The man raised an eyebrow, thinking there was something wrong with his ears. Over the years, let alone when the two of them discussed matters concerning his mother, even during the years his mother was at home, this woman never addressed him by name; she would either say "hello" or directly state the matter at hand.

"Won't."

He said calmly. He'd had enough of his aunt's temper over the years; why would he blame anyone for such a parasite?

Jiang Yu was still a little worried. The original owner had first kicked her mother-in-law out of the house, and now she had offended her mother-in-law's family. She felt really embarrassed.

“My aunt often comes to cause trouble, and my mother has developed a psychological aversion to it. We don’t want to take advantage of her, and naturally we don’t want to suffer a loss either.”

Seeing Jiang Yu's remorse, Shen Ying felt sorry for her. She had just suffered a lot of grievances, and now she had to get involved in this kind of thing during the New Year, so he explained a few more words to her, telling her to relax and not think too much.

Jiang Yu relaxed and started preparing dinner.

That night, soft moaning came from Shen Niannian's bed. Jiang Yu thought he was having a nightmare, so she lifted the curtain separating them by the moonlight and gently patted it.

After a moment of silence, Shen Niannian started humming again, this time louder than before. Jiang Yu had just gotten into bed when she got up and went over, the sound waking the sleeping man.

Under the moonlight, the woman, wearing a coat, looked sleepy. She yawned, touched Chen Niannian's hair, and felt it was damp. A bad feeling welled up in her heart.

Seeing her startled awake, Shen Ying asked in a low voice:

"What's wrong?"

"Your forehead is always covered in sweat every year. Could you have a fever?"

The man quickly turned on the light, the glare stinging Jiang Yu's eyes. It took her a while to adjust before she could see the situation clearly.

"Wake up every year."

Jiang Yu gently patted Shen Niannian, calling out as she put on her clothes. Shen Niannian curled up in the blanket, clutching her stomach, groaning and crying out.

He felt as if he were being roasted in an oven, his head covered in sweat, yet his body was uncontrollably cold. He had never felt this way before, and upon hearing his mother's voice, he burst into tears.

The crying made her feel nauseous, and she vomited with a "whoosh." Shen Niannian was still somewhat conscious, and while vomiting, she clung to the edge of the bed and vomited on the floor.

I vomited up all the meat and vegetables from dinner, and it didn't relieve the pain at all. In fact, my stomach was still in pain.

"broken."

Judging from these symptoms, it's clearly vomiting caused by a fever. Plus, her forehead is burning hot, so Jiang Yu guesses it's at least 39 degrees Celsius.

There was an old doctor in the village, and the man planned to take Shen Niannian there for a checkup. After Jiang Yu reluctantly helped him put on his clothes, Shen Ying carried him on his back and walked out.

In his opinion, it was so late and so cold that he might as well let the woman wait at home and keep Shen Suisui company.

"Mom and Dad, I want to go too."

When Shen Suisui saw that her younger brother was sick, she suddenly lost all sleepiness. She sat on the bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and said something, but Shen Ying flatly refused.

“Your little brother has a fever. If you go out with him, you'll get sick too. Stay home and behave yourself. We'll be back in a little while.”

Jiang Yu could outmaneuver Shen Suisui, but not a woman. After calming Shen Suisui down, Jiang Yu found a coat and draped it over Shen Niannian before following her out the door.

The night was dark and windy, and there was no sound outside except for the cold wind. Jiang Yu was a little afraid of the dark, so she followed closely behind the man, afraid of losing him.

A dog rushed out from the neighbor's house, blocking her way and barking wildly. Jiang Yu was so frightened that she closed her eyes tightly and slowed her pace.

Shen Ying kicked the dog away, then, sensing something was wrong with the woman, frowned and slowed his pace.

"Jiang Yu, come with me."

The man's words were like a ray of light in the darkness, putting Jiang Yu at ease. She knew that with Chen Ying here, whether it was a dog barking or a ghost, she was safe.

"Mommy, you hold Niannian's hand, Niannian will protect you."

Shen Niannian leaned weakly on Shen Ying's back, responding in a feeble manner. Knowing that Jiang Yu was timid, she thought that if her mother held his hand, he wouldn't be afraid.

"Niannian is great, she can protect her mother now."

Jiang Yu patted Shen Niannian's back, feeling a surge of emotion. This little rascal, so young yet already knows how to protect himself; all this time I've spoiled him has been worthwhile.

With the sound of voices around, Jiang Yu no longer felt afraid. The conversation diverted Shen Niannian's attention, killing two birds with one stone.

Listening to their conversation, Shen Ying felt very comfortable, and time seemed to fly by. Before long, they arrived at the old doctor's clinic.

Because the entire surrounding village relied on the old doctor for treatment, people with stomach aches and fevers often came to him in the middle of the night, so he simply moved into the clinic. To take care of him, the town specially helped him renovate his house.

The clinic was still lit up at nearly midnight. A patient was receiving an IV drip on a chair, and the elderly doctor with graying hair was squinting in the break room, conserving his energy.

Hearing a knock at the door, he immediately got up and opened it. Shen Ying placed Shen Niannian on the hospital bed, his voice tense:

"Uncle Shen, the child has a stomachache, a fever, and just vomited."

Jiang Yu quickly added:

"I ate two pieces of fried meat and drank a bowl of rice soup in the evening, and didn't eat anything else."

After listening to their descriptions, Uncle Wang realized it was probably more than just a fever. He gave them a thermometer and placed his hands on Shen Niannian's stomach, pressing all over it.

Does it hurt here?

"It doesn't hurt."

"And here?"

"It hurts a little..."

When Uncle Wang placed his hand on her lower right abdomen, Shen Niannian couldn't control herself and cried out in pain again.

"appendicitis."

Uncle Wang took out the thermometer, looked at the temperature, and made a diagnosis. The two looked at each other in disbelief. How could someone who was perfectly healthy have appendicitis? After exchanging a few words, Uncle Wang went to the clinic to get the medicine, and Jiang Yu pulled the blanket from the bed and gently covered Shen Niannian with it.

"Niannian, Grandpa Shen said you need an IV drip to get better, and it will hurt a little in a while. Can we be brave?"

Jiang Yu gently explained to Shen Niannian that children of this age are most afraid of injections, and she was worried that if Niannian made a fuss later, it would affect her condition.

"good."

Shen Niannian nodded, her eyes resolute, and said:

"Dad said I'm a little man, I'm not afraid."

While talking to her mother, she glanced at Chen Ying, and upon receiving her father's approval, he would have jumped up if he weren't sick.

During their conversation, Uncle Shen brought over the medicine and hung the IV drip on the stand. After putting on his reading glasses, he specially brought over a flashlight and handed it to Shen Ying.

"Nephew, give me some light."

Shen Ying took the switch and turned it on. Jiang Yu sat next to Shen Niannian, covering her eyes with her hands, worried that he was scared.

The alcohol felt cool on his hands, and before Shen Niannian could get used to it, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. He bit his lip and stubbornly prevented the little bean from falling off.

"This kid has the same courage he had back then."

Uncle Shen fixed the IV patch onto Shen Niannian's hand, looked at him with a kind expression, and said to Jiang Yu.

When Shen Ying was little, she never cried when she got shots, which made the parents of crying children extremely envious.

He talked a lot about his nephew's childhood, which made Shen Ying blush and turn his face away to remind him:

"Uncle Shen, we can keep an eye on things here. You should go and get some rest."