Chapter 36: The Troublemakers of the 1980s 6: Accept Your Fate and Lie Down
Zhou Shengwu was a little surprised: "Sister-in-law, have you discussed the wheelchair issue with my third brother?"
Shen Qian: "I asked, and he said no, but I think he still needs a wheelchair."
Zhou Shengwu sighed and said, "Yeah, everyone at home feels the same way. I talked to my third brother about it after I left the hospital, and he also said it wasn't necessary. I don't think he wants to go out either..."
Zhou Shengwu thought that Shen Qian wanted to buy a wheelchair for Zhou Shengmo so that he could go out, and felt that if his third brother didn't want to do this, it would be useless for anyone to force him.
Chen Qian said, "Actually, a wheelchair is very useful. Later, I want to hire someone to help renovate this place. They'll flatten the thresholds and perhaps enlarge the doorframes. Then, I'll replace the steps at the entrance with a gentle slope, replace the squat toilet with a toilet, install handles on the toilet and the bathroom, and adjust the height of the sink. That way, Zhou Shengmo can move around freely in his wheelchair and take care of himself. If he wants, he can even cook for himself..."
Zhou Shengwu and Xiang Ying were as if they were listening to a foreign language. They both looked at Chen Qian in shock, as if no one had ever thought that a disabled person in a wheelchair could take care of himself and be independent.
"Brother...sister, you..." Zhou Shengwu didn't know what to say for a moment.
Xiang Ying quickly changed the subject: "Yes, Third Brother's wife is right. I don't think Third Brother is the type to be willing to be confined to bed for the rest of his life. He might also want to regain the ability to take care of himself. He's been lying in bed for several months and has become so thin that he's unrecognizable."
Zhou Shengwu felt upset. He was willing to take care of his third brother for the rest of his life, but he didn't know if his third brother was willing to do so. In order not to trouble others, he was reluctant to drink even a sip of water, and he was becoming increasingly haggard.
Or maybe we can try according to my sister-in-law's idea, maybe it can help improve my third brother's mental state.
As long as it's for his younger brother, Zhou Shengwu is willing to do anything.
He immediately said, "Third sister-in-law, this is a great idea. Let's do it this way. Ask cousin Xiang Ying to arrange the renovation. I'll ask fourth brother to find a solution for the wheelchair. He's a trader outside and has been scolded a lot by our family for this, but it will come in handy right now. Sister-in-law, if you need any materials, just come to me and I'll help you find a solution."
Shen Qian nodded: "Thank you first, big brother. Please help me buy a wheelchair first, and we can take care of the rest after the wheelchair arrives."
"Okay! But as for Third Brother...don't you need to talk to him?"
With such a big change at home, Zhou Shengwu was worried that hiding it from Zhou Shengmo would backfire.
Shen Qian: "I'll tell him."
That day, after choosing a house, Shen Qian went to the kindergarten to pick up his daughter Zhou Shiwei, and his sister-in-law also picked up Lan Lan, and they went home.
On the way home, Shen Qian even went to a nearby vegetable market and searched several stores before he finally found all the ingredients he wanted.
"Mom... hold my hand..."
Shen Qian discovered that her little daughter had a bit of separation anxiety. Whenever she let go of her daughter's hand for something, she would nervously clutch her clothes, fearing that she would be accidentally left behind or get lost.
"Okay, Mommy will hold your hand."
Shi Wei is very cute, and Chen Qian feels very sorry for her. He doesn't know what this child has been through to become so timid and clingy. What else can he do? Just spoil her.
When Shen Qian brought his daughter home, his eldest brother Zhou Shengwu had already come to bring them food.
"Thank you for your hard work, brother."
"It's not hard, not hard at all." Zhou Shengwu said as he carried Zhou Shengmo to the toilet again.
Chen Qian had observed before that there was a wooden toilet chair in the toilet. It looked like it was custom-made by a carpenter. Such a toilet chair was definitely not as convenient as a toilet. Every time his elder brother carried Zhou Shengmo in, it would be very tiring for his waist to put him down, and it was also somewhat dangerous.
After the eldest brother left, Shen Qian had dinner with his daughter, cleaned up simply, washed the pears he had bought, peeled them and cut them into pieces, then added rock sugar, Fritillaria cirrhosa and lily, and slowly simmered them together with the pear flesh.
While the pear soup was cooking, Zhou Shiwei was watching by the side, and Chen Qian took his daughter to play games in the corridor for a while.
Neighbors passing by looked at Chen Qian in surprise.
The family building is a gathering place for gossip. Everyone is saying that the third son's wife of the Zhou family is going to divorce him, but unexpectedly she hasn't left yet.
Faced with the rumors outside, Shen Qian turned a deaf ear and focused on making his daughter happy.
When the pear soup started to boil, Shen Qian slowly stirred it with a spoon to prevent it from sticking to the pot. When the color of the pear soup gradually turned yellow and the soup became thick, she picked up the pot.
After the pear soup was ready, Weiwei was tired from playing and went back to her room obediently, while Chen Qian carried the pear soup back to the bedroom.
She placed the pear soup on the bedside: "Drink some, it will clear away heat and moisten the lungs. It may be good for your cough."
Zhou Shengmo glanced at the bowl of pear soup with a complicated expression.
He heard the sounds of Shen Qian and his daughter playing outside just now. In fact, he still liked the feeling of having his wife and children at home and being able to hear the daily life of the world.
But he originally thought that Shen Qian was outside the door with her daughter because she didn't want to go back to the room to be with him to avoid embarrassment for both of them.
Unexpectedly, Shen Qian was outside making pear soup for him.
He was a little hesitant. If he drank it, he might need to go to the toilet later, which would be troublesome.
If I don’t drink it, I’ll be letting the other person down.
Zhou Shengmo sighed lightly and ultimately did not touch the bowl of pear soup.
Chen Qian didn't care whether he drank it or not. After putting down the pear soup, he turned around and went to the desk.
Shen Qian took out the floor plan he got from the street office from his bag and studied it carefully.
Zhou Shengmo watched her turn around, then watched her sitting at the desk studying something. He originally thought that she would chat with him, but he didn't expect that she would look at him for a long time. She even took a piece of paper and wrote and drew on it.
Zhou Shengmo finally couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
Shen Qian didn't even raise his head: "I went to choose a welfare house today."
"I heard from my eldest brother that you chose the first floor."
"My eldest brother and his wife said that the first floor is more damp and there are more mosquitoes in the summer, but I think it's quite good. By the way, can I use the money at home? I may have... spent a lot recently."
After Shen Qian finished speaking, he finally looked up at Zhou Shengmo.
His complexion seemed to be a little better today, not as frighteningly pale as yesterday.
"You can use it if you want. I promised to give it to you. If it's not enough, tell me. I have some savings in my passbook for the children. If it's still not enough, I will ask my eldest brother to talk to our family." Zhou Shengmo did not value money. As long as it was for a legitimate purpose and his wife needed it, he would naturally find a way to get the money.
Shen Qian couldn't help but laugh after hearing this: "It doesn't need to be that much."
She added a few more strokes to the paper, then handed her sketch to Zhou Shengmo. "This is the renovation plan for the welfare housing we chose today. I just made a rough sketch. The specific renovation plan will have to wait until we buy the wheelchair and then determine the actual size."
Zhou Shengmo's face was well-defined, and when he wasn't smiling, he gave off an unusually cold and stern demeanor. For example, at this moment, his expression was serious, and he was looking very carefully at the blueprint in front of him. He looked at Shen Qian sharply, "Wheelchair? Renovation plan? Can you explain it?"
Chen Qian was not afraid of this face. On the contrary, he was actually very handsome. It would be better if the cold and hard lines were softened.
She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Zhou Shengmo: "This room has been renovated according to your needs. I believe you will understand it after looking at this picture."
The diagram she drew was easy to understand and she had nothing to explain.
Zhou Shengmo was silent for a while, then looked at her again. This time his gaze was less cold and stern, but more confused: "Why?"
"No reason. I don't think you can't do anything just because you have a crippled leg. I believe you wouldn't want to just lie in bed for the rest of your life, right? I want to live a good life with you, but I don't want you to be so depressed. Can you give it a try for the sake of this family and our two children?"
Zhou Shengmo retracted his gaze and fixed it on the drawing in his hand. All the facilities she could think of that would facilitate his movements in the house were marked on it. He had never seen these things outside, and he was afraid that they would all have to be custom-made for him. It was hard for her to think of so much.
In fact, Zhou Shengmo didn’t think these modifications were useful, but since Shen Qian wanted it, he would cooperate. There was nothing he could do now.
After a long while, Zhou Shengmo finally closed his eyes and promised, "I'll try."
Shen Qian breathed a sigh of relief, finally getting through the first step: "Then when the wheelchair comes back, you have to do me a favor and let my brother take you to the new house and sit in the wheelchair to measure the data everywhere."
Zhou Shengmo hadn't heard the words "you have to do me a favor" for a long time. After he was injured and paralyzed in bed, his whole family treated him like fragile porcelain and almost worshipped him. Only this daughter-in-law, no matter what her considerations were, what she did really touched his heart.
He has many unspeakable secrets. He doesn't want to trouble others and doesn't want to become a useless person, but he has to accept the fact that he has become a useless person.
Only she said this, asking him for help, as if... there was really something he could help with.
"Okay, I'll help." He answered solemnly.
Shen Qian didn't expect Zhou Shengmo to be so easy to talk to. That's right, he has been lying in bed all day and must be bored.
"Then there's another favor I need you to do right now."
Since you are so easy to talk to, you should take advantage of it.
Zhou Shengmo: "What?"
Shen Qian picked up the pear soup on the bedside table: "It's still warm. I worked hard to make it. Pear soup moistens the lungs and is good for your body. If you want to go to the toilet later and don't want to use the potty, I can also carry you to the toilet."
Zhou Shengmo lowered his head, his emotions unclear: "You can't carry me."
"How about we give it a try? Your body can't handle not drinking water for a long time. I promise I can solve your problem once we move to a new house. For now, can we just make do with it?"
Zhou Shengmo's expression changed.
His family had tried to persuade him, but he always refused.
I'm used to being rejected, so why is it so hard to say no today?
In the end, he just shook his head.
"It's okay if you don't drink it, but can you let me see your legs? You choose one of the two." Shen Qian said again.
Zhou Shengmo no longer had the energy to say anything to refuse, so he resigned himself to his fate and lay down: "Go ahead and watch if you want."
Just don't force him to drink pear soup and don't talk to him about going to the bathroom anymore.
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