The head nurse happened to be making her rounds and stopped when she heard this.
"Old Su, I've found you someone you can trust."
She turned and called out.
"Old Zhou! Come here for a second!"
A man in his fifties walked down the corridor. His blue overalls were faded from washing, and his knuckles were large, indicating that he was used to manual labor.
"Old Zhou has worked here for over ten years, and he's cared for many seriously ill patients; he's experienced."
The head nurse explained.
"It's about the price..."
"Three yuan a day, including two meals."
Su Jianguo pulled out ten 100-yuan bills and slapped them on the bedside table.
"Pay in advance for ten days."
Old Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief; this was equivalent to several months' salary for him.
The head nurse was also taken aback.
"We don't need that much..."
"The extra amount will be considered a bonus."
Su Jianguo leaned closer to Lao Zhou and said earnestly.
"My brother isn't quite right in the head. If he gets restless when he's awake, please bear with him..."
After explaining the precautions, Su Jianguo went to the doctor's office to say hello.
After everything was arranged, he stood at the door of the ward and took one last look at the sleeping Wu Ermaitai before dragging his leaden legs out.
He pulled his bicycle out of the bicycle shed.
Su Jianguo almost tripped and fell when he lifted his leg to get into the car.
His right knee made a sharp "crack" sound, causing him to grimace in pain.
This body is really getting old. When I was young, I could work three days and three nights straight in the factory without even breaking a sweat.
Along the way, Su Jianguo was so sleepy that his eyelids kept drooping, and he almost rode into a ditch several times.
Back at the entrance of the steel rolling mill's residential compound.
Several women who were chatting saw Su Jianguo and immediately started whispering among themselves.
He forced himself to greet them.
"Aunt Wang, Sister Li, are you alright?"
"Hey, Lao Su!"
Aunt Wang, who had permed hair, grabbed his bicycle handlebars.
"I heard something terrible happened to your family? The police even came to your door!"
"Exactly!"
Aunt Li leaned closer, her eyes darting around.
"I heard it was some kind of idiot who got beaten up? He was carried to the hospital covered in blood?"
These days, people don't have much fun. When something happens, it gets spread all over the place.
Although Su Jianguo was somewhat dissatisfied, he couldn't really say anything to his neighbors, so he could only force a smile.
"It's alright, my relative from my hometown is out of danger."
"Who are you kidding!"
Aunt Wang said cautiously.
"I've already inquired about it. Old Liu from the police station said that the idiot stood up for your daughter and bit off someone's ear!"
Su Jianguo was speechless.
If these people even know this, it's probably spread throughout the entire residential compound.
Just as he was about to make an excuse, he suddenly saw the third son of the Zhao family running over in slippers.
"Master Su!"
The young man was panting heavily from running.
"You're finally back! I heard things being smashed in your house last night, and my dad even said he was going to call the police!"
Su Jianguo's heart skipped a beat.
He quickly dismissed the gossipy neighbor and pushed his bicycle home.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard a loud "bang," followed by Wang Xiulan's scream.
"Yuzhen! Open the door! Open the door for your mother right now!"
In the courtyard, the eldest daughter, Su Yufen, was squatting on the ground picking wild vegetables with her two children, Da Mao and Er Mao. When she saw her father return, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Father! My little sister..."
"Is it happening again?"
Su Jianguo leaned his bicycle against the wall and strode over.
Wang Xiulan stood at the door of Su Yuzhen's room, her apron covered in flour.
"You're finally back, sir! That girl locked herself in and hasn't eaten or drunk anything all day..."
Upon hearing this, Su Jianguo frowned deeply. Was this a hunger strike as a form of protest?
Su Jianguo looked at the bowl of noodles his wife was holding.
"You really haven't eaten all day?"
"The porridge that was delivered this morning was served exactly as it was."
Wang Xiulan pointed to the bowl on the windowsill with a worried expression.
"She didn't touch her lunch either. I wasn't in the mood, so I made her a bowl of noodles."
Su Yufen added quietly from the side.
"I heard her crying last night, saying something like 'Brother Qiang will come to save me'..."
"Bullshit!"
Su Jianguo kicked the door.
There was no sound from inside the house.
Seeing this, Su Jianguo simply stopped caring.
He looked at his wife holding a bowl of steaming noodles.
The noodles were topped with bright green scallions and a golden fried egg, and he was hungry too.
"Not eating?"
Su Jianguo sneered and suddenly raised his voice.
"That means you're not hungry!"
After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily in front of the closed door.
The slurping sound was exceptionally loud.
He chewed very hard on purpose, occasionally letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Mmm! Delicious! Xiulan, your cooking is getting better and better."
Su Jianguo ate and praised, his voice carrying a deliberate hint of pleasure.
"These noodles are chewy and the broth is delicious—much better than what you get at restaurants!"
A muffled thud came from inside the door, as if something heavy had hit the wardrobe.
Then came Su Yuzhen's scream, her voice trembling with tears.
"You're all bastards! I hate you!"
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