Chapter 3

“Just eat your meals properly while you’re still young. The rest isn’t something you need to worry about.” After making sure both children had eaten their fill, Bai Zhi cleared away the dishes and immediately left the house. “She’s heading toward Grandpa and Grandma’s place!” Lu Shengrong quietly followed her and, after seeing where Bai Zhi was going, hurriedly called out to Lu Tuan’an inside the house. Lu Tuan’an was still stuffing roasted potatoes into his arms. The moment he heard that, he abandoned the potatoes and rushed outside. “You stay home! I’m going to help Grandpa, Grandma, and Auntie!” Bai Zhi had no idea that a little child was following behind her. She quickly made her way to the thatched hut where her parents-in-law and sister-in-law lived. The thatched hut before her was truly dilapidated. It looked so shabby that it seemed barely fit even for livestock. Bai Zhi let out a deep sigh. What a miserable situation. She knocked on the door. “Dad, Mom, are you inside?” Inside, Lu Deren was washing clothes. When he heard her voice, his hand trembled, and his first instinct was to look toward his wife, who was lying on the cold brick bed. Lu Shuyu had fallen ill several days ago. They had been reluctant to spend money going to the clinic, so they had no choice but to endure it at home. But this morning, her condition had worsened. It seemed they would have to spend money on treatment after all. There were only ten yuan left in the household. If Bai Zhi took that money again, his wife might really die from her illness. Thinking about this, Lu Deren desperately wanted to keep Bai Zhi outside. However, he had been an honest and simple man his entire life and had never been angry with anyone. Besides, Bai Zhi had indeed suffered after marrying into their family, so as her parents-in-law, they had always tried to make up for what she had endured. “Knock, knock.” Bai Zhi continued knocking from outside. Lu Deren was just about to get up and stop her, but he was too late. Bai Zhi had already pushed the door open and entered. When Bai Zhi saw Lu Deren, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had received no response for so long that she had begun to worry something had happened to the old couple. “Dad, you’re home. Why didn’t you make a sound?” “Ah... oh.” Lu Deren didn’t know what to say. He silently touched the money in his pocket, calculating how much it would cost to treat Lu Shuyu while wondering how much Bai Zhi would take from them this time. Seeing the thin, frail old man standing there awkwardly, Bai Zhi was just about to return the money when she heard a faint groan. The thatched hut was very dark. Only then did Bai Zhi notice that someone was lying on the brick bed. It was her mother-in-law, Lu Shuyu. Bai Zhi immediately sensed that something was wrong and hurried two steps toward Lu Shuyu. This frightened Lu Deren badly. Without even caring about the clothes at his feet, he rushed over in two or three steps. His foot kicked the washbasin, producing a loud crash that startled Bai Zhi. Yet even after such a loud noise, Lu Shuyu lying on the brick bed showed no reaction. Bai Zhi's heart sank. Something was definitely wrong! “Dad, what happened to Mom?!” Lu Deren had just rushed over when he never expected Bai Zhi to take the initiative to ask about Lu Shuyu. After all, Bai Zhi had never cared about whether they lived or died before. Lu Deren stood there dumbfounded. Bai Zhi didn't waste any time. She simply stepped around him, bent down, and checked Lu Shuyu's condition herself. “She’s burning up! She has a high fever!” The moment Bai Zhi touched Lu Shuyu's forehead, she knew the situation was serious. Judging from the old woman's condition, she was probably already delirious from the fever. If it continued, something terrible could happen. “Dad, we need to take Mom to the clinic immediately!” Bai Zhi shouted. “Ah? You...” Lu Deren stared at Bai Zhi in disbelief. He simply couldn't imagine her reacting this way. Seeing Lu Deren frozen in place, Bai Zhi knew she couldn't rely on him. She would have to handle this herself. Fortunately, this body was naturally extremely strong. With that thought, Bai Zhi immediately grabbed the quilt lying nearby. She hadn't realized how thin it was until she touched it—it was practically as thin as a sheet of paper. Still, it was better than nothing. Bai Zhi quickly wrapped Lu Shuyu in the quilt and then lifted her into her arms. Lu Shuyu was extremely thin and frail, but Bai Zhi wasn't exactly big herself. The sight created an oddly incongruous scene. However, Bai Zhi could barely feel Lu Shuyu's weight at all. Carrying her was practically effortless. “Dad, let’s hurry—” Before Bai Zhi could finish, the door of the thatched hut was pushed open again. Lu Tuan’an had arrived. She was panting heavily and was about to speak when she saw the strange scene before her. She froze too. Bai Zhi couldn't help thinking that this child really knew how to show up at the right time. But there was no time to worry about anything else. “Lu Tuan’an, go find your two aunts right now. Then go home and bring the two cotton quilts from the house to the clinic. Dad, we’ll take Mom to the clinic first. A fever this high can cause serious damage if it continues. She needs treatment immediately!” “Ah, yes! We have to go! Let’s go right now!” Lu Deren was finally the first to snap out of it. “...I understand.” Lu Tuan’an looked at her grandfather, then at Bai Zhi carrying her grandmother. She was smart enough to understand that her grandmother's life came first. Whatever else needed to be discussed could wait. The child immediately turned and ran outside. Bai Zhi also rushed out with Lu Shuyu in her arms, while Lu Deren still felt as though he were dreaming. Nevertheless, he hurried after them. “Look! Who’s that?” “My goodness, isn’t that the Lu family’s daughter-in-law? What is she carrying?” “I think that’s a person! Look carefully—isn’t that Old Madam Lu?! Why is Bai Zhi carrying her away?” “Could Bai Zhi be trying to hurt Old Madam Lu? Is she taking her somewhere against her will?” “Old Man Lu is chasing after them! His daughter-in-law must have kidnapped Old Madam Lu! Hurry, let’s go help!” The people working in the fields began spreading the news. Before long, word had passed from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. Soon, a whole group of people were running after them, carrying hoes and shovels. Bai Zhi didn't notice anything happening behind her. She was worried that the quilt was too thin to keep the wind from reaching Lu Shuyu, so she needed to get her to the clinic as quickly as possible. She ran faster and faster. Lu Deren had no time to worry about anything else either. Just keeping up with Bai Zhi was already exhausting him. He couldn't understand how she could run so fast while carrying another person in her arms. The Lu family's home was quite far from the clinic. It would take about half an hour to walk there, and even running as fast as possible would take more than ten minutes. Bai Zhi managed to reach the clinic in about ten minutes. “Doctor! Doctor, please save her!” The moment Bai Zhi rushed inside, she shouted at the top of her lungs. Seeing her frantic appearance, the doctor thought the patient was on the verge of dying. He and the nurse hurried over and helped place Lu Shuyu on a hospital bed. “Doctor, my mother-in-law must have a high fever. Her whole body is burning, and she isn't responding.” “All right, we understand. Family members, please wait outside for now.” Seeing Bai Zhi's face flushed red from running, the doctor told her to sit outside and catch her breath. Bai Zhi had barely sat down when Lu Deren rushed in. When he didn't see Lu Shuyu immediately, he panicked. Bai Zhi quickly explained, “The doctor is already treating Mom. Dad, sit down and rest for a while.” Lu Deren also saw the doctors and nurses examining Lu Shuyu inside the treatment room, and he finally felt somewhat relieved. However, he didn't sit down. He simply stood outside the room, staring anxiously at what was happening inside. Looking at his expression, Bai Zhi couldn't help thinking that her father-in-law and mother-in-law must truly have a deep relationship. “Bai Zhi! Did you kill your mother-in-law?!” Before Bai Zhi could catch her breath, a large group of people suddenly came rushing in from behind. Bai Zhi stared in surprise at the people, all of whom were still carrying weapons in their hands. She couldn't help wondering when she had offended so many people. And if things really turned into a fight, she wondered how many of them she could take down. “What are you people doing? How dare you slander me and curse my mother-in-law!” Bai Zhi sprang to her feet and confronted them.