“Oh my, Second Sister-in-law! Duoduo’s been injured for two whole days and you didn’t even send someone to tell me? I only found out because I saw Little Sister while selling scrap paper.” Xu Dajie rushed in, drenched in sweat.
To be fair, all the daughters of the Xu family were good people.
Even after marrying out, Xu Dajie would secretly ask Xu Xiaomei to bring candy or pastries to the three girls from time to time. Xu Xiaomei would also voluntarily help them with housework after work.
“Duoduo, does your head still hurt? That damned Eryou and Sanyou — they’ve been causing trouble since childhood and never done a single decent thing.” Xu Dajie reached out instinctively to touch Duoduo’s head, then pulled back, afraid of hurting her.
“Come, eat a candy to sweeten your mouth.” Xu Dajie pulled a fruit candy from the paper bag she brought, peeled off the plastic wrapper, and held it to Duoduo’s lips.
Xu Duoduo obediently opened her mouth and accepted it.
“So sweet.” Xu Duoduo smiled at her aunt. It tasted far better than the saccharin candies from the apocalypse.
“Xiaobu, Xiaoting, you girls eat too.” Xu Dajie handed candy to Xu Bu and Xu Ting as well.
“Auntie, I won’t eat any. Save them all for Second Sister. She even coughed up blood earlier. The doctor said she has to transfer to the city hospital.” Xu Bu burst into tears again.
Out of the entire family, this honest girl was the only one who had actually gone to ask the doctor earlier, so she still didn’t know that Xu Duoduo hadn’t really vomited blood — she had only bitten her tongue to scare Old Xu and Old Madam Xu.
“It’s that serious? Poor Duoduo’s suffered so much. Lie down quickly, don’t sit up anymore. Once you recover, Auntie will cook meat for you so you can nourish yourself properly.”
Xu Dajie felt even more heartbroken hearing that. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to Xu Ergen.
“Ergen, Father absolutely won’t let Eryou and Sanyou stay at the police station. You have to grit your teeth and hold firm. Let those two bastards suffer for a few more days so someone can finally discipline them.”
“Auntie, Grandpa will come this afternoon to force us to split the family. He’ll pressure my dad into withdrawing the report and getting Eryou and Sanyou released.” Xu Duoduo looked at Xu Dajie mischievously.
“Split the family?” Xu Dajie stared in shock.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Your grandparents are still healthy — there’s no way the family will split.”
“Auntie, don’t believe me? Let’s make a bet. If Grandpa agrees to split the family this afternoon, you owe me two meat meals.”
“Oh my, hahaha! You little glutton, always thinking about food.” Xu Dajie laughed, completely unconvinced that her father would ever divide the family. “Fine, even if he doesn’t split the family, Auntie will still cook you two meat meals.”
“Sister-in-law, take these twenty yuan and use them for Duoduo’s treatment.” Xu Dajie pulled out two crisp ten-yuan notes from the inner pocket of her shirt. The bills were flattened perfectly — clearly saved over a very long time.
“Big Sister, we can’t accept this…” Zhou Rong’s eyes reddened, yet her hands couldn’t push away the money Xu Dajie was forcing on her.
After paying for Duoduo’s discharge paperwork, they only had a little over six yuan left.
Duoduo kept insisting she was fine, but as a mother, Zhou Rong knew her daughter was only enduring the pain to avoid spending money.
“Oh, just take it. Better to have money while traveling. Hide it quickly before anyone sees. If there’s any left after you return from the city hospital, you can pay me back then. I still have to hurry home and cook lunch for the boys, so I’m leaving now.”
Xu Dajie shoved the money into Zhou Rong’s hands and left as briskly as she had arrived.
After she left, Zhou Rong cried while handing the money to Xu Ergen.
“Husband, you keep the larger bills. I’m afraid I’ll lose them on the road.”
Xu Ergen accepted the money with reddened eyes and tucked it carefully into the inner pocket of his shirt.
“You three girls must remember your aunt’s kindness,” Xu Ergen said seriously.
…
Xu Ergen and Zhou Rong leaned against Duoduo’s hospital bed, quietly talking to each other before gradually falling asleep together. Xu Bu hugged Xu Ting on the other bed and also drifted off.
Taking advantage of everyone sleeping, Xu Duoduo secretly used crystal stones to heal her wound.
As long as it still looked serious on the outside, that was enough.
The whole family slept peacefully, and the hospital room became quiet and tranquil.
…
Bang!
The ward door slammed open violently, followed by a shrill voice that startled the entire family awake from their peaceful dreams.
“I’ve been running around exhausted all day while your whole family naps here lazily! You little sluts—”
The sight of Xu Ergen’s family sleeping instantly enraged Old Madam Xu.
Startled awake, Xu Bu quickly pulled Xu Ting to Duoduo’s bedside protectively.
Before Old Madam Xu could continue cursing, Chen Hehua hurried in and tugged at her sleeve, whispering in her ear:
“Mother, think about Eryou and Sanyou.”
Remembering the plan they had discussed at home, Old Madam Xu swallowed the rest of her insults.
“Ahem. Second Brother, we came to discuss something with you.” Xu Dagen stepped forward awkwardly to break the tension.
“Dad, Mom, have a seat.” Xu Ergen ignored Xu Dagen and Chen Hehua completely.
“Second Son, it’s already been an entire morning. You should’ve calmed down by now. The important thing is getting Eryou and Sanyou back first.” Old Xu and Old Madam Xu sat on the bed Xu Bu and Xu Ting had just vacated.
Although they had agreed at home to stage a “fake” family division, Old Xu still couldn’t bring himself to say the words “split the family.”
Deep down, he had a strange feeling that once the family divided today, Second Son would become like a kite with a snapped string — impossible to pull back again.
“Dad, Mom, I’m not going. I’m taking Duoduo to the city hospital. Those two little bastards can stay locked up properly for a while.” Xu Ergen refused flatly.
“Who are you calling little bastards? I think you’re asking for a beating—” Xu Dagen lunged forward, only for Chen Hehua to grab him.
She shot him a glare.
Don’t ruin the family division before it even starts.
“Dad, Mom, we’re here.” Xu Sangen arrived with his wife Liu Wei and Xu Xiaomei.
The moment Xu Xiaomei entered, she rushed straight to Duoduo’s bedside and, with her back turned to the others, secretly stuffed a small bag into Duoduo’s blanket.
“Mhm, you’re here. Sit down somewhere. I called you all back from work because there’s something important.”
Old Xu paused before continuing.
“Third Son… Duoduo reported Eryou and Sanyou to the police. The Xu family has completely lost face.”
Seeing his third son arrive, Old Xu immediately began complaining, hoping Xu Sangen would persuade Xu Ergen.
“Second Brother, how did you raise your daughter? How could she send Eryou and Sanyou to the police station? How’s our family supposed to face people now?” Xu Sangen said angrily.
If two boys in the family gained a bad reputation, it would affect his own two sons too.
“Brother-in-law, why don’t you look at the state my Duoduo’s in? The doctor says she needs transferring to the city hospital!” Zhou Rong snapped angrily. Easy for him to talk when he wasn’t the one suffering.
“What right do you have to speak in the Xu family? You shameless vixen, you barren hen!” The moment Zhou Rong spoke, Old Madam Xu began cursing again.
“Grandma, go ahead and yell louder. The nurses will call security soon enough.” Xu Duoduo sat up with Xu Xiaomei’s help.
She absolutely wasn’t going to indulge Old Madam Xu.
Keep cursing and she’d get thrown out.
Old Madam Xu suddenly looked like someone had grabbed her throat. Her voice caught, her eyes fixed furiously on Xu Duoduo. Her lips trembled, but in the end she didn’t dare continue.
“Grandpa, Grandma, the whole family gathered at the hospital — did you come to deliver medical expenses? I’m still waiting to transfer to the city hospital. If I die, Eryou and Sanyou become murderers.”
Xu Duoduo continued turning up the pressure.
“That can’t happen! We’re family. Duoduo, you can’t ruin your brothers Eryou and Sanyou. They’re still young. They didn’t intentionally push you.” Chen Hehua hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
“They’re still young? They’re older than me. If it wasn’t intentional, then it was deliberate! They pushed me into the table corner. The wound was huge and there was so much blood. If I die, then Auntie, you raised two murderers.”
Xu Duoduo didn’t spare anyone with her sharp tongue.
Chen Hehua turned her head away. She truly didn’t want to argue with someone as infuriating as Xu Duoduo.
“Dad, Mom, didn’t we already discuss this at home? Hurry and tell Duoduo!” Xu Dagen urged Old Xu and Old Madam Xu.
Old Xu silently pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and smoked without speaking.
“Grandpa, this is a hospital. Smoking isn’t allowed.” Xu Duoduo refused to inhale secondhand smoke.
Old Xu practically wanted to sew her mouth shut.
But Xu Duoduo was seriously injured, and under the current circumstances, he couldn’t hit or scold her.
The girl who used to be as timid as a quail had become completely different after hitting her head. Every single sentence out of her mouth nearly angered him to death.