Ah Xiang and the others set off back the next day, with Zhong Liang helping them buy sleeper tickets.
Yu Yin originally thought of asking A Xiang to donate some money to the orphanage she was familiar with. Although it was a drop in the bucket, it would still help alleviate the immediate crisis.
"Yinyin, I know you mean well, but don't donate money. Instead, donate some supplies that the child can actually use. With money, it's hard to say how much will actually benefit the child."
Ah Xiang isn't saying the orphanage is 100% corrupt, but the orphanage has its own considerations: the buildings need repairs, the staff's salaries need to be improved, and some furniture needs to be added...
If the donated items are supplies, they must be used for the children; they cannot be resold, which would be better for the children.
Ah Xiang understood the specific situation, and Yu Yin listened to her advice. She gave the money directly to Ah Xiang, asking her to buy some supplies locally and send them over. This would not only save on shipping costs but also allow her to send supplies based on the actual needs, sending only what was needed.
Ah Xiang thought about it and realized that made sense. Also, supplies were cheaper in their area than in Shanghai. Ah Xiang and Yu Yin hugged. Although they were reluctant to part, life had to go on, and they each had their own paths to walk.
The train pulled away, and Yu Yin waved her arm for a long time without lowering it. Who knew when they would meet again after this parting?
Yu Yin forgot which year the train speed increase was implemented. She never cared about these issues before; as far back as she could remember, the trains were already very fast.
After Ah Xiang and the others left, Yu Yin returned to her normal work.
"Sister Wang, have a taste. This is something my friend brought from Yunnan Province. I'm taking it home for my child."
Yu Yin picked some pineapples from the garden beforehand. She had taken leave, and her colleagues at work felt obligated to give her something. Fortunately, there weren't many people in her department, no more than ten including the director, so giving each person a pineapple wouldn't be too conspicuous.
"Wow, it's fresh! Thank you, Xiao Yu, this is a rare find."
Sister Wang and Yu Yin were the closest, so Sister Wang accepted the pineapple and thanked her again.
"Thank you, Xiao Yu."
"Thank you, Sister Yu."
...
Seeing that Sister Wang accepted, her other colleagues readily took the pineapple as well, feeling quite grateful. A single pineapple costs several yuan; nobody would buy it for their child unless absolutely necessary. This time, the child could have a taste.
With things settled at work, Yu Yin gave her director not just a pineapple, but also a whole bunch of bananas.
"Xiaoyu, don't go shopping after get off work these days, go home early."
"Sister Wang, what's wrong?"
“In our alley, several people have been robbed in the past few days, and one person was stabbed and hospitalized. He almost damaged his lung; it was too dangerous. It’s not long before the New Year, and the streets are becoming unsafe again. They’re getting more and more brazen every year.”
At lunchtime in the cafeteria, not only Sister Wang and Yu Yin were talking about these things, but many people were discussing them. Now no one dares to go out alone, especially after dark, because you never know when some robbers might jump out from nowhere.
Yu Yin has been busy spending time with A Xiang lately and hasn't really noticed. She needs to have a good talk with her family tonight and also go to the dried goods store to see if Chang Qing and the others have noticed anything.
There was still more than a year until the crackdown, and she only remembered it was in 1984, but not the exact year. She remembered the date only after reading a post online saying that the punishment for some crimes was too lenient, and that if the crackdown were like it was in 1984, many women and children would be safer.
That evening, just after finishing dinner, Yu Yin was about to talk to her family about the safety situation outside when the phone rang.
Hello, who is this?
"I'm looking for Lu Shurui. I'm his older brother, and you're his sister-in-law, right?"
Yu Yin was surprised to hear it was Brother Lu; he sounded quite anxious.
"Shurui, it's your older brother calling, he's looking for you."
Yu Yin quickly called Lu Shurui over to answer the phone; it must be something urgent.
Lu Shurui was quite puzzled when he heard that it was his older brother.
"Big brother..."
Yu Yin noticed that Lu Shurui's brows furrowed and his expression became serious, sensing that the matter was quite serious.
"What's wrong?"
The whole family looked at Lu Shurui after he put down the phone, wondering what had happened.
"My brother said that Xiang Yi was robbed on the road and stabbed twice. He is currently in emergency care. My sister-in-law is still in the operating room. Xiang Qing and Xiang Yu are in his office. His mother-in-law is also hospitalized and wants us to help look after Xiang Qing and Xiang Yu."
After Lu Shurui finished speaking, he went inside to change his clothes, and Yu Yin followed him in.
"I'll go with you. I can lend a hand if anything happens."
"Okay, let's go."
Yu Yin and Lu Shurui told their family not to worry and not to go out after dark.
When Yin and Lu Shurui arrived at the hospital, Xiang Yi's surgery was already over, but he was still in critical condition; one of the stab wounds had penetrated his lung. If he survived the critical period and the wound didn't become infected, he would be fine.
"Brother, sister-in-law, don't worry, Xiang Yi is a lucky person, he'll be alright."
Sister-in-law Lu was still wearing her surgical gown; she must have just finished surgery on a patient and hadn't had time to change.
Yu Yin didn't know how to comfort her older brother and sister-in-law. At this moment, any words of comfort seemed pale and powerless.
Xiang Yi is a high school sophomore this year. He's a very sensible child and does well in his studies. I never expected this sudden tragedy. His classmate was also stabbed, but although it didn't hit any vital organs, he lost a lot of blood.
"Okay, thank you for coming over. Your older brother and I will watch over this area. You should take Xiang Qing and Xiang Yu home. The two children are a little frightened. Please take care of them."
"Okay, we'll take them both back. I'll come back tomorrow morning. It's a holiday now, so I don't have anything to do."
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