Inside the sanatorium, Lin Yuqiu knocked on the director’s office door.
The director saw her and set down the enamel mug in his hand, his voice gentle but brisk, with the crispness of a soldier: “Comrade Lin, why so early today? Are you here to say goodbye to your mother? I heard you’re going to the island with Xiao Zhou.”
Lin Yuqiu nodded and gave a polite smile, getting straight to the point: “Director, I want to ask something.”
“How much are my mother’s sanatorium fees here, and also the salary for Nurse Zhang?”
“I just want to have a clear idea in my mind.”
The director paused briefly, then smiled knowingly. He opened the brown ledger on his desk, flipped to the page for Lin’s mother, and pointed to the entries.
“Your mother is at the highest care level. At our sanatorium, ordinary patients’ monthly food and care fees are 15 yuan. Your mother is at the top standard 30 yuan per month.”
“That includes three nutritious meals a day, regular checkups, and medications all at the highest standard.”
He paused, then added: “Nurse Zhang is our most experienced caregiver. Her regular salary is 50 yuan per month; ordinary caregivers earn only 20 to 30 yuan.”
“But since Zhang is reportedly a relative of Commander Zhou, she requested only 45 yuan per month.”
“This month, Xiao Zhou has already paid both sums to the sanatorium.”
“Comrade Lin, don’t worry. Nurse Zhang is meticulous and very attentive in caring for your mother.”
“For your mother’s condition, we specifically provide top-standard nutritious meals. Every day she gets egg custard to strengthen her body, and specially supplied high-calcium milk powder for calcium supplementation, preventing bone loss from long-term bedridden care.”
“Twice a week, she also receives malted milk, which is very nutritious, replenishes blood and energy, and helps paralyzed patients recover.”
“All of this is included in the 30-yuan monthly fee.”
Lin Yuqiu’s heart seemed to sink instantly.
30 yuan for the sanatorium, 45 yuan for the caregiver together, 75 yuan.
In an era when the average monthly salary was barely 30 yuan, this was astronomical.
Lin Yuqiu stepped out of the director’s office, took a deep breath, forcing down the weight in her heart, and pushed open her mother’s room door.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto the tidy bed. Nurse Zhang sat at the bedside, holding a white porcelain bowl, feeding her mother spoonful by spoonful.
The porridge was oatmeal with red beans, cooked soft enough that even the beans were tender and thick.
The oatmeal was specially supplied; red beans help strengthen the spleen and remove dampness perfect for supplementing nutrition while reducing digestive strain.
On the small table beside the bed were two rare items: an iron tin of malted milk and a glass jar of snowy white, high-calcium milk powder, labeled in red with “Special Supply.”
In the enamel mug at the head of the bed, a freshly prepared cup of milk powder steamed warmly.
Seeing her enter, Nurse Zhang’s face immediately lit up with a simple, warm smile. She set the bowl down, wiped her mother’s mouth with a clean handkerchief, and said cheerfully: “Miss Lin is here. Look at your mother her complexion looks so good today. She even finished nearly half a bowl of porridge earlier.”
“This morning I made her a cup of high-calcium milk powder. It’s great for calcium. Since your mother has been bedridden for so long, her bones get brittle. This is very effective.”
“Yesterday afternoon she also had half a bowl of malted milk, which is very nourishing. See how rosy her face looks? Much better than when she first arrived.”
Lin Yuqiu looked at her mother’s rosy face, then at the milk powder and porridge on the table. Her eyes grew slightly moist, and she sincerely said to Nurse Zhang: “Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for taking such good care of my mother.”
Nurse Zhang waved her hand, smiling simply: “It’s my job. Besides, your family has been kind to me. Taking care of her makes me happy too.”
Lin Yuqiu bent slightly, speaking softly to her mother: “Mom, I’m going to the island. While I’m gone, you must listen to Nurse Zhang, eat well, and take care of yourself.”
“When I come back, I’ll come see you.”
Lin’s mother’s eyes glistened with a thin layer of tears. She nodded slowly.
Lin Yuqiu reminded Nurse Zhang a few more times to continue caring carefully for her mother, then reluctantly stood up and left the room.
Outside the sanatorium, the cool morning breeze brushed her face, clearing her head.
She looked up at the sky, blue with a few drifting clouds, untouched by the world, free and at ease.
At this moment, she truly realized how much she owed that man.
A complex mix of guilt and heartache weighed heavily in her chest.
When she returned to the residential compound by car, she froze as she got out.
Guard Xiao Liu and Zhou Runqing were loading luggage into the car. Standing nearby were Zhou’s mother, Zhou Wanyi… and the man’s childhood friend.
In full military uniform, looking dashing, smiling slightly.
Her gaze seemed rooted, fixed firmly on the tall, upright figure ahead, the tenderness in her eyes impossible to conceal.
Her open admiration was obvious to anyone who looked.
Meanwhile, Zhou Wanyi linked arms warmly with Li Shiyun, and when she saw Lin Yuqiu, her eyes showed a hint of disdain, as if pretending not to notice, chin raised slightly.
Lin Yuqiu hesitated, unsure whether to approach, her eyes reflecting a flicker of doubt. She hadn’t yet spoken.
Zhou Runqing saw her and hurried over, taking her hand and whispering in her ear: “You must be hungry. Eat a little breakfast first, then we’ll depart.”
Before he finished, Zhou Wanyi came over, her voice full of barely concealed glee: “Sister-in-law, Shiyun is going to the island too! Brother will have to take extra care of her on the way!”
“I remember when we were kids, we often went out together. Brother was so considerate of Sister Shiyun climbing trees to pick fruit, wading in rivers to catch shrimp, even roasting wild game for us.”
“Nonsense!” Zhou’s mother shot her daughter a helpless look. “Xiaoyu, don’t argue with Wanyi. She’s been close to Shiyun since childhood.”
Lin Yuqiu felt her face prickling, as if covered in crawling ants. Her smile froze, and even the corners of her mouth stiffened, while the man deliberately squeezed her palm.
She quietly withdrew her hand, voice barely trembling, lips curving into a faint smile: “I’m not hungry. Let’s go once the things are packed.”
Seeing this, Zhou Wanyi grinned wider, delighted that Lin Yuqiu refused breakfast out of anger.
Zhou Runqing noticed Lin Yuqiu’s hand withdraw, paused briefly, then glared fiercely at Zhou Wanyi. His eyes darkened, intimidatingly, before he turned to the guard: “Pack the breakfast for your sister-in-law to take on the road.”
The guard obeyed.
Zhou Runqing then turned to open the car door for Lin Yuqiu.
Unexpectedly, she walked straight to the passenger seat, placed her hand on the door, pushed off with her foot, and sat neatly, back straight.
The man’s expression stiffened, his steps paused, and he hurried over.
Zhou Wanyi’s eyes lit up when she saw Lin Yuqiu in the front seat. Seizing the chance, she linked arms with Li Shiyun, voice bubbling with joy: “Sister Shiyun, come on in! Sit in the back with my brother. He can take care of you all the way.”
Li Shiyun’s face flushed instantly. Her eyes, however, couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Zhou Runqing, then quickly at Lin Yuqiu in the front seat, her expression a mix of complex emotions and barely contained anticipation.
Zhou Runqing reached the passenger side, opened the door, lowered his voice to a soft, coaxing tone, and gently guided her arm: “Wife, come down. Let her sit in the front.”
But Lin Yuqiu turned her head quickly. When his hand touched her arm, she shifted slightly, letting out a dissatisfied hum.
Arms crossed over her shoulders, eyes closed softly, she didn’t look at him or out the window. Her voice, soft as ever, carried a stubborn edge: “I’m just resting a bit. Didn’t sleep enough last night.”
The man sighed, closing the passenger door, and nodded toward Li Shiyun: “Shiyun, sit in the back first.”
Li Shiyun smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
At that moment, Guard Xiao Liu arrived with breakfast. Zhou Runqing whispered: “Go to the back seat and hand me the keys.”
The guard, confused, handed over the keys.
Lin Yuqiu, pretending to nap in the passenger seat, heard her mother’s reminders but not Zhou Runqing’s voice. She assumed he had gone to the back.
Her mind flashed back to previous trips in the back seat, his casual touches, and perhaps even closeness with his childhood friend.
When the car jolted slightly, Lin Yuqiu lifted her eyelashes slightly and in her peripheral vision saw Zhou Runqing at the driver’s seat, hand on the steering wheel, glancing sideways at her.
In his eyes was unspoken helplessness, mixed with indulgent affection, full of meaning.
The look felt like a warm hand unexpectedly gripping her heart, stopping her breath for a beat, sending an indescribable thrill through her chest.
Flustered, Lin Yuqiu turned her gaze out the window at the Zhou family’s residential building. Zhou’s mother waved, voice full of thoughtful reminders: “Yuqiu, if you need anything on the island, don’t hesitate. Call us, and we’ll send it over.”
Lin Yuqiu lifted a polite smile, voice soft: “Thank you, Mom.”
At that, the man pressed the gas pedal, and the jeep slowly drove out of the residential compound, heading toward the train station.