“I need to use the toilet.
“I want some water.
“Go out and get me two dishes—not from the cafeteria; they have no flavor.”
Ever since that day, Lin Yanan hadn’t bothered to do things herself. Whenever she needed something, she’d just call out for help. It was convenient for her and a relief for others, who no longer had to worry about what she might do on her own—though the caregiver was unaware of this. While she was on an IV drip, the caregiver could lie down for a while too, and didn’t have to stay on high alert the whole time.
“The doctor said we can be discharged this afternoon. Qin Feng will drive over to pick us up and take us home.” After a two-week hospital stay and a full set of tests, the results showed no major issues, so she was cleared for discharge.
“Got it. Let’s pack up our things then. It’ll make it easier to leave later.” Fortunately, the condition was caught early. After two weeks of treatment, as long as she didn’t overexert herself, avoid heavy physical labor, and kept her emotions stable, Lin Yanan was as good as new.
“Okay, I’ll go right away.” ” Li Xue resignedly bustled about, while Lin Yanan sat by the bedside leisurely eating fruit. Just then, someone suddenly ran in from outside, rushed straight to Lin Yanan, lifted her face, and examined her closely from all angles: “Mom, you look fine. You really scared me to death when you called earlier.” The visitor was none other than Lin Yanan’s daughter, Qin Huan.
“Take your hands off me right now. What kind of example are you setting? You’re a grown woman—can’t you act a little more mature?” Lin Yanan snapped back to her senses, swatted Qin Huan’s hands away, and scolded her.
“Oh, Mom, I’ll always be a kid in front of you!” Qin Huan pouted in protest, then sat down beside Lin Yanan: “ “Sis-in-law, don’t worry about it for now. I’ll help you clean up later.” Though she said this, Qin Huan didn’t move an inch and instead picked up a piece of sliced fruit to pop into her mouth.
“I’ve got this. You just got back and must be tired. Just sit down and rest.” Li Xue turned back and gave a light chuckle, not taking the remark to heart. She knew how to say the right things, but she never followed through!
“I’ve been in the hospital for so long, and you only called twice. You’re only coming to see me now that I’m about to be discharged. Helping me tidy up won’t be too much of a sacrifice for you.” Lin Yanan had no intention of indulging Qin Huan’s temperament and vented all her pent-up frustration at once.
“Mom, you’re my own mother—why are you holding this against me? I just started my junior year; my coursework is heavy. Otherwise, I would’ve come over long ago to take care of you and look after you.” As she said this, a flash of embarrassment crossed Qin Huan’s eyes. She knew she hadn’t been very considerate, but she absolutely refused to admit it.
“Hmph. I don’t expect you to take care of me for very long—it’s the thought that counts. Now hurry up and help out! At least your sister-in-law took care of me in the hospital for half a month. If everyone were like you, I wouldn’t be able to count on anyone!” Lin Yanan gave Qin Huan a shove, not letting her linger there, all talk and no action. Qin Huan could tell her mother was in a rage and didn’t dare argue further.
Qin Huan’s reluctance showed clearly on her face, so Li Xue had no choice but to speed up her work. She’d rather be busy than have to deal with this mother-daughter duo.
“Mom, be careful. I’ll hold onto you. And as for my brother—how could he pick a place like this? It doesn’t even have an elevator, and now you have to climb the stairs. But don’t worry. Once I graduate and start making money, I’ll buy you a big house with an elevator, and we’ll live there together.”
Qin Feng picked them up that afternoon and brought them home, with Qin Huan tagging along as well. Their apartment was on the fourth floor, and since there was no elevator, the group had to climb the stairs. Qin Feng and Li Xue carried the luggage from behind, while Qin Huan supported Lin Yanan with one hand and applied eye drops with the other.
“If you can really do that, Mom will move in with you.” Lin Yanan knew full well that whenever Qin Huan said things like this, she was basically asking for money. This time, however, she didn’t follow Qin Huan’s lead as she usually did, nor did she offer to give her money.
“I’m definitely capable of it. Just wait and see.” ” Although she sensed her own mother’s slight coldness, Qin Huan knew she was in the wrong this time and didn’t dare to press the issue further.
Excluding the shared expenses, Qin Feng’s home was about 90 square meters, with a layout of three bedrooms, a living room, and one bathroom. To be honest, when Qin Feng bought the house for his wedding, only Qin’s father had contributed 30,000 yuan—money he’d saved up behind his family’s back and given entirely to his son. The original owner, however, hadn’t contributed a single cent. It wasn’t just that she didn’t want to—it was that she couldn’t. She had absolutely no money to her name. Although Qin’s father gave her most of his salary, and even Qin Feng gave her a thousand or two each month, the original owner lived by the principle of “live for today,” having already squandered it all long ago. She simply couldn’t come up with the money.
Besides the contributions from the Qin family—father and son—Li Xue’s family also chipped in half to cover the down payment. After using up their housing fund, they were left with monthly payments of 1,800 yuan for twenty years.
In this obscure small-town, Li Xue earned 6,000 yuan a month working at a tutoring center, while Qin Feng, as a workshop supervisor at a factory, made 12,000 yuan a month. While these were considered high salaries locally, they still struggled to make ends meet.
The reason was that, in addition to covering the expenses of their own small household, they also had to shoulder the living expenses and tuition fees for the original owner and Qin Huan. Li Xue’s father had recently suffered a serious illness. Since his surgery, his health had never fully recovered; he had to take medication daily, go to the hospital for checkups every so often, and sometimes visit a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Whenever the elderly couple couldn’t manage on their own, Li Xue and Qin Feng had to step in to help. It was as if they were shouldering the burden of three families on their own, and the pressure was immense.
Li Xue had arranged for Lin Yanan to stay in the room on the left side of the entrance, which was usually used as a storage room. Ever since she found out Lin Yanan was coming to stay, Li Xue had already cleaned it out in advance, and the items Qin Feng had brought back from their hometown had been neatly arranged. Although the room was simple, it was clean and tidy.
Qin Huan took a careful look around the house, a flash of contempt crossing her eyes. Lin Yanan noticed the look from the side, but she said nothing at the time, merely taking note of it silently.
“Grandma, Auntie.” After school that afternoon, Li Xue and Qin Feng’s daughter, Xiao Tianguo, returned home. She didn’t seem surprised to see Lin Yanan; she merely greeted her with a polite yet distant nod before running back to her mother’s side. Then, blinking her big eyes, she looked at them with curiosity.
In this household, although the original owner was often blunt with Li Xue, she was relatively gentle with her granddaughter, Tian Guo, and didn’t hold the traditional notion of favoring sons over daughters. Therefore, Tian Guo wasn’t afraid of her—she just found her unfamiliar.
After staying at Qin Feng’s house for two days, Qin Huan was eager to leave. Before she went, she didn’t forget to “make a quick buck,” though she was tactful enough not to approach Lin Yanan. Instead, she turned to Li Xue: “Sis-in-law, I signed up for a tutoring class last month to prepare for a certification exam, so I’m a bit short on cash right now. I won’t make it to the end of the month. Could you give me a little extra?”
“We’ve had quite a few expenses lately. A thousand is the absolute limit.” Hearing Qin Huan’s request, Li Xue felt torn; she didn’t want to give any more. Qin Huan’s living expenses had already been transferred, and this unexpected overspending was an unanticipated burden on her own small household.
“Sis-in-law, I…” Qin Huan was about to say something else when he heard Lin Yanan call out, “Qin Huan, what are you doing? If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late!”
“Mom, I’m leaving right now!” After saying that, Qin Huan didn’t dare to press Li Xue any further and sulkily left.