Mother Jiang said, "Having plain congee is already very good. We don’t need anything else."
Mother Jiang had also improved a bit. She was no longer as weak as before. When she needed to use the restroom, as long as her son carried her to the door, she could manage on her own.
"Go fetch a basin of warm water for Mom so she can wash up and feel more comfortable."
Jiang Zihao remarked that he hadn’t done as much caregiving work in the past twenty years as he had in these two days.
But there was no other way. Who else was there, since he was the only healthy person around?
If Yang Yiyang knew, she would surely say: Who else do you expect to take care of your mother if not you? How naive.
Mother Jiang didn’t want to trouble her son either.
"No need. Once I’ve recovered a bit more, I can do it myself."
Yang Yiyang thought, Is this how you spoiled your son?
"Do you want the whole ward to stink? Who are you trying to suffocate?"
Mother Jiang fell silent again. Jiang Zihao, however, had no objections and went to fetch the water.
He closed the ward door.
Yang Yiyang turned around, turning her back to Mother Jiang.
She began washing up quietly on her own.
And so, they endured until the doctor announced that Yang Yiyang could be discharged early, but Mother Jiang was not yet ready.
The family of three faced another dilemma. Yang Yiyang explained that due to insufficient food and clothing in the past, her bodily functions had significantly declined.
How could she face those wolves and tigers back home without eating better?
"Doctor, I still feel a bit lightheaded and unsteady. Could I stay in the hospital for a couple more days for observation?"
That way, they would only have to pay for the bed.
After all, there weren’t many patients now. The entire hospital felt empty.
Unless someone was seriously ill and unable to get up, no one would come to the hospital.
"If I go back alone and get beaten to death again, no one would even know. Can I wait until we’re all discharged to leave together?"
The doctor thought for a moment and said, "Normally, it’s not allowed. But since you’re still unwell, you can stay for observation for a couple more days. I’ll prescribe some oral medication for you during this time."
Yang Yiyang thought to herself, this doctor really knows how to handle things.
Right now, she had nothing to her name, but she would find a way to thank this doctor when the opportunity arose.
Who knows, he might be useful in the future?
"Thank you, doctor. I’ll rest a bit more to conserve food."
Nowadays, it was common to avoid unnecessary movement to save energy and conserve food.
Some families even ate only two meals a day, except for those who had to work.
After the doctor left, Yang Yiyang asked, "Jiang Zihao, do you know where to buy meat coupons and grain coupons?"
Jiang Zihao thought for a moment and said, "Only that place has them, but it’s dangerous and quite expensive."
Yang Yiyang suddenly remembered. The place they were talking about was the Black Market. Given her current physical condition,
if someone came to inspect, she wouldn’t even be able to run away.
But there was no way she could just lie here for the next couple of days.
Besides, that wasn’t her style.
"Give me a few dollars. I’ll take a walk outside the door. You stay here and watch over your mom?"
Jiang Zihao grew anxious. "You’re not thinking of going to that place, are you?"
Yang Yiyang shot him a glare. "I don’t even know where that place is. Besides, I’m not tired of living. Look at me—can I run or jump right now?"
Jiang Zihao thought about it and realized she was right. She was just a woman who had suffered in her own family before. How could she have been to such a place?
But then he remembered the few dollars left in his pocket and felt a pang of heartache over the money.
Reluctantly handing Yang Yiyang two yuan, she said, "Use it sparingly. Who knows how many more days your mother will need to stay."
Mother Jiang immediately replied, "I'm much better now. Let's check out tomorrow! Lying at home is just the same."
She couldn't afford to waste any more money staying here, and besides, staying made her uneasy.
Yang Yiyang glanced at her mother-in-law—this woman she had married into the family. "If you don't stay here to recover properly, what will you do if Father Jiang comes back and tries to beat us? How will you hold up?"
"Didn't they say 'a mother's courage grows with her child's peril'? You're our mother. If you don't stand up to protect me and your son, do you want him to be beaten to disability?"
The thought of her son being beaten to disability made Jiang Mother's heart ache terribly. She was about to burst into tears when she saw her daughter-in-law watching her.
And her daughter-in-law had said she didn't like it when she cried. So she forced back the tears that were about to fall.
No, absolutely not. No one was allowed to lay a hand on her son.
Her son was her life.
Jiang Zihao was just about to say, "From now on, I'll protect both of you."
But Yang Yiyang snatched all the money from his hand in one swift motion, and he forgot all about his mother.
"You're taking all of it?"
Yang Yiyang thought, If I don't keep the money with me, should I give it back to you?
But then she remembered that the mother and son still needed to eat. So she pulled out five mao and handed it over.
"From now on, I'll manage the household. This is for the two of you to buy food."
Without waiting for their response, she turned and walked out.
After leaving, Yang Yiyang thought she should first get a sense of the local prices and living conditions.
Otherwise, she might easily give herself away.
So, after stepping outside, she asked the gatekeeper, "Uncle, could you tell me how to get to the nearest Supply and Marketing Cooperative?"
"Is there a place to buy groceries?"
The gatekeeper glanced at her, noticing the bandage on her head. Clearly, she was here for hospitalization and probably wanted to buy daily necessities.
"Go straight from here, turn left at the second intersection, and walk about 50 meters. You'll see it."
"Thank you, Uncle."
And so, Yang Yiyang set off, observing everything along the way.
There weren't many people passing by on the road, nothing like the crowded streets of later times.
In less than ten minutes, she found the entrance to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
She was already covered in a cold sweat from exhaustion. This weak body is really too frail. Once I eat better in a few days, I'll have to start exercising.
Walking inside, she didn't rush to ask about prices. Instead, she went wherever someone was buying something and watched quietly.
She overheard a salesperson calculating for a customer: "Matches, five fen. White sugar, two liang for three mao, plus a two-liang sugar coupon."
"Cotton cloth, three mao five per chi. Four chi is one yuan four mao, plus a four-chi cloth coupon."
Then someone at another counter called out, "Comrade, I'd like a bottle of liquor."
He pointed to a bottle of Maotai. Yang Yiyang's eyes lit up immediately. Maotai! In later times, even hundreds of thousands wouldn't buy such a fine bottle, would it?
"Seven yuan five mao, plus a liquor coupon."
Hearing this, Yang Yiyang immediately gave up the idea. She had neither the money nor the coupon.
She thought to herself, Once I earn some money, I must collect a few bottles.
After wandering around for over half an hour, she had a rough idea of the prices. Things were indeed cheap.
But she was also truly poor.
The three staff members at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative had long noticed her. The more they watched her, the more suspicious they became.
She kept spacing out, lost in thought. What bad ideas is she scheming? Could she be planning to steal something?
But then they saw the injury on her head.
Could she be mentally ill?
She didn't seem quite normal.
Please don't let her be a madwoman. If she goes crazy, it won't be a joke.
A salesperson tried to ask her, "Comrade, you've been looking here all morning. Do you want to buy something?"