Arriving at the hospital where Zheng Cuicui stayed, Han Shouzhen didn’t need to ask for directions; she went straight to the second floor, evidently a frequent visitor.
"My sister-in-law is in and out of the hospital every few days, and later on, even her room became fixed, saving us quite some trouble," Han Shouzhen explained while walking.
Lin Xiaoguai, holding Little Niangao with her left hand and carrying a bag of crepes with her right, had originally planned to buy some fruit on the way. However, Han Shouzhen, seeing the freshly made crepes, insisted she bring those, mentioning that Zheng Cuicui loved these flour-based pastries and cakes.
"Auntie, why are you here?"
As they were walking, a clear child’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
They turned around and saw a pretty girl, about seven or eight years old, holding a freshly washed cup approaching.
"It’s Nuonuo, aren’t you supposed to be at school?" Han Shouzhen said with a smile.
"Auntie, have you forgotten? Today is Saturday," Han Xinyu chirped merrily, her eyes stealing glances at Lin Xiaoguai and Little Niangao beside her.
Noticing her behavior, Han Shouzhen chuckled, "Almost forgot, this is your Little Aunt, Nuonuo, say hello."
Isn’t her Little Aunt Dong Fei?
Han Xinyu was still a child and couldn’t hide her feelings well.
Han Shouzhen knew she should have asked Nuonuo to call her ’Second Aunt,’ but her brother was the youngest, so why make her sound older?
She resolved not to let the child call him ’Second Uncle,’ curious to see Liu Yuzhi’s reaction at the time.
"What are you standing there for, child, come say hello."
Han Xinyu was a bit confused, but she trusted her aunt a lot, so obediently said, "Hello, Little Aunt."
"Hello," Lin Xiaoguai smiled, pulling the somewhat retreating Little Niangao forward, "Little Niangao, say hello to your sister."
"Sister," Little Niangao said, reluctantly.
Han Xinyu frowned; she had originally liked this adorable little brother, but it seemed like she was being disliked?
Seeing her niece pouting unhappily, Han Shouzhen hurriedly explained, "Don’t be upset, good child, Little Niangao doesn’t dislike you. See the mark on his face? He was scratched by a girl about your age, and it scared him."
Han Shouzhen had already learned about it from Lin Xiaoguai and was quite upset, wondering what kind of child, raised without manners, would harm such a small child.
Having heard the reason, Han Xinyu was no longer upset, sidling up to Little Niangao, she said, "You’re called Little Niangao, right? I’m Han Xinyu. You should call me sister. I’ll protect you from now on, and not let anyone bully you."
Han Xinyu was very observant; from her aunt’s behavior, she realized that this newly recognized ’Little Aunt’ and brother were under her protection. She thought simply: her aunt liked them; they must be good people, so she could like them too.
Lin Xiaoguai observed Han Xinyu speaking with Little Niangao and turned to Han Shouzhen with a smile, "Doesn’t Nuonuo look a lot like you?" Seeing about an eighty percent resemblance, someone who didn’t know might think the two were mother and daughter.
"Did you notice?" Han Shouzhen happily said, "Isn’t there an old saying that nieces resemble their aunts? Not only does Nuonuo look like me, but her temperament matches mine too."
As the group reached the room, Han Xinyu pushed open the door, saying, "Mom, guess who’s here?"
Walking into the room, Lin Xiaoguai looked up and noticed the room had only two hospital beds. The one by the door was empty, and a thin woman lay in the bed by the window.
Zheng Cuicui was indeed very thin, her cheekbones somewhat protruding and her jaw hollowed out, dark bags under her eyes that could startle on first glance. But upon closer inspection, one could see that Zheng Cuicui was actually very beautiful, with an oval face, large moist eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry lips. She would have been a beauty if it weren’t for her poor state of health.
"Shouzhen?" Zheng Cuicui looked over, a weak smile tugged at her lips, "What brings you here? How is Ping’an doing?"
"Good, all good," Han Shouzhen sat down by the bed, pulling Lin Xiaoguai over, smiling at Zheng Cuicui, "Sister, guess who this is?"
Zheng Cuicui examined Lin Xiaoguai, her gaze very gentle; Lin Xiaoguai didn’t feel awkward at all.
"My memory isn’t so good, I really can’t recall—whose sister is she?" Zheng Cuicui mistook Lin Xiaoguai for a sister of a family friend who had come back, asking with a hint of apology.