When it comes to seeing a doctor, especially for those unspeakable ailments, Liu Shouren resists from the bottom of his heart. He fears that once it’s truly diagnosed, he’d be unable to even deceive himself. Anyway, since the second brother’s family has two nephews, the incense of the Liu family continues. If he’s alone for a lifetime, it shouldn’t matter, right?
But even if he thinks that way, he has to ask if Shuzhen agrees!
Seeing his eldest brother’s eyes full of hesitation, Shuzhen immediately raised her voice and shouted: "Brother, hurry up and get in the vehicle! I’ve already prepared the introduction letter and everything else, just waiting for you! If there’s a problem, treat it; if not, rest easy. Ignoring problems won’t work. Back then, Dad asked you and the second brother to adopt your second sons to Uncle and Third Uncle respectively. You’re still carrying the responsibility of continuing the family line for Uncle!
Besides, I also want to see a doctor! Can you be at ease if you don’t accompany me?"
Amidst a wave of good-natured laughter, Liu Shouren’s handsome face instantly turned a deep purple, comparable to the color of the eggplants in the garden. Reluctant to say anything to his little sister, he used his icy gaze to silence the surrounding villagers who were laughing. They didn’t dare to laugh at him anymore. But this might just be a temporary measure. As soon as he turns around, there would surely be more ridicule and doubts coming his way.
Thinking about facing so much suspicion and ridicule in the future, Liu Shouren felt utterly vexed.
His little sister, however, approaches everything from a purely caring angle, making it impossible for him to feel any blame towards her. Especially when she looks at him with tearful eyes full of guilt, like now. Not only he, as her brother, but even bystanders like Lianshan couldn’t help but intercede for her: "Brother Liu, don’t be angry. Shuzhen, Sister Shuzhen is also doing it for your sake. Heh heh, if there’s a problem, treat it; if not, rest easy, that’s the principle!"
Heh heh, heh heh my foot!
My sister is doing it for my good, do I need you to say it?
Problem? You’re the one with the damn problem!
You never learned not to interfere in family matters, did you?
Daring to speak such nonsense!
Liu Shouren’s brows furrowed, his eyes glaring fiercely, shooting daggers at Lianshan, as he climbed into the back of the tractor under his sister’s pleading gaze. Meanwhile, Liu Shouyi and his wife had quickly run back home, packing some change of clothes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, water bottles, and towels for Brother Liu and Shuzhen. Time was short, and there was definitely no time to prepare food, so Su Hongying, at her husband’s suggestion, reluctantly handed over some of their sparse savings and ration tickets. After all, they thought, it’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. What if they ran short...
In the unfamiliar provincial city, where could they find help?
Although Su Hongying was reluctant about Little Sister going out with Lianshan, there were so many people around, and Little Sister’s words were sudden yet frank. If she opposed, wouldn’t that just invite suspicion?
Besides, Brother-in-law’s illness is urgent and cannot be delayed, Su Hongying comforted herself with that thought.
In the presence of so many people, refusal was just not suitable. The second sister-in-law showed a resolute look that said, "I won’t be at ease if you don’t take it." Shuzhen simply thanked her and stuffed the items into her pockets. After saying goodbye to her second brother and second sister-in-law, she looked guilt-ridden at her brother Liu Shouren with big, clear and misty eyes.
"Brother, I..." That burst of laughter earlier finally made Shuzhen realize how foolish she had been. It wasn’t the twenty-first century yet, where ads about infertility were plastered everywhere, and men and women could easily accept examinations for the sake of having healthy children. From the moment she questioned him at the Lin family’s gate, she had effectively slapped a label of ’impotent’, or at least suspected ’impotent’, on her brother’s forehead.
If the result turned out to be what she guessed, that would be okay. Otherwise...
The thought made Shuzhen shiver, unable to imagine her brother facing so much doubt and ridicule, wondering if he could continue living with dignity in Liu Family Village.
It’s like killing 500 enemies and losing 1,000 of your own troops. She truly made a blunder with this move. Ruining a brother’s life, isn’t that exactly what she’s done?
Unacceptable, even if the examination revealed her brother did have a problem, she would bribe the doctor for a completely healthy diagnosis, determined not to let her brother live in the contempt of others.
"Brother knows you’re doing it for my good. Fine, let’s get to the bottom of these doubts that have been lingering for years. Fortunately, Shuzhen insisted, otherwise, Brother wouldn’t have had the courage!" Liu Shouren smiled gently, smoothing Shuzhen’s hair from her forehead with consolation. After casually instructing his second brother to guard the house and not cause trouble, he urged Wang Jianguo to drive quickly. The child needed to see the doctor urgently and could not afford any delay.
Finally getting the signal to drive, Wang Jianguo grinned, his bright white teeth contrasting with his tanned face, outshining any toothpaste ad: "Alright, everyone sit tight, we’re about to head out!"
He reached out, grabbed the starter crank, and with a couple of whirring sounds, black smoke billowed from the chimney at the front, and the tractor started up. Lianshan and Lian Hai tightly embraced Little Lian Jie, fearing the bumpy ride might worsen the child’s injury. Shuzhen was also shielded from the wind and rain by her brother Liu Shouren, afraid that a lack of care might cause his sister to suffer.
To reach the city early and catch the long-distance bus to H City in the provincial capital, the group was racing against time. Thanks to the thick piles of dry straw and bedding in the carriage, otherwise, with the tractor lacking any real suspension and the bumpy dirt roads...
Shuzhen felt she might not even need a curettage; the little troublemaker inside her might go straight back to reincarnation!
But in these years, when transportation mainly relied on foot, and animal power was more precious than human power, being able to borrow the only tractor within ten miles to take them to the city showed that Lian Hai had quite the connections. What more could they ask for?
After a brief rest, they rushed to the long-distance bus station to buy tickets. Upon learning the earliest bus was at one in the afternoon, Shuzhen quickly dragged her brother to the nearby communal dining hall. Without much ado, they ordered thirty steaming hot meat buns fresh out of the pot!
People need food to keep going; without taking care of themselves, how could they take care of the child?
She filled her brother’s aluminum lunch box with millet porridge and added two servings of pickles.
Between her brother, the Lianshan and Lian Hai brothers, Wang Jianguo, and herself, buying too little wouldn’t be enough. With the plant ability she possessed, getting grain and vegetables wouldn’t be a problem for her in the future, so Shuzhen didn’t scrimp. A dime for a fist-sized meat bun plus a couple of ounces of grain tickets, the price seemed incredibly acceptable in Shuzhen’s eyes.
If not, Brother Lianshan would surely not want to eat.
In her past life, he always saved the best food for her and the children, firmly refusing to take a bite himself. Enduring hardships first and enjoying later, he was more diligent than any old ox. Back then, she was in the midst of good fortune without realizing it, and when she finally knew to cherish it, she was driven mad by the little ingrate, never allowing this foolish man to enjoy even a few days of comfort in his life.
Now, with time turning back, she must treat him well and make up for a lifetime of missed tenderness and care.
Yes, the good life begins with these thirty meat buns!