Su Jianguo nodded.
Back in the ward, he saw Wang Xiulan wiping her mother's face, while her father-in-law sat on a chair by the bed, staring intently at his wife.
Er Mao woke up, rubbing his eyes and asking.
"What happened to Great-Grandma?"
Su Jianguo picked up his little grandson.
"Great-Grandma is sick and needs to rest. Can we speak quietly?"
Er Mao nodded sensibly, leaned on his grandfather's shoulder, and looked curiously at his great-grandmother on the bed.
...
Over the next few days.
Wang Xiulan has been taking care of the elderly at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the vegetable shop was thrown into complete chaos without her in charge.
Su Jianguo stood at the entrance of "Su's Vegetable Shop," looking at the busy scene inside, his brows furrowed.
Wang Xiulan hasn't been to the store for three days. Ever since her mother-in-law was hospitalized, her wife has been staying by her bedside.
The store's accounts, inventory, and staffing were all in complete disarray.
"Boss, you've arrived."
Li Hongmei spotted him with sharp eyes and quickly put down her work to come over.
This young woman in her early twenties was one of the store's earliest employees. She was efficient and never made mistakes in accounting.
Su Jianguo nodded and looked around the shop.
The vegetables on the shelves were arranged fairly neatly, but it was clearly not as well-organized as when Wang Xiulan was there.
Wang Li and Zhang Meili were weighing customers, and their movements were noticeably slower than usual.
"Call everyone over, I have something to announce."
Su Jianguo said in a deep voice.
Soon, the three girls and two helpers gathered in front of the counter.
Su Jianguo cleared his throat.
"As everyone knows, the owner's mother is sick and hospitalized, so she hasn't been able to come to the shop during this time."
Everyone nodded, their faces showing concern.
"so."
Su Jianguo's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Li Hongmei.
"Starting today, Li Hongmei will serve as the acting store manager, responsible for all matters in the store."
Li Hongmei's eyes widened, and her lips trembled slightly.
"Me...me?"
"Yes, it's you."
Su Jianguo spoke firmly.
"You've been in the store the longest and are the most familiar with the business. I believe you can do a good job."
Li Hongmei's eyes immediately reddened, and she nodded vigorously.
"Boss, I'll definitely work hard and won't let you down!"
Su Jianguo patted her on the shoulder.
"Starting today, your salary will be the store manager's standard, eighty yuan a month. If you perform well, you'll be promoted to a permanent position after one month, and your salary will increase to one hundred yuan."
Wang Li and Zhang Meili exchanged a surprised glance.
This is significantly higher than their current wages.
"Everyone else should cooperate with Li Hongmei's work."
Su Jianguo continued.
"If the store's profits remain stable during this period, everyone will receive a bonus at the end of the month."
After arranging the affairs of the store, Su Jianguo rushed to the hospital.
When he pushed open the ward door, he saw Wang Xiulan bending down to wipe her mother-in-law's face.
Wang Xiulan's father-in-law has already gone home to rest. He's so old; if he were to collapse at this time, it would be exhausting for Wang Xiulan.
My mother-in-law had her eyes closed, her face was sallow, and her cheekbones were prominent. She had lost a lot of weight in just a few days.
"You're here?"
Wang Xiulan turned around and glanced at him, her voice hoarse.
Her eyes were swollen and red, clearly she had been crying again.
Su Jianguo walked over and took the towel from her hand.
"Go and rest for a while, I'll take care of it."
Wang Xiulan shook her head and stubbornly continued to wipe her mother.
The old lady suddenly opened her eyes and looked around unfocusedly.
"Where am I? I want to go home... Dajiang is still waiting for me to cook dinner at home..."
"Mom, you're at the hospital."
Wang Xiulan spoke softly, her voice choked with emotion.
"You're sick; you need to get proper treatment."
"Dajiang...my Dajiang..."
The old lady seemed not to hear her daughter's words and continued muttering to herself.
"His leg is broken, I have to go back and cook for him... That granddaughter-in-law is heartless, she definitely won't take good care of him..."
Su Jianguo saw his wife's hand tremble, and tears welled up in his eyes again.
He knew that Wang Xiulan's elder brother, Wang Dajiang, was paralyzed in bed.
The daughter-in-law is no pushover either; not only did she kick her parents-in-law out, she certainly won't take good care of her paralyzed father-in-law.
"Mom, don't worry about my older brother."
Wang Xiulan, fighting back tears, comforted him.
"I had Jian Guo check on him, and my brother is perfectly fine."
The old lady suddenly became agitated and grabbed her daughter's wrist.
"Xiulan...Mom is leaving...My biggest worry is your older brother...He suffered his whole life...You have to promise Mom...you take care of him..."
"Mom! Don't talk nonsense!"
Wang Xiulan finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst into tears.
You'll get better!
Su Jianguo stepped forward and put his arm around his wife's shoulder to prevent her from collapsing from excessive excitement.
The old lady fell into a deep sleep again, but her brows remained furrowed, as if she was worried about her son even in her dreams.
"I'll go get some hot water."
Su Jianguo picked up the thermos, giving his wife some space to be alone.
In the corridor, he encountered his attending physician.
"Dr. Liu, my mother-in-law's condition..."
The doctor shook his head.
"The tumor is located very deep and is already compressing multiple functional areas. Right now, we're focused on minimizing the pain, so you... need to be mentally prepared."
Su Jianguo nodded silently.
When Wang Xiulan returned to the ward, she had composed herself and was staring blankly at her mother.
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