Wang Xiaocui, upon hearing her husband’s words, felt as if oil were being poured over fire. In an instant, her mind went blank, and out of extreme fear, she fainted on the spot.
Xie Jingyang, who had been angrily staring at his wife, rushed forward to catch her when she abruptly staggered and her eyes rolled back, but before he could say anything, she lost consciousness.
Having been together with his wife for several years, and she having borne him children, Xie Jingyang couldn’t help but feel extremely anxious upon seeing her faint so suddenly.
Seeing his youngest son flustered by his daughter-in-law’s condition, Zhou Xiuhua, despite feeling dizzy herself, forced herself to stand upright and reminded him, "Quick, Mao Dan, carry her back to the room! The youngest, go call your Aunt Chun to have a look!"
"Okay!" Xie Jingzi, who had been wiping the table while observing the developments in the kitchen, saw her brother hurrying out carrying the Fifth Sister-in-law. She threw away the rag, dashed out of the main hall, and just happened to be directed by Mrs. Xie to fetch the doctor.
Zhou Xiuhua leaned against the stove, fiercely rubbed her painfully throbbing chest, and after the dizziness passed, she strode towards Wu’er’s room.
Aunt Chun lived in Qingfeng Village and was the village barefoot doctor. Due to her old age, she seldom made visits anymore. However, the elder sisters-in-law and younger daughters-in-law in the neighborhood still occasionally asked her to take a look if they had minor issues.
As Aunt Chun had just attended a wedding feast at the Xie Family and had met several old friends, she was sitting under the old banyan tree in the village chatting when Xie Jingzi, who passed by breathlessly, heard a fellow villager call out, "Zi girl, running so fast, where are you heading?"
"Sixth Aunt, I’m going to ** Aunt~" Xie Jingzi replied briefly, planning to pass by quickly, but then she suddenly spotted Aunt Chun, turned around, ran up to her under the banyan tree, and urgently called out, "Hey, Aunt Chun, quick, come with me to my home, my Fifth Sister-in-law has fainted."
Anxiously speaking while panting, Xie Jingzi also helped the old lady get up.
"Oh, let’s go see then, you folks go ahead~" Hearing someone had fainted, Aunt Chun immediately cooperated to stand up, and with Xie Jingzi’s support, the two hastened away.
For Aunt Chun, ’hastening’ was relative; if not for her lack of strength, the anxious Xie Jingzi would have preferred to carry the old lady there.
"She fainted? Could it be due to pregnancy stress?" Aunt Chun, having aged considerably, mainly suffered from severe rheumatism because she had overworked herself farming during her youth. Her leg bones were already deformed, and she couldn’t walk fast, so Xie Jingzi didn’t dare pull her too forcefully, it was more like assisting her to walk quickly.
However, Aunt Chun’s speed was limited, hardly faster than Xie Jingzi’s normal walking pace. Even so, Xie Jingzi also feared she might fall. Everyone in the village knew that Aunt Chun’s health was poor, and during rainy, cloudy, or winter days, unless absolutely necessary, people would generally not bother her.
Because of Aunt Chun’s ’illness,’ it might actually be more serious than the condition of those seeking medical help!
"I don’t know, Aunt Chun, be careful, don’t fall." Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far, just about three to four hundred meters. Within about ten minutes, they arrived at the Right Wing Courtyard where Aunt Chun carefully checked Wang Xiaocui’s pulse.
"Sister Chun, how is it?" Zhou Xiuhua was anxious and wanted to know the result immediately after Aunt Chun finished checking.
"It’s nothing serious, just got a bit breathless. Your Fifth daughter-in-law is pregnant. The signs are very clear, more than a month now! Great joy, Xiuhua, today is indeed a double celebration for you!"
"Hehe," Zhou Xiuhua forced a laugh as she saw Wang Xiaocui immediately ’wake up’ upon hearing the result. She took her out of the right courtyard, "Sister Chun, you’ve seen quite the scene."
She also ’timely’ heard the surprised voice of Wang Xiaocui as she awoke. Helplessly, Zhou Xiuhua supported Sister Chun as they left, signaling her younger daughter to accompany Aunt Chun back to the front courtyard.
Rong Wei, who was instructed to take care of his wife, felt a deep sigh of relief when Aunt Chun said she was pregnant, especially seeing the immediate joy on his wife’s face, then looking at the bewildered and panicking Xiao Si and Xiaoqi, he thought to himself: This child has come at just the right time!
"Xiuhua, which family doesn’t bicker their way through life? Your family is actually doing quite well," Aunt Chun had seen much in her days, thinking it was just a temporary fit of anger, nothing truly surprising.
"Ah, let’s not talk about it anymore, Sister Chun, have a seat. The youngest, bring Aunt Chun some brown sugar water~~"
"Ah, Mom, I’m coming!" Xie Jingzi had gone into the kitchen to make brown sugar water for Aunt Chun as soon as she returned. The brown sugar water that had been prepared earlier had already been consumed by the children.
"Your Jingzi is truly a nice girl!" Aunt Chun said smilingly as she accepted the drink, praising Mrs. Xie.
"No, you haven’t seen her when she’s stubborn! These children, they are all troubles!"
"That is so true, but anyway, life will get better!"
"Ah, indeed, we are just waiting for that! The youngest, pick ten eggs and give them to Aunt Chun to take home." In the rural areas, inviting Aunt Chun to treat small ailments usually was compensated with ten eggs, or doing some accessible chores for her, such as chopping wood or fetching water.
Because many families in the village were indebted to her kindness, even if not for medical reasons, young men would occasionally visit to see if she needed any help. Aunt Chun had aged and could not do heavy work anymore, and with her husband gone and her son far away in the county town, she usually lived alone as an elder.
"I won’t be shy then." Aunt Chun replied with a smile, and they comforted each other with a few more words. She looked outside at the sky and said, "Alright, grandchildren have their own blessings, we are old now... I should head back too, it’s getting dark, if it gets any later, this old lady will not be able to see!"
"Indeed, the youngest, help your Aunt Chun back home!" Zhou Xiuhua did not insist on her staying, knowing Aunt Chun’s poor health required her to get up early and sleep early, and once it got dark, she mostly went to bed.
"Ah, Mom, I’ll help Aunt Chun back first." Xie Jingzi had grown up in the village and had been treated with Aunt Chun’s herbal remedies since she was a child. Facing this old and bulky Aunt Chun, she felt a natural closeness.
"Go ahead, be careful."
"Old lady, why is Sister Chun here again?" Xie Tiesheng had just come back from outside and was still confused. He kept wondering: Didn’t we just see her off? Why is Sister Chun here again?
Freshly returned from the village chief’s place, still wearing a smile, Xie Tiesheng saw Aunt Chun and thought he had missed something.
"Ah, isn’t it because of the fifth family’s trouble, They turned perfectly good days into discomfort for San’er and his wife!" Zhou Xiuhua took a deep breath helplessly.
She had given birth to seven children, but only six survived. She lost one before reaching seven months, then after two years, she had the fifth. She thought he would be the last.
But unexpectedly, when the eldest was about to marry, she found herself pregnant again. That was when the youngest was born, which was very risky. If not for the third son’s determination, who knows how many would have survived!
Also, because the third son had become a guard, to provide for the family, his marriage was continually postponed and had not yet started a family, which made her even more biased towards him.
In the beginning, she would speak about the silver the third son sent back, but later, she stopped mentioning it, using half for household needs and saving the rest for his future wife.
Now that he had finally managed to get married, the trouble caused by the fifth family hurt her so deeply, leaving no room for happiness.