Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I sold my blood last night....” Ye Tianxin joked mischievously.
When her grandmother heard this, she got so angry that she pulled Ye Tianxin’s ears.
“You silly girl. With your tiny frame, how could you even think of selling your blood? I’ve lived long enough, so just let me die. Why did you....”
“It’s okay, Grandma. I lied. I saved someone last night!” Gently rubbing her ears, Ye Tianxin continued, “Grandma, you didn’t know this, but last night an injured man was sent here, and he was all covered in blood. Since I was able to save him, I did exactly that. I did a good deed. They must’ve left all of this food behind after they left. Don’t you worry.... I didn’t sell my blood....”
“You’re already so thin. Did they take a lot of your blood?” Unable to sit still, Grandma struggled, trying to get out of bed, exclaiming, “This isn’t good. I need to go buy an old chicken to help you replenish your nutrients.”
Ye Tianxin immediately pressed her grandmother back down and said, “Grandma, you’re a patient now. Why are you fussing about replenishing nutrients? From now on, you must listen to me.... Be good and stay here for your intravenous drip. Grandma, you must get well. My wish is that you’ll stay healthy and live until a hundred....”
Eyes brimming with tears, Grandma replied, “Of course. I want to see our little Tianxin get married and have children of her own!”
“That’s right. So Grandma, you must look after your health and stay well!”
Having completed her round of intravenous drip, Grandma wanted to return home with Ye Tianxin. The doctor relented, repeatedly advising her not to over-exert herself.
Standing with his back to Grandma, the doctor suggested to Ye Tianxin, “Young lady, when you get home, please inform your parents that they should find time to take your grandmother to the hospitals in the city or the provincial capital for a full medical check. Understand?”
“I understand. Thank you, Doctor.”
When Ye Tianxin and her grandmother arrived home, Grandma wanted to go cook lunch.
But Ye Tianxin stopped her and headed to the kitchen by herself. In no time at all, she had lunch ready for them both.
On the square-shaped table in the little yard, she placed a few side dishes, some green salted eggs, and a bowl of congee garnished with crushed peanuts.
“Grandma, try this. What do you think of my cooking?”
In the past, Grandma had always been the one who cooked three meals a day for Ye Tianxin. Now it was Ye Tianxin’s turn to cook three meals a day for her grandma.
“Very tasty. My Tianxin is a good cook indeed. Tianxin, I’m all right now. You should go to your afternoon classes. Don’t let anything affect your studies!”
“Grandma, why don’t you stop setting up your stall for a while? Your health is more important, and soon I’ll be sitting for the college entrance exams. Can you please just stay home and cook for me every day? I find the food in the school canteen tasteless....”
Hearing Ye Tianxin’s words, Grandma looked up at her and said soothingly, “Tianxin, don’t put too much pressure on yourself!”
Ye Tianxin raised her head to look at her grandmother. “Grandma,” she replied, “I must gain admittance into an accredited university and aim for the monetary awards. Once I get my monetary award, I’ll take you on a vacation. Since you’ve never seen the ocean, I’ll take you there, and we can have some nice seafood.”
Seeing that Ye Tianxin had regained her spirit, Grandma overflowed with happiness as she responded, “Okay. All right.”
Having had her meal, Ye Tianxin got on her bicycle and headed off to school.
The school looked just like it had in the past—a little red-bricked five-story building with walls covered in jade-green ivy.
Ye Tianxin’s homeroom was on the first floor. Entering the classroom, she sat at her assigned desk. The bespectacled boy who shared it with her was already there, reading.
In her previous life, she didn’t do well on her college entrance exams.
And because of that, her grandmother had had to swallow her pride and travel to Jinchengchuan City to beg Ye Tianxin’s biological father to find her a place in a university....