Chapter 33
Zhong Xing had originally planned to return to the county town to visit his relatives at the end of the month, but his family members mentioned in a letter that his grandfather accidentally fell while out for a walk. The fall of an old man is no small matter, and Zhong Xing was worried, so he took leave and came back early.
After returning to the county town, Zhong Xing was relieved after confirming that the old man was not seriously injured and had just sprained his foot. Zhong's mother hadn't seen her son for two or three months and missed him very much. She insisted on letting her son stay at home for two more days before returning to Dongxi Village.
But his parents had to work during the day, and his former classmates either went to the countryside to work in the fields or were busy making a living. Zhong Xing was bored at home and suddenly thought of Jiang Jiang and decided to go see her.
Zhong Xing first went to the supply and marketing cooperative. He wanted to pay a visit, so he couldn't go empty-handed. So he bought a bag of tea, two kilograms of apples, and some egg cakes that children liked.
The day Zhong woke up to see her, Jiang Jiang happened to be sick.
He had a fever for a day and a half and was in a daze. He was not caught in the rain nor did he catch a cold. It was just a normal fever. Children's immune systems are not perfect, so they can easily become infected by bacteria and viruses they have never been exposed to, and they are prone to having a fever. As they grow older, the frequency of fever will become less and less.
He Guijuan took a day off and took care of her at home.
"Take another bite."
Jiang Jiang looked at the porridge that was fed to her mouth and shook her head with a bitter look on her face, "I can't eat it."
She didn't want to make He Guijuan worry. She really wanted to vomit and couldn't eat anything.
"Then mom will put the porridge in the stove to warm it up for you. Go to sleep first and eat it when you wake up."
He Guijuan couldn't help but look worried. If the child doesn't eat, how can he have the strength to fight the germs?
Jiang Jiang nodded, her face blushing.
He Guijuan kissed her daughter on the forehead, closed Jiang Jiang's bedroom door when she went out, went to the kitchen to pick the leftover celery from yesterday, and thought about what to make for her daughter at noon to supplement her nutrition.
Hearing someone knocking on the door, He Guijuan opened it and was a little surprised to see who was coming.
"Xiao Zhong, why are you here?"
Zhong Xing was holding something in his hand. "Doctor He, I'm here to see Jiang Jiang. Is she home?"
"Yes, but Jiang Jiang happened to be sick these two days, so I took a day off today to take care of her at home... Come in quickly, kid, you just came and brought so many things."
He Guijuan asked Zhong Xing to sit down, took a clean cup and poured him some water.
Zhong Xing was a little surprised when he heard her words, and a trace of sadness appeared between his brows, "Jiang Jiang is sick?"
"She has a fever. She has been feeling dizzy these past two days. She has no energy and doesn't want to eat. When she wakes up, she will definitely be happy to see you and maybe she will eat more."
When my daughter was in Dongxi Village, she had a good relationship with Zhong Xing. She will definitely be happy when she wakes up and sees him.
"How's the situation in the village lately?"
"I just finished sowing, so I have some free time to go back to the city." In the past half month, Zhong Xing has become much tanned. This time when he returned to the city, he did not dress up. He just wore rubber shoes and long sleeves for working in the fields.
"There is a vacant house over at the educated youth center, and Hangyuan and I have already moved there." Since Lin Youqing's family was not at home, they felt restrained and uncomfortable living there.
However, Shuanzhu from the Lin family would come to him every now and then to ask about his homework.
He Guijuan nodded. "It would be nice for you to move over and live with people of the same age... Are you adapting to the village?"
Old Mrs. Lin has always been reluctant to provide accommodation to the educated youth who went to the countryside, so it would be better for them to move out so that they don't have to look at Old Mrs. Lin's face.
Zhong Xing smiled and said, "It's OK."
"It's almost noon. I'm going to the market to buy some vegetables and then I'll stay at my aunt's house for lunch... Jiang Jiang's father is not at home. He has gone to the countryside for an inspection. She is sleeping in that room. Please help me keep an eye on her. When she wakes up, tell her I'm out."
Zhong Xing took the initiative to stand up and wanted to take over the task of buying groceries, "Auntie, I'll go."
"How can I let you go? Just stay at home for a while. I'll be back soon."
After He Guijuan left, Zhong Xing sat on the sofa for a while until he heard a slight noise coming from the inner room. He then got up, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.
Jiang Jiang felt dizzy and groggy, and he didn't know how long he had slept.
Seeing someone coming, she rubbed her eyes in surprise, unable to believe it, "Brother Zhong Xing?"
"Your mother went out to buy groceries."
Jiang Jiang responded and pointed to the stool beside the bed, "Brother, sit down."
After a good sleep, she felt much more energetic. She threw back the quilt and wanted to get out of bed to get a glass of water.
Zhong Xing stopped her, "What's wrong?"
"I'm thirsty." Jiang Jiang coughed. His throat felt dry and uncomfortable.
"Brother will pour it for you."
The warm water moistened her throat, and Jiang Jiang sighed with satisfaction. She wrapped herself in the quilt and moved back, "Brother, please sit down."
Zhong Xing felt the temperature of her forehead and found it was no longer hot. "Are you still feeling so uncomfortable?"
"It's much better now."
"Brother, are you adapting well in the village?"
"It's pretty good. I was a little uncomfortable at the beginning, but now I'm much more adapted." Zhong Xing's family members all have working people. He took labor classes at school, but it was only when he really went to the fields that he realized there was so much knowledge involved in growing crops.
Zhong Xing saw that her cup was empty, so he poured her another glass of water. "How about you? How's school going? Is it hard?"
"I'm keeping up with the progress, and my classmates are all very nice to me." While speaking, Jiang Jiang took another big sip of water.
"Are you hungry?"
She didn't feel anything at first, but after Zhong Xing asked her, she actually felt a little hungry. "A little bit. I remember my mother said she had warmed up the porridge in the kitchen."
"I'll get it."
Zhong Xing went to the kitchen to bring porridge to feed her. He saw some pickled vegetable shreds in the kitchen to go with the porridge, so he picked up a few. The porridge was thick and sticky with the pickled vegetable shreds. Jiang Jiang cooperated by opening her mouth, and she ate every bite he fed her.
"Brother Zhong Xing, how many days will you stay in the city this time?" Brother Zhong Xing helped their family so much last time, and Jiang Jiang wanted to buy him a gift as a thank you.
"One or two days, I'll go back to my parents' place tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday, so you don't have classes, right?"
It is already completely spring, the weather is good, there are many wild flowers blooming on the mountains, and the bright spring weather is perfect for a walk.
After buying things from the supply and marketing cooperative today, he still had a lot of money left, so when he passed by the store, he could buy a small gift for Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang and Zhong Xing had the same idea, so they suggested, "How about we go out for a walk tomorrow?"
Zhong Xing rubbed her head and said, "I'll come to see you tomorrow morning. If you're well, we'll go out for a walk."
At noon, He Guijuan prepared four dishes and a soup, including stir-fried pork slices with celery, cold chrysanthemum salad, scrambled eggs and seaweed egg drop soup, as well as a plate of pork head bought from the state-owned canteen. The staple food was steamed white flour buns. Considering that Jiang Jiang was still sick, He Guijuan only added a little salt for seasoning, and did not add much other seasoning, keeping the dish light.
Zhong Xing took the soup from He Guijuan and said, "Thank you, Auntie."
"Don't be so polite, treat yourself as your own family and eat whatever you want."
"I was in a hurry today, so I just made a few quick dishes. Xiao Zhong, next time you come to our house, Auntie will let you taste my cooking skills."
"You're very kind. This is very generous."
Jiang Jiang glanced at the porridge in the bowl and took a big sip. "Mom, I want to go out for a walk with Brother Zhong Xing tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Then you guys go shopping. Mom and Dad are busy with work and never have much time to spend with you."
"Xiao Zhong, thank you for your help."
"I haven't had anything to do these two days, so just consider it as Jiang Jiang accompanying me. It's not a bother at all. You're welcome, Auntie." Zhong Xing said in a gentle voice.
The afternoon in March was still a little stuffy. A cool breeze blew over, and the willow trees on the street moved, injecting a bit of vitality into the afternoon.
Children's illnesses come and go quickly. After Jiang Jiang's fever subsided, his spirits also improved.
After lunch, Jiang Jiang returned to his room and counted his New Year's money.
During the Chinese New Year, Old Mrs. Lin gave her a red envelope of five cents, her aunt Zhang Yueju gave her twenty cents, her father Lin Youqing gave her five dollars, Zhong Xing gave her two dollars, and her uncle Tang Xiaojun from Yuanjiang County gave her three dollars and fifty cents. All in all, Jiang Jiang had a total of ten dollars and seventy-five cents.
Brother Zhong Xing is so good to her, so naturally she has to reciprocate.
Jiang Jiang counted out five dollars from the banknote, folded it neatly, and put it in his pocket.
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