At noon, Xing's mother took chicken soup to the hospital.

Although Xing Yujie had woken up, his eyes were vacant as he stared blankly at the quilt, leaning against the headboard without uttering a word. His face was numb, as if he had lost his soul.

"Son, Mom is going to find Tian Xiaohui."

As soon as Xing's mother entered the room, she placed the chicken soup she was carrying on the small table beside the bed, naturally taking over the bedside position that Xing Yuzhen had vacated.

She told Xing Yuzhen to go eat, but Xing Yuzhen subconsciously glanced at the lunchbox she had brought.

"Mom, did you bring chicken soup for my brother again?"

She smelled the aroma and felt a strong urge to eat.

As if she hadn't understood what Xing's mother meant, she took out a small bill from her pocket and handed it to her: "I saw some steamed buns for sale at the entrance of the hospital when I came here. Take these and have some. You've worked hard taking care of your brother these past few days."

One cent?

Xing Yuzhen's face stiffened, and she forced a smile, saying, "Mom, a penny really can't buy much. I've been taking care of my younger brother these past few days and haven't been eating anything good. My body is almost giving out. My baby still needs to be breastfed. Could you give me a little more so I can buy two pig's trotters to nourish myself and help with milk production? Otherwise, if I don't get enough nutrition, the baby will suffer too."

She has been staying at the hospital for the past few days and hasn't been going to work, which has caused her in-laws to have a lot of complaints about her.

She endured so much pressure to take care of her younger brother from her maternal family, and all she got was a penny. Who are they trying to humiliate?

"You seem perfectly fine to me."

Upon hearing this, Xing's mother frowned, looked her up and down, and became even more displeased when she saw the child in her arms.

The resentment that had been building up for days was already bothering her, and having just been humiliated by Ye Yun, she immediately retorted, "This child wasn't born by you alone. You're here to take care of your younger brother from your own family, but can't your husband and mother-in-law take care of the child? You're the only one who's working so hard, and this child doesn't even have their surname!"

Xing Yuzhen was speechless for a moment.

"Just this one cent, do you want it or not?"

The mother threw the money onto the bed.

His attitude was tough, as if he was venting all the anger he had suffered over the past few days on Xing Yuzhen.

Before leaving, she couldn't resist poking at Xing Yuzhen's sore spot, muttering in a reproachful tone, "I don't know how you've managed to get by. You've been married for so long and still can't win over your in-laws. Your father and I worked so hard to get you married into such a good family, and you're such a disappointment. Your in-laws won't even help you with the kids. You're really stupid, as stupid as a pig, you're so stupid you're going to die..."

Xing Yuzhen was speechless.

Looking at the penny that had been thrown onto the bed, she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

Something is better than nothing.

Xing Yuzhen didn't say anything, silently picked up the one-cent coin, picked up the child, and turned to leave the ward.

Meanwhile, the mother continued her nagging.

The ward door slammed shut, startling her as she was wiping Xing Yujie's face. Instead of feeling sorry for her daughter, she scolded the doorway, "Making such a racket, are you trying to kill yourself!"

Silence answered her.

However, Xing's mother didn't care. She opened the chicken soup she had brought, scooped out a spoonful, blew on it, and brought it to Xing Yujie's lips.

But Xing Yujie didn't react.

Feed him chicken soup, one sip at a time, then he drinks it.

He barely wanted to eat; the chicken soup he was fed spilled from the corners of his mouth and down his chin, soaking the hospital blankets.

"Look at yourself now, why are you degrading yourself like this?"

Seeing that Xing Yujie wouldn't eat, Xing's mother angrily slammed the chicken soup she was holding onto the table.

Some of the chicken soup in the lunchbox spilled out and splashed onto the table.

Xing's mother poked Xing Yujie's hand and said angrily, "What's so good about Tian Xiaohui? What kind of bewitching potion did she give you to make you so infatuated that you've become like this?"

Upon hearing Tian Xiaohui's name, Xing Yujie's eyes lit up.

He tilted his head, looked at Xing's mother, and asked as soon as he spoke, "When you went to see Xiaohui, did she say anything to you?"

What?

Xing's mother was absolutely furious.

"Fine, I see you're completely bewitched by her." Xing's mother took a deep breath, realizing her attitude was off, and crossed her arms, trying to soften her tone as much as possible: "Tell me, what exactly do you see in her?"

"She's good in every way...cough cough..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xing Yujie coughed, clenching his fist to cover his mouth, and small beads of bright red blood seeped from his dry lips.

This made Xing's mother feel unbearable.

She stood up and patted Xing Yujie on the back, saying helplessly, "Son, I've introduced you to quite a few suitable girls. Which of those girls you went on blind dates with this year isn't better than the one you brought yourself? Some of them have families that run businesses, and some have high positions of power like your father. They will all be beneficial to your future. Why don't you just listen to your mother? Would I ever harm you?"

Xing Yujie's cough immediately became more severe.

However, he did not respond to Xing's mother's words.

Xing's mother poured him a small half-cup of warm water, intending to feed it to him, but he reached out and refused.

"well……"

Knowing that he was resisting, Xing's mother put down her water glass, sat back in her chair, and snorted, "I don't think Tian Xiaohui is necessarily a good girl. I met her sister-in-law today, and her sister-in-law is no good at all."

Xing Yujie clutched his chest and looked at her.

Seeing this, Xing's mother continued, "Don't you believe me? I saw her sister-in-law get into a car and leave with Chen Zhenxing, the factory director of the garment factory. Director Chen kept saying how much he missed her, how much he missed her. Ugh, you can't imagine how disgusting it was."

Xing Yujie was slightly taken aback: ...?

Does Tian Xiaohui's sister-in-law know Factory Director Chen?

"Tell me, how could she, a village woman from the mountains, who is only pretty but illiterate and has no other skills, know the manager of a garment factory?"

"Factory Director Chen said those things to her, their relationship must be more than just ordinary!"

"I knew it! They came from the mountains and had no connections. How did they manage to gain a foothold in the county town? It turns out the whole family relied on her sister-in-law selling meat."

Xing's mother spoke at length.

Xing Yujie's expression was unpredictable.

From surprise to astonishment to suspicion to indescribable feelings... What foul language was used to describe Tian Xiaohui's sister-in-law?

"You can leave now," Xing Yujie said indifferently, no longer looking at his mother.

Xing's mother was astonished.

"Son, you're kicking me out?" She couldn't believe it, and laughed angrily. "You don't disown me as your own mother because of Tian Xiaohui, do you?"

Xing Yujie closed his eyes briefly. "Yes, unless you agree to let me be with Xiaohui."

"..."

Xing's mother was stunned.

Looking at her son's indifferent expression, she opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The chicken soup on the table was still steaming.

The ward was unusually quiet.

However, what should have been a heartwarming scene turned eerily cold.

...

Ye Yun followed Chen Zhenxing to the garment factory.

After inspecting the production line, Chen Zhenxing showed her several new garments that were about to be produced. When she saw the drawings sent by the designer, she couldn't help but be impressed.

Who drew this?

She liked the novel design on the blueprints. Chen Zhenxing's garment factory had struck gold.