Landlady who likes to hoard land

It felt like a long wait, yet also like only a few minutes, before the heavy door slowly slid open again. Wang's mother, supported by Wang Chenggong, emerged from inside.

"Put on your clothes first"

After helping his mother put on her coat, they waited for about half an hour. After removing the IV, the three of them took the elevator downstairs and headed towards the main building.

"My neighbor, Aunt Zhao, said that pain is a good thing; bad illnesses don't hurt. Mine doesn't hurt, but it's making my stomach a little uncomfortable."

The mother's sudden words seemed to comfort both the brother and sister, and also to comfort herself.

"Yes, you've always been in good health, there shouldn't be any major problems. We'll listen to the doctor."

No one spoke for the rest of the way. When they arrived at the main building lobby, Zhao Guoqing, the husband of Wang Chenggong's sister-in-law, was waiting for them there.

Zhao Guoqing works in the security department of this hospital. When Wang's mother came to the hospital for a check-up, Wang Chenggong asked him to find a doctor for her.

"Brother Zhao"

Wang Chengyu took the initiative to greet him.

"Hey, my sister's here. Auntie, the tests are all done. Please sit down for a bit while my brother and I go back to the doctor for more detailed questions."

Zhao Guoqing was tall and strong, and he spoke in a deep, muffled voice; you had to listen carefully to understand what he was saying.

"Okay, sorry to trouble you."

Mrs. Wang said politely that she disliked troubling people the most, and that she felt very embarrassed that people were running around doing things for her.

"It's no trouble at all, Auntie, you should rest."

Zhao Guoqing and Wang Chenggong walked toward the doctor's office.

Wang Chengyu helped his mother sit down on a chair in the hall.

Wang's mother looked dejected and slumped weakly against the back of her chair.

Wang Chengyu didn't know what to say, so she could only sit silently with her mother.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly around her, then stopped when they landed on the wheelchair at the service desk. She couldn't help but feel regret; why hadn't she thought to borrow a wheelchair to push her mother around?

Before her regret could subside, the two people who had gone to consult the doctor had already returned.

"You two discuss it and see if you want to be hospitalized here or go to a specialized hospital. The doctor said it's fine anywhere," Zhao Guoqing's muffled voice came, accompanied by Wang Chenggong's low, hoarse reply.

"Okay, you're still at work, go ahead and get busy. We'll discuss it and let you know."

The two approached

"Auntie, we've asked the doctor, and she has to be hospitalized no matter what. Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

"I just need to be hospitalized for surgery. You guys can discuss where to go for hospitalization. I have to go back to work, so I'll be leaving now."

"Go ahead and do your work, we'll discuss it ourselves," the mother quickly stood up and agreed.

After Zhao Guoqing left, Wang Chengyu helped his mother sit down again. Wang Chenggong then sat down beside her.

"Mom, the doctor said there's a tumor on my ovary, and I need surgery to remove it. It's fine to have it done here, or at a specialist hospital."

The hospital they are currently in is the best general hospital in the area, while the specialized hospital is a dedicated cancer hospital.

"The test results aren't out yet, how can the doctor make a decision?" The mother's emotionless voice rang out.

"The enhanced CT scan is just to see how big the tumor is. The doctor has reviewed your ultrasound report and said that surgery is necessary regardless."

Wang Chenggong patiently explained it to his mother.

Wang's mother remained silent for a long time.

"Go home and talk to your dad about it first."

"Mom, let's go to a specialized hospital. This place doesn't specialize in this; specialized hospitals are more professional."

Wang Chenggong carefully questioned the doctor, who, based on his experience, determined that Wang's mother's tumor was malignant, involving a series of issues such as subsequent chemotherapy. The doctor recommended that she go to a specialized hospital.

"Your aunt had surgery for a tumor at this hospital, and she recovered exceptionally well. She's been fine for over ten years."

The eldest aunt mentioned by Wang's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer more than ten years ago. Fortunately, it was discovered early and she had surgery at this hospital.

There has been no recurrence since the surgery. Judging from her mother's words, Wang Chengyu guessed that her mother wanted to have the surgery at this hospital.

"Let's go home and discuss it further."

No one contradicted their mother; even if they were hospitalized, they had to go home first to pack their things.

The three of them got into the older brother's secondhand car and remained silent the whole way.

Wang Chengyu's family home is in Qushui Village, Haitang Township, the outermost part of Hedong District, which is separated from the county town to the east by only a river.

It takes half an hour to drive from the hospital to home.

When they arrived home, Wang's father and two younger sisters were already there, having prepared lunch and waiting for them. His sister-in-law was still working at the factory and hadn't returned yet.

The Wang family is large. Wang's parents have four children. Wang Chenggong is the eldest, thirty-seven years old this year. He is married. His wife, Tian Jing, is from the next county. They have two sons, the eldest son is eleven years old and the youngest son is eight years old.

Wang Chengyu is the second oldest child in her family. She is 35 years old this year. Her husband's family lives in Heitu Village, Fengming Township, a neighboring town. They currently live in a resettlement house in Hedong District.

Both have two sons. The older son just turned twelve in the spring and started junior high school. The younger son is nine years old. Because he was born younger, he will turn ten at the end of the year. He will start school a year later and enter the fourth grade in the fall.

Wang Chengqing is the third child in her family. She married into a family in Lanshan District of the city. Her husband's family owns a small business. She has a son and a daughter; her son is thirteen years old, and her daughter is twelve.

Wang Chenghua is the fourth child in her family. She married into Lanling District and has two sons, the older one is seven years old and the younger one is three years old.

In that era of scarcity and family planning, it was no easy feat for Mr. and Mrs. Wang to have four children and raise them to adulthood.

When strangers learned that they had four children, they all assumed that the youngest was a boy, but they never expected that the eldest was a boy.

Wang Chengyu once asked his mother why she had to have so many children when it was so tiring.

The mother stated frankly, "Your father is an only child and suffered a lot of bullying from families with many sons. He wanted to have another son to keep your brother company, hoping that the two brothers could help each other out and not be bullied like your father."

Wang's mother didn't give birth to a son to keep Wang Chenggong company, but she did have two more girls to keep Wang Chengyu company.

With many children in the family and Wang's father being honest and timid, Wang Chengyu rarely saw his father in his memory. His father worked in the city year-round, and Wang's mother took care of everything at home.

Wang Chengyu thought that his mother's illness was probably due to overwork.

The Wang family was very poor. When Wang's father was young, he partnered with someone in business but was cheated and ended up with a large debt.

The family has already done everything they can to pay off debts and raise four children.

When Wang Chenggong got married, he rented a house in the city. Last year, for some reason, he moved his family back to the village to start a factory.

After returning to the village, he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Wang in a house with only three tiled rooms and a kitchen.

Three generations lived and ate together, and three tiled houses were obviously not enough. From then on, Wang's mother kept talking about saving money to build a house for Wang Chenggong. Building a house for Wang Chenggong almost became a worry for his mother.

With the return of Wang Chenggong's family of four to the village, and the fact that Wang Chengyu's grandfather was bedridden due to poor health at that time.

Wang's mother had to take care of the whole family, working like a spinning top all day without a break. The cramped and crowded tile-roofed house and all the chores inside and out took Wang's mother to the extreme.

Building a house became her obsession. After her grandfather, Wang Chengyu, passed away, Wang's mother became even more eager to build a house.

This year, Wang Chenggong's factory began to show promise, and Wang's mother started planning to begin building a house the following spring.