Early the next morning, Qin Jiao's family of four had a breakfast of rice porridge, cornbread buns, and pickled radish, then left the house together.
Seeing they were heading to the hospital, Feng Lan remarked coolly, "Why are the two girls going too? Think of the bus fare for the round trip."
It was only a matter of a few yuan, but in Feng Lan's mind, the more money her brother-in-law's family spent, the less there would be for her own.
The comment was irritating. Before Qin Jiao could say anything, Su Yun spoke up. "Whatever the bus fare is, it's our own money we're spending. You don't need to worry about it. Besides, I've noticed both girls have gotten thinner. I plan to take them into the county town to have some fun, eat some good food, and buy them a couple of new outfits."
Feng Lan forced a laugh. "Must be nice to be so rich."
Su Yun retorted, "We do alright. But every single penny is one we earned ourselves, so it feels better spending it!"
Feng Lan was left speechless. After Qin Jiao's family of four had left, she spat on the ground.
'So what if they can earn money!' she thought. 'Later on, it'll all just end up in our pockets anyway!'
Back home, she saw her husband getting ready to go play cards at the corner store. Feng Lan lowered her voice and said, "Your brother went to the county hospital. Do you think... his hand might not heal properly?"
Qin Jiqun froze. "Didn't he say it was just a small burn? That it would be fine after some rest?"
Feng Lan frowned. "I don't think so. Your brother's face was so pale just now. It looked pretty serious. What if his hand is ruined? Does that mean he won't be able to work and earn money anymore?"
The thought of getting less money from him each year made Qin Jiqun nervous too. "Then what are we going to do?" he asked.
How was Feng Lan supposed to know? "Let's just hope his hand will be okay," she said.
**
Qin Jiao's family of four caught the minibus to the county town. Once they arrived, they split into two groups: Qin Jiao went with Qin Zhonghui to the hospital, while Su Yun took Qin Shi to handle her school enrollment.
Qin Jiao, having come back from more than a decade in the future, naturally understood the ways of the world. She said to Su Yun, "Mom, when you go to Second Uncle's house, buy three jin of walnut shortbread and two jin of candied fruit. And take these mushrooms, too. Xiao Shi and I picked them a while ago, and I've already cleaned them. Let's bring them all to Second Uncle. After all, we're asking for a favor. Second Uncle himself would be fine, but if we go empty-handed, Second Aunt might get the wrong idea."
Su Yun was taken aback for a moment, then her heart ached with a pang of sadness.
'Just how much suffering did my daughter go through to learn these things?'
She reached out, stroking her elder daughter's head. "Our Little Nine is getting more and more sensible."
Qin Jiao's eyes curved as she smiled.
'It was because I was so clueless in my past life that my parents and younger sister ended up suffering so much.'
'No matter what, in this life, I will make sure my parents and sister have a good life!'
After parting ways with Su Yun and the others, Qin Jiao accompanied Qin Zhonghui to the hospital. They registered and then waited for their number to be called.
Qin Jiao suddenly felt something was off. She turned her head and saw that her dad, Qin Zhonghui, was unusually quiet and dejected today. He was a tall man, nearly 1.8 meters, but right now he seemed completely crestfallen.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Qin Jiao asked. "Is your hand hurting?"
"No," he said, his voice low. "I just feel... I'm so useless. I can't even protect my own daughters..." The big man was incredibly down, but he didn't know how to express it.
He had thought that by working hard and earning money, he could provide a good life for his children and parents back home.
But thinking of the injury on Xiao Shi's arm from yesterday, and now seeing his overly sensible elder daughter, he was overwhelmed with guilt.
Qin Jiao said softly, "Dad, it's not your fault. You and Mom didn't know what kind of people they were. Don't punish yourself for someone else's mistakes. As long as the four of us are okay from now on, isn't that better than anything?"