Bidding farewell to Lu Qiming, Qian Duoduo headed straight to the Inpatient Department of the City Hospital.
Qian Mama had just sent a WeChat message, informing Duoduo that they had already completed the admission procedures, and that they were currently resting with Qian Grandfather in Orthopedics Ward No. 9.
In the message, Ms. Zhang Xuelan also specifically emphasized that Da Bo and Da Bo Ma were there as well.
Early in the morning, the inpatient area was swarming with people, everywhere filled with patients and their accompanying family members.
Qian Duoduo rushed into the elevator hall and saw one elevator with its doors open, already packed with people like dumplings in a steamer.
Her eyes brightened, and she quickened her pace, breaking into a run.
Inside the elevator, an auntie holding a thermal lunchbox happened to be standing by the door.
Seeing the young girl dashing over from a short distance, she kindly reached out and quietly pressed the “door open” button.
Thanks to the thermal lunchbox auntie’s help, Qian Duoduo finally managed to squeeze into the elevator.
“Sorry to keep everyone waiting,” she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she apologized to the people inside.
Then she turned back and gave the auntie at the door a grateful smile, lowering her voice: “Thank you just now.”
“No problem,” the auntie replied. Seeing this young girl looked familiar and well-behaved, about the same age as her own daughter, a kind smile appeared on her face. “Which floor are you going to? I pressed it for you.”
Qian Duoduo answered, “Seventh floor, Orthopedics.”
The auntie pressed the number “7.”
The elevator ascended smoothly. With people getting on and off at each floor, Qian Duoduo standing by the door was jostled about and had to exert great effort to keep her balance.
Before long, the elevator dinged— the seventh floor had arrived.
Qian Duoduo said apologetically, “Excuse me, please,” as she struggled to push her way out.
Finally breaking through the crowd, a familiar sharp, high-pitched voice pierced her eardrums, tinged with dissatisfaction and reproach.
“Duoduo, why are you only coming now? Your Da Bo and I have been here for half a day.”
Duoduo’s steps faltered slightly.
Following the voice, she looked up and, unsurprisingly, saw a well-off figure dressed in a bright purple mink coat.
It was Da Bo Ma, Yang Meiling.
This woman in her fifties kept herself well; aside from fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth, her skin was overall smooth and fair.
She wore pointed high heels and carried a high-quality replica flower mahjong bag.
Her wine-red curls were pinned up at the back of her head, and her lipstick was so bright it shimmered under the hospital’s fluorescent lights.
“Da Bo Ma,” Qian Duoduo smiled faintly, greeting her elder. “Are Dad and Mom in the ward?”
“They’re here,” Yang Meiling replied.
The disinfectant smell invaded Duoduo’s nostrils as Yang Meiling’s face showed clear disdain.
Pinching her diamond-studded nails over her nose and mouth, she complained irritably, “I hate hospitals the most. Just the smell alone makes me nauseous. Your grandma insisted we come… really.”
“You all are here, yet can’t find anyone to properly take care of your grandfather,” she grumbled.
Qian Duoduo felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this but said politely, “Da Bo Ma, I’ll go see Grandpa first.”
Having said that, she turned and headed toward the ward.
Yang Meiling fanned herself, eyeing her niece up and down before suddenly calling out, “By the way, Duoduo.”
Duoduo pursed her lips, took a deep breath silently, and turned back.
“What is it, Da Bo Ma?”
“When you went upstairs just now, did you see your brother?” Yang Meiling asked.
Duoduo frowned in surprise. “My brother’s coming too?”
“Your brother Yongyong is filial. He heard grandpa broke his arm and said he wanted to come see him,” Yang Meiling said. “I waited here specially to pick him up.”
“Oh,” Duoduo shook her head. “I didn’t see him.”
Yang Meiling said no more, waving her diamond-studded hand dismissively. “Your Da Bo is in the ward too. Go in and call for them.”
“Okay.”
Thankful to be free from Da Bo Ma’s presence, Qian Duoduo exhaled and hurried into the ward.
The admission formalities for Qian Grandfather had been handled by Zhang Xuelan.
Zhang Xuelan was gentle and upright, kindhearted, and had cared for Qian Grandfather for decades.
She was praised among the neighbors as the “Model Daughter-in-Law.”
Qian Grandfather was elderly and had poor sleep quality; even slight noises at night would wake him easily.
Zhang Xuelan worried that the other patients might disturb him, so she specially requested a single room.
Arriving at the door of Ward No. 9 at the end of the corridor, Qian Duoduo habitually knocked twice—knock knock—before pushing the door open.
Inside, Qian Grandfather lay on the hospital bed wearing his patient gown.
Though his complexion was not good, his spirit was still strong.
Seeing his granddaughter, the old man’s face immediately brightened with a smile, his voice full of doting affection.
“Look who it is! Speak of the devil—the family’s little lady is finally here.”
“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom,” Duoduo greeted as she walked over to the bedside, eyes full of concern, “Grandpa, how are you feeling?”
“Just a bit of pain in the arm,” Grandpa said softly, lowering his voice as he glanced at his granddaughter.
“I just told them I wanted to leave the hospital, but your parents wouldn’t agree. Hurry, help me convince them.”
Qian Duoduo laughed at his adorable stubbornness like a child.
“That’s not going to happen, Grandpa. When you can be discharged depends on the doctors. You can’t just do whatever you want.”
Hearing this, Grandpa looked disappointed, realizing he no longer called the shots and could only listen to them.
Duoduo smiled softly and coaxed, “At most, just a week. Grandpa, bear with it. If it gets unbearable, I’ll ask Dad to bring you the flatbread. You can play online mahjong to pass the time. The days will fly by.”
Grandpa thought it over and nodded thoughtfully.
“Bring me the flatbread!”
Beside the bed, Da Bo Qian Yue Sheng took in the scene and couldn’t help but laugh, praising, “At crucial moments, we can always rely on Duoduo. Grandpa won’t listen to anyone but you.”
Unlike the shrewd and mercantile Yang Meiling, Qian Yue Sheng was an honest and down-to-earth man.
In his youth, he gave up his chance at education to his younger brother Qian Haisheng, and went to work early in a cotton factory to help support the family.
Later, during the layoffs, he started his own hardware shop, helping neighbors with plumbing, changing locks, and installing stoves.
He had earned every penny through hard work.
Honest, diligent, and steady.
Qian Duoduo greatly respected Da Bo and smiled sincerely, responding, “Da Bo, long time no see. How have you been lately? Is your old back pain still bothering you?”
Hearing her concern, Qian Yue Sheng was touched and smiled.
“Pretty good. Last time your dad brought me some Miao Herbal Patches. I used them for a month or two, and my back is much better now.”
“Oh?” Zhang Xuelan heard this and quickly nudged her husband’s side.
“Where did you buy those patches? Da Ge tried them and found them useful. Get some more courses.”
Qian Haisheng replied, “No problem.”
“No need, no need,” Qian Yue Sheng declined politely. “Just give me the contact info; I can buy them myself next time.”
Zhang Xuelan teased lightly, “Da Ge, Haisheng buys everything online. You finally got into internet shopping?”
Qian Yue Sheng’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I… I have Yongyong and Pingping buy them for me.”
“Good grief. Those two boys are less reliable than your brother,” Zhang Xuelan muttered.
Qian Haisheng frowned, quickly grabbing Zhang Xuelan’s wrist and giving her a warning look not to say more.
Qian Yue Sheng’s eyes darkened slightly, his smile tinged with an unexplainable sadness.
The room was filled with the sound of casual family chatter when suddenly a noise came from the corridor.
The metallic “click-clack” of high heels echoed on the tile floor.
“Ugh, the smell in here is even worse! Why do you have to keep the door shut tight? Does the disinfectant smell good to you or what?”
Before seeing her, they heard her voice first.
Zhang Xuelan’s smile vanished instantly.
She tidied her clothes and looked coldly out the window.
Yang Meiling pushed open the ward door, pinky raised.
Behind her, a middle-aged man dressed like a laborer rushed past holding a child and seemed to brush against the hem of her clothes.
Yang Meiling immediately frowned, rolling her newly tinted eyebrow like a worm, and shot a glare at the man’s back before entering the ward.
As she stepped aside, everyone finally saw that a young man was following her.
He wore a fleece-lined leather jacket, had a fashionable undercut hairstyle, hands lazily shoved into his pockets, chewing gum with his cheeks moving sporadically.
His facial features somewhat resembled Da Bo, but he lacked Da Bo’s honest and simple aura.
He was obviously a slick hustler who had spent years running with the wrong crowd.
“Da Bo Ma,” Qian Duoduo greeted politely, eyes flicking to the young man, “Yongyong Ge.”
Seeing his younger cousin, Qian Yongyong’s eyes lit up immediately.
He smiled and raised his hand in a warm gesture.
“Yo, isn’t this our Qian family’s beauty? Last time I saw you was last Lunar New Year. Almost a year, and you look even more gorgeous. Sure enough, this rosy complexion is nurturing.”
“No, no, don’t tease me, Ge,” Qian Duoduo replied with a casual smile.
Having greeted the family’s golden child, Qian Yongyong rubbed his nose with his thumb and finally looked toward the elders in the room.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Er Bo, Er Bo Ma, all here, huh?”
Zhang Xuelan forced a faint smile at Yongyong’s words and then picked up the kettle on the bedside cabinet.
“Dad, Mom, I’m going to get some hot water.”
Qian Duoduo made a move to go as well.
“No need, you stay and chat with Grandpa,” Zhang Xuelan refused, nudging Qian Haisheng’s back with her elbow. “You come too and help.”
Qian Haisheng was sitting on the edge of the bed peeling an orange.
He responded to the call with a “hey” and handed the peeled orange segments to Qian Grandfather.
Then he clapped his hands twice and hurried out with his wife.
Ward No. 9 was at the end of the corridor, right across from the Boiled Water Room.
Zhang Xuelan strode inside, glanced back at the closed ward door, and then lowered her voice to ask Qian Haisheng, “What’s going on? Why did Yongyong come?”
“What’s the big deal?” Qian Haisheng said. “Like you said, it’s normal for the grandson to come visit Grandpa.”
Zhang Xuelan’s tone grew serious.
“You don’t know what kind of person that nephew is? He was lazy in school, hanging out with gangsters, causing trouble everywhere. He didn’t even take the college entrance exam and got expelled.”
“He’s been living off others for years. Your sister-in-law felt sorry for the kid and forced your brother to use all their savings to open a hotpot restaurant. I heard it still hasn’t broken even.”
“Also, don’t forget, when Yongyong opened the restaurant, he borrowed money from us. He still owes us a hundred thousand.”
“They’re family,” Qian Haisheng said, looking at his wife, “The hotpot restaurant isn’t making money; I can’t force him to pay back.”
“Besides, what does any of that have to do with whether Yongyong is filial to Grandpa?” he added.
“You’re really clueless,” Zhang Xuelan frowned. “Grandpa has never been sick before. What does Yongyong’s sudden enthusiasm this time mean? It’s not right.”
Qian Haisheng thought for a few seconds and said, “People change. Maybe the kid went through something and grew up.”
“I don’t think so,” Zhang Xuelan pondered. “Besides, he greeted Duoduo so warmly the moment he came in…”
Suddenly, Zhang Xuelan’s expression changed.
“That boy—he can’t be trying to mess with our daughter, can he?”
“How’s that possible?” Qian Haisheng laughed. “Don’t overthink it.”
………..
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