Chapter 41: Intentions

Upon hearing this, the woman opened up even more: "Oh my, she's beautiful and educated too. In the future, I'll find you a wealthy husband. Big sister, just sit back and wait to enjoy your good life."

Mother Liu smiled but did not respond. She hoped all her daughters could marry well, but as for finding a wealthy husband, she didn't dare dream so big. After all, her family was just a group of rural farmers, and she knew their station in life.

She was truly in no mood for small talk now, so she picked up the washbasin she had brought. "Sister, how can one get cold water up here?"

She didn't know how many people had touched that hospital bed, but the bed rails were already slick with grime; she truly couldn't bear to watch.

The woman pointed casually, "Go out and turn right; the laundry room is at the very end."

When Liu Chuxue returned with a bowl of hot water, she saw her mother wiping down the bed rails. "Mom, take a break and have some water. Just make do with the dry rations in the bundle for now."

Hearing her daughter say this, Mother Liu realized that because she had been so worried about her husband, she hadn't even had the heart to accept the dry rations her daughter had handed her at noon.

A family member in the next bed saw this and remarked, "See? What did I tell you? The daughter is the thoughtful one. Big sister, just sit back and wait to enjoy your good life."

Mother Liu's heart felt truly warm at this moment. Her second daughter was becoming increasingly attentive; if the girl hadn't come along, she feared she would have lost her composure long ago.

Not wanting to worry her child, she tossed the rag into the basin. "I'll pour the water and wash my hands, then I'll be back."

Liu Chuxue didn't stop her. By the time Mother Liu returned, she had already taken out the dry rations. "A person needs food to survive. Don't skimp on it; if your health fails, there will be no one left to take care of Dad."

Feeling a bit embarrassed that her daughter had to worry about her, Mother Liu said, "I had no appetite earlier because I was worried about your father, but now I really do feel hungry."

Fearing her mother would feel awkward, Liu Chuxue said, "Then you eat. I'll take advantage of this free time to go out and familiarize myself with the surroundings."

Mother Liu knew her second daughter was a decisive person. "Don't go too far. Come back early."

Once outside the hospital, Liu Chuxue had a very clear objective: she asked around to find out where one could go fishing nearby.

Given their current situation, let alone having no money, even if they had money, it would be useless without food coupons. For now, her only option was to "freeload."

The only thing she could "freeload" from without danger was the fish in the river. This would serve as a perfect test for her hypothesis, and more importantly, if it worked, she could collect resources to enrich her space.

Before heading out, she needed to make some preparations. First, she had to fill her stomach; after all, there was only so much dry food brought from home, and she couldn't afford to eat it all at once.

Second, she needed to prepare some bait in advance.

Although she hadn't yet had the chance to search through the pile of items she had collected for the money Granny Ge had hidden, she had spotted a few scattered bills and coupons under the bedding when she was collecting the quilts. It would be enough to handle the current situation.

She first made a trip to the state-run restaurant diagonally across from the hospital. It wasn't mealtime, so aside from steamed buns, there was nothing else for sale.

She had wanted to take advantage of the low crowd to buy several more buns to store in her space, but unfortunately, Granny Ge hadn't had many food coupons left, and they had all been used. She could only manage to buy six buns.

Still, having something for free was better than nothing. As for how much chaos the Ge family was currently in, she didn't care; as long as they stopped coming looking for trouble, she would consider the matter settled.

After leaving the state-run restaurant, she found a secluded spot and, after confirming it was safe, entered her space.

Thinking about the tasks ahead, she immediately took out a large meat bun and began to gnaw on it. After all, the fishing spot wasn't close, and she couldn't afford to waste too much time.

However, in her haste, she nearly choked herself.

(End of Chapter)