Chapter 130: Visiting a Patient

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Visiting a Patient

Tuantuan would never be a burden to her mom. Even the elderly village chief had praised her as the fastest and youngest little baby in all of Dazhang Village to learn how to feed herself. She was super, super capable!

When Tuantuan grew into a big kid, she would wash clothes, cook, carry water, and chop firewood for her mom. She would be a good, filial daughter and take such good care of her mom that she would turn into a pretty, plump little pig, hehe.

Sometimes, Tuantuan could understand her dad’s love for his mom. But it was a pity that her dad’s mom and Tuantuan’s mom were not the same mom. Plus, her dad’s mom used to bully Tuantuan’s mom all the time. Tuantuan didn’t understand why her dad couldn’t put himself in her shoes. How could Tuantuan accept a grandma who abused her mom, and a dad who ignored her mom’s suffering?

What did Tuantuan do wrong? Tuantuan was just a good, filial child. And now, Tuantuan had a new mom and a new dad!

Deng Yuyuan was already used to Tuantuan laughing out loud in the middle of her tears. As long as the child could figure things out and be happy, it didn’t matter what was going through her head.

"Mom really needs to think carefully about where you’ll stay," Deng Yuyuan said. Half a month wasn’t just a day or two; she would have to give the Wei family some gifts.

Ugh, it was a bit troublesome. She didn’t want to waste time picking out gifts. She figured she would just give them a packet of tea leaves and a thick red envelope and call it a day.

"Alright, alright. Have you cried enough, Tuantuan? If you’re done, go wash up and get ready for bed. Tomorrow, Mom will take you to the hospital to visit a sick older sister." Deng Yuyuan patted the little cub clinging to her.

Tuantuan wiggled her little bottom, reluctant to get down. "Mom, boil two eggs for Tuantuan to rub her eyes."

Something wasn’t right. Deng Yuyuan had never used eggs to soothe Tuantuan’s eyes before. She narrowed her eyes and quickly pinpointed the most likely time this could have happened. "Did you cry that night you stayed at the Wei family’s house?"

Tuantuan’s body stiffened.

So she actually had. Deng Yuyuan raised an eyebrow. "Alright, alright, Mom won’t ask anymore. Hop down and pick out two eggs you like from the small box."

The Wei family hadn’t mentioned it to her, clearly wanting to help Tuantuan keep the secret. A child crying wasn’t a big deal; as long as she hadn’t been a nuisance, it was fine.

In her past life, she had never imagined that her days could be so lively. Fortunately, Tuantuan was an angel baby. Otherwise, Deng Yuyuan really would have been driven to a breakdown from raising a child. She mused on the title of the novel she found herself in, "Transmigrating into a Period Novel: Starting Off with a Baby."

If she ever had the chance to return to the modern world, she would definitely take Tuantuan back with her.

[No chance. Stop dreaming. Wash up and go to sleep; you can have it all in your dreams. Wait, no. Don’t sleep yet, you lazy worm. Hurry up and boil those eggs for the child.]

If she were a single woman, Deng Yuyuan thought, she would already be getting her beauty sleep. But what could she do? Tuantuan was her sweet burden.

The little cub had already picked out two eggs. Standing on a small stool, she washed them carefully. Once she was done, she took a small aluminum pot out of the cabinet, placed the two eggs inside, and looked up at her mom with wide, expectant eyes. A little baby who knew how to take the initiative was just that capable.

After Deng Yuyuan finished taking care of the child and coaxed her to sleep, she opened her farming game system.

[...Aren’t you going to get your beauty sleep?]

That was a fair point. Deng Yuyuan redeemed a cup of ginseng health drink from the farming game system’s store and drank it while grinding the game. This way, it was much healthier.

[...]

When they went to visit Wu Ying, Deng Yuyuan had specifically bought a fruit basket—actually, two fruit baskets. She carried the fruit in one hand, and in the other, she carried Tuantuan, who had squeezed herself into one of the empty baskets. Once Tuantuan had tired of playing, she climbed out and walked on her own, hugging the fruit basket she had bought for herself.

She had some impression of the neighbor sister, and she asked her mom about the older girl’s illness in her sweet, milky voice. Deng Yuyuan gave her a brief explanation, emphasizing Wu Ying’s injuries to prevent the little baby from accidentally bumping into them.

When they arrived, Wu Ying was sitting in bed, weaving small trinkets. Seeing Deng Yuyuan enter, Wu Ying sheepishly pushed them aside. "I had nothing to do, so I asked the auntie who delivers my meals to find some small piece-rate work for me."

Naturally, Deng Yuyuan didn’t say much about it. She set down the fruit baskets and asked a few questions about her meals over the past few days. After confirming that the restaurant hadn’t been skimping on her food, she asked about the doctor’s rounding schedule.

"The doctor usually comes in the afternoon," Wu Ying explained weakly. "Yesterday, he said the surgery time could be scheduled. Since you weren’t here, I didn’t dare to confirm the date, so I didn’t give him an answer."

"Then I’ll stay here until the afternoon," Deng Yuyuan said, rubbing her temples. She was just about to tell Wu Ying to make her own decisions next time without waiting for her to have the final say, but then she remembered how this girl used to hide her illnesses to save money. She decided it was better for the girl to consult her before making decisions about her injured leg. Being overly cautious only meant a slight delay, but being careless could ruin her chances entirely.

Wu Ying tried to get up to offer the bed to Deng Yuyuan, but Deng Yuyuan pressed her back down. At the same time, a thick paper bag was stuffed into the girl’s palm. Wu Ying looked up in surprise.

"In a week, I’ll be away from the hospital for about half a month," Deng Yuyuan said. "If any bills need to be paid while I’m gone, you can handle them yourself. If you don’t have enough money, borrow the phone at the front desk and call this number. Just say you’re my friend and introduce yourself."

Deng Yuyuan left the Wei family’s number. Seeing Wu Ying gingerly clutching the paper bag, she felt a slight urge to laugh. "If—and I mean if—the money accidentally gets lost, or if anything else happens, it doesn’t matter. Just wait for me to come back, and we’ll handle it together.

"At this stage, no matter how massive your problems seem, there’s nothing an IOU can’t solve."

Wu Ying held her words in for a long time before whispering, "But I haven’t written you an IOU yet."

"There’s no rush. I’m keeping track of the tab in my head, so we can write it all out at once when the time comes. Otherwise, writing a new one for every single expense would be too much of a hassle," Deng Yuyuan said, helping tuck her in. "The weather is getting warmer, but you still need to make sure your injured leg doesn’t catch a chill."

Intermittently, Wu Ying told Deng Yuyuan about her recent days. The nurses had been taking great care of her and were willing to help buy anything she needed. Wu Ying had used the money from her piece-rate work to pay for her daily necessities. Moreover, the doctor said that although she had delayed treatment for her leg for a long time, the early-stage care she received was decent, so the possibility of a full recovery was extremely high.

When speaking about the possibility of her leg healing, Wu Ying shed her inferiority complex and timidity, displaying a bit of the radiant, spirited energy of a young girl.

Tuantuan clapped wildly from the side, being highly supportive. Knowing that Wu Ying had trouble moving around, Tuantuan was incredibly attentive. She bustled about the small ward, handing over water and fruit, making herself terribly busy.

Wu Ying couldn’t just sit and watch a sweet and chubby little cub run back and forth for her—especially not when the poor little thing still had a pitiful wound on her forehead. With the two of them yielding to each other back and forth, they actually grew familiar with each other very quickly.

Once Wu Ying became less reserved, Deng Yuyuan suggested that she and Tuantuan go browse the department store. The hospital ward was quite bare, and it was time to buy a few things to liven it up. At the very least, they needed to buy some small items to relieve boredom. Otherwise, being cooped up in the ward all day would drive the girl crazy.

"Do you like to read?" Deng Yuyuan asked casually. After all, she was an adopted daughter with excellent grades. Even while recovering, she shouldn’t neglect her studies.