"Mr. Lu, even though you were the one who called me first, I have to be the first one to wish you a happy new year!" Yan Lixu said quickly, "Mr. Lu, happy new year! I wish Little Pink Book a prosperous new year, and I wish you great success in the new year!"

Lu Youxi: “…”

"Thank you for your good words..." Lu Youxi was stunned and quickly said a few auspicious words to Yan Lixu.

Finally hanging up the phone, Lu Youxi sighed, "Why didn't I realize that wishing others a happy new year is so tiring before?"

I just wished Professor Zhang a happy new year, and I didn’t feel so tired.

Lu Youxi took a breath and called Grandma Xu to wish her a happy new year.

But listening to the phone, there was something strange about the quietness of Grandma Xu's house.

There was no sound of other people chatting or talking.

Normally it shouldn't be so quiet so early in the morning when everyone is at home and the children are making noise in the house.

Lu Youxi asked, "Grandma Xu, are you at home, or are you spending the New Year with your children?"

"I'm at home." Grandma Xu's tone remained unchanged. "I'm fine here, don't worry."

"So are your children's work going well? How are your grandchildren's studies?"

"It's fine, everything is fine." Grandma Xu said with a smile.

"How was your meal last night?" Lu Youxi asked again.

"The food is good too. It's a big table of dishes." Grandma Xu laughed.

"Is that so?" Lu Youxi said with a smile, "That's good."

Grandma Xu asked about Lu Youxi's situation again, and Lu Youxi chose to tell her.

After hanging up the phone, Grandma Xu turned around and looked at the table full of leftovers, most of which were untouched.

It is cold in Hexing Village in winter and there is no heating, so every family relies on burning coal for heating.

Because the temperature is low enough at night, these dishes do not need to be refrigerated.

Grandma Xu sighed, looked at the empty house, and then looked at the phone.

Apart from Lu Youxi's call, her children hadn't even called her yet.

After Lu Youxi hung up the phone, he called Aunt Lin.

"Oh!" Aunt Lin sighed deeply, "Don't say anything, Grandma Xu's children didn't come back for the New Year at all!"

At this point, Aunt Lin got angry and couldn't help complaining to Lu Youxi, "And even if you weren't coming back, you should have told me earlier. Grandma Xu doesn't need to be so old and busy for so long. She was busy all day yesterday!"

"Usually, Grandma Xu is reluctant to eat or drink, and saves all the money she earns. She thinks her children have a hard time living in the city, and she can't help much, but she gives them some money from time to time, no matter how much, it always helps a little. Usually, she is reluctant to eat anything good, but yesterday, thinking about the New Year, she wanted her children and grandchildren to have something good to eat, so she killed a chicken and a goose, and went to the town to buy fish and ribs, and cooked a large table of dishes."

"As a result, her children didn't tell us earlier that they would not be going back home for the New Year. They called and said they would not be going back home until the sun was about to set that afternoon. But Grandma Xu had already prepared the dishes, and most of them were already in the pot. She wanted them to have a meal as soon as they came home, so they wouldn't have to go hungry."

"We outsiders are all angry when we hear this, let alone Grandma Xu." Aunt Lin became angrier and angrier as she spoke. "Grandma Xu's two children were better before, but after they got married, they only cared about their own families and had long forgotten about their mother."

"Even if we go home, we have to ask Grandma Xu for money." Aunt Lin sneered, "Those two guys can't be seen unless they go back to ask for money."

"Tell me, Grandma Xu is such a good and kind person, how could she... give birth to two such heartless things! Grandma Xu has worked hard for others all her life and never thought about herself. Now she is old and is hurt by the children she raised with great effort." Aunt Lin sighed, "I was thinking of going to see Grandma Xu today, talking to her, telling her some interesting things, and making her happy at least a little."

Aunt Lin paused and said, "By the way, there is something I haven't told you."

"What's the matter?" Lu Youxi heard Aunt Lin's tone and it seemed to be a serious matter.

"Your grandma is paralyzed too." Aunt Lin said.

Lu Youxi was surprised, "When did it happen?"

"That time when you went back, you gave your grandma a bank card, saying it was money for your grandpa's medical treatment." Aunt Lin told Lu Youxi what happened later. "At first, Ge Guifen said that Mrs. Lu fell and was recovering in bed."

"Who knew that he would be unable to get out of bed after being nursed for so long?" Aunt Lin said, "When he was recovering from his injuries, we didn't take it seriously. We just thought it was a fall, not a big deal. Working in the fields, there are always bumps and bruises. People in our village have been rough since childhood and have grown up strong. No one takes daily bumps and bruises seriously."

"But who would have thought that after more than a month, Mrs. Lu could no longer get out of bed." Aunt Lin said, "Ge Guifen didn't take her to the hospital. I guess she didn't want to spend the money. I even suspected..."

Aunt Lin lowered her voice and said, "I suspect Ge Guifen did it on purpose. At first, if Mrs. Lu had received medical treatment in time after the fall, it wouldn't have been a big deal. She could have taken an X-ray and taken good care of the injuries. But Ge Guifen deliberately didn't take your grandma to the hospital, and the injury became more and more serious. In the end, she was paralyzed in bed and couldn't get up or down."

"Although the fall happened the day after you left, the fact that I couldn't get out of bed actually happened not long before the New Year." Aunt Lin said, "I was thinking of telling you after the New Year so that your father wouldn't have to come back during the New Year. A good New Year was ruined by them again."

Lu Youxi sighed and said, "If it was just about my grandma, I definitely wouldn't go back. But you said that Grandma Xu's children haven't gone back yet, so I have to go back anyway."

"The last time we went back, Zhou Shuyan suggested that we bring Grandma Xu to live with us in the capital. He was worried that Grandma Xu was old and lived alone in the village. If something happened, everyone would have their own house and yard, and they wouldn't be able to find out in time. But Grandma Xu said that her children would go back for the New Year. As long as she was here, their home would be there, and their escape route would be there."

Lu Youxi pursed her lips, "But what's the result? Her children didn't go back for the New Year. This time, we must bring Grandma Xu over no matter what."

(End of this chapter)