PNB Chapter 68 Visiting Uncle
Chapter 68 Visiting Uncle
Xia Lihua and his siblings discussed it and decided that they needed to act quickly, so they all agreed to go to the hospital for a check-up the next day.
My aunt also said she would take a bus back today, since he is her brother-in-law.
Yu Juan got up early to cook something to take with her. She thought that Xia Lilian was the only one busy at home, so busy with all the work that she probably didn't have time to cook anything. She figured she would just eat something casually.
But she didn't think so. She believed that it would take 100 days to recover from such a serious injury, so she should make something nice for the patient to nourish him.
Xia Shiyu also brought up the vegetables from home early in the morning, hoping that these delicious dishes would make her aunt and the others feel better.
After Yu Juan finished stewing the chicken, she put it in a thermal container and urged the others to set off.
My uncle's family lives in the next village, but my aunt said they didn't need to come and pick them up; they could go up by themselves.
Xia Shiyu let his parents get into the car, and then started the vehicle and headed towards the county hospital.
It was quite a coincidence that they ran into the second uncle's family as soon as they arrived at the hospital entrance.
Auntie said, "Oh, Xiaoyu, you've arrived quite early."
Their family arrived early because they live in the city, making it convenient for them to come over, but they didn't expect Xia Shiyu's family to arrive so quickly as well.
Yu Juan chimed in, "Sigh, I was just worried. I thought we were such close relatives, we should come and see her. I felt so sorry for Xiaolian yesterday."
"Who can argue with that? You have to tell me, this family has really had a tough time."
Several elders chatted as they walked inside. Xia Shiyu glanced around and saw that only her second uncle and aunt had come today; Xia Meng and Xia Jie were not there.
This is normal, though. Among her relatives' children, she's the only one who's self-employed right now; the others are either working or studying, so it's not convenient for them to come over.
A group of people walked inside, found the ward according to the room number given by the aunt, and went in.
Suddenly, a large number of people poured into the small ward.
My second aunt was about to go up and say something when she saw a tall, thin figure standing next to the hospital bed.
Xia Shiyu glanced at him and felt that the man looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, she realized that he was her cousin, Zhang Zhi, the eldest son of her aunt and uncle.
A silence fell over the ward, but the second aunt, being an experienced woman, still greeted them warmly, saying, "Oh, Xiao Zhi is back! It's been so long since I've seen you."
Yu Juan also stepped forward and patted Zhang Zhi on the shoulder, "It's been a long time since we last met. Xiao Zhi, you need to take care of yourself. Look how thin you've become."
Xia Shiyu took a look and saw that it was true. Her cousin used to be a fair-skinned and strong young man, but now he was dark and thin, and looked very haggard. He was no longer as lively as before, and he had matured a lot.
Seeing that his relatives greeted him as usual, Zhang Zhi simply nodded modestly and said, "Uncle, Aunt, Third Uncle, Third Aunt, you've arrived. Please sit here."
The ward was small, and even renting a stool cost money. There weren't many stools available, so no one planned to sit down.
"Please sit down, we'll stand for now. By the way, where's your mom?"
"My mom went to get the medicine."
"well"
Because Zhang Zhi was in such a silent state, it wasn't appropriate for anyone to talk to him. Luckily, his uncle Zhang Xiangbei, who was in the hospital bed, was still awake, so they decided to talk to him instead.
Xia Shiyu took the thermos and opened it. "Uncle, this is chicken soup my mom made. Have some to replenish your nutrition."
When Zhang Xiangbei saw the people come in, he quickly sat up and said, "Thank you, Xiaoyu and sister-in-law."
"It's alright. I was just thinking that it's not convenient for you to cook at home right now, so I brought you some food."
But she didn't expect Zhang Zhi to come back; it seems she has someone to help her at home.
She opened the thermos and told Zhang Xiangbei to eat in peace, while the others sat and chatted.
After a while, my aunt returned with my uncle's family.
The room then became lively as everyone started chatting.
Xia Shiyu could only watch as the elders chatted. In the past, she might have had something to say to Zhang Zhi, but now, given Zhang Zhi's state, there was nothing left to say.
However, the relatives didn't chat for long. After all, it was a hospital ward, and it would be inconvenient for doctors and nurses to come and go if there were too many people. After the group finished chatting, they said they would go out to have a meal together and then talk some more.
However, Zhang Xiangbei is currently unable to go out due to his condition. Zhang Zhi also declined to come out with them, citing the need to take care of his father. Only his aunt went along.
The family found a restaurant near the hospital and ordered a table full of dishes. While waiting for the food, they started chatting.
The eldest aunt first asked the youngest aunt, "Why is your son Xiaozhi back? Did you call him?"
The aunt nodded, "Such a big thing, how could I not contact him since I have no one to help me at home? As soon as he heard about it, he rushed back overnight."
The uncle sighed, "In the end, we can't entirely blame him for what happened back then. Who knew that swindlers could be so cunning?"
"Yes, now that people are willing to work hard, the family can gradually make a living."
The aunt smiled somewhat reluctantly. Actually, she didn't blame her eldest son, but the thought of that money made her feel uncomfortable, so she didn't talk about anything else.
"Sigh, let's not talk about that. Sister, do you want to stay here for a couple of days now that you're back?"
The eldest aunt shook her head, "I can't. I'm very busy with work in the city and don't have much time to stay at home."
She works in the design industry, and her company is very busy with projects, so she only comes back in her spare time.
"Okay, fine."
Upon hearing this, Yu Juan still said, "Sister, take some vegetables with you when you leave. My Xiaoyu grew them; they're quite delicious."
Xia Shiyu nodded upon hearing this, "Auntie, the vegetables I grow taste pretty good."
Fortunately, she remembered that other relatives would be there when she was about to leave, so she packed a lot more into the tricycle.
The aunt hesitated for a moment, "Let's forget about it, it'll be inconvenient for me to bring it on the bus."
Second Uncle said, "Big Sister, what's inconvenient about this? You must take us to Xiaoyu's house for dinner last time. We've been craving that food ever since. You've even made that little rascal Xia Jie very polite."
The uncle was curious. "Wow, I haven't even tasted it yet, is it really that delicious?"
"It's delicious, I guarantee you won't regret it," said the second aunt. Now the whole family are fans.
Second Uncle chuckled, "Xiao Yu, wait a minute, if your eldest uncle and aunt don't want them, give them all to me, I won't be picky."
Xia Shiyu also made a playful remark, "But Uncle, I also have some of my newly harvested lettuce here, and it tastes pretty good."
The eldest uncle and aunt got excited when they heard this, and since that's what they wanted, they definitely had to have this dish.
"That won't do. Now that you mention it, I definitely have to try it. Xiaoyu, pack it for Auntie later."
"Uncle wants one too, but you must remember us."
The two started talking again about wanting the dish, which caused a burst of laughter at the dinner table.
The atmosphere was quite harmonious throughout the process. After finishing their meal, the group didn't plan to stay any longer, since Xia Lilian would have to entertain them more if they stayed, which would only cause trouble for them.
When they left, the family slipped Xia Lilian some money, only a few hundred yuan, as a courtesy from their side.
If you are sick, you are expected to bring gifts and give money when visiting relatives.
Everyone knew that buying so many gifts without paying was unfair, so they all chose to pay.
"How can this be? I haven't paid back the money I borrowed from everyone yet, and now I'm giving it back again."
Xia Lilian only felt the burning sensation on her hands. She hadn't expected her older siblings to give her money again, since she had borrowed quite a bit from them before and hadn't paid it all back yet.
"Oh, little sister, don't worry about it. It's just proper etiquette, and you can't refuse."
"Yes, and money is scarce everywhere right now. You can use the money to give Xiangbei some nutritious food and take Qingqing out to play more often."
"Yes, it's only a few hundred, so you can take it."
With everyone chiming in, they eventually convinced Xia Lilian to accept the money.
Her eyes were red. "Next time, when my house is in the north, come to my house to play together."
"Don't worry, we'll be there."
After standing and talking for a while, the families were about to leave. Before leaving, Xia Shiyu put all the vegetables in their trunks.
My aunt came down by high-speed rail, so I just gave her a big travel bag to carry it.
"Auntie, if you want to eat more later, just let me know and I'll mail it to you."
"Okay, I'll ask you for more if I need more later, but this should be enough for me for a while."
Xia Shiyu's family turned around, said a few more words to Xia Lilian, and then went back.