Chapter 97 See you tomorrow
Yu Shuilang slipped and fell in the water in front of the fish stall.
The market she went to was close to her home, and some neighbors who were passing by saw her and kindly took her home and helped her call her children.
Zhou Weifang received the letter a little late. When he came in, he saw that his mother's left foot was already bandaged. He asked, "Second sister, have you seen a doctor?"
Zhou Yuying: "Grandpa Li just left."
Grandpa Li is a well-known orthopedic doctor in this area. People with injuries or broken bones call him to come and treat them. His medical skills are widely recognized.
Zhou Weifang breathed a sigh of relief: "What did they say?"
Zhou Yuying: "They said it's definitely a bone injury, so we can only immobilize it like this for now and he'll have to lie in bed for half a month before we can talk about it again."
Half a month? Zhou Weifang: "That's alright."
"What do you mean 'okay'?" Yu Shuilang shouted, "This whole family is counting on me!" "What whole family?" Zhou Weifang replied, "I can't say for sure, sister-in-law. There's only my second brother and my dad left at home. They're both grown men, perfectly capable. They won't starve."
Yu Shuilang: "Then don't you need anyone to do the laundry and cook?"
She's not a hired maid, Zhou Weifang said: "Don't worry about this, we'll talk about it tonight when everyone's here."
Yu Shuilang: "I only have a minor injury, why did you call them all back? Your second sister is here too."
Zhou Weifang sensed something: "You mean you want my second sister to serve you here for the next two weeks?"
When Mom needs something, it's naturally more convenient for her daughter to take care of her. Yu Shuilang: "Don't I need to go to the toilet or take a shower?"
Zhou Weifang really couldn't do either of these things, so he turned his head to look at his second sister.
Zhou Yuying pulled her younger brother back a step and lowered her voice: "My older sister said if you need someone, I'll come. She'll watch the stall."
That makes sense, Zhou Weifang said: "Don't agree yet, let's talk about it tonight."
Zhou Yuying knew her younger brother wouldn't harm her, so she nodded, lowered her eyes, and remained silent.
Seeing the siblings whispering to each other, Yu Shuilang became anxious: "I'm your own mother! You're not even bedridden yet, and you can't even count on me for half a month?"
Zhou Weifang: "You didn't only have my second sister, so there must be someone to take care of her, but she can't be the only one taking care of her, right?"
Yu Shuilan kept repeating the same old lines that only suited her second daughter. Zhou Weifang didn't really pay attention to her, but instead patted the bed frame meaningfully: "Luckily, this house hasn't been demolished yet."
The Zhou family only had three rooms that were habitable, two of which were only big enough for a bunk bed. So when their second brother, Zhou Weiping, got married, his two younger sisters moved out to make room for him.
This matter caused quite an unpleasant incident at the time.
Later, Yu Shuilang and her husband gave up their room to their second son as his wedding room, thinking that the old couple could live in one bunk bed, and their daughters could live in the other room.
But the Zhou sisters were not like that; they were unwilling to come back. Zhou Yuyao only reluctantly left the small house on her wedding day.
Since the place was empty anyway, Yu Shuilan decided to sleep in a separate room from her snoring husband. She was lying on the lower bunk in her own room when she heard this and felt a little guilty, so she didn't say anything.
Finally, it quieted down. Zhou Weifang glanced at his watch and said, "Second sister, I'll go to the market and see if there are any big bones left."
Zhou Yuying: "If you're busy, go back to the shop. I'll take care of things here."
Zhou Weifang: "It's okay, what would you like to eat?"
Zhou Yuying readily agreed, "Either is fine."
Zhou Weifang went out, leaving only the mother and daughter in the room.
Yu Shuilang said, "I think you should move back. Jianhong is getting married soon, and it's not safe for you to live alone outside."
Zhou Yuying, who knew nothing of tact, said, "I want to live outside."
Yu Shuilang: "Mom knows you're upset, but your second brother is getting married, we can't leave them homeless."
Zhou Yuying gave a faint "hmm," which made Yu Shuilan so angry she almost fell over. She really couldn't understand why other people's daughters were willing to compromise, but her own daughters were all unwilling to give in. Her chest heaved.
Zhou Yuying grew up following in her older sister's footsteps. She was mostly cared for by her grandparents when she was young, and as far as she can remember, she was very unfamiliar with her parents.
She rarely has the chance to be alone with her mother, and sometimes she even feels a little embarrassed, fidgeting with her fingers around her pants.
Since they were both her own children, Yu Shuilang didn't feel awkward at all. She continued, "Boys are rougher. If your dad fell, I could take care of him myself, but it's really inconvenient for me. I need my daughter by my side..."
Zhou Yuying is a person who lacks a strong sense of self-reliance when doing things.
She usually listens to her older sister and has taken her younger brother's instructions to heart. No matter how much her mother nags, she always answers with "I will listen to all three."
Yu Shuilang had been talking until her throat was dry, and then she was overcome with sadness, thinking that she had failed as a mother in her life, so she fell silent.
She wouldn't say it, and Zhou Yuying certainly wouldn't say it either.
When Zhou Weifang returned from grocery shopping and saw the mother and daughter in this "standoff," she said, "Second sister, you're a better cook than me."
Zhou Yuying went to cook, and Zhou Weifang pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the bed, saying, "Let me let you know first. If you want my second sister to take care of you, that's fine, but everyone else will have to pay."
What do you want to pay? Yu Shuilang: "You think you're so rich? You have to pay for everything for this family. Did I give birth to you and raise you and not get any money from you? I haven't even asked you to be filial yet, and you keep making excuses."
That doesn't make sense.
Zhou Weifang didn't let his mother get involved: "Should I only ask my second sister to be filial? She's not without work at her stall; it's not easy to earn money these days."
Yu Shuilang: "What about your eldest sister?"
Zhou Weifang: "So, my older sister earns money while the two of us spend it? Do you think that's appropriate?"
He didn't need anyone to say whether it was appropriate or not. During the meeting that night, he made the final decision: "My eldest sister will do the work of watching the stall, so she doesn't need to contribute. The three of us brothers will each pay ten yuan. My second sister will come during the day, and if she needs to go to the toilet or something at night, Dad, you just need to keep an eye on her."
How much? Zhou Weiping had just gotten married and didn't have much money left: "Where would I get the money?"
Zhou Weifang: "Then you do the work, and this money is yours."
What kind of talk is this? Zhou Weiping: "Can I help my mom to the toilet?"
Zhou Weifang: "Then we'll pay for it."
No, why should we all listen to him? Zhou Weiping turned his head and said, "Brother, stop pretending to be mute."
Zhou Weiliang, true to his mother's nature, said, "It's not good for the whole family to have to contribute money. Your sister-in-law has to go to work, otherwise she definitely wouldn't say a word."
Really? Zhou Weifang: "Then let my sister-in-law come. I'll take care of her leave slip."
He spoke with such confidence that Zhou Weiliang couldn't tell if he was just being stubborn or genuine, and he choked up and remained silent.
Zhou Weifang knew this was how it was, so he took out the money and stuffed it into his second sister's hand.
Zhou Yuying put it in her pocket and spread her hands out to her two older brothers.
Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to give it to them.
Zhou Weiping was furious, so he slammed the door and went inside to find his wife.
"Let him fall if he wants," Zhou Yuying said, pretending not to hear. "Then I'll come again tomorrow. Are you leaving, Sanfang?"
"Walk."
Zhou Weifang escorted his second sister to the stall and then exchanged a few words with his eldest sister.
Zhou Yuyao didn't go tonight because she knew her younger brother would be there and wouldn't let them suffer. Plus, it was peak shopping time, so she quickly said, "It's up to you. I'm busy right now."
Zhou Weifang decided not to get in the way, but he felt a bit stifled, so he took some wine and two catties of pig ears to go find his childhood friend.
Luo Hong asked him as soon as he saw him, "Is your mother alright?"
His dad wasn't at work today, and his parents were somewhere to go. He tried calling them twice during the day but couldn't reach them, so he had no idea where they were.
Zhou Weifang sighed and sat down: "It's nothing."
Why are you sighing if there's nothing wrong? Luo Hong casually wiped his hands on his pants and asked, "Who did you argue with this time?"
Zhou Weifang: "We didn't argue, we just felt it was meaningless."
He didn't care about any family scandals, and figured the whole neighborhood would know anyway, so he told them what happened that night.
Upon hearing this, Luo Hong tried to comfort him: "They're not that shameless. The kind of shameless person would pretend not to hear even when you've already reached out their hand."
Zhou Weifang: "No, what's the point of comparing these things?"
Luo Hong pried open the bottle: "So you'd be happy if I said other families are all loving fathers and filial sons?"
Zhou Weifang kicked him: "I just think it's boring. Forget it, what do you know?"
He didn't mention anything about blood being thicker than water, but at least everyone should act with conscience.
Luo Hong reminded him, "Behave yourself, Yan Yan will be home from school soon."
Zhou Weifang glanced at the time: "Isn't it 8:30 tonight?"
I remember it quite well. Luo Hong: "The teacher has something to do."
Okay, Zhou Weifang took a sip of water to rinse his mouth, pretending that he hadn't drunk a drop yet.
Luo Hong gave him a disdainful look, but still whispered a reminder: "Here you are."
When Luo Yan saw Zhou Weifang, her first question was, "How is Auntie?" She breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the reply that everything was alright.
But seeing that he didn't seem very interested, I checked it again.
There were some things Zhou Weifang didn't want to mention in front of her, so he would just gloss over them with a few words, saying, "Let's have a late-night snack."
At this hour, it's hardly considered a late-night snack.
However, Luo Yan didn't care. She still picked up her chopsticks and, seeing her brother drinking alone, asked, "Aren't you going to drink?"
The "you" here refers to Zhou Weifang.
He said, "I don't like to drink."
Luo Yan clicked her tongue slightly, her eyes and brows showing disbelief, but when she figured out why, she lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing her silence, Zhou Weifang wanted to strike up a conversation, and then he remembered something: "Your dress looks really nice today."
Luo Yan couldn't help but feel happy: "Yes, my mom just bought it for me!"
It looks like she's just wearing the new outfit out for a stroll, it has nothing to do with who she's meeting.
Zhou Weifang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Aunt Luo has good taste."
Since the person wasn't there, who would he be flattering? Luo Hong gave a timely sneer, mainly directed at his childhood friend.
Zhou Weifang knew this too, and raised an eyebrow.
The two were exchanging secret messages again when Luo Yan tapped the table: "Stop whispering in front of me."
Zhou Weifang preferred to admit: "He was swearing."
Really? Luo Yan was skeptical, but thought it was quite possible given their similar character, and said, "Stop swearing."
Zhou Weifang exclaimed, and anyone who didn't know better would think he was some kind of good baby who always got red dots when he was in the early childhood education class.
Luo Hong couldn't stand it anymore and cursed him to his face, only to be kicked hard by his sister.
He gasped, "I'll cripple you sooner or later."
Luo Yan gestured with her fist at her brother: "You should be secretly happy that you didn't get hit."
Suddenly, Zhou Weifang remembered: when he was a child, he actually wanted a younger sister like Luo Yan.
Although she cries a lot and loves to preach, she will stick to his back and call him "brother" over and over again. When something happens, she will stand in front of him with her small body to protect him. So, although he may seem to dislike her, he can't help but take care of her.
Luo Yan was unaware of what he was thinking. After "lecturing" her brother again, she went about her own business and ate her food.
Her gaze inadvertently swept across the calendar, and she counted in her mind: there are two weeks left before Zhou Weifang finishes his course.
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Author's note: See you tomorrow!
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