Lin Wanqiu was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Lan to apologize first. She smiled and shook her head: "It's all in the past. The most important thing now is to save my brother. Don't worry too much, he's a lucky guy, he'll definitely be alright."
Soon, Shen Tingzhou and the villagers were ready. They secured Shen Laoda to the cart, with Shen Tingzhou pulling in front and the villagers pushing from the side. Zhang Lan followed behind, carrying the dry food and water prepared by Lin Wanqiu. Lin Wanqiu stood at the door, watching their receding figures, silently praying: They must arrive at the health center safely; they must be alright.
After seeing them off, Lin Wanqiu didn't go home, but went to Old Madam Shen's room. Old Madam Shen was lying in bed, her face pale. When she saw Lin Wanqiu enter, she snorted coldly, "What are you doing here? Did you come to see the Shen family make a fool of themselves?"
Lin Wanqiu didn't argue with her and said calmly, "My brother fell down the mountain. Tingzhou has already taken him to the commune clinic. If you're worried, just rest well. I'll let you know when they get back."
Grandma Shen was stunned. She hadn't expected Grandpa Shen to fall down the mountain, and for a moment she couldn't speak. After a long while, she whispered, "Is...is the money enough? If not, take some from my trunk. I still have some savings."
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected that although Old Madam Shen was harsh, she still cared about her son. "Don't worry about the money, I've already prepared it. You get some rest, I'll go check on the workshop, there are still many things waiting to be taken care of there."
Leaving the Shen family's house, Lin Wanqiu headed straight for the workshop. Just as she reached the entrance, she saw Granny Wang waiting there, her face full of worry: "Wanqiu, how is Brother Shen? Has he been taken to the clinic?"
"It's already been sent, it should be fine," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, trying to appear relaxed. "How's the workshop? Have all the orders been arranged?"
Aunt Wang nodded: "Everything is arranged, don't worry. You too, you just came back from the neighboring county and haven't even had a chance to rest before this happens, you have to take care of yourself."
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. With so many villagers caring about her, all the hard work was worth it. "I'm fine, you all shouldn't overwork yourselves. Take a rest when you need to. By the way, at the branch in the neighboring county, Boss Li said business was very good on the first day, and they sold a lot of pastries. We need to hurry up and make a batch of goods and send them over so we don't run out of stock."
“Okay, we’ll go prepare right away,” said Aunt Wang, turning and walking into the workshop.
Standing at the workshop entrance, Lin Wanqiu gazed at the distant mountains, her heart filled with anticipation. She hoped that Elder Shen would be safe and sound, that Zhang Lan would truly change, that the workshop's business would flourish, and that her family could live a stable and happy life. She knew that many challenges awaited her in the future, but as long as her family worked together and her fellow villagers helped each other, there was no difficulty they could not overcome.
As night fell, twinkling lights illuminated the village like warm pearls. Lin Wanqiu returned home and wrote a letter to Nian'an, telling him about the family situation and reassuring him to focus on his studies in the county town. After finishing the letter, she sat under the lamp, took out her ledger, and began to calculate the workshop's income and expenses—although the accident involving Shen Laoda had occurred, the workshop's business couldn't stop. She needed to finish the orders as soon as possible and also prepare supplies for the neighboring county branch; all of this required careful planning.
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps sounded outside the door. Lin Wanqiu quickly got up, opened the door, and saw Shen Tingzhou and Zhang Lan return, their faces showing fatigue but also a hint of joy. "How are you? Is Big Brother alright?" Lin Wanqiu asked anxiously.
Shen Tingzhou breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's alright now. The doctor said it's just a mild concussion and a broken leg. I need to rest for a few months. Thanks to the money you prepared, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to afford the medical expenses."
Zhang Lan stepped forward and said gratefully, "Wanqiu, thank you so much. I really don't know what I would have done without you. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know, and I will definitely help you."
Seeing their relieved expressions, Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that after this incident, Zhang Lan's attitude towards her would definitely change, and the relationship with the Shen family would ease somewhat. This was undoubtedly good news for her—she didn't want to cause any more trouble with the Shen family; she just wanted to live a peaceful life and lead her family and fellow villagers to a better life.
"It's good that you're alright. You've all had a long day, so get some rest," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. "There's still a lot to do at the workshop tomorrow, so we need to be well-rested."
Shen Tingzhou and Zhang Lan nodded and turned to return to the Shen family home. Lin Wanqiu stood at the door, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips—she knew that better days were yet to come.
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