any food and didn’t pay much attention.

But after today, she would definitely be more careful.

She put the remaining two sweet potatoes into a bowl, carried them inside, and said to Cen Huai’an, “Even though we don’t know who stole the food, stealing is a very bad behavior. An’an, remember, no matter how good someone else’s things are, you must not touch them. This is a matter of character!”

Cen Huai’an replied, “Mom, I won’t!”

His tone was very firm, but he also remembered that he had once secretly taken someone else’s food when he was hungry, and his ears turned a bit red.

“Mom,” Cen Huai’an said quietly to Chu Xia, “Will you blame me if I made a mistake before?”

He was afraid his mom would dislike him if she found out he had stolen food before.

Chu Xia patted his head and gently combed his hair, saying, “People can’t always avoid making mistakes. You were so young before and didn’t understand things. I hadn’t taught you, so it’s normal to make mistakes. As long as you don’t make the same mistake again, don’t worry. Mom will never blame you. The worst that will happen is losing your little red flower!”

Cen Huai’an immediately covered his notebook on the table and shouted, “Mom! I won’t make mistakes again!”

Chu Xia laughed heartily and said, “You’ve said that so many times already.”

Cen Huai’an still made mistakes when it was time to, but they were minor mistakes, like secretly watching TV or being lazy and not wanting to write big characters.

These are things every child does when they are young, and Chu Xia didn’t care about them at all.

Cen Huai’an knew Chu Xia was making fun of him, and he snorted softly, silently resolving not to let his mom catch him making mistakes again!

The roasted sweet potatoes were fragrant, sweet, and sticky, melting in the mouth, and with honey dripping out.

Chu Xia and Cen Huai’an finished one, regretting even more the two sweet potatoes that were stolen.

A few days after Cen Huai’an’s resolve to avoid mistakes, he was called to school by the teacher.

Chu Xia took leave to go to the school and saw him with his head down, standing with a sobbing little girl in the teacher’s office.

Chu Xia was shocked.

Could it be that her son had fought with the little girl and made her cry?

An’an wasn’t the kind of child to bully little girls; she hadn’t heard of him liking to fight at school.

The impression of him being taught a lesson for fighting with Chen Chen was too strong.

Chu Xia knew he wouldn’t make the same mistake again, especially since he valued his little red flower so much.

“Teacher, hello.”

The kindergarten teacher was a very serious old man.

Hearing Chu Xia speak, he finally looked up from his textbook, took off his reading glasses, and frowned at Chu Xia.

“Who is your child?”

The school hadn’t held a parent-teacher meeting, and the class teacher wasn’t the one who collected the registration fees.

Besides the kids who were often called to school, the teacher didn’t know many parents.

“I’m Cen Huai’an’s parent. Teacher, what mistake did he make?”