Even a year later, the scale of the wedding was still the talk of the town. An Jin became the envy of all the girls in the village. Before, although An Jin was pretty, she was always covered in dust and dirt, doing nothing but work, and all she got in return was schadenfreude and pity.
Now, thanks to a lavish wedding, he has become the envy of all the women in the village.
Both of them are capable people, not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and work very hard. Wuyou gradually got the hang of farm work, showing a slow and steady growth and familiarity, which seemed quite reasonable.
His previous poor health and clumsiness had a reasonable explanation; over time, he got the hang of it. He even earned one of the most work points among all the men in the village.
Humans are forgetful creatures. Seeing how hardworking and good-looking Wuyou was, everyone had long forgotten their initial disdain for him when he first came to the village, and only admiration remained.
The person who was most upset and angry about this was Sun Xiaoying. Wuyou and Anjin were his greatest enemies in life. He wished that the two of them would rather be dead. Seeing the two of them getting better and better, his jealousy and anger were self-evident.
When you feel uncomfortable, it will naturally show on your face and be reflected in your actions. Sun Xiaoying focused more on Wuyou and the other two, neglecting the people around her.
As dawn broke and the rooster crowed loudly, sounding the alarm to get up. Zhou Jiajun had long since established a fixed biological clock; as soon as the rooster crowed, he abruptly opened his eyes, looked at his sleeping wife beside him, carefully got out of bed, and put on his clothes.
So far, he's quite satisfied with his life. His wife, Sun Xiaoying, isn't good at farm work, but she's an excellent cook, keeps the house spotless, and takes care of his elderly mother. She manages the household perfectly, allowing him to focus on earning work points outside. The debts he owes are almost paid off, and everything is going well.
Because he was busy recently, Zhou Jiajun would only say a quick goodbye to his mother before leaving, leaving her in his wife's care without worry. After making breakfast, Zhou Jiajun brought rice porridge and side dishes into the room.
"Mom, I brought you some food, please try it." Zhou Jiajun opened the door with a smile and placed the food on the bedside table.
Zhou's mother's room was rather dim, with only a faint light filtering through the curtains to illuminate the scene inside. Fortunately, Zhou Jiajun was extremely familiar with the room's layout and easily found the bedside.
Pulling back the curtains let in plenty of sunlight, dispelling the darkness inside.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Zhou Jiajun asked, puzzled after not getting a response for a while. His mother never slept in; her biological clock was just as strict as his. Yet, she hadn't responded to his questions. He couldn't help but find it strange.
Sunlight streamed onto the wooden bed, clearly imprinting the old woman's face on it. Zhou Jiajun's pupils contracted, and he quickly stepped forward, patting his mother's cheek and calling out to her urgently.
"Mom...Mom...What's wrong? Wake up!" Zhou's mother's face was so red, it looked like the sunset in the sky, her fair face was bright red and burning hot to the touch.
A gentle touch revealed her alarmingly high temperature; she must have a high fever. Zhou Jiajun's brows furrowed deeply. He quickly draped a coat over his mother and carried her away without even a word of farewell.
Zhou's mother leaned gently on her son's shoulder. Her head swayed with Zhou Jiajun's movements, and even her breath was hot. Zhou Jiajun felt a chill run down his spine and quickened his pace, a growing sense of foreboding in his heart.
Zhou's mother had been bedridden for many years due to poor health, and no matter how carefully she was cared for, her constitution was still somewhat weak. High fever was a life-threatening illness for them; if not handled properly, it could even cause mental impairment, let alone given Zhou's mother's condition.
In those days, clinics were scarce; there might only be one clinic in a dozen or so villages. Fortunately, there was a small clinic near Guangming Brigade, run by Dr. Liu, who was over fifty years old. Villagers would go to him for treatment of any minor illness or injury.
When Zhou Jiajun arrived, Dr. Liu had just opened the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the scene. He quickly told Zhou to lie down on the hospital bed and began the examination.
"Dr. Liu, how is my mother?" Zhou Jiajun was extremely anxious, but she didn't dare to disturb Dr. Liu's examination. Once she saw that he had stopped, she hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and asked anxiously, her face flushed with worry.
"How exactly did you take care of your mother? Her health wasn't good to begin with, and you let her have a high fever all night." Dr. Liu frowned, his eyes full of accusation and disapproval as he looked at Zhou Jiajun.
He thought this child was a good one, taking excellent care of his elderly mother, and she hadn't had a relapse in all these years. How could this happen in just a few years? Had he really misjudged this child?
"I...I don't know, I..." Zhou Jiajun stammered for a long time. He was an honest person and not good with words. Faced with this situation, he couldn't care less about Dr. Liu's accusations and gaze, and was only anxious.
"Dr. Liu, you must cure my mother. I'm willing to spend any amount of money. Please, please save her." Zhou Jiajun reached out and gripped Dr. Liu's sleeve tightly, becoming somewhat incoherent.
"Sigh..." Having watched this child grow up, Dr. Liu could tell from his expression that the boy was completely unaware of the situation, and a big question mark appeared in her mind. With a sigh, Dr. Liu hurried to get the medicine.
Before long, Zhou's mother had an IV drip in her hand, and the transparent medicine flowed into her body drop by drop, slowly nourishing her.
Zhou Jiajun's heart was in his throat. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at his mother, occasionally changing the towel he placed on her forehead.
The clock on the wall had already completed a full rotation, and the only sound was the ticking of the second hand. Zhou Jiajun touched his mother's forehead; it was still burning hot, showing no signs of cooling down, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Dr. Liu, it's been an hour, why hasn't my mother's fever gone down? I'm afraid something might happen to her. Please come and take a look at her."
At that moment, Dr. Liu was seeing a patient. His small clinic was always bustling with patients; people from all around would come to him for treatment—it was cheap and convenient. Hearing Zhou Jiajun's voice, he hurried inside. Many villagers were also waiting to be seen, and they followed the commotion.
After the examination, Dr. Liu's expression grew increasingly grave. He glanced at Zhou Jiajun, his eyes revealing an inscrutable look. He said in a deep voice, "Your mother's condition is not optimistic. She has a persistent high fever, her body can't hold up, and she shows signs of malnutrition. I'm afraid I can't help you."
"Then...then I'll send my mother to town. I'll make sure she gets better no matter what," Zhou Jiajun said through gritted teeth. He was determined to help his mother recover, no matter what.
"I'm afraid it's too late." Dr. Liu shook his head. The town was too far away. If this dragged on any longer, even if they were saved, they would be burned into a mentally impaired state.
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