It turns out that Wang Xiuqin fell ill and developed a fever after being caught in the rain for more than an hour last night.
Lin Jianguo wanted to ask Lin Gou Dan to buy some fever reducers for Wang Xiuqin, but Lin Gou Dan was sleeping soundly in the house and was completely unmoved. So he had to go to Xu Erlai's house and ask if he had any medicine.
He Shujuan had already fallen out with Wang Xiuqin and wasn't planning to give him the medicine, but when she heard that the money would be sent the next day, she agreed and gave Xu Bowen two of the fever reducers she had prepared for him.
The next day, He Shujuan came to ask for money for the medicine, only to find out that Wang Xiuqin was seriously ill, with a persistent high fever and delirium.
Lin Jianguo was in a panic and didn't sleep all night, so much so that he didn't even hear the cries for help coming from next door.
He Shujuan heard a noise next door and went over to take a look. She then discovered that the storm last night had completely blown down the west wall, pinning Lin Gou Dan to the bed, where he was completely unable to move, with only his head sticking out.
Since it was a human life at stake, He Shujuan went home and called Xu Jianzhong and Xu Erlai over. It took them quite a while to drag Lin Gou Dan out.
Lin Jianguo was preoccupied with both his wife and son, and having not slept all night, he was completely exhausted and fainted.
Lin Gou Dan has survived, but he is in chest pain, likely due to a broken rib, and his leg is bleeding, so it's unclear whether the bone is broken.
Lin Gou Dan's dream of counting money until his hands cramped up didn't come true. Instead, he spent all his time lying in bed, his fingers cramping constantly from being pressed down like trigger fingers.
He Shujuan had no money to treat Lin Gou Dan, so she went to Wang Guangming at the brigade headquarters and told him about it.
Having no other option, Wang Guangming had someone take Lin Gou Dan to the county hospital for emergency treatment.
He Shujuan embellished the story and spread it around the team in vivid detail. In less than half a day, everyone knew about it.
"Hmph, this is karma!" Lu Wanqing curled her lip after understanding the reason for the matter.
Li Fang said with some concern, "Shouldn't we tell Lin Xiaocui about this? After all, he's her brother. Lin Gou Dan is lying in the hospital all by himself and needs someone to take care of him."
Lu Wanqing snorted, "Now she thinks of her sister! Where was she before? If he hadn't insisted on taking that room, none of this would have happened. As for Xiao Cui, let her decide for herself in the end!"
Around noon, Lin Xiaocui returned with a long face, looking very unhappy.
Lu Wanqing wondered if she had already heard about what happened at home while on her way.
"Xiao Cui, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.
Lin Xiaocui then told him that she had accidentally dirtied the blue cotton-padded jacket and had to pay two yuan in compensation.
"Actually, the cotton-padded jacket just got a mud stain by accident. It would have been fine after washing it with water, but that auntie insisted that I pay her back, so I had no choice but to pay her two yuan," Lin Xiaocui said angrily.
Two yuan could buy so many meat buns; her savings suffered a significant loss.
Lu Wanqing patted her shoulder, comforting her, "It's alright, it's okay, I'll pay for the two yuan..."
At this moment, Lin Xiaocui shrugged and couldn't help but laugh. She pulled out two slips of paper from her pocket and waved them playfully, saying, "Look, what's this? Although that auntie made things difficult for me, the other two sisters-in-law who visited her saw how beautiful the cotton-padded jacket you made was, and I only had to pay two yuan for a little mud stain, so they both said they wanted to make one for me. I got two orders right away!"
Lu Wanqing glared at her, feigning anger. "You scared me to death! I thought you were going to cry again!"
Lin Xiaocui suppressed her smile. "No, I won't cry for them anymore."
Li Fang, who had been sitting to the side observing coldly, spoke up: "Xiao Cui, I heard that something happened to your family. You should go back and take a look!"
Lu Wanqing quickly grabbed Lin Xiaocui's hand, as if afraid that she couldn't accept it, and said, "Your mother is sick, and your second brother was hit by a wall and is in the county hospital. Whether you go to take care of them or not is up to you. If you don't want to go, Aye and I will support you."
To be honest, it was a difficult decision. Outsiders didn't know how Wang Xiuqin and Lin Gou Dan had bullied Lin Xiaocui, but if she didn't show up at this time, people would say she was unfilial, heartless, and some might even call her a cold-blooded animal.
The power of such slander is immense. The Lin family already has a bad reputation, and if she continues to turn a blind eye to family matters, she will likely have a very difficult time getting married in the future.
What seemed like a difficult decision turned into a resolute one for Lin Xiaocui. She said firmly, “What good would it do me to go? I’d only be an eyesore to them. Let’s just part ways here! Sister-in-law, this winter break, I want to learn how to make clothes from you.”
"Alright, alright, just stay home and learn to sew clothes with me and your aunt," Lu Wanqing quickly agreed.
Li Fang twitched her lips, thinking to herself, "This Lin Xiaocui is really ruthless. Whoever marries her in the future will suffer if they treat her badly."
Lu Wanqing is quite an oddball; she indulges her so much, isn't she afraid of what others will say behind her back?
Seeing the two sisters-in-law getting along so well and about to cook, Li Fang didn't stay long and left awkwardly.
When she got home for lunch, she started talking to herself about Lin Xiaocui's decision, and finally said:
"That Xiao Cui is really heartless; she didn't even mention going to the hospital to take care of her second brother."
Aunt Luo couldn't stand it anymore and banged on the table, saying, "Why are you meddling so much in other people's business? If you can't stand it, why don't you go to the hospital and take care of them!"
"Mom, what are you saying? I'm just thinking that if Lin Xiaocui, a young woman, doesn't contribute to her family now, she might have a hard time getting married in the future," Li Fang muttered.
Luo Chunlei slammed the bowl down, said, "You reap what you sow. Some people starve to death in bed, and that's their own fault! I'm full," and went back to his room.
Li Fang felt a little wronged. She hadn't said anything, so why did everyone give her such a hard time?
When Lin Ye and Liu Zhengfeng returned from meeting the homeless man, they saw a tractor drive by on the street. It seemed to be a brigade tractor, and there were people lying on it. Unfortunately, the tractor was driving a bit fast, and he couldn't see clearly.
He didn't take it seriously, and after saying goodbye to Liu Zhengfeng, he went to Tiger's place.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, he wanted to buy more pork, and preferably some beef as well.
In those days, cattle were very important livestock and were not easily killed; only some old cattle would be slaughtered on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Because of its scarcity, beef on the black market can cost as much as two yuan per kilogram, but even at such a high price, it's hard to buy during the Chinese New Year.
Unexpectedly, Lin Ye didn't buy any meat when he went to Tiger's house this time, but he overheard something. He didn't buy much and hurried home.
Upon returning home, Lu Wanqing naturally asked about the homeless man first.
Lin Ye didn't seem happy and said with a sullen face, "From now on, let's pretend this person is dead!"
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