Chapter 16: Getting Caught Up in the Drama Yourself

People in this era were relatively modest when it came to eating; for instance, the best food would be reserved for the elderly or the able-bodied laborers of the family.

To put it bluntly, that meant the old people and the men of the house.

Even if you were the backbone of the family, as a woman, your status was still a notch lower.

In many places, women were not allowed to sit at the table to eat, which was a prime example of this.

Leng Hui didn't subscribe to these notions. In the apocalypse, the rule she always adhered to was distribution according to labor. Since the two people in the main room earned a salary, she was entitled to eat meat.

At most, she would be generous enough to split a plate of meat evenly with the second branch of the family.

Such behavior was a bit out of place in the Leng household.

Throughout the meal, Sun Xiaojuan shot her countless glares, but Leng Hui acted as if she didn't see them.

Old Lady Leng suffered more indignation than she ate food; she suspected that everything she consumed during this meal would give her indigestion.

"Now that Xiaomei has a leg injury and needs to recuperate, from now on, you, Huihui, will be the one to clean up the bowls and chopsticks after meals."

Sun Xiaojuan couldn't stand seeing Leng Hui leaning back in her chair, full and satisfied, without doing a lick of work, so she immediately assigned her a task.

Leng Hui braced herself, stood up lazily, lifted her eyelids, and smilingly refused: "Sorry, I have to rush back to take care of my mom. If I'm late, the cafeteria will be out of nutritious porridge."

She walked a few steps to the door, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and said to Sun Xiaojuan: "Oh, right. Little Aunt, it’s not like you don't know my mom is hospitalized. The doctor suggested she eat easily digestible food. Every time I come back, you don't cook porridge—that’s not right of you. Someone who didn't know better might think you’re doing it on purpose so my mom doesn't get a drop of the family's porridge."

"You—don't you go ruining my reputation! You never tell me in advance when you're coming back to eat, always pulling these surprise attacks—how am I supposed to prepare porridge for your mom?"

Sun Xiaojuan’s chest heaved with anger; she had never seen such a shameless person in her life.

Leng Hui didn't answer her and turned to leave.

With nowhere to vent her anger, Sun Xiaojuan turned to blame Leng Yongkang: "Big Brother, when did that girl of yours become such a stubborn, unreasonable brat? She’s truly poorly raised. Look at how she ruined a perfectly good meal! She doesn't want to do chores, she’s too lazy to even lift her butt, and the moment you ask her to work, she runs faster than anyone. I must have owed you people in my past life!"

Being lectured by his sister-in-law right to his face, Leng Yongkang’s expression darkened: "You can't blame her for this. Xiaolin is still waiting for her at the hospital. If you’re capable, just do a bit more work. It’s no big deal—is it really worth making the whole house miserable?"

After saying this, he kicked the stool Leng Yongxing was sitting on, turned, lifted the door curtain, and stepped into the partition.

But just as the curtain fell, a shrill, exasperated scream from Leng Mei came from inside.

"Ah! Uncle, you kicked my foot!"

Leng Yongkang felt guilty but refused to show it: "Why are you sitting at the door instead of lying on the bed? Nothing better to do?"

Sun Xiaojuan and Leng Yongxing rushed in.

"Why are you sitting at the door, child? It’s dark in here. If someone is blind and doesn't watch where they're going, who else would they kick but you!"

Sun Xiaojuan was pointing at the mulberry tree while scolding the locust tree. Leng Yongkang could only stare in frustration, flicked his sleeves, and went into his own partition.

A good man doesn't fight with women!

"Mom, my leg hurts," Leng Mei said, her voice laced with tears.

Sun Xiaojuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "Does it hurt a lot now? Has it eased up at all?"

Leng Mei was in enough pain that cold sweat had broken out, but the pain was slowly subsiding. She knew that if she asked to go to the hospital for a check-up now, Old Lady Leng would absolutely refuse.

"It doesn't hurt as much as before."

Sun Xiaojuan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then it shouldn't be a big problem. Rest a bit more, and if you feel better, just lie on the bed and don't get down."

"When I get back from work this afternoon, if it still hurts badly, I'll carry you to the hospital for a check-up."

But no sooner had Leng Yongxing finished speaking than Old Lady Leng’s scolding came from outside: "Check-up, check-up! Do you think this family is made of money? You can't even handle a little pain—what use are you? Might as well just slice off my flesh and boil it into soup for you to drink!"

Once Old Lady Leng started scolding, the couple dared not say another word.

Leng Mei felt a secret resentment. With parents who couldn't stand up for themselves, in this family that favored boys over girls, she had to fight for every benefit herself. Over time, she felt physically and mentally exhausted.

This kind of life was truly tiresome.

——

The warm spring sun shone upon the earth. By the time she reached the hospital, Leng Hui had broken into a light sweat. As soon as she entered the inpatient building, a cold chill seeped through her skin, drilling straight into her body.

Leng Hui couldn't help but pull her coat tighter. She ran up the stairs, and with a slight pant, she felt less cold.

Walking down the corridor of the surgical ward, she could occasionally hear voices from the rooms on both sides. There were voices in Tang Lin’s room too, but Leng Hui didn't pay attention to what they were saying.

However, the moment she pushed open the door, the conversation inside stopped abruptly, and several gazes fell upon her.

Leng Hui scanned the room. Aside from the two patients and their families who had left that morning, there was a new patient and family member in the middle bed.

But the way they were looking at her was a bit strange.

Since they were strangers, Leng Hui just glanced at them casually and walked over to sit by Tang Lin’s bed.

Noticing the gazes still stuck to her back, Leng Hui asked Tang Lin: "What happened? Why are they all staring at me?"

Leng Hui didn't lower her voice, and the people in the room who had been secretly sizing her up awkwardly looked away; some even scratched their heads in embarrassment.

Tang Lin glanced at the others and smiled: "It's nothing. How are things at home?"

Leng Hui raised an eyebrow. Clearly, something was up. Since Tang Lin didn't want to say, she didn't press, instead telling her about the situation at home.

"I thought the second branch would kick up a fuss when I brought Leng Mei back, but it seems we overestimated them."

However, hearing that they had eaten cured meat at noon, Tang Lin felt a craving; she couldn't even remember how many years it had been since she’d had cured meat.

Leng Hui comforted her: "I told them that since Leng Mei was discharged, they should make a table of food to celebrate. When you get discharged, I'll make them host a table too, and you can eat your fill then."

"If the doctor hadn't said I could stay a few more days to recover before being discharged, I would have wanted to leave tomorrow."

The mother and daughter didn't chat for long. Leng Hui helped Tang Lin to the restroom, and then they squeezed onto one hospital bed to take a short afternoon nap.

The patients and families in the other two beds were quite considerate; seeing someone resting, they didn't make any loud noises.

After waking up in the afternoon and washing her face, the middle-aged woman in the neighboring bed enthusiastically brought out her own jicama to share with everyone. Leng Hui was given the largest one.

Leng Hui was a bit dazed holding the jicama. She weighed it in her hand—it was about a pound. This woman was quite generous.

"It’s all grown at home, nothing expensive. Girl, hurry and try it. It’s crisp and sweet, very refreshing."

The woman in the bed next to her, having received a medium-sized jicama for free, felt a bit embarrassed and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Upon learning that the woman was a year younger than her, the two soon began calling each other sisters, even spilling their life stories to one another.

Leng Hui peeled the jicama while listening to them chat.

From their conversation, she learned that the woman in the neighboring bed was fifty-one years old. The patient in the bed was her niece from her maiden family. Because her family was from the countryside, it wasn't convenient for them to come up and care for the patient, so they entrusted the aunt to help out for a few days.

The woman who had shared the jicama was also from the countryside. The patient in her bed was her eldest daughter-in-law. She had three sons; the first two were already married, but the youngest son had been in the military and was still single.

The woman was worried sick about her youngest son’s marriage, and as they chatted, the topic naturally turned to Leng Hui.

"My son is truly excellent. Tall, handsome, and he’s been in the military for seven or eight years now. He hasn't found a partner yet.

Girl, I think you look quite nice, and you’d be a good match for my son. How about I introduce you two?"

She had been sitting there waiting to watch the drama, but the drama had ended up involving her. Leng Hui looked at the jicama she had just brought to her mouth—should she eat it or not?

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(End of chapter)