At this moment, Ningning’s clockwork frog fell from her hand onto the ground.
Her face pale, she clutched her chest, her body leaning forward uncontrollably. Her shoulders heaved violently with each breath, and every inhalation produced only faint, wheezing sounds.
Soon, her small face turned bluish-purple from lack of air.
This was another asthma attack for Ningning.
Although Qiao Xingyue was a doctor, her chest still tightened severely every time she witnessed Ningning’s asthma episodes.
Medical conditions in this era were limited, far less advanced and standardized than in later years. Emergency medications were also scarce, and the special medicine Ningning took regularly only served for routine daily treatment.
If the situation became severe, that special medicine might not necessarily be effective.
So while Qiao Xingyue’s heart raced with anxiety, she maintained her composure and instructed An An beside her.
“An An, quickly go get your sister’s medicine.”
The flustered An An immediately dashed up to the second floor with hurried footsteps.
Huang Guilan, upon hearing that medicine was needed, hurried to fetch an enamel cup and poured some water. Seeing the water was somewhat hot, she quickly transferred it between two enamel cups, blowing on it to cool it down as she did.
“Comrade Xiao Qiao, what medicine is An An getting for Ningning? Will it work? Should I quickly go get Zhongming to come back and have him drive Ningning to the hospital?”
“Aunt Lan, don’t panic yet. Let’s wait for Ningning to take the medicine first and observe for fifteen minutes. If there’s no improvement, then we’ll take her to the hospital.”
Soon enough, An An rushed down from the second floor with the medicine.
In her haste, An An slipped and fell on the stairs, but she showed no fear of pain. She scrambled up and hurried to Qiao Xingyue.
Qiao Xingyue took the medicine and promptly administered it to Ningning.
It was then that Huang Guilan clearly saw that the special medicine Ningning was taking was exactly the same as the asthma special medicine that Zhongming’s father took.
However, Huang Guilan noticed that Ningning’s dosage was half of Division Commander Xie’s.
Having just witnessed Ningning’s symptoms, Huang Guilan had wondered if this child might have asthma since childhood, just like Zhongming’s father.
And indeed, her speculation proved correct.
Huang Guilan couldn’t help but find it too much of a coincidence.
Previously, she had learned that An An shared the same peanut allergy with her and Zhongming.
Now Ningning had asthma, just like Zhongming’s father.
These two children – why were they so connected to their Xie family? Even the family genetic conditions seemed to be distributed between them, one condition per child.
But for now, Huang Guilan had no spare moment to ponder other matters.
She continuously monitored Ningning’s response, hoping only that her symptoms would quickly ease.
Qiao Xingyue’s attention was completely focused on Ningning as well. Seeing Ningning’s breathing gradually stabilize and her fingernail beds slowly return from purple to red, Qiao Xingyue finally let out a sigh of relief.
After about twenty minutes, Ningning took a deep breath and slowly said to Qiao Xingyue, “Mom, I’m fine now. Don’t worry.”
Qiao Xingyue had been terrified.
This special medicine wasn’t as fast-acting as the inhalers of later generations.
If it hadn’t been effective, Ningning would have been in great danger. Fortunately, she had recovered.
It was only then that Huang Guilan had the mental space to confirm, “Comrade Xiao Qiao, does Ningning have asthma?”
Qiao Xingyue nodded, “Yes, Ningning has had asthma since birth, it’s congenital and hereditary. When the illness doesn’t flare up, it’s manageable, but when it does, it’s very dangerous. She needs long-term medication, and the medicine is quite expensive. That’s why I’m so grateful to Aunt Lan for giving me this job opportunity. I’ll work hard from now on.”
Huang Guilan fell into thought.
No wonder she had heard the two children mention earlier that Ningning needed treatment—it turned out to be for asthma.
Currently, this illness couldn’t be cured at all, and the cost of medicine was indeed high.
Zhongming’s father also took the same special medicine as Ningning long-term, which cost 24 yuan per box.
Even families like theirs found the medicine expensive, let alone a widowed single mother like Qiao Xingyue with no one to rely on. No wonder the mother and her two daughters wore such tattered and old clothes—they must have spent all their money on Ningning’s treatment, leaving nothing for decent clothing.
Huang Guilan decided to make new clothes for the three of them.
Seeing her remain silent, Qiao Xingyue grew anxious and quickly explained, “Aunt Lan, please don’t worry, asthma isn’t contagious and won’t affect any of you.”
She was afraid Aunt Lan might misunderstand the illness as infectious and use it as an excuse to dismiss her.
“What nonsense are you thinking?” Huang Guilan clarified promptly. “Aunt Lan has no intention of sending you away.”
She added, “Over the past few days, I’ve seen how efficient you are with your work, and the meals you cook suit our tastes perfectly. The elderly lady likes you too, so there’s no need for a month-long trial period. I’ll tell you directly—you can stay with our family long-term to help me out. Rest assured, I’ll pay your wages on time every month.”
Tears welled up in Qiao Xingyue’s eyes. “Aunt Lan…”
“Don’t cry,” Huang Guilan’s throat tightened. “It pains me to see you cry.”
She wondered how difficult life must have been for Qiao Xingyue, raising two children all these years.
Looking at the mother and her daughters, their thin frames were likely due to malnutrition.
Huang Guilan took Qiao Xingyue’s hand and patted it gently. “Treat this place as your own home; don’t be too formal. Finding such a capable helper like you is a blessing for me too.”
…
Evening.
Cooking smoke rose from every household in the Compound.
The aroma of meals from each home filled the entire Compound.
Xie Jiang pedaled his Phoenix bicycle, weaving past the red brick buildings. He greeted the elderly sitting on small bamboo stools and chatting about daily life before slowly riding into his own courtyard.
Huang Guilan had also brought out a bamboo stool and was sitting in front of the string bean trellis in their yard, sewing shoe soles.
The size of the soles was just right for a four- or five-year-old child—she had specially made them for An An and Ningning.
Noticing Xie Jiang getting off his Phoenix bicycle, she quickly waved him over. “Old Xie, come here quickly. I have something to tell you.”
Xie Jiang walked over. “What is it?”
“Old Xie, I’ve told you before that An An is allergic to peanuts, just like Zhongming and me, right?”
“You did. You said it’s such a coincidence in the world.”
“What’s even more coincidental is that Ningning also has our Xie family’s hereditary illness. Today, when Ningning had an asthma attack, I found out that the special asthma medicine she takes is exactly the same as the one you use. How is it possible that both children have our family’s hereditary conditions?”
Huang Guilan paused her shoe sole sewing.
Xie Jiang also stopped unbuttoning his shirt.
His steady and powerful gaze was tinged with a deep confusion. “Could such a coincidence really happen?”
“Do you think I would lie to you?”
Sitting on the small stool, she found it strenuous to crane her neck and look up at the tall and burly Xie Jiang. So she placed the unfinished shoe sole on the small bamboo stool and stood up.
Then, she looked toward the two children playing marbles in the yard. “Take a closer look. Doesn’t An An’s cleverness resemble Zhongming when he was little? And Ningning’s eyes—don’t they look just like Zhongming’s weary expression when he had a peanut allergy as a child?”
Xie Jiang observed the two children carefully. “But these two kids look exactly like Comrade Xiao Qiao. How could they resemble Old Fourth?”
“I’m telling you to look closely. The more you look, the more they resemble him. These two children couldn’t possibly be…”
“Don’t let your imagination run wild. Our Old Fourth is a principled man. He wouldn’t fool around outside, and these two children definitely aren’t his.”
Reminded by Xie Jiang, Huang Guilan thought it made sense.
Even when Old Fourth married Pang Ya, it was only because Pang Ya’s Mother had spiked his sweet potato porridge with beast medicine meant for breeding, leading to his unclear involvement with Pang Ya.
When it came to relationships with the opposite sex, their Old Fourth was the most disciplined and knew his boundaries. He would never fool around outside.
Let alone have two children.
But was she really overthinking it?
“Then why does An An have a peanut allergy, and Ningning has asthma? Both are hereditary conditions in our Xie family.”
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence. The world is full of wonders. It might also mean these two children are fated to be connected to our Xie family.”
“I suppose so.”
Huang Guilan suddenly felt a bit disappointed. If only An An and Ningning were really their grandchildren—how lovely, well-behaved, sensible, and endearing they were.
“Old Xie, I plan to use our cloth coupons to buy some nicer fabric and make new clothes for An An, Ningning, and Comrade Xiao Qiao.”
“Sounds good. The weather is getting warmer. Buy breathable pure cotton fabric, not Dacron. That material may look nice, but it traps heat and could give the kids heat rash.”
“Alright, I’ll buy the expensive kind.”
Just then, Qiao Xingyue called out from the kitchen, “An An, go to Granny Zhou’s next door and bring back the soy sauce for Mom.”
“Okay!” An An put down the marbles she was holding, stood up, and brushed the dust off her hands.
When she saw Xie Jiang, she greeted him politely, “Grandpa Division Commander, you’re back.”
“Mm. An An, you’re a good girl.”
“Grandpa Division Commander, I’m going to Granny Zhou’s to get the soy sauce.”
This Granny Zhou was truly annoying—always borrowing cooking oil, salt, vinegar, soap, brooms, honeycomb briquettes, and more… but she never seemed to return anything.
Since An An came to the Division Commander’s home, one of her most frequent tasks was going to Granny Zhou’s to retrieve borrowed items.
Huang Guilan also felt somewhat helpless. “Sigh, this Zhou Dahong has been borrowing soy sauce from our family for thirty years and has never once returned it on her own.”
Xie Jiang tried to console her, “We’ve been neighbors for so many years. If she comes to borrow, just lend it to her. It’s not like it’s anything valuable.”
“But she only borrows and never returns.”
“Let it go. There’s no need to fuss over it.”
“No, I have to go check. It’s fine if we don’t get the stuff back, but I don’t want Zhou Dahong bullying our An An.”
Although Huang Guilan had only spent a few days with An An and Ningning, she cherished them as dearly as if they were her own granddaughters.
No sooner had An An stepped out to go to Zhou Dahong’s house.
She immediately followed behind, worried that An An might be bullied.
Zhou Dahong was in the main room, feeding her grandson walnut cookies. When she saw An An enter, she glared at her, “What are you staring at? Even if you stare, you won’t get any.”
As she spoke, Zhou Dahong shoved another cookie into her chubby grandson’s hand, “Xiaobing, eat it yourself. Don’t give any to her.”
The plump boy named Xiaobing munched on his cookie while making boastful gestures in front of An An: Hmph, I won’t give you any!
An An felt a surge of anger but replied politely, “Granny Zhou, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t come to ask for food. I came to get the soy sauce back.”
“What soy sauce?”
“The bottle of soy sauce you borrowed at noon. My mom just bought it this morning.”
An An was thoroughly annoyed by this Granny Zhou, but her mother had taught her not to confront others unless her interests were directly harmed—maintaining good neighborly relations was important.
“It’s just a bottle of soy sauce,” Granny Zhou said with a sour expression, “as if I wouldn’t return it.”
An An spread her small hands, standing her ground, “Then return it to me now.”
“You…”
“Granny Zhou, you know the saying: if you borrow something and return it, you can borrow again. You understand that, right?”
“You little wretch born to a widow, who do you think you’re lecturing?”
“Who are you calling a widow? Who are you calling a wretch?” At that moment, Huang Guilan stepped into the main room with a stern expression.
She hurried to An An’s side, shielding her protectively.
Zhou Dahong immediately put on a smiling face, “Guilan, you misheard. I was just praising An An for being as lovely as her mother.”
Zhou Dahong always enjoyed gossiping behind people’s backs but never admitted it.
Huang Guilan was both angry and helpless when Zhou Dahong cheerfully added, “Guilan, I’ll go get the soy sauce for you right now.”
When Zhou Dahong returned, she brought an empty soy sauce bottle.
An An immediately sensed something wrong, “Granny Zhou, why is it empty?”
“There was only a little left when I borrowed it at noon,” Granny Zhou lied. In truth, she had poured the entire bottle into her enamel mug just moments before.
An An couldn’t contain her anger, “That’s not true! My mom just bought a full bottle this morning.”
Granny Zhou’s face darkened, “You little liar. Maybe your mother never bought the soy sauce at all—maybe she pocketed the money and is now blaming me for using it all up?”
Then Zhou Dahong turned to Huang Guilan, “Guilan, this nanny you hired has terrible character. Today she embezzles soy sauce money, tomorrow she’ll take rice money, then claim she lent it to neighbors. Who knows how much money she’s stealing from your family each month?”
Huang Guilan was gentle-natured and not good at arguing, but she was furious, “How dare you say such nonsense! Comrade Xiao Qiao isn’t that kind of person.”
She trusted Qiao Xingyue completely.
It was obvious that Zhou Dahong had taken advantage by emptying the entire bottle of soy sauce, and was now framing Comrade Xiao Qiao.
Though Huang Guilan couldn’t prove it, she swallowed her anger.
She could endure personal insults, but she wouldn’t allow anyone to slander Comrade Xiao Qiao.
“Dahong, if I hear you gossiping about Comrade Xiao Qiao behind her back again, or spreading any rumors about her and An An or Ningning, I’ll have to ask Director Chen from the neighborhood committee to settle this.”
Director Chen of the Family Committee was specifically responsible for mediating various conflicts and disputes within the compound.
Individuals like Zhou Dahong, who indiscriminately label comrades with false accusations, would face criticism and reeducation once verified.
In any case, Huang Guilan absolutely would not allow anyone to speak a single negative word about Qiao Xingyue and her two daughters.
“Guilan, I was kindly reminding you to be wary of that young widow nanny in your house, yet you want Director Chen to criticize me. What are you plotting?”
“That nanny of yours looks like a fox spirit, and she’s a widow too. Who knows if she’s scheming to seduce your sons? Maybe she even has designs on older cadres like Division Commander Xie. If you don’t keep your guard up and instead protect her, are you out of your mind?”
Huang Guilan’s face turned livid with anger. “What nonsense are you spouting? Comrade Xiao Qiao is raising two children all by herself. She doesn’t steal or rob, works diligently and honestly—she’s no fox spirit.”
Huang Guilan had never gotten into a physical fight with anyone before.
But at this moment, she felt the urge to rush forward and tear Zhou Dahong’s foul mouth apart.
Zhou Dahong picked her teeth and sneered, “With that face of hers, if she isn’t a fox spirit seducing men, then what is she? Don’t come crying with regret when your husband and sons are lured away. I was genuinely trying to warn you out of goodwill.”
These words made Huang Guilan so furious she felt her lungs were about to explode. But as an educator, a professor who had been an intellectual for decades, she truly had no idea how to curse someone.
Just then, another person walked into the main hall.