Chapter 49: Mutual Benefit

Seeing what she was carrying in her hands, Liu Chuxue understood why she had asked the question and replied politely, "Yes."

Hearing the answer she wanted, the woman breathed a sigh of relief. *As long as it's a yes, there's still a chance to try.*

She looked down at the large fish in the bucket, her eyes gleaming. She thought to herself: *Whether my grandson can get enough milk depends entirely on whether I can find a way to get this girl to share some of her fish with me.*

She had already sent family members to the market and the grocery stores, and they had told her that if she wanted fish, she would have to go early tomorrow morning. But her little grandson was waiting for milk; as his grandmother, she would have to set aside her pride and get this done no matter what.

Not to mention, the fish in this bucket were not just live fish, but the rare snakehead fish.

She had inquired about it before; besides crucian carp soup, snakehead fish soup could not only promote lactation but also help improve deficiencies in both Qi and blood. Her daughter-in-law had suffered so much; it would be wonderful if she could have a bowl of snakehead fish soup.

Regardless, she was prepared to be persistent and clingy to get the young girl to share some of the fish.

Soon, the bus reached its stop, and Liu Chuxue got off carrying her things.

The woman followed closely behind, afraid of losing sight of her: "Young lady, who in your family is in the hospital?"

Liu Chuxue did not hide it: "My father injured his leg, and he just had surgery today."

The woman's eyes darted around, and she immediately thought of a way: "Young lady, I'll trade you meat coupons for the fish. That way, we can both solve our current problems. What do you think?"

Liu Chuxue thought about it; it wasn't a bad idea.

After all, her "cheap" father had just undergone surgery, and it wasn't actually suitable for him to drink fish soup right now. Fish contains arachidonic acid, which converts into prostaglandins in the body, affecting platelet aggregation and subsequently hindering the healing of the incision.

Since it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, why not? "Alright, Auntie. I'll take some of your grandson's good fortune. How do you plan to trade?"

Seeing how well Liu Chuxue could talk, the woman's face lit up with smiles as she tested the waters: "If you don't mind, I'll trade you this entire fish."

Liu Chuxue thought for a moment: "That works. Let's do it your way, Auntie."

It would certainly be impossible to buy meat at this hour, but with meat coupons, she could go directly to a state-run restaurant and pick up a meat dish to bring home.

However, Liu Chuxue was cautious: "Auntie, I'll need you to come with me for a moment to tell my mother. I don't want her worrying that these meat coupons came from an improper source."

To the woman, as long as she could get the fish, nothing was too much to ask: "That's no problem at all."

As they talked and walked toward the ward, Chuxue learned that the woman's name was Ji Ganlan, an accountant at the steel mill. Her daughter-in-law had been bumped by a child running out from next door while out for a walk after breakfast this morning, causing her to go into premature labor by more than twenty days.

Perhaps due to the shock, she had not been able to produce milk yet, and the little grandson wasn't eating much formula, crying loudly from hunger. As a grandmother, Ji Ganlan was heartbroken.

As they spoke, they arrived at Father Liu's ward.

Mother Liu immediately saw her daughter entering: "Chuxue, why are you only just getting back?"

Liu Chuxue did not answer immediately, but instead looked at her father, who was already awake in the hospital bed: "Dad, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Father Liu squeezed out a smile: "Much better than before."

In truth, he was not feeling well. Due to the effects of the residual anesthesia and the surgical trauma, the surgical site was very painful, and the general anesthesia had left him feeling dizzy. He only said that because he didn't want to worry his daughter.

At that moment, Mother Liu noticed the bucket in Liu Chuxue's hands: "Where did that bucket come from?"

(End of Chapter)