The man said gratefully, "Thank you so much. I've been to the city before, but I never expected that my first visit would result in hospitalization. I'm afraid I'll be causing you trouble in the future."
Hua Wanjiang smiled and said, "It's alright. We're also from the countryside. We're all away from home, so it's only right that we look out for each other."
Hua Kai called out to the man's wife, "Auntie, come and see what you need. If you're missing anything, I'll take you to buy it later. I know the area well."
The woman approached, still somewhat reserved: "Thank you, girls."
Hua Kai shook her head: "No need to be polite." She then took out her father's and elder brother's washbasins and towels and gave them to the woman: "There are some other things too, you can take these first."
The woman took it and thanked him repeatedly, not knowing what else to say, she was just truly grateful.
Hua Kai handed her water cup to the woman: "There's hot water in the washroom. I'll take you there in a bit so you can rinse all of this with hot water before you use it." She then took out some toilet paper and a bar of soap: "This is just what we need; we haven't used it yet. You can use this first."
While Hua Kai was looking for something, Hua Wanjiang and the man introduced themselves to each other. The man's name was Zhang Shengyuan, and he was from Yangshu Village. He had gone up the mountain to hunt rabbits with someone and fell. The local hospital couldn't treat him, so he came to the city. His wife's name was Lin Guifang. It was the first time for both of them to come to the city. Their family was not well-off, and his mother was bedridden all year round. They wanted to earn more money, so they went out before dawn and ended up getting injured. Zhang Shengyuan felt guilty because he hadn't earned much money and had spent a lot.
Hua Wanjiang sat beside him and comforted him, telling him to relax and that as long as he was healthy, there would be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future. He emphasized that getting his health back was the most important thing.
Lin Guifang accepted the other items, but was too embarrassed to accept the new soap Hua Kai offered: "Sister, you can't accept this soap. This is new; you can still use it."
Hua Kai smiled and said, "It's alright, I was just in a hurry. You'll have to wash this towel first, won't you? You'll need to use soap, won't you?"
“Then I’ll buy it and return it to you,” Lin Guifang quickly said.
"No need. If you're being so formal, I'd feel bad giving you my old things." Hua Kai could tell that Lin Guifang was a principled person. She didn't talk much, but she knew how to conduct herself.
Just as Lin Guifang was about to decline, Hua Wanjiang spoke up: "Look, this Brother Shengyuan calls me 'Big Brother,' how come you're still arguing with me over such a small thing?"
Zhang Shengyuan scratched his head and said to his wife, "Guifang, then let's not stand on ceremony with Brother Wanjiang."
Hua Qingyi placed some fruit on Zhang Shengyuan's bedside table: "Uncle, eating some fruit is good for your recovery."
Zhang Shengyuan thanked him repeatedly.
Hua Kai calculated that Zhang Shengyuan and the others didn't need to buy much more. They originally needed to buy a lunchbox, but Hua Kai said she had an old one at home and would bring it over in the afternoon. Actually, it was one that Hua Kai used herself, but she wanted to help them as much as she could. After all, her family wasn't in trouble and didn't need the money, while they really didn't have any. She understood how useful it was to help them in their time of need, so she wanted to help them as much as she could.
After talking for a while, the young couple became more familiar with each other and started talking more.
They have two children, the older one is ten years old and can cook. He can take care of his younger brother and grandmother at home. The child's aunt's family also lives in the village, so there is not much to worry about at home.
That's good, but Hua Kai still said that she would take Lin Guifang to call their village later to let her family know that she was safe.
As they were talking, Gu Lanyan came in carrying a bag.
Hua Kai happily greeted her, "Mom, what brings you here?" As she spoke, she went over to help Gu Lanyan with her bag.
Gu Lanyan said, "I was worried about you all, so I came to check on you." She then went to Hua Zhongzhi's window and asked, "Father, are you feeling better?"
When Hua Zhongzhi saw Gu Lanyan arrive, he felt a pang of sadness for some reason. He had thought his daughter-in-law was driving him crazy, but unexpectedly, she came.
He nodded with tears in his eyes: "I'm much better now, I'm fine. It's just that it's exhausting. I have to have someone by my side, and I still have to be hospitalized, which makes you all suffer."
Gu Lanyan smiled and said, "Father, it's the best thing that you're alright. It's only right that your children take care of you. I wanted to come yesterday, but Qingyang had diarrhea in the afternoon, so I didn't dare to leave."
Hua Zhongzhi asked worriedly, "How is Qingyang?"
Gu Lanyan said, "It's nothing, it's just because he's greedy. His dad bought some ice cream for them and left it outside to freeze, but since Qingyi and Kaikai can't go back recently, he ate it all. He took his medicine and was fine last night."
Hua Zhongzhi laughed after hearing this: "This kid is too greedy."
Hua Wanjiang was relieved: "I can't buy too much stuff from now on, that kid doesn't know his own limits."
Gu Lanyan said to Hua Kai, "Kai Kai, open the bag. Inside are smoked meat pancakes I made, dumplings I made, braised pork hock, and side dishes. They're still warm. Hurry up and let your grandpa try them."
Hua Kai opened the bag and took out the items one by one, which made Hua Zhongzhi feel very complicated.
Hua Qingyi also went over to help Hua Kai take out the food, and the whole ward was filled with the aroma.
Gu Lanyan also brought several small basins. At this time, she put the food in the basins. The meat was cut into neat pieces, which looked very appetizing.
Hua Wanjiang put a few dumplings in Hua Zhongzhi's bowl: "Father, try them. Lan Yan's cooking is still pretty good."
Hua Chongzhi took a bite and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious."
Hua Wanjiang fed Hua Chongzhi another piece of pork knuckle: "Father, Lan Yan's braised pork is also very good."
After eating it, Hua Zhongzhi said, "It's delicious. It tastes better than what you buy."
Hua Kai said, "Grandpa, my mother has a secret recipe."
Gu Lanyan handed over another half of the smoked meat pancake. Hua Zhongzhi thought everything tasted delicious, but the most important thing was the feeling of being a family, which was different from his previous impressions of family.
Hua Chongzhi said to them, "You all eat too, don't let me eat alone."
Hua Kai looked at Zhang Shengyuan and his wife on the bed over there, took a small basin, put some of each of them in it, and then took a smoked meat pancake. She walked over and said, "Uncle, Aunt, try my mother's cooking."
Gu Lanyan smiled at them and said, "Try it while it's hot. If you like it, I'll bring you more next time you come."
Zhang Shengyuan and his wife knew that Gu Lanyan was Hua Wanjiang's wife, so they both called her "sister-in-law" and thanked her.
Gu Lanyan took out some brown sugar and ginger from her bag and gave a portion to Lin Guifang: "You often stay up late to take care of patients, so drink some ginger and brown sugar water when you have time. It's good for women to ward off the cold."
She brought these for Huakai, who suffers from menstrual cramps. Counting the days until Huakai's period was due, Gu Lanyan was worried that Huakai, who was often helping to take care of Hua Chongzhi at the hospital, might catch a cold, so she brought her some.
Anyway, it's good for these women to drink some, especially in winter, so she brought quite a lot. Seeing that Lin Guifang was a thin, pale-faced young woman, she shared a portion with Lin Guifang.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com