Frankly, Xu Xiuxiu felt ashamed to ask her in-laws for money. The original Xu Xiuxiu had treated them poorly, throwing tantrums one day and causing havoc the next, making herself an unbearable nuisance. But now, with little Chen Guang's health at stake and no other choice, she had to put her pride aside.
"Such foolish talk! What's the value of a few yuan to see a doctor for a grandchild? Come, carry Chen Guang inside. Mom will give you the money," Liu Shuxiang said, her eyes brimming with sorrow as she looked at her grandson. Despite her dissatisfaction with her daughter-in-law who had been sickly for years, her affection for her little grandson was absolutely genuine.
"Thank you, Mom," Xu Xiuxiu carefully adjusted her hold on Chen Guang and followed Liu Shuxiang inside.
Soon after, Liu Shuxiang handed Xu Xiuxiu twenty yuan. "Xiuxiu, can you manage by yourself? Or should I accompany you?" Liu Shuxiang asked uncertainly, eyeing the frail Xu Xiuxiu, and ultimately decided to leave her bag of soybeans behind to accompany Xu Xiuxiu to Old Song's place.
Old Song was the barefoot doctor of Song Family Village, the go-to person for minor ailments among the villagers. Unless it was a serious illness, people generally avoided spending money at the county's bigger hospitals.
"Malnutrition has weakened his constitution and made him susceptible to catching colds. Boil these herbs with three bowls of water until it's reduced to one bowl and drink it," Old Song instructed, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the equally thin Xu Xiuxiu.
The mention of malnutrition struck Xu Xiuxiu like a slap to the face, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, yet she steeled herself to thank Old Song.
When they left Old Song's house, it was nearing evening. Mrs. Song suggested that Xu Xiuxiu not bother cooking but join them for dinner instead. Xu Xiuxiu was about to accept when she remembered Wang Qinghua, her aunt-in-law, who was even more troublesome than the original Xu Xiuxiu. So she shook her head and politely declined Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang's kind offer.
Carefully treading the muddy path home, Xu Xiuxiu settled little Chen Guang into the master bedroom. She then briskly moved to the spartan kitchen, scooped some rice into the large pot, and washed the prescribed herbs to simmer beside it. By the time she had managed to start the fire to cook the medicine and porridge, night had fully descended.
Bringing the medicine and porridge into the master bedroom, she saw the little one on the wooden bed whimpering from discomfort. Xu Xiuxiu immediately picked him up to soothe him, gently feeding him the herbal soup made with "Space Water," her heart full of pity for the child and intense disdain for the original Xu Xiuxiu's negligence.
Such a cruel woman, to mistreat her own child! Those unaware might have mistaken her for a stepmother!
"Good boy, Chen Guang, drink your medicine and Mommy will feed you some white porridge, okay?" It took some effort to coax the protesting child to finish the bitter herbal soup. He spit out most of it, wasting a good portion, but thankfully he swallowed some. Xu Xiuxiu finally sighed with slight relief.
After finishing the medicine and porridge and soothing the now feverless child back to sleep, Xu Xiuxiu was completely exhausted. She drank a few mouthfuls of cold porridge, casually placed the bowls in the kitchen, then went back to the bedroom and fell into a light sleep beside Chen Guang.
That night, a heavy rainstorm broke out again outside the house. Xu Xiuxiu slept extremely restlessly, waking up from time to time to check on Chen Guang, only relaxing after finding the fever had subsided.
Knock knock knock—
Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the door, feeling eerily intrusive in the peaceful rainy night.
"Who is it?" Xu Xiuxiu called out fearfully, hugging the sleeping child next to her, her eyes fixed on the wooden door as if a wild beast was about to break in at any moment.
"It's me, Song Yuanhuan," a man's deep voice sounded, bringing a calming steadiness to the rainy night.
Song Yuanhuan.
Relieved at the response, Xu Xiuxiu hesitantly got up to open the door, "Why are you back?" She switched on the light, and under the faint glow inside the house, she saw Song Yuanhuan, soaking wet, standing at the doorstep. She asked in a somewhat unwelcoming tone.
"Yeah, the military gave us a three-day leave," he explained as his tall figure stepped through the door, his sharp gaze briefly pausing on the sleeping Song Chengguang in the bed.
"Oh," Xu Xiuxiu nodded, her gaze lowered, obediently standing behind him.
"Why did you let Chen Guang sleep with you?" Song Yuanhuan peeled off his wet clothes, revealing his well-defined chest. He knew very well she never liked Cheng Guang. She even once intended to leave him to fend for himself in another room before he turned three months old—if he hadn't promised to send an extra twenty yuan home each month, she probably would have acted as if she had no son at all. He came back planning to make do with his son on a small bed for the night, but when he didn't see his son upon opening the door, he immediately went back to the main bedroom to inquire, only feeling the indescribable emotion dissolve quietly upon seeing his son sleeping soundly in bed.
But why did she suddenly agree to let Cheng Guang sleep with her? He found this quite perplexing.
Xu Xiuxiu, who had lived a single life for thirty years in her previous life, was seeing a man's bare chest for the first time, her face flushing as she looked away, "Cheng Guang was running a high fever and calmed down after taking his medicine. I was afraid it would come back in the middle of the night, so I brought him to the main room to keep an eye on him."
"Boys need to be raised tough," Song Yuanhuan had to admit he found Xu Xiuxiu's concern for their son strangely endearing, but he still maintained the strict demeanor of a soldier, "All right, it's late, go to sleep. I'll spend the night in the next room." After pulling a pair of men's underwear from the wardrobe, he turned and left the main room.
Xu Xiuxiu touched her nose, watching the man leaving her with his back turned, feeling a sense of relief. Then she climbed back into the wooden bed, holding her son tightly as she fell into a deep sleep.