Chapter 239 Hiding Eggs

Zhao Lin sighed, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows, roughened and weary by the years: "I can't walk anymore, every step hurts. I still have the medicine Dr. Mao prescribed, just apply it for me, don't bother. Going to the hospital isn't that easy. The round-trip transportation, registration fee, examination fee, all of them cost money. The family's savings still need to be saved for the children's schooling, we can't put all the money on one person."

Zhou Nuli, who was inside the house, listened to the noise with his ear pressed against the door, and heard it clearly.

He held his breath until he heard their footsteps completely fade into the distance before he dared to gently push open the door and peek out.

He stood at the door, looking at the two figures, one tall and one short, struggling to walk in the courtyard. His heart was churning with a mix of heartache, regret, and an inexplicable restlessness.

Zhou Xiuli grabbed him tightly, so hard that she almost made him stumble.

Without a word, she dragged him to the second-floor balcony and whispered, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, come and see!"

Then, pulling him down, Shen Cuifen helped Zhao Lin walk step by step towards the edge of the bamboo forest.

The figure appeared exceptionally frail in the morning mist, as if it would collapse with a gust of wind.

"Brother, it's not an act! Your wife really is lame!"

Zhou Xiuli stared down below, her tone urgent, "Look at the way she walks, it's not an act at all. It's difficult for her to even bend her leg, and she relies entirely on crutches to support herself when she lands, not daring to put any force on herself. This kind of injury won't heal in less than three to five months."

Zhou Nuli stared down, his eyes darting around, his fingers unconsciously digging into the edge of the railing.

He still insisted, "I only gave her a light push, how could it be a big deal? She's usually quite healthy, how did she fall like this?"

Zhou Xiuli pursed her lips, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she had seen through some secret.

She said softly, "I heard the wind last night and couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, thinking about this. At first, I thought she was putting on an act for you, hoping you would feel sorry for her and treat her better. But when I saw her today, it really wasn't an act—the way she walked, her left leg was almost useless, she was supporting herself entirely on her right leg, and she couldn't even stand steadily. This wasn't faked, it was a real injury."

She lowered her voice, her tone suddenly sharp, like a blade slicing through glass: "Brother, don't blame yourself. She knew you would bring me back halfway, and was afraid I would come in and take her place, so she deliberately peeked through the crack in the door, and then she tripped and fell. She acted so convincingly! You think it was an accident? I think she planned it all along."

At this point, she snorted coldly, a hint of smugness and mockery flashing in her eyes: "Besides, all these years she's been making money outside, never mentioning your contribution, and hasn't saved anything for you. Instead, she forced you to help Zhou Jianguo build a house and pay off his debts? What kind of person is Zhou Jianguo? He indulges in all sorts of vices, and he's drowning in debt! What are you getting out of helping him? She doesn't care about you at all! Her heart is so biased! Absolutely biased!"

The guilt that Zhou Nuli felt was suddenly ignited and turned into fire.

He glared downstairs, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his voice low but filled with rage: "Didn't she want to send Anguo and Shen Cuifen to university? But Anguo's grades aren't even good enough for a junior college! All he does is gamble, drink, and skip classes, no wonder he can't get in! As for Shen Cuifen, forget about it, her family can't even afford the tuition, even if she gets in, they can't afford it! She's just using 'for the children's good' as an excuse to pursue her own selfish desires!"

Zhou Xiuli turned around, looked at his gritting teeth, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

She didn't say anything more, but just watched him stomp down the stairs, his steps hurried, as if he were going to settle scores with someone.

She couldn't help but smile, a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth revealing a hint of coldness and calculation.

He then turned around and peered outside, wanting to see if Zhao Lin had returned.

Just then, their eyes met those of Zhao Lin, who had just come out of the restroom.

The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze.

Zhao Lin leaned on his cane, his face pale, but his eyes were sharp as nails, piercing straight at Zhou Xiuli on the balcony.

Zhou Xiuli was startled, her heart pounded, and she subconsciously took half a step back, her heel hitting the threshold and almost falling.

She turned around in a panic and scrambled downstairs, her steps unsteady, not daring to look back again.

“Zhao Lin! I heard it last night! You hid five hundred yuan, only planning to use it for An Guo's schooling! If he doesn't pass the exam, this money will have to help with household expenses, and no one else can touch a single penny! You're biased to the core!”

After saying that, she didn't even touch her breakfast or chopsticks. She turned around, pushed the chair away, and her heels hit the ground with a crisp sound. She slammed the door shut and stormed out, causing dust to fall from the door frame.

Zhou Xiuli stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes darting around before she immediately put on a concerned yet innocent expression. She then raised her voice dramatically and said, "Big brother, what's wrong so early in the morning? Who upset you? Let's talk this out!"

As she spoke, she tiptoed into Zhou Liguo's room, her movements as nimble as a cat's, as if afraid of being seen.

As soon as he stepped into the house, he slammed the door shut behind him, leaned against the door to catch his breath, and then whispered through the crack in the door, "Sister-in-law, you should rest more. Don't get up. I'm so sleepy I can't keep my eyes open. I didn't sleep well last night. I need to catch up on some sleep today. I'll go to bed for a while."

Shen Cuifen gently helped Zhao Lin and carefully laid her back on the bed. She then reached out and pulled up the wrinkled corners of the blanket, carefully tucking her in. Her movements were so gentle that it was as if she was afraid of disturbing the person in her dream: "Mother, I'll go cook. You lie down first and don't move around. Your wound hasn't healed yet."

Zhao Lin leaned against the headboard, her face pale, but she nodded and said in a weak but firm voice, "Don't go anywhere today. Just stay home and cook for the two of us. When Anguo wakes up, heat up a bowl of noodles for him. He needs to use his brain to study, so he can't go hungry."

Shen Cuifen responded readily, nodding and saying, "I understand, Mother, don't worry."

She went into the kitchen and cooked only two simple bowls of plain noodles. She added the noodles to boiling water, along with some salt and oil. In the end, she secretly cracked two eggs, placing one in Zhao Lin's bowl and keeping the other hidden at the bottom of the pot for later use.

Zhao Lin took the noodles, gently stirred them with his chopsticks, and saw the tender yellow poached egg at the bottom of the bowl.

She frowned, and without saying a word, picked up the egg and placed it steadily into Shen Cuifen's bowl: "You eat it. You're weak right now, so you need to nourish yourself. Don't always think about me."

Shen Cuifen was taken aback, then quickly pushed the egg back, her voice soft but firm: "Mother, please don't push it back. You're so badly injured, the doctor said you need at least a hundred days of recuperation. You can't just let it go. I'm young, I can handle it. You need to eat well first so you can recover quickly. I'll go to the market to buy some pork bones and make some nourishing soup for you."

The two sat at a small table with the door closed, eating noodles in silence. The cold wind from outside seeped in through the window cracks, making the lamplight flicker.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xiuli, who was inside the room, was so hungry that her stomach was churning. She tossed and turned, kicking the blankets to the foot of the bed.