Inside the sanatorium, Lin Yuqiu knocked on the door of the director’s office.
When the dean saw it was her, he put down the enamel mug in his hand and said in a gentle but military-like voice, “Comrade Xiaolin, why are you here so early today? Are you here to say goodbye to your mother? I heard you are going to the island with Xiao Zhou.”
Lin Yuqiu nodded, smiled politely, and got straight to the point: “Dean, I’d like to inquire about something.”
“What are the specific costs for my mother’s recuperation here, as well as the salary of the caregiver, Sister Zhang?”
“So that I can have a better understanding of the situation.”
The dean paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly, opened the kraft paper ledger on the table, turned to the page with Lin’s mother, and pointed to the records on it.
“Your mother is in the special care level. The standard for our sanatorium is 15 yuan per month for food and nursing care for ordinary patients. Your mother is in the highest level, which is 30 yuan per month.”
“This includes a balanced diet for three meals a day, regular check-ups, and medications, all provided with the highest level of care.”
He paused, then added, “Sister Zhang, the caregiver, is the most experienced caregiver here. Her monthly salary is 50 yuan, while the average caregiver only earns 20 to 30 yuan a month.”
“But when Sister Zhang heard that she was a relative of Commander Zhou, she specifically requested to take only a monthly salary of 45 yuan.”
“Xiao Zhou has already paid the two payments to our nursing home this month.”
“Comrade Xiaolin, don’t worry, Sister Zhang is very thoughtful and takes good care of your mother.”
“We have prepared a nutritional meal for your mother according to the highest standards. She has steamed egg custard every day to nourish her body, as well as specially supplied high-calcium milk powder to supplement calcium and prevent osteoporosis caused by long-term bed rest.”
“We also deliver malted milk powder twice a week. It’s very nutritious and can replenish blood and energy, which is good for the recovery of paralyzed patients.”
“These are all included in the 30 yuan recuperation fee.”
Lin Yuqiu’s heart sank instantly.
The recuperation fee is 30 yuan, and the caregiver fee is 45 yuan, which adds up to 75 yuan.
In an era when the average monthly salary is only 30 yuan, this is an astronomical figure.
Lin Yuqiu walked out of the dean’s office, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the heaviness in her heart before pushing open the door to her mother’s ward.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the clean ward. Sister Zhang sat by the bedside, holding a white porcelain bowl, feeding her mother porridge spoonful by spoonful.
The porridge was oatmeal and red bean porridge, cooked until soft and tender, with even the red beans cooked until soft, sticky, and thick.
Oatmeal is a special supply, and red beans can strengthen the spleen and remove dampness, making them most suitable for supplementing nutrition for patients and reducing the burden on the stomach and intestines.
On the small table next to it were two rare items: a tin box containing malted milk powder and a glass jar containing snow-white high-calcium milk powder, with the words “Special Supply” printed in red on the jar.
In the enamel mug by the bedside, there was still a cup of freshly prepared milk powder, steaming hot.
When Sister Zhang saw her come in, a simple and honest smile immediately appeared on her face. She put down the bowl, took a clean handkerchief, wiped the corner of Lin’s mother’s mouth, and said with a smile, “Little Lin is here. Look at your mother, she looks so good today. She even drank half a bowl of porridge just now.”
“I made her a cup of high-calcium milk powder this morning. This stuff is good for calcium supplementation. Your mom has been lying in bed for a long time, so her bones are prone to brittleness. This is the most effective way to help her.”
“She drank half a bowl of malted milk powder yesterday afternoon. That stuff is very nourishing. Look at how rosy her face is now; it’s much better than when she first arrived.”
Looking at the rosy complexion of her mother’s face, and then at the milk powder and porridge on the table, Lin Yuqiu’s eyes welled up with tears. She sincerely said to Sister Zhang, “Sister Zhang, thank you for your hard work. Thank you for taking such good care of my mother.”
Sister Zhang waved her hand and smiled warmly: “This is my job. Besides, your family has been kind to me, so I’m happy to take care of her.”
Lin Yuqiu bent down and whispered to her mother, “Mom, I’m going to the island. You stay here and make sure you listen to Sister Zhang, eat well, and take good care of yourself.”
“I’ll come see you when I get back.”
A thin layer of tears welled up in Lin’s mother’s eyes, and she slowly nodded.
Lin Yuqiu gave Zhang Jie a few more instructions, asking her to take good care of her mother, before reluctantly standing up and leaving the ward.
Stepping out of the sanatorium, the cool morning breeze on her face helped her wake up.
She looked up and saw a few white clouds floating in the azure sky, seemingly undisturbed by the world, free and unrestrained.
Only now did she truly understand how much she owed that man.
A complex mix of guilt and bitterness weighed heavily on my heart.
When she got off the bus back at the family compound, she was stunned.
The bodyguard, Xiao Liu, and Zhou Runqing were loading luggage into the car. Zhou’s mother, Zhou Wanyi, was standing next to the car.
The man’s childhood sweetheart was also standing next to the car.
Dressed in military uniform, he looked dashing and heroic, with a smile in his eyes.
His gaze seemed rooted to the spot, fixed firmly on the tall, imposing figure in front of him, his eyes overflowing with an intense tenderness.
That undisguised admiration was something any woman could instantly understand the deeper meaning behind.
Zhou Wanyi warmly held Li Shiyun’s hand, but when she saw her, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, and she raised her chin as if pretending not to have noticed her.
Lin Yuqiu was unsure whether she should go over there, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, before she could even speak.
Zhou Runqing saw her and quickly walked towards her, took her hand, and whispered in her ear, “Are you hungry? Have some breakfast first, then we’ll set off.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Zhou Wanyi leaned over, her voice brimming with barely concealed schadenfreude: “Sister-in-law, Sister Shiyun is going to the island too! Brother, please take good care of Sister Shiyun on the way!”
“I remember when we were little, we often went out to play together. My brother took such good care of Sister Shiyun. He would climb trees to pick fruit, go down to the river to catch shrimp, and even roast wild game for us to eat.”
“Nonsense.” Zhou’s mother glared at her daughter, her tone full of helplessness. “Xiaoyu, don’t take it to heart by Wanwan’s standards. She’s been close to Shiyun since she was little.”
Lin Yuqiu’s face felt like it was instantly covered with countless ants, a tingling sensation that pierced her heart. Even the corners of her mouth froze, and she couldn’t manage a smile. She felt the man deliberately squeeze her palm.
Without turning around, she silently withdrew her hand from the man’s palm, her voice trembling slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips: “I’m not hungry. Let’s go now that we’ve packed.”
Seeing that she was so angry that she didn’t even eat breakfast, Zhou Wanyi laughed even harder.
Zhou Runqing was stunned when the woman suddenly withdrew her hand. He then turned and glared at Zhou Wanyi with a frighteningly dark look in his eyes. He then turned to the guard and ordered, “Go and prepare breakfast for your sister-in-law to take on the road.”
The guard responded and left.
Zhou Runqing had just finished giving the instructions when he turned around to open the car door for Lin Yuqiu.
To everyone’s surprise, Yu Guangli walked straight to the passenger seat, placed her hand on the door, and with a push of her foot, sat down smoothly with her back ramrod straight.
The man’s face froze instantly, he paused, and quickly walked over.
When Zhou Wanyi saw Lin Yuqiu occupy the passenger seat, her eyes lit up. She felt that her chance had come and quickly took Li Shiyun’s arm, her voice filled with undisguised joy.
“Sister Shiyun, perfect timing! Get in the car and sit in the back with my brother. He can take care of you the whole way.”
Li Shiyun’s face flushed instantly, but her eyes couldn’t help but steal a glance at Zhou Runqing, then quickly scanned Lin Yuqiu’s back in the passenger seat, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and a hint of undisguised anticipation.
At this moment, Zhou Runqing had already walked to the passenger side, opened the car door, and whispered in her ear, gently pulling her arm down with his large hand, his tone containing a hint of coaxing: “Wife, get out and let someone sit in the front.”
Lin Yuqiu quickly turned her head away, and when the man’s large hand touched her arm, she turned to the side and struggled, letting out a dissatisfied “hmm”.
She hugged her shoulders, not looking at him or out the window, her eyes slightly closed, her voice still soft and sweet, yet carrying a stubborn streak.
“I’m going to take a nap; I didn’t get enough sleep this morning.”
Helpless, the man could only close the passenger door, turn around and nod to Li Shiyun, his voice flat: “Shiyun, you sit in the back first.”
Li Shiyun smiled and nodded, “Okay.”
Just then, the bodyguard, Xiao Liu, came over with breakfast. Zhou Runqing whispered, “Go to the back seat and give me the keys.”
The guard paused for a moment, then, puzzled, took out the keys and handed them to him.
In the passenger seat, Lin Yuqiu had been dozing with her eyes closed. She heard a few of Zhou’s mother’s instructions. The car was about to start, and since she didn’t hear Zhou Runqing’s voice, she assumed he had moved to the back seat.
Suddenly, I remembered the times we sat in the back row together, and the man’s intentional or unintentional caresses. Who knows, he might even be intimately close to his childhood sweetheart.
Lin Yuqiu only slightly lifted her eyelashes when the car shook slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man sitting in the driver’s seat, his large hand on the steering wheel, looking at her with his head turned to the side.
His eyes held an unyielding helplessness, mixed with a hint of indulgent doting, which was quite meaningful.
That gaze was like a warm hand, suddenly gripping her heart, making her gasp for breath, and a strange, indescribable tremor washed over her.
Lin Yuqiu turned her head in a panic, staring blankly at the Zhou family’s apartment building outside the window. Zhou’s mother waved from outside the car, her tone full of thoughtful advice: “Yuqiu, if you need anything when you get to the island, don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll send it to you.”
Lin Yuqiu smiled politely and said softly, “Thank you, Mom.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the man stepped on the gas, and the jeep slowly drove away from the residential compound, heading towards the train station.