It is now late at night and the clinic is closed. Jiang Nanfei and Zhang Fengmei make do by spending the night on chairs in the corridor, intending to register at the clinic first thing in the morning. Although it's her first time visiting the city in this life, Jiang Nanfei, given her experience from her past life, remains calm throughout.
Registering, seeing the doctor, paying for treatment; she runs around alone, becoming increasingly busy as noon approaches. Sweating profusely within the crowd, she hasn't even had the chance to drink water.
"You must be tired, young lady." An old man with white hair kindly said, "Don't worry, I just overheard the doctor saying your mother's illness was discovered in time and it's nothing serious."
Upon hearing the definite diagnosis, Jiang Nanfei breathed a sigh of relief and beamed a radiant smile.
"Thank you, sir."
She didn't even know how long it had been since she smiled like this. Ever since her mother lost her sight and her brother had an accident in her previous life, their household had been plagued by one nightmare after another.
In the treatment room, the doctor needs to inject a potion into the back of the eye. Jiang Nanfei watches on the edge of her seat as the long needle is quickly inserted.
By the end of the treatment, her back is covered in cold sweat. She once thought of becoming a doctor, but the sight of needle made her cringe.
"It's done now, young lady. Help the patient to the IV room."
"Thank you!" Jiang Nanfei came back to her senses, carefully helped her mother, whose eyes were bandaged, and followed the sign to the IV room with the medical documents in hand.
"Nan Fei, you've grown up," Zhang Fengmei sighed. Since she couldn't see, her daughter had been busily tending to her needs, which left her feeling somewhat bittersweet.
"Mom, now that I've grown up, I'll be able to take care of you all." Jiang Nanfei said in a low voice, as though she was speaking to herself. She felt her chest burn with a surge of anticipation.
Looking at the strange yet familiar hospital, she displayed an expectant smile. What a relief! Her mother's eyes wouldn't go blind--nothing could bring her more joy than this.
"You sure know how to cheer people up," Zhang Fengmei said with an underlying note of happiness. Nan Fei had always been stubborn and tended to overthink things; they were worried that she might tread the wrong path in the future.
But now, it seemed as if their little girl had grown up overnight, which put their minds at ease.
******
Catching the last bus, Jiang Nanfei finally got home with Zhang Fengmei after sunset. Since she couldn't see anything because of the bandage around her eyes after the treatment, she relied entirely on Jiang Nanfei for support during the entire trip.
There were no vehicles on the road from the town. People either cycled, used tractors, or walked. When they passed through Da Wang Village, the villagers watched Jiang Nanfei with strange looks.
They looked as if they were mocking, worrying, and showing sympathy…
Jiang Nanfei knew what was going on. In her previous life, she once faced the same situation when she was falsely accused of being a gold digger. Even though she was proven innocent this time, unless the news was deliberately spread, it might not reach everyone. Huo Jinlan was different though, she would definitely try her best to tarnish Jiang's reputation.
"Is that you, Nan Fei?"
"Hello there." Unable to recognize the familiar yet unfamiliar face, Nan Fei didn't remember how to address the elderly person in front of her. She could only respond with a sincere smile. In her past life, she lived in her own world, viewing everyone with hostility due to her insecurity, and her narrow-minded approach to life. After being reborn, her mindset has completely changed, her breadth of mind and vision are incomparable to her previous life.
If someone shows her true kindness, she would respond with even greater sincerity.
"I heard some folk from the Huo family in the town want to settle scores with you. Be careful, they can be quite unreasonable."
"Thank you!" A warm current welled up from the depths of her heart, and her smile became even more sincere.
"We've seen you grow up in this village, and I know that the Jiangs are good folks with a great reputation. We believe in you."
"Thank you so much."