Chapter 107 Illness

His tone was full of understanding: "Having children is your own business, it has to be your choice. Let's take good care of these two children first, and we can talk about the future later. Let nature take its course."

Lu Mingyue felt a warmth in her heart, leaned closer to him, and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

Under the lamplight, their shadows nestled together. There was no insistence or urging, only mutual understanding and tolerance, which was more reassuring than any promise.

In the middle of the night, Lu Mingyue was awakened by the urge to urinate, and took the opportunity to check if the two children had kicked off the blanket.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the autumn rain falls slowly, and each autumn rain brings a chill.

It's been a bit cold at night lately, and Lu Mingyue prepared blankets for the two children in case they got cold.

When I arrived at Yao Yao's room, I reached out and touched her blanket. It was burning hot to the touch; the child had a fever.

"Huo Zheng, wake up! Something's wrong with Yao Yao!" Her voice was urgent. Huo Zheng instantly woke up and fumbled to turn on the light in the dark.

Under the dim light, Yao Yao's face was flushed red, her brows were furrowed, and she was humming softly.

Without delay, Huo Zheng quickly wrapped Yao Yao up tightly, while Lu Mingyue grabbed a cotton-padded coat and put it on, and they hurried to the hospital.

The cold wind blowing into her neck at night was unpleasant, so Lu Mingyue held Yao Yao's head tightly, while Huo Zheng strode forward, beads of sweat quickly forming on his forehead.

Upon arriving at the health center, the doctor gave Yao Yao fever-reducing medication and gave her instructions on how to use physical methods to lower her temperature.

The two stayed up until late at night before Yao Yao's fever gradually subsided.

When I got home, it was already dawn.

Lu Mingyue sat on the edge of the bed wiping Yao Yao's sweat, while Huo Zheng brought her warm water.

Looking at the bloodshot eyes, I suddenly remembered our conversation about having children last night.

He reached out and smoothed her messy hair, his voice low and gentle: "I used to only think about having another child to make things more lively, but seeing how flustered you were last night, I realized how difficult it is for you to take care of two children."

Lu Mingyue looked up at him, her eyes still showing signs of fatigue, but she couldn't help but smile.

Huo Zheng reached out and pulled her and Yao Yao closer to him, saying softly, "From now on, I'll listen to you about having children. I won't rush you anymore."

When Leilei woke up, he found that his younger sister had a cold. His usually lively sister looked like a wilted eggplant, listless and dispirited.

He was heartbroken and lay by the bedside, watching her longingly, holding his sister's hand tightly, too afraid to move.

"Mom, can I not go to school today? I want to stay with my little sister."

Lu Mingyue patted Leilei's head, her eyes softening: "Mom knows Leilei feels sorry for his sister and wants to stay with her, but look, Yaoyao's fever has gone down now, and Mom is taking care of her at home."

"Go to school and study hard. When you come home from school, you can tell your sister about the interesting things that happened in class and teach her the new words you've learned. Isn't that more interesting than just staying by her side?"

Seeing Leilei's eyes flicker, Lu Mingyue added, "Besides, when you study hard, you're setting a good example for your sister, okay?"

Lei Lei blinked, touched his little sister's warm face, and nodded like a little adult: "Then Mommy, please take good care of Yao Yao. I'll go home by myself after school."

After receiving Lu Mingyue's affirmative nod, he turned around, grabbed his schoolbag, and slung it over his shoulder with great speed.

When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he suddenly turned back, leaned over the bed and whispered to Yao Yao, "Little sister, be a good girl and wait for me after school. I promise I'll behave well today and get the teacher to give me a little red flower, which I'll stick on your clothes when I get back, okay?"

Yao Yao clutched the hem of his clothes and mumbled an "okay".

As soon as the school bell rang in the afternoon, Leilei ran home with his schoolbag on his back. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted, "Mom, where's Yaoyao?"

Lu Mingyue was sitting on the edge of the bed changing Yao Yao's fever patch. She looked up and saw him panting, and waved with a smile: "Yao Yao is still not awake. She had a fever again this morning, but she's much better now."

Lei Lei immediately tiptoed to the bedside, carefully touched Yao Yao's forehead, and whispered, "Is it no longer hot? I've been thinking about her all the time at school."

As they were talking, Huo Zheng walked in carrying a bowl of cooked millet porridge, and Lei Lei immediately reached out to take it: "Dad, let me feed my sister!"

He moved a small stool to sit by the bed, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and gently brought it to Yao Yao's lips.

Yao Yao opened her eyes groggily, smiled when she saw her brother, and obediently opened her mouth to swallow.

Lu Mingyue's eyes welled up with tears as she watched this scene.

After several days of careful care, Yao Yao's fever completely subsided, and her little face became rosy again.

As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, she pestered Lu Mingyue for millet porridge, her voice crisp and clear, showing no trace of her previous listlessness.

When Huo Zheng returned from training, he was immediately embraced by the little girl as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Yao Yao hugged his leg, looked up at him, and called him "Daddy." She even shook the little braid that Lu Mingyue had just tied for her, as if showing off a treasure.

When Leilei got home from school and saw that his younger sister could run and jump, he immediately took out the little red flower he had saved for two days from his schoolbag and carefully stuck it on her clothes.

As evening fell, the courtyard returned to its usual bustling state.

Huo Zheng played shuttlecock with Lei Lei in the yard, while Yao Yao chased after them.

Lu Mingyue sat under the eaves picking vegetables, listening to the children's laughter and Huo Zheng's occasional instructions, her movements became lighter and quicker.

The greatest happiness is when the whole family is together, safe and sound.

That day, Lu Mingyue received a package from her godmother and parents-in-law in Beijing.

Inside were new cotton for making cotton-padded jackets for the children, and two packets of dried fruit from a time-honored brand in Beijing.

The package from his godmother was full of dried mushrooms, with a note saying that they were best used in stews to nourish Huo Zheng's body.

Looking at the two heavy gifts on the table, she immediately pulled out two coarse cloth bags and began stuffing things into them.

In the bag she gave to her in-laws, she filled it with more than half a bag of locally dried seafood, homemade cured meat, and even carefully folded Leilei's report card and put it in.

In the package for her godmother, besides dried red dates and sweet potato chips, she also embroidered a plain handkerchief overnight, with the word "peace" meticulously stitched on it.

After tidying up, she sat down at the table to write a letter home, telling her parents-in-law about the children's recent situation and telling her godmother about the latest happenings in the family compound. Every word was filled with her tender concern.

After stuffing the letter into the package, she planned to mail the items when she had time.

The next morning, Huo Zheng happened to be going to the county town to run some errands, so Lu Mingyue entrusted him with the task of sending the package.

"Everything is in here."

As they were talking, familiar voices came from outside the courtyard gate, and Zheng Xiuhua and Zhu Xiaofang walked in carrying bamboo baskets.

"Mingyue, would you like to come with us to the village to buy eggs?"

Buying eggs?

Lu Mingyue thought about it and realized that she should indeed prepare more.

The chickens at home don't lay many eggs, and the two children are at the age where they are growing. Huo Zheng also needs to supplement his diet for training, so there is never enough food.

Xia Xiaofang nodded: "Although children need supplements, we mothers can't neglect ourselves. Look at you, you take care of the family every day, you also need to eat well and be nourished."

Lu Mingyue smiled upon hearing this and put down the bundle in her hand: "That's right, then I'll go with you and buy more to pickle into salted eggs so we can eat them slowly."