Zhou Lanping listened to her daughter's words with a sense of comfort and distress.
Two years, what her daughter had gone through to become so sensible.
"My Qiuqiu has finally grown up."
Lu Jingqiu fell asleep while chatting with her mother, and when she woke up the next day, her mother was no longer by her side.
Having gone to bed early yesterday, she also woke up early today, at just after 5 a.m.
Lu Jingqiu tiptoed to the kitchen and checked the ingredients.
She lit the stove and made a simple egg drop soup for her parents, then mixed a cucumber salad.
When Lu Xianrun and Zhou Lanping got up and saw the food on the table, they exchanged a look full of gratification.
Their daughter was coming of age.
"Mom and Dad, you're up, hurry and wash up, breakfast is ready."
Lu Xianrun responded and hurried to freshen up, eager to taste the food his daughter had made.
Zhou Lanping didn't compete with him and turned to her daughter, asking, "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Pretty well, it's comfortable at home. Mom, are you going to work today?"
"I have work today, but it's a late shift. After we eat, Mom will take you to the mall, buy you a fan, and some clothes too."
"Mom, I don't need it, my room isn't hot at all."
Lu Jingqiu knew her mother was ill and that there would be many expenses in the future. She didn't want to waste a penny at this time.
At this moment, Lu Xianrun came over after washing up and joined in, "Listen to your mom, buy it. Dad got a promotion recently, and my salary has increased. We've been saving it all for you."
Lu Jingqiu exclaimed in surprise, "Dad, really? Why didn't you write to tell me?"
Lu Xianrun posed authoritatively, "You haven't written to us in two months, Dad is mad."
Lu Jingqiu pouted, feeling guilty, "I wanted to give you a surprise. Dad, let me guess what your new position is."
Lu Xianrun said cheerfully, "Guess."
"Hmm... With Dad's experience, you couldn't possibly be a full colonel now, could you?"
Zhou Lanping smiled at Lu Xianrun, "Your daughter knows you well, she guessed right."
Lu Xianrun nodded with a smile, "So, since Dad got a raise, our family's money, it's all yours."
They were glad their daughter was thinking of saving money for them, but they wanted to give their child the best. She had suffered a lot outside in the past two years. Now that she was home, they naturally couldn't let her suffer any discomfort.
Lu Jingqiu knew her parents wanted it for her, and opposing them wouldn't make a difference. She just thought of finding a reason later to persuade her mother.
Lu Xianrun took a sip of the egg soup and ate a piece of the cucumber, not saying it was the most delicious in the world, but it was certainly the tastiest he had in years.
While eating, he praised his daughter and said to his wife, who was brushing her teeth, "Lanping, you'll definitely love the food Qiuqiu made today, it's very refreshing."
Zhou Lanping spat out a mouthful of water mixed with blood, seemingly accustomed to it, and turned to Lu Xianrun, "I'd like anything our daughter makes."
From a distance, Lu Jingqiu saw the blood at the corner of her mother's mouth and her heart sank, "Mom, you're bleeding, are you not feeling well?"
Zhou Lanping rinsed the taste of blood from her mouth and walked over with a smile, "I'm fine, it's just been bad gingival bleeding recently. I've seen Aunt Wei about it and got some medicine."
Lu Xianrun seemed to know about this as well and handed his wife chopsticks before saying to his daughter, "Your mom's bleeding gums might be from heatiness. She's been avoiding oily foods lately and sometimes has stomach pains. I think it's a stomach issue, and I've told her to get it checked when she has time, but she brushes it off."
Lu Jingqiu became instantly anxious. She hadn't anticipated being too late; if only she could have been a bit sooner, how much better that would have been.
"Mom, you work at the hospital, getting a check-up wouldn't take much effort, why won't you listen? You're the head nurse, after all, you've seen many patients, and you can't delay when it comes to sickness."
"I had a check-up a few months ago, there was nothing wrong. It's just some irregular eating habits from winter that caused it. I took the medicine for a few days and it got better. Now it hurts from time to time, but I've been taking the medicine," Zhou Lanping then joked, "Just a little bleeding from my gums, and you both get this worked up. If I ever get seriously ill, that will really scare you."
As soon as the words were spoken, Lu Xianrun spat twice, "Ptooey, ptooey, it's early in the morning, don't talk about such inauspicious things."
Zhou Lanping said, "For such a big man, you believe in these things, huh."
Compared to her mother's relaxed smiling face, Lu Jingqiu's heart had sunk to the bottom of a cold valley. She knew that her mother's illness could no longer be avoided.
After Lu Xianrun left, Zhou Lanping walked around the yard with her daughter, taking a stroll around the courtyard.
"Xiao Qiu is back."
"Yes, Grandma Zhang."
"When did Xiao Qiu come back? How long can she stay?"
"A month."
Arriving next door, they happened upon Aunt Liu with her two children: "Morning, Aunt Liu, Xiao Shun, Xiao Yin, morning."
"Sister Xiao Qiu, long time no see."
The children at Aunt Liu's were eleven and nine years old, the older a son, a mischievous troublemaker, and the younger a daughter, sensible and well-behaved.
"Xiao Qiu is back, when did you come back?"
"Just got back, a one-month home leave."
"The child hasn't been seen for two years, she's lost weight."
"Isn't that the truth, leaving her parents for the first time, how could she take good care of herself? Her dad and I have been so worried about her."
"Being away for two years, how could we not worry? Xiao Qiu, make the most of this month and let your mom nourish you properly."
They encountered many familiar faces along the way, as mother and daughter kept greeting people non-stop.
When they reached the Gao Family's place, just as Zhou Lanping was about to say something, she saw Aunt Zhao Hong, Gao Shu's aunt, pushing a cart out of the house, looking like she was heading to work.
Facing Lu Jingqiu unexpectedly, she was surprised, "Xiao Qiu is back? When did you come back?"
Lu Jingqiu nodded at her and smiled, "Morning, Aunt Zhao, I just came back yesterday."
"Just got back, huh? How long are you planning to stay?"
"Home leave, a month."
Aunt Zhao Hong, who had been in a hurry to get to work, was no longer in a hurry. She parked her cart and, pulling Zhou Lanping and her daughter toward the entrance of her house, she asked Lu Jingqiu in a low voice, "Xiao Qiu, Ah Shu wrote to us a while ago, saying he's getting married. You're in the same team with her, is it true?"
Lu Jingqiu didn't hide it and said, "It's true."
Seeing Lu Jingqiu's straightforward answer without a hint of jealousy on her face, Aunt Zhao was confused, "Xiao Qiu, you..."
Lu Jingqiu said, "Aunt Zhao, it's true that I liked Gao Shu, but I wouldn't do something like breaking up a couple. I have let go of Gao Shu."
Aunt Zhao was taken aback; she had not expected the young girl who had once chased after Gao Shu with such courage to the countryside to be able to say these words so calmly now.
It seemed that in these two years, many things had happened to the two children that they didn't know about.
However, Aunt Zhao was still anxious about her nephew Gao Shu, "Ah, to think that Gao Shu hardly calls or writes home, and then he suddenly sends a letter saying he's getting married. Marriage is such a big deal, how can he be so casual about it. Lanping, we always knew about Xiao Qiu's sentiments, and both his great uncle and I liked her very much. Who would have thought, this child... sigh."
Seeing Aunt Zhao like this, Zhou Lanping quickly said, "Sister Zhao, when two people live together, they must both be willing for life to be harmoniously content. Gao Shu is a good child; it's just my Qiuqiu's lack of good fortune."
Aside from family and those of the Gao Family, not many knew about Lu Jingqiu's liking for Gao Shu.
Zhou Lanping's intention was clear; now that Gao Shu was getting married and her daughter had finally let go, they shouldn't bring up this matter again in the future.
"Don't say that, sister Lanping. That Gao Shu is very stubborn; it's our Gao Family that lacks the fortune. I don't know which family's son will benefit from Xiao Qiu in the future." Aunt Zhao understood naturally. Although she was satisfied with Jingqiu, since her nephew wasn't interested, there was nothing the adults could do about it. They obviously wouldn't mention it if the children had no fate.
It's just that Aunt Zhao and her husband did not agree with Gao Shu marrying a girl from the countryside.