Zhou Yue arrived in a vehicle from the Armed Forces Department. His grandmother was still asleep, so he didn't wake her. He exchanged a few words with Xiao Jiu, and the two of them went back to the ward together. After checking on the old lady again, Tao An saw him off.

Tao An also planned to stay tonight. "As soon as I got out of school, someone told me that my grandma was hospitalized, which scared me. I was thinking about whether to make something for her and send it over. My communication with Sister Hong was not good, and my seventh and eighth sisters' sign language skills were not good either. At this time, my grandpa and the others came back and told me not to go, saying that we could go together the next day. Who knew that Zhou Yue would come back right after dinner, so I hitched a ride with him."

Grandma raised them both, and they have a very deep bond. She even comforted Xiaojiu when she saw she was in a bad mood.

"Grandma will feel uncomfortable seeing you so unhappy. We need to relax and not put too much pressure on her."

That's what they say, but only they know the pain in their hearts. In this cold weather, the brother and sister sat by the bed all night, keeping watch. Although they had brought a wooden board to lay out blankets and make do with sleeping, neither of them went there. They just sat there until dawn.

My mother came straight to the hospital after her night shift. Only at the hospital could she buy millet porridge, steamed egg custard, and steamed white flour buns that patients could only drink.

In order for the old lady to recover as soon as possible, everyone has been using the food coupons they have saved to supplement her nutrition.

Grandma knew she was causing trouble for the children, so she stopped being so demanding of herself when it came to food.

Although they couldn't quite articulate their meaning clearly, they understood what they were saying: "I'll eat, I'll eat, as long as you're happy, I'll eat obediently and get well soon so you can go about your business!"

My mother has been working the night shift lately. After her night shift, she comes straight over. Xiao Jiu and Tao An each feed the old lady and help her wash and clean up, and take her to the toilet.

"Mom, you go back and rest. My sister and the others will be here soon. Don't worry, Dad and I will go back with my brother this afternoon and go to class."

Zhao Lingli patted her head. "Yes, the more you act like you normally do, the less pressure your grandma feels. With everyone doting on her, she actually feels guilty, thinking she's letting everyone down."

What's the point of making money if not to let your family eat, drink, sleep well, and enjoy life?

"If it weren't for your sisters, your father and I wouldn't have been able to get the perfect attendance bonus. Although it's only five yuan per person, it's still a recognition of us. It will be helpful for us to be selected as outstanding employees in the future, and we might even be able to get a house from the factory. Please tell your sisters to thank us on my behalf."

"I understand, Mother. However, I think my sister would feel that this is what they should do."

"People feel that we should repay past favors, but we can't take it for granted. There needs to be a certain distance between relatives. We can't take ourselves too seriously. We need to consider what to say and do. Boundaries are not difficult to grasp, but if you encounter a discerning opponent, it will be much simpler. What do you think?"

As for interpersonal relationships and social customs, Xiao Jiu has seen, heard, and done a lot of them since childhood; they all come from the accumulation of life experience.

My mother is right. Even with relatives, we need to have boundaries and try to see things from their perspective from time to time to maintain good relationships.

Around eleven o'clock, only Cuihua came. "I thought there would be too many people here today, so I didn't ask your grandpa to come. I made fish soup for grandma and steamed some white flour buns."

I didn't make noodles, because I was afraid they'd be ruined by the time they arrived.

The soup was a bit cold, so I took it to the kitchen to reheat it before bringing it over.

The fish soup also contains tofu and cilantro. It's all white and smells pretty good. The fish has been mashed up, so the soup is milky white. There isn't even a single bone in the soup, which shows that they put a lot of care into it.

Grandma's current condition means she can't eat anything too hard. When she drinks fish soup, she soaks a steamed bun in it, mashes it up, and eats it with the soup.

Seeing her struggling to swallow, Xiao Jiu felt a pang of sadness.

"She's been much better these past few days. When she was first brought here, she could only have IV fluids and liquid food. Her condition will only get better and better. You mustn't get distracted and just focus on your studies. When she's happy, she'll get better faster, don't you think?"

The old lady needs to be taken care of now. Fortunately, Xiaojiu gave Cuihua a lot of good things before, and she and Cuiju can work together to cook at home. They will bring the food over after they are cooked. The mother cooks breakfast, and the couple takes turns bringing dinner. Cuilian will also come over to cook for a while in the evening.

That's the advantage of having more people; by taking turns, no one gets tired, and the old man doesn't have to feel like he's delaying or neglecting anything.

Because her grandmother was sick, Xiao Jiu applied to be a day student and went out to sell things every night. Finally, she saved up fifty yuan and bought a second-hand bicycle from the black market. The bicycle was at least 50% new. It was not a brand name product and was assembled from parts. Naturally, the quality was not as good as Flying Pigeon or Phoenix bicycles. It just looked like a bicycle.

She rode the same old bicycle too high, her toes barely touching the ground. She first pushed the bike into a space and did a thorough inspection.

Fortunately, the car seller was sensible and repaired the car quite well. She clearly told me that it was an assembled car, and since it was an assembled car, there was no theft involved. So the next day, she took the car to the hospital and gave it to Cuihua.

“This is a second-hand bicycle that I bought with my savings. It was assembled by someone else. Sister, just say that Fifth Sister sent it back. With this bicycle, it will be more convenient for you to travel to and from the county town.”

That's true. To save money, they often walk home and only take the bus when they're in a hurry. But the bus only goes along the national highway and only goes as far as the town, not the village. It takes quite a long walk to get from the town to the village. Buying a bicycle has made things much easier.

Cuihua didn't investigate where the car came from. Since it was given to her by her sister, she accepted it. They were all family. Tao Changyi of the Tao family already had one, so it was appropriate for this one to stay in their home.

After all, they're either at work or at school, and the car can only be truly useful if it stays with her.

After trying to ride it for a few days, Xiao Jiu returned to the hospital on Saturday afternoon, and Cuihua immediately informed her.

"If you say this bike cost fifty yuan, I think it's worth it. It's quite easy to ride, light, not bumpy, and not noisy. It's very convenient for delivering meals to Grandma. Oh, by the way, they said she can be discharged on Monday. I'll pull the cart to take her home then, so you don't need to worry about it. The doctor told us to take good care of her after she gets home, and to come back for follow-up appointments and medication on time."

Hemiplegia has already occurred, with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes. If recovery goes well, the person will walk with a limp; if recovery is poor, it might...

Xiao Jiu kept it in mind, and grasped Cuihua's hand: "Then I'll trouble you to take good care of her, sister."

While doing laundry at home over the weekend, Xiao Jiu secretly transferred some meat, eggs, grains, and dried goods to Cui Hong's place.

When you're sick, you should eat something good. Anyone who has doubts can report you; she's not afraid.

I just don't believe it. With so many college graduates and full-time employees in their family, they can't afford to eat well. Go ahead and be jealous and envious if you want.

Thinking of the two hundred yuan, along with some food and meat coupons, that Zhou Yue had slipped into her pocket before leaving, she felt even more choked up.

These two brothers are clearly good people, so why have they never received any good fortune?

Similarly, Grandma had helped so many people, and even when the Zhou family's third branch came to steal, she didn't cause too much of a scene.

Oh, of course, there was no way to make a fuss about it, because that person actually died of tetanus later on.

It was during that incident that my grandfather and the others realized that if a scratch from rust is not treated promptly, it can really be fatal.

For example, if you are bitten by a rabid dog, going insane is the same as dying from the disease, and there is no way to save you.

Although Grandma had been in the hospital for two weeks, she hadn't lost weight after being brought home and was in good spirits. This made the people who came to visit feel even more uncomfortable. Some of them were sour, saying that she must have eaten a lot of good food to make up for it. Some even went so far as to go to their kitchen to see if there were any bones or eggshells.

Grandpa said, "They were starving. You didn't see them come to visit empty-handed, so it's understandable. Don't hold it against them."

The land is parched, and the higher-ups exploit the people layer by layer. What way is there for the common folk to survive? They've been squeezed dry long ago.

Every winter, some elderly people and children couldn't endure it, and there were funerals every day during those days.

Originally, the old lady of the Tao family should have died, but unexpectedly, she was not only rescued, but her complexion was even better than that of normal people.

If someone were to come out at this point and say that the Tao family has no foundation, probably no one would believe it.

Sure enough, the news that Cuihua's family bought a bicycle spread throughout the village. Some people even said that it was a gift from Cuihua's lover. Naturally, they would say the most nasty things to smear her. Otherwise, how could they reflect the distorted mentality of these people?

Cuihua didn't explain, letting them say whatever they wanted, but at this time, someone coming to propose marriage was somewhat disgusting.

Most importantly, the man they arranged for Cuihua, a young woman in her prime, turned out to be a widower, over forty years old, who only had a stable job as a doctor at the livestock station treating animals.

It sounds good, but if you have this job, you shouldn't be single at your age. The guy before said he died of an illness, but who knows how he died? Why didn't he find someone after he died? These are all questions.

Cuihua just smiled and asked the person to leave. "Alright, Auntie, my marriage, and my sister's marriage, are none of your concern. These are difficult times, and no family is well-off. Who can afford to get married? Let's not look for anyone yet. Anyway, we're all in our twenties, so it won't make a difference if we don't look for anyone. You should keep an eye on girls from good families. We girls with bad reputations are none of your concern."

When the matchmaker saw that Tang Cuihua was unyielding, she started saying some harsh things, bringing up not only Tang Cuihua's age but also her reputation, her parents, and her sisters. When Tang Cuihua realized that the matchmaker was going on and on, she slammed the door and went home.

She lost her reputation ages ago and doesn't care about it anymore. Being single is fine; it's better than getting married and having to serve someone else's whole family.