Mrs. Yao sighed softly and continued, "Even though we lost Qianqian, she gave the Lyu Family three lovely children. No matter what happens, we are still Lyu Juncheng’s in-laws, and during the holidays, we deserve the respect and honor due to us."
If Huihui marries someone else, then we’d have two sons-in-law, and during the holidays, we’d receive two shares of respect. If she marries Lyu Juncheng, then both our daughters are tied to the same man, making him quite happy."
Father Yao also knew there was truth in his wife’s words, "Aren’t I just worried about those three kids?"
Mrs. Yao turned over, with her back to him, "Enough, it’s clear Lyu Juncheng isn’t interested in our Huihui. Otherwise, why would he register with that young lady from his hometown? It’s better to save yourself the trouble."
What she didn’t say was how well Lyu Juncheng treated their Yao Qian, something she, as a mother-in-law, knew very well. Even if he remarried, with those three children tying them together, he wouldn’t treat their family poorly; otherwise, she wouldn’t take it lightly.
As much as she loved those three grandchildren, she couldn’t risk sacrificing her youngest daughter. She had no faith in keeping it all in the family; as long as everything was handled well, it was fine. But if anything went wrong, the bit of affection they had would be gone too. She wasn’t a fool.
The two old folks each pondered their own thoughts and fell asleep.
*
At this moment, Yu Xinyan appeared once more at the Mechanical Factory’s employee hospital.
The situation was like this: after finally entering the factory gate, as she dashed towards the guesthouse, she almost ran into someone in the dark.
Once she got a good look at the person in front of her, she realized it was a little child she had met once before at the hospital, though perhaps the child didn’t even remember her.
As Yu Xinyan steadied the child, she noticed the child was trembling and covered in sweat, clearly from running too fast. She couldn’t help but ask, "Kid, what’s happened to you?"
The little boy, feeling guilty for almost bumping into someone, wanted to answer quickly and leave. In his haste, his words were jumbled, "No one at home, brother’s sick, looking for uncle, having a bad fever, saving brother."
Fortunately, Yu Xinyan understood, "Where are your family members?"
The little boy was beside himself with urgency, "No one at home, uncle’s at the hospital."
She understood now, that the man with the leg injury was the boy’s uncle. If no other adults were home, and considering his leg injury, he probably couldn’t do much even if he came back.
Looking at the anxious child before her, she said, "Why not ask a neighbor for help? Your uncle’s leg is injured and he’s having trouble walking himself; how can he carry your brother?"
Seeing the boy hesitate at her question made her feel a little bad, "Where is your home? I’ll help you take him to the hospital."
After she said this, she regretted it. She wasn’t related to the child and didn’t know him. He probably wouldn’t trust her.
Unexpectedly, the boy nodded, "Thank you, sister."
Saying that, he pulled her towards the direction they came from, "This way."
Yu Xinyan couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you afraid I’m a bad person?"
The boy didn’t even turn his head, maybe from walking too fast, his words carried a hint of gasping, "I’ve seen you at the hospital before, sister."
Ah, so it turned out this little kid was quite sharp.
Not having time to ask anything else, she followed the boy and slightly jogged to a courtyard. Before she could make out the situation inside, she was pulled into the house.
As soon as Yu Xinyan entered, she saw a younger child lying on the heated brick bed.
Getting closer for a look, she saw the child with a face flushed from fever, seemingly muttering something. When she reached out to touch him, he felt frighteningly hot.