country bumpkin

Mu Shuyun did not refuse and took the money, saying, "I'll keep this money for now. The money my son-in-law gave me last time was all used to buy milk powder. We don't have much left at home. I've already paid the deposit for the hospital fees. I don't know how many days I'll need to stay."

Kong Xiujuan said, "I know, Mother. Let's stay here for a few days and leave when Yunya is better!"

Mu Shuyun nodded and said, "Okay, if anything happens at home, go back when Yunya is feeling better. Your dad and I will take care of her."

She paused for a moment, as if remembering something, and said, "By the way, does your mother-in-law know about this?"

Kong Xiujuan lowered her head and remained silent. Mu Shuyun, who could easily see what was going on, said, "They found out, but they didn't even come to see her. This is her own granddaughter, her own child. Don't they feel sorry for her?"

Kong Xiujuan said, "She said, why should a little girl like her stay in the hospital when she's sick? It's a waste of money. Every child gets sick sometimes, and they're not going to die."

Mu Shuyun's temper flared up instantly. Even with her good temper, she was thoroughly angered.

Trembling, she said, "How can anyone talk like that? Is this cursing their own child? No one should talk like that. Juan, you don't know, when we came to the emergency room, the doctor said that if we had come any later, the child might not have made it, sob sob sob sob." She began to sob.

"Mother, please don't cry. I'm so sorry for causing you trouble," Kong Xiujuan said.

Mu Shuyun said, "Silly child, is this something to cause trouble? It's my poor granddaughter who was separated from her mother at such a young age and is now seriously ill. And her grandmother's family is so heartless."

Kong Xiujuan comforted her mother, saying, "Luckily you brought her to the hospital in time, and she's stable now."

Kong Xiujuan also disliked her mother-in-law, but what could she do? This wicked mother-in-law had always been like this. She always favored the second son's family, treating them like slaves, making them work for her, and even demanding that her grandson Tao give them all the money he earned. The twenty yuan she received this time was money she had secretly saved for a year in case of emergency. Otherwise, she wouldn't even have the money to save her child's life. Luckily, she had been careful.

The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer in the hallway.

Kong Tongming looked at Yun Ya, who was pale, in the ward. Sun Zitao carried his eldest daughter out of the room and said, "Mom, you've been busy for so long. Have you eaten? Go out and buy something to eat."

Mu Shuyun was angry with her in-laws, but she still liked this honest and upright son-in-law very much. She said, "No need, I can't eat anything anyway."

Sun Zitao stopped talking and quietly looked at his wife and mother-in-law.

Kong Xiujuan said, "Mother, why don't you and Father go home and rest first? The house can't be left unattended forever. I'll stay here and watch over things. Since the condition has stabilized, there's nothing serious."

Mu Shuyun insisted on staying, so everyone ended up staying. Only Kong Xiangdong hitched a ride back with someone from the same village.

It was already quite late, and the hospital corridors were very cold at night. The wards were slightly warmer, but they were crowded and small, with the doors and windows tightly closed, and thick cotton curtains and door drapes.

When Kong Tongming arrived, he brought two quilts and a mattress on the donkey cart. He knew he would need to be hospitalized, so he prepared the things in advance. Now they came in handy.

It's already 12 o'clock, very late, everyone has gone to sleep.

In the passageway, Kong Tongming and Sun Zitao covered themselves with a quilt and leaned against the wall, with a straw mat from the donkey cart underneath.

In the ward, Mu Shuyun and Kong Xiujuan shared a blanket, with the mattress underneath. The eldest daughter, Sun Limei, was placed at the other end of the bed, sharing a blanket with Yunya. Both girls were sleeping soundly.

There were four beds in the ward; the room wasn't big and was a bit crowded. The family members who were there to care for their loved ones were all asleep in the corner.

The night is silent; the night is cold.

The next day, at daybreak, the accompanying relatives packed their bedding onto their donkey carts. Those without carts packed their bedding into fertilizer bags and placed them in a corner near the hospital entrance. The doctors would be checking on the patients soon. Those who hadn't brought their own bedding rented it from the hotel across the street.

The doctors arrived at work at 8:00 AM sharp and began their rounds.

They inquired about the condition of each patient, and some had already recovered and were ready to be discharged.

Yunya's ward is the pediatric ward, which is mostly occupied by young children. There are several children with similar symptoms to her, all around one year old, suffering from infectious dysentery.

It's probably because of the cold weather that children are prone to getting a cold stomach, but the doctor can't find the exact cause of the illness.

It was Yunya's turn. The attending physician examined the little girl and smiled, saying, "She's recovering very well. Her fever has subsided, and the dysentery has stopped. Feed her some more when she wakes up, and make sure to keep her warm, especially her stomach. She can be discharged after a little more observation."

That's it for now, let's go see the next patient.

Grandma was overjoyed and thanked the doctor repeatedly. The doctor left after making his rounds.

Yunya is much better now, and her complexion looks better.

Kong Xiujuan said, "Mom, you and Dad should go home first. Yunya's condition has improved a lot. Her dad and I can stay here. Dad still has to go to work, and it's not good for him to keep taking leave."

Mu Shuyun thought about it and agreed, saying, "Alright, if anything comes up, send Zitao back to deliver a message. You guys buy something to eat. Yunya's formula and bottle are in the bedside table. We'll head back now."

He then called his wife, and together they took the donkey cart home.

…………

When they got home, they didn't see Kong Xiangdong. The elderly couple made a bowl of noodles and ate that. They had been busy all day yesterday and hadn't eaten much, but they were starving.

It was almost noon after lunch, and Kong Tongming couldn't go to work anymore; they couldn't calculate his wages for half a day. So he decided to take a nap. He returned the donkey cart first, then went back and fell asleep immediately.

Mu Shuyun couldn't catch up on her sleep. She wasn't home all day yesterday, and her neighbor, Granny Zhang, helped feed the pigs. When they went to the hospital, they locked the house door. There's no gate to the yard, so people can come and go as they please.

The pig feed was in the kitchen in the east wing. Granny Zhang frequently visited, so she knew exactly where everything was. For her, helping to feed the livestock was a very simple matter.

There were many odd jobs to do around the house, and while Mu Shuyun was busy with her hands, she felt somewhat uneasy.

Kong Xiangdong hadn't returned all day; she wondered where he had gone. Mu Shuyun was very worried, wondering if he had safely returned from the hospital yesterday evening. There was still no news of him.