Chapter 2: Mingxi's words upon entering the hospital...
Mingxi's words carried considerable weight with Zhao Sulan, and upon hearing them, Zhao Sulan finally stopped what she was doing.
She released her grip on Zhou Cuihua's neck and got off Zhou Cuihua, but her eyes remained fixed on Zhou Cuihua. Her deep, dark eyes sent chills down Zhou Cuihua's spine, and goosebumps rose on her arms.
Zhao Sulan: "Apologize, apologize to my daughter."
"Apologize, I apologize." Zhou Cuihua nodded hurriedly. She didn't dare to get up and lay on the ground for a long time before finally turning her face to Mingxi. She lay on the ground trembling and said, "Ming family girl, I was wrong, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that to you. Please forgive me."
As she spoke, she glanced at Zhao Sulan, who remained expressionless, seemingly displeased. She quickly slapped herself twice in the face: "I was wrong, I shouldn't have talked nonsense. I'm the one who deserves to be struck by lightning. I was so stupid, I was so blind, I deserve to die..."
Zhou Cuihua was genuinely terrified. No one knew better than her that Zhao Sulan had truly tried to kill her.
Seeing Zhou Cuihua say this, Zhao Sulan was finally satisfied. She took a step back and said, "Alright, do you have anything else to say?"
Zhou Cuihua kept shaking her head.
What else could she possibly say?
All she wanted now was to escape this horrible courtyard and get away from this horrible Zhao Sulan.
Seeing that Zhao Sulan had stepped back and had no intention of attacking her, Zhou Cuihua tentatively got up. Zhao Sulan still didn't move, so Zhou Cuihua breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the still dazed Wang Hongmei, and ran towards the gate.
Surprisingly, Zhou Cuihua was quite agile. Before Mingxi could even react, she had vanished in a flash.
Zhao Sulan: "Stop looking, come help me up, I hurt my back when I was hitting Zhou Cuihua."
Mingxi quickly stepped forward, took Zhao Sulan's arm, and asked without thinking, "Mom, are you alright?"
Zhao Sulan: "It's nothing, it's just an old problem. I'll just go home and apply some plaster."
Despite saying that, Zhao Sulan's face didn't look good. Mingxi helped her take only a few steps before she noticed that her face was extremely pale and her forehead was covered with large beads of sweat.
Mingxi sensed something was wrong and stopped in her tracks: "Mom, shall we go to the hospital to get it checked out?"
"No need, I'm fine, why go to the hospital, ugh..."
Zhao Sulan wanted to remain defiant, but a piercing pain in her lower back made her gasp for breath.
Mingxi frowned: "No, Mom, we should go to the hospital to get it checked out."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Aunt Ma, the kindest person in the courtyard: "Aunt Ma, could you please help me take my mother to the hospital?"
"Okay, sure!" Aunt Ma nodded immediately. She then instructed her children, "Eldest son, go to the Zhang family's house in the backyard and borrow a cart. Second son, go and unload the door panels. Third son, help hold Aunt Zhao's hand..."
The neighborly affection of today is different from the indifferent neighbors of later generations. These days, as the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. If anyone in the neighborhood has a problem, everyone will lend a hand.
So when they heard what Aunt Ma said, not only did the Ma family children get moving, but other neighbors in the courtyard also came to help. Everyone hurriedly lifted Zhao Sulan onto the cart and headed to the hospital.
She was taken to the hospital and rushed to the emergency room. The doctor examined Zhao Sulan and found that she had a herniated disc.
Mingxi: "My mom only has a herniated disc, does she have any other problems?"
She pressed on, still concerned, "My mom has had a herniated disc for several years, but it wasn't this bad before?"
Zhao Sulan had been suffering from a herniated disc for several years. After her father passed away, she took over his job at the steel rolling mill. Seeing the difficulties a woman like her had to support her family, the factory leaders changed her from workshop work to kitchen work. Workshop work was tiring, and there were technical skill exams to pass. Although higher skill levels meant higher wages, new workshop employees only received apprentice wages of fifteen yuan a month, with no subsidies. Kitchen work was different.
The work in the kitchen is relatively easy. Aside from busy mealtimes, it's much less demanding. There's no distinction between apprentices and full-time employees; everyone starts with a base salary of 18.5 yuan, with annual increases based on seniority. Most importantly, you can take leftovers home. Although they're called leftovers, nobody really cares whether they were served before the main meal or leftovers at the end.
This would have been a real benefit during the difficult years of the past.
However, there was one problem: working in the kitchen meant standing all the time, which is how Zhao Sulan developed a herniated disc.
Seeing Mingxi's anxious expression, the doctor across the room explained that lumbar disc herniation is divided into acute and chronic types. Zhao Sulan's condition today was an acute flare-up, characterized by sudden and severe symptoms, which can lead to inability to walk or stand in severe cases.
After the doctor finished speaking, he reassured Mingxi: "Acute lumbar disc herniation is not a big problem, and the acute phase usually doesn't last too long, at most two weeks. I'll prescribe some painkillers for your mother first, and she'll feel better after taking them."
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay, doctor, please prescribe the medicine."
In addition to prescribing medication for Zhao Sulan, the doctor also gave her a hospital admission slip, instructing her to stay in the hospital for observation for three days. Mingxi had no objections and quickly took the slip to pay the fees. When she returned, Zhao Sulan had already been admitted to a ward in the inpatient department.
As soon as Zhao Sulan saw Mingxi return, she immediately sat up: "Xibao, what did the doctor say? Why did they move me to the inpatient department? I just have a backache, it's not a serious illness, why do I need to be hospitalized? How much will hospitalization cost? Besides, what will I do if I'm hospitalized? If I don't go to work, my salary will be deducted."
As she spoke, she moved toward the bedside: "I feel much better now, I'm fine, let's go, let's get discharged and go home."
Although he had no experience dealing with elders in his previous life, Mingxi has now figured out the secret to making Zhao Sulan obedient without any instruction.
"You're still being discharged, Mom. Do you know what the doctor told me? He said you have a herniated disc, a serious one. If you don't take good care of yourself, you'll never be able to stand up or walk again. You'll just be bedridden."
After deliberately exaggerating, Mingxi added, "Besides, I've already paid the hospital fees. Even if you check out now, they can't give you a refund, so the money will be wasted."
Zhao Sulan's face turned pale instantly. She gripped the white sheet of the hospital bed and forced herself to say, "Daughter, don't scare me."
Mingxi shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Who scared you? Mom, if you don't believe me, go ask the doctor. That's what the doctor told me. He said that when your herniated disc is severe, you can't stand or walk."
She wasn't lying, but she didn't mention the situation during the acute phase, nor did she say that the acute phase wasn't long.
Zhao Sulan didn't know the doctor's exact words, but she was successfully frightened by Mingxi's words.
Not only Zhao Sulan, but also the group of people, including Aunt Ma, who brought Zhao Sulan to the hospital, were frightened.
"Sulan, you should stay in the hospital and rest. Don't even think about being discharged." Aunt Ma stood by the hospital bed and advised, "You should stay in the hospital and get well before you leave. What if something really happens later? Even if you don't think about others, you should think about your Mingxi."
Mingxi: "That's right, Mom. If you don't stay in the hospital properly and really become paralyzed, then I'll still have to take care of you in the future, won't I?"
Zhao Sulan's expression changed, but she still obediently lay down.
Is what she said wrong? If she really becomes paralyzed, in the end, it will be her son Xibao who suffers the most trouble.
Seeing that Zhao Sulan wasn't making a fuss about being discharged, Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, Mom, you stay here for a while. I'll go home to pack my things for the hospital and I'll be back in a bit. If you need anything, just ask the nurse."
Zhao Sulan nodded.
Aunt Ma: "Well, Sulan, if you're done here, we'll head back now."
Zhao Sulan: "Ah, okay, Lao Ma, you guys go back now. Thank you for your help today. I'll treat you to a meal when I'm better."
"Hey, look at you, we've lived in the same courtyard for over twenty years, why are you being so polite?" Aunt Ma waved her hand: "Alright, we're going back now, you should get some rest."
Zhao Sulan: "Hey, um, Old Ma..."
Aunt Ma paused, turned around, and asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Zhao Sulan glanced at Mingxi and said, "I'm afraid the Wang family is still causing trouble. If they come to cause trouble again, please keep an eye on Mingxi for me."
Aunt Ma: "Okay, sure."
That wasn't a big deal, but she couldn't help asking out of curiosity, "Sulan, what's going on with the Wang family? Didn't they send a message saying that their daughter was going to get married to Du Hai? Why are they causing trouble again today? And they keep saying that something's wrong with Du Hai?"
She frowned, puzzled: "I've never heard anyone say that Du Hai has any problems."
"That's exactly what they say!" Zhao Sulan sighed.
She also wanted to know what the Wang family was trying to achieve by making such a scene today. Zhou Cuihua kept making a fuss but didn't say what was wrong with Du Hai.
This whole thing is really making things very difficult for people.
Zhao Sulan was thinking that once she was discharged from the hospital, she would have to go to the Wang and Du families to ask what exactly happened. Whatever Du Hai's problem was, it had to be explained clearly.
Once things are cleared up, whichever side has the problem should admit their mistake. Regardless of whether the marriage will ultimately go through or not, this matter cannot remain unclear.
Otherwise, if people hear that she has problems and is hiding her flaws from the man to cheat on the woman, who would still want her to be their matchmaker?
Mingxi sighed as she looked at Zhao Sulan, who clearly had something on her mind, and said, "Mom, don't think too much about it. Get some rest. We're leaving now."
Zhao Sulan: "Okay, you can go back now."
Mingxi turned around and left the ward with Aunt Ma and her group.
Stepping out of the hospital and onto the main street, Mingxi looked around curiously.
It was March 1980. Although the market hadn't officially opened yet, the social atmosphere was completely different from what Mingxi remembered from a few years prior. People on the street dressed more boldly and stylishly, and many were secretly setting up stalls to do business. "Secretly" wasn't entirely accurate; these vendors didn't hide from people, and some of the bolder ones even waved their hands and shouted loudly. However, the moment they saw a policeman wearing a peaked cap appear, they would immediately roll up their bundles and run away.
Mingxi saw a group of people running away carrying bundles, with police officers wearing peaked caps chasing after them. There were many pedestrians on the roadside staring at the spectacle, and it looked quite lively.
“Mingxi…”
As Mingxi curiously looked around to watch the commotion, she suddenly heard Aunt Ma speak and turned her head.
Aunt Ma: "Your mother has been hospitalized these past few days, how have you been eating?"
Mingxi scratched his head: "As for food, I... I'll go to the state-run restaurant and buy something to eat."
The original owner of this body couldn't cook, and neither could she.
Not to mention cooking, the original owner was so pampered by Zhao Sulan that she never lifted a finger and couldn't even wash a dish. Zhao Sulan did all the housework, and the original owner just waited to be served.
As for her, from childhood to adulthood, the orphanage, university, and workplace she worked at all had canteens. Although the food in the canteens wasn't good, she wasn't picky; as long as there was something to eat, she was fine with it. She never even considered cooking for herself.
So now she has no choice but to buy ready-made food from state-run restaurants.
Aunt Ma: "Why go to a state-run restaurant? That would cost so much money and tickets. How about this, while your mother is in the hospital, you can eat with us."
"This is too much trouble for you," Mingxi said, trying to be polite.
Aunt Ma: "What's the trouble? When you were little, your mother didn't have milk, so you even drank my milk. What's the trouble of eating a meal from me?"
Mingxi blushed and said, "Okay, then."
Aunt Ma: "Okay, it's settled then. You'll be eating with us for the next few days. I'll cook when I get home. Go wash your lunchbox and bring it over so I can take a portion to your mom."
Mingxi nodded.
Aunt Ma: "After I finish cooking, I'll go to the grocery store to see if they have any bones. I'll buy a set and make some bone broth for your mom."
Mingxi quickly said, "I'll pay for it."
Aunt Ma: "Nonsense, you'll definitely have to pay for the soup you make for your mother. Don't worry, I won't stand on ceremony with you about this."
Mingxi smiled shyly.
The two walked towards the courtyard where they lived, talking as they went, and soon reached the entrance.
As soon as she arrived at the gate, before even entering the courtyard, Mingxi heard a commotion inside.
A note from the author:
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1. Source: Internet
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