Xia Chunrong said, "Big sister, you know my situation, and with the atmosphere being so tense right now, if I stick my neck out to apply for a dormitory, once my issues are exposed, I could lose my job. Then, when Manni marries me, what will I have to support her with? How will I support the family?"
Xia Xiao paused, recognizing the difficulty of the situation. If Xia Chunrong lost his job and his record was tarnished, finding another one would not be easy.
And the Xia Family’s home was truly unsuitable for living, with seven people crammed into a single room with bunk beds. Now that Xia Chunrong was getting married, a couple needed their own private space. It was indeed a problem.
"As for Grandpa and Grandma’s place, if I were to take a room here for my marriage, they would definitely agree. But Grandpa and Grandma have other sons besides my father—my eldest and second uncles. And right now, we can’t afford to offend Zhao Xiang and Zhao Yan either. If there’s trouble later, none of us could bear it."
"Don’t worry, brother, I’ll figure this out for you," Xia Xiao was actually considering buying a house for Xia Chunrong. Housing prices weren’t too high at the moment, and she could afford it. After all, some people had backgrounds that allowed them to leave town, so there were definitely houses for sale.
"How could you possibly resolve this?" Xia Chunrong shook his head. "You better stay out of it. Our family may seem stable now, but there’s danger too. If Manni marries into our family, she might end up suffering."
Xia Xiao didn’t say much but took the matter to heart.
The next morning, Xia Xiao followed Li Wenjuan to visit Wang Jinying and found the situation more severe than expected. Wang had multiple abrasions and even a fracture, with nearly half her face scraped.
Xia Xiao was startled. Such injuries, if not cared for properly, could be disfiguring.
"Auntie," Xia Xiao called out to Wang Jinying.
Wang Jinying tried to smile at Xia Xiao and nodded her head, her eyes showing emotion, but she didn’t speak.
"Your Auntie can’t speak well right now," Li Wenjuan reminded Xia Xiao.
Xia Xiao nodded and watched as Li Wenjuan served Wang Jinying her meal. She took the initiative to check if Wang Jinying’s water bottle had hot water in it.
Initially, Xia Xiao hadn’t planned to use the spring water for Wang Jinying, but seeing her face, decided to add some. After all, there isn’t a woman who doesn’t care about her face.
Wang Jinying was in extremely low spirits, her mood deeply affected, and she seemed to wither entirely.
It was clear that no one had told Wang Jinying about Xia Baoguo’s incident from yesterday, fearing it would affect her emotionally and hinder her recovery.
However, seeing Wang Jinying in such a state, Xia Xiao felt it might be better to inform her about Xia Baoguo’s situation to give her a boost. Remaining in such a slump wasn’t good.
Xia Baoguo was also in the room. When he stepped out, Xia Xiao followed him. "Uncle,"
Xia Xiao called out, and when Xia Baoguo turned and saw it was Xia Xiao, he said, "Xiaoxiao, what’s up?"
"Uncle, you didn’t tell Auntie about yesterday’s incident, did you?"
Xia Baoguo shook his head, "There’s no need to tell your auntie about that."
"Uncle, I think it should be told. Auntie is clearly in a bad mood, and we were afraid to upset her, thinking it would hinder her healing. But keeping it from Auntie, I feel that’s not right."
Xia Baoguo’s expression grew grave, and Xia Xiao continued, "Blessings can arise from misfortunes, and vice versa. It’s not all bad for Auntie to feel this way, but with her face being hurt and the fractures, she’s understandably upset and somewhat negative. Uncle, you should tell her about what happened to you yesterday. It might just lift her spirits, and that would help her heal faster."
After Xia Xiao finished speaking, Xia Baoguo nodded and gave her a smile. "You’re right, Xiaoxiao. Your auntie has been feeling so down lately, I didn’t know what to do. But now that you mention it, we really shouldn’t keep it from her."
Xia Baoguo was about to leave but then went back into the hospital room. Xia Xiao thought this was probably for the better. Sick people are especially sensitive; they can often tell when something is being kept from them. It could make them paranoid, and it’s better to be straightforward.
Moreover, Wang Jinying wasn’t a fragile person by nature. It would be more effective to be honest with her.
Sure enough, before long, Xia Baoguo and Wang Jinying had talked about the previous day’s events, with Li Wenjuan adding her comments as well.
Xia Xiao nodded in agreement. This wasn’t something that could be further contested. The school was a mess, and the principal and teachers were ineffective. Even if it was the students, possibly those very people, who could you turn to? It was impossible; you were fortunate if they just left you alone.
The best approach was to avoid trouble if possible. Xia Xiao adhered to the belief that sometimes suffering a loss could indeed be a blessing.
Xia Baoguo soon left, exhausted from watching over her most of the night. He hadn’t been able to rest well in the hospital room and still had to report to his community work.
Li Wenjuan stayed to keep Wang Jinying company, while Xia Xiao carried the lunchbox back home, continuously pondering how to resolve the Xia Family’s troubles and hidden dangers.
Xia Xiao didn’t plan to stay at home long; she also wanted to visit Gao Jiaxing at the military base, so she kept thinking about strategies in her head.
As for committing acts of violence, Xia Xiao couldn’t bring herself to do such things. She just wasn’t that ruthless.