Heaven must have heard my prayer yesterday because my mother's illness has improved a lot. Lu Jingqiu had been out of the hospital for quite some time, but the smile on her face hadn't faded away. The oppressive feeling that had weighed on her heart suddenly vanished, and she felt much more relaxed both physically and mentally.
Therefore, Lu Jingqiu wasn't in a hurry to go home. First, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative and, fortunately, bought a chicken. Then she headed to the Xinhua Bookstore and purchased a box of watercolor paints and paper for five yuan in total.
Previously, she had one hundred fifty yuan in hand, and she spent over twenty yuan in the past few days. Plus the money her mother gave her yesterday, she now had over three hundred yuan.
Though she had been reborn and knew many opportunities ahead, other than painting, there wasn't much else she was good at.
...
"Why didn't you go home to get some rest after work and came here instead? Is there some urgent matter? Today, I inquired at the Cultural Work Troupe, and indeed they earn a decent amount; however, the logistics department is currently in need of personnel."
His wife seldom visited his office when there was no need, and he thought she had come over today because of concerns about their daughter staying in the city, so he promptly spoke to her.
Zhou Lanping saw that no one was in his office but didn't want to enter. Taking hold of his hand, she said, "Xianrun."
Zhou Lanping's sudden clinginess was something the over-fifty-year-old Lu Xianrun was still not used to, and fearing someone might see them, he hurriedly pulled her into the room, "What's the matter?"
Zhou Lanping opened her mouth but didn't know how to start. After a long time, she finally met Lu Xianrun's gaze and said, "Xianrun, let's go for a walk. I have something to tell you."
Lu Xianrun looked at the fan inside the room and thought about the fierce sun outside. He wanted to dissuade her, but realizing that his wife seemed off at the moment, he followed her out of the military base's gates.
...
When Lu Jingqiu got home, it was already past eleven o'clock. The house was quiet, and she thought her mother hadn't come back yet, but the next second, she heard noises from her parents' room.
"Mom, did you come back?"
Zhou Lanping cracked open the door slightly, "I came back a while ago. I'm going to take a rest. I won't have lunch today since I took the day off and don't have to be on duty tonight."
Lu Jingqiu asked, "Mom, your eyes? Have you been crying?"
Zhou Lanping hastily rubbed her eyes and pretended nothing was wrong, "No, I stayed up late last night, and I was outside for a while today. I'm really tired now."
"Mom, then you should rest up quickly." Seeing her mother's exhausted look, Lu Jingqiu didn't ask about the illness.
After Zhou Lanping closed the door, Lu Jingqiu quietly prepared the chicken she had bought, cooking it on a low flame. After taking a shower upstairs, she placed the newly bought paints in the small room on the second floor.
In her previous life, after she left the sanatorium, she worked at a publishing house for two months but was dismissed by the leaders because of mental health issues.
While working there, she met a veteran director who often complained about the difficulty of finding suitable illustrators when the publishing house had just resumed operations years ago.
If she remembered correctly, around this time, the newspaper would publish a storybook and was still searching for a fitting illustrator.
The director had lamented the loss of many excellent children's stories due to the inability to find illustrators.
He had repeatedly said that if she had appeared back then, their publishing house could have produced several award-winning books.
What had she jokingly said at the time? She had said that if she had another life, she would definitely work at the publishing house and come earlier.
Heh, she really did have another life.
To approach the publishing house, she would need a few works to show off her skills.
In her past life, she enjoyed imitating others' paintings, and gradually, she developed her own style. With ease, Lu Jingqiu drew a watercolor picture in her early style, depicting an animal scene, and planned to visit the publishing house the next day.
By three or four in the afternoon, Lu Jingqiu had simmered the chicken soup until it was fragrant and rich, yet her mother still hadn't woken up.
So she turned off the stove and went out for a walk.
...
Lu Xianrun, looking out at the dim street lights, sat quietly, his mind in a tumult, hating the unfairness of fate.
Zhou Lanping had calmed down quite a bit by now. As a medical professional, she knew how to deal with her condition. Turning her head and leaning on Lu Xianrun's shoulder, she said, "My illness has reached this stage; it's like this now, no one can save me, so don't fuss over me anymore."
Ever since I've been with you, you've always comforted me saying you'll take me out to see the world when you have time. Now that I'm nearing the end, isn't it time to fulfill that promise?" Finally, Zhou Lanping slowly raised her head, eyes filled with tears, "I want to use the remaining time to live a little longer. You and Qiuqiu, both of you, stick with me, okay?"
Lu Xianrun turned to the side and wrapped his arms around Zhou Lanping, choking up several times before he finally spoke, "Okay, whatever you want to do, I'm with you, but you can't just ignore your illness. I'll take you to Capital City for a checkup, and if they can't figure it out there, we'll go to the coastal city."
"Don't, the journey itself could shorten my life by a month."
"Don't talk like that, we still have Qiuqiu. She's of age to get married; don't you want to see her settle down and have children?"
"Xianrun, stop talking, the child has just come back. Let's keep our emotions in check and not let her see."
"She's bound to find out sooner or later."
"She's even more obstinate than you. If she finds out, do you think she'll agree to me not getting treatment?"
"I don't agree with you giving up on treatment either."
"Who knows better about this, you or me? We need to follow my decision. Let's go outside."
"Lanping," Lu Xianrun held his wife, his eyes reddened countless times.
...
"Qiuqiu?"
"Second cousin?"
"Qiuqiu, when did you get back?"
Lu Jingqiu had just reached the path on the west side of the courtyard when she ran into Yang Mingchao, who had just returned.
"I came back two days ago, on family leave. My aunt mentioned yesterday that you would be back in a couple of days."
"I got back early because the drives went well. Qiuqiu, have you been bullied by Gao Shu over there? You've gotten so skinny, as black as a lump of coal."
"Bullied? Not really, just exhausted. Second cousin, stop making fun of me. Aren't you happy to see me now that I'm back?"
With that, he hurriedly pulled Lu Jingqiu to a secluded corner, took out a silver radio from his Lei Feng bag, and said, "Qiuqiu, what do you think this is?"
"A radio? It's so compact."
Yang Mingchao smiled proudly, "That's right. These are not easy to find—they're in high demand. This trip, I was specifically transporting these electronics for a company. I guessed you'd like one. I managed to get two, one for your older cousin and one for you."
"For me?"
"How about that, am I a good second cousin or what? Always thinking of you when I come across nice things."
"This radio must have cost a pretty penny, second cousin, I can't accept it."
"Don't worry about that, it's all your older cousin's money."
"Older cousin? Did he ask you to buy it?"
Yang Mingchao chuckled softly and whispered, "Your older cousin's got someone now. He specially called me a while back to keep an eye out for bridal gifts."
Hearing her second cousin say that, Lu Jingqiu thought of her older cousin's wife and a smile spread across her face as she teased, "Older cousin may look cold on the outside, but he's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He'll surely charm his way into bringing the older cousin's wife home."
"Who knows, it's said she's not from his army unit, and big brother also doesn't know where he charmed this young lady from."
"Hey hey, second cousin, it's about time you found yourself a sister-in-law too."
Yang Mingchao dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand, "I'm not getting married that early. Qiuqiu, tell me, why did you run off to the countryside in the first place? It's endless farm work, no end in sight. Come back if you can. By the way, I'm planning to do some wheeling and dealing on the side, and I'm short on capital, Qiuqiu..."
He hinted with a sly look and gestured with his hands, "Maybe you could help your brother out with a little support?"
In her previous life, Yang Mingchao started out as a truck driver before dabbling in goods, then went on to become a department store and electronics wholesaler.
Aside from Gao Shu, he was West City's richest, but back then she was out of her senses and failed to help her second cousin. Even so, every year, he contributed a sizable amount to her, which she felt embarrassed to accept. After all, everyone was settled now, and she was worried the wives might take issue with her cousin.
Thinking her mother's illness was not so severe, she considered lending the money she had to her second cousin.