RGL – Chapter 40

Sun Hai took the morning bus and went straight back to the countryside. He even specially bought some food and household supplies for his brother and sister-in-law, and got some school supplies for his nephew and niece.

By the time the bus reached the town, it was already close to noon. The road from the town to the village hadn’t been repaired yet, so there was no vehicle going in that direction. Sun Hai got off the bus and quickly carried his things, walking toward the village.

He hadn’t been back for over half a year, and now the town was actually in the process of road construction.

The previous muddy road had been covered with a layer of stones. Though it was still a bit bumpy, at least on rainy days, people wouldn’t end up with muddy feet every step they took.

Looking at these changes, Sun Hai felt happy. As long as the road was fixed, it would be more convenient to get to town in the future, and it would be easier to transport the village’s grain to sell outside.

When he reached the village, he came across a few people heading out to work in the fields, who greeted him from afar.

From a short distance away, Sun Hai recognized a woman walking in his direction — it was Aunt Gao from next door.

“Haizi, back to see your mom? Did Bingzi tell you what happened to your mom’s leg?”

Sun Hai had just been about to greet her, but before he could open his mouth, he heard Aunt Gao mention the matter and was immediately shocked. “My mom hurt her leg?”

Aunt Gao looked surprised too. “You didn’t know? It happened last month. Your mom went to the back mountain to collect pigweed, missed her step, and fell down from a high ridge. It was your uncle who saw her and carried her back. She’s been lying in bed for almost a month now and still hasn’t been able to get up.”

Hearing this, Sun Hai became extremely anxious and quickly said, “Auntie, I’ll go check on my mom first.”

With that, he grabbed his bag and ran toward home.

Seeing how anxious Sun Hai looked, Aunt Gao muttered to herself, “He really didn’t know? Something this serious, how could Bingzi not tell him?”

She shook her head and walked toward her own vegetable garden, planning to water the vegetables.

When she got to the garden, her husband Sun Youcai was applying fertilizer. Seeing her arrive, he grumbled, “Took you long enough just to get a bucket.”

Aunt Gao glared at him. “I ran into Sun Hai on the road and chatted for a bit.”

“Sun Hai’s back?” Sun Youcai asked with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

“Yeah, he’s back. But he didn’t seem to know about his mom’s leg injury. I was just wondering why, after a whole month, neither Qiufang nor Haizi came to see her — turns out that rascal Bing didn’t say a word. I mean, this is a big deal. How could he keep it secret?”

“What could he do if he didn’t keep it quiet? You think he dared tell Qiufang? Her mom is that old already and still goes climbing mountains to collect pigweed, can’t ever sit still whether inside or outside the house.”

“When people get old, aren’t we all the same? We’ll be doing everything for the kids too.”

“But how’s that the same? There’s two of us, but Sun Hai’s mom is all by herself. Sigh, forget it, it’s their family’s business, we shouldn’t say too much.”

When Sun Hai got home, there wasn’t a single person in the yard.

He called out twice, and only then did he hear his mother’s voice coming from the room he used to live in.

As soon as Sun Hai entered the room, he almost burst into tears.

The room was dimly lit, and his mother was lying alone on the wooden bed. On the table next to her was a bowl of plain boiled water and two coarse cornbread buns. One of them had two bites taken out of it and looked unbearably rough and dry.

“Mom.” Sun Hai dropped his bag and rushed to her bedside. “Mom, what happened to you?”

Seeing Sun Hai, his mother looked a bit emotional. “Haizi, why are you back?”

Sun Hai didn’t answer. He just looked at her face, which had become much more haggard than before. “Mom, Aunt Gao said you hurt your leg. Is it true? How did it happen? Why didn’t anyone tell us?”

Grandma Sun sighed and said, “It’s nothing. I’m just getting old and useless. I slipped while cutting pigweed.”

“You’re already this age, and my brother still lets you climb the mountain to gather pigweed? What’s he thinking? You’ve been lying in bed and no one’s been looking after your meals? What did you have for lunch?”

Seeing how agitated he was, Grandma Sun quickly replied, “It’s nothing. Your brother and sister-in-law went to her mother’s place today. Your sister-in-law’s younger brother’s wife just gave birth, so they went to visit. They helped me with breakfast before leaving. For lunch, they left me two cornbread buns. I didn’t go hungry.”

When Sun Hai saw the coarse cornbread buns on the side, his heart ached. No matter how hard or tiring life was in the city, he could at least have a hot meal, and decent food. He never imagined that his own mother, even while bedridden, hadn’t even had a warm bite to eat. His sister-in-law had a happy event at her family’s home — it was fine for her to go, but why did his brother have to tag along and leave their mother behind like this?

He pressed his lips tightly together, making a decision in his heart. “Mom, put your coat on. I’m taking you back to the city with me.” No matter what, this time he was going to bring her with him.

Grandma Sun was surprised when she heard this. “Go to the city? What for? I’m fine here in the village. Life in the city is hard for you all too, I won’t go burden you.”

Sun Hai knew his mother well enough to realize he couldn’t be too direct, so he changed his approach. “Mom, it’s fine. I’ve already opened a shop in the city. I actually came back this time to bring you there for a visit. I can’t keep staying with Sister and her family. I’m planning to rent my own place, and I want you to live with me. You can even help me look after the shop.”

“You really opened a shop?” Grandma Sun’s face lit up when she heard her youngest son had opened a store. She grabbed his hand excitedly. “How is the shop? Can you manage it okay?”

Sun Hai nodded. “Business is quite good, and I’m earning a decent amount. Mom, come with me to the city. I’m always worrying about you when I’m alone over there. The shop keeps me busy too — if you’re with me, you could help out, right?”

Hearing that she could go help, Grandma Sun hesitated. She didn’t want to leave home, but she also knew it was hard for Xiao Hai to manage a business on his own.

Seeing that his mom was still unsure, Sun Hai added, “Your leg is hurt now anyway, you can’t help much around here. It’s better to come with me to the city. You can just sit in the shop during the day and help keep an eye on things. Once your leg gets better, we’ll come back.”

After thinking it over, Grandma Sun felt it made sense. Lying at home all day, she was just a burden to her eldest son and daughter-in-law. “If I go to the city, I really can help you?”

“Of course. The city isn’t like the countryside where you have to work in the fields. You’ll just sit in the shop, help take money from customers or maybe wash some vegetables.”

“Alright then. When your brother gets back, I’ll tell him, and we’ll head to the city.”

At the mention of Sun Bing, Sun Hai’s heart burned with anger. No matter how his brother treated him in the past, he could accept it — after all, he had been a burden back then. But their mother had always helped take care of the kids, worked in the fields, done all the housework for them. And now, the old lady was hurt like this, yet no one was caring for her — letting her gnaw on cold cornbread in the freezing weather.

He didn’t want to see his brother right now — if he did, he might not be able to stop himself from fighting.

But to avoid worrying his mother, he held it in and came up with an excuse. “Mom, every day I’m away from the shop, I lose a lot of money. I planned to take you and head straight back to work. Brother and Sister-in-law probably won’t be back until evening, and by then, there’ll be no bus back to the city. Let’s pack up now and go. On the way, we can ask Aunt Gao and her husband to pass the message to my brother. That’ll be enough.”

Hearing that delaying would affect her son’s business, Grandma Sun quickly agreed, “Alright then, let’s go now. I don’t want to hold up your work.”

Sun Hai immediately began helping his mother pack a few changes of clothes, helped her into her coat, and then carried her out on his back. He locked up the house before heading next door to find Aunt Gao.

But Aunt Gao was still out in the vegetable garden. Only her daughter-in-law was at home.

Sun Hai spoke with her briefly, asking her to pass a message to Sun Bing, and then he carried Grandma Sun out of the village.

Not long after, Aunt Gao and Sun Youcai returned and heard what had happened. Aunt Gao said, “It’s good for her to go to the city with Sun Hai. Maybe she’ll finally get to enjoy some better days. That Sun Bing—well, whatever else you say about him, he listens to his wife too much. And that Zhang Guihua, who knows what’s going on in her head. She used to be decent to her mother-in-law, but now that the old lady’s no longer useful, she just washes her hands of her. If all daughters-in-law were like that, who would dare let their sons marry?”

Her daughter-in-law, overhearing this and catching the implied criticism, quickly smiled and said, “Mom, I’m not like them. I’ll always be filial to you and Dad, no matter what.”

“We’ll see in time,” Aunt Gao muttered as she craned her neck and headed into the kitchen. She had come to realize that as a mother-in-law, one must maintain authority—or the daughter-in-law’s temper would get out of hand. Zhang Guihua had clearly been spoiled by Sun Bing’s mother.

Meanwhile, Sun Hai didn’t stop once along the way, carrying Grandma Sun all the way to town. By the time they arrived, he was dripping with sweat. He first bought a bowl of noodles for Grandma Sun, and only boarded the bus once it was ready to depart.

Sun Qiufang knew her mother would be arriving by the afternoon at the latest, so she had gone home early to tidy up the house. She hadn’t been prepared last time, so she had let the old lady share a room with her daughter. Although they could manage, it wasn’t convenient. This time, she specially cleaned out their storage room, smoked it with fire to disinfect, tidied everything until it was spotless, and even set up a wooden bed frame.

Since it was Saturday, Su Min was off school and helped her mother paste newspaper on the walls to cover the dust. She even went out to get some scented sachets to make the room smell fresh and clean.

“When my grandma arrives, she’ll definitely like it.”

Sun Qiufang laughed, “Your grandma isn’t that particular.”

Su Min replied, “It’s not that my grandma doesn’t care about these things, she just doesn’t want to trouble others. Since we’ve already done all this, she’ll definitely like it.”

“Sister!”

Just as the two were chatting in the room, they heard Sun Hai’s voice outside. Sun Qiufang’s face lit up. “Your uncle and grandma are here!” She quickly opened the door and rushed out.

Su Min followed right behind her.

Sun Qiufang had just stepped into the main hall when she saw Sun Hai carrying Grandma Sun on his back. Her joy instantly vanished.

“What happened? Why are you carrying her? Is she not feeling well?” She knew her mother all too well — unless she really couldn’t walk, she would never let her son carry her. And with Xiao Hai’s leg still not fully recovered, he definitely wouldn’t do this lightly.

Sun Hai placed Grandma Sun in a chair and panted, “Mom hurt her leg. She was still in bed when I got home.”

Sun Qiufang was shocked. “When did this happen? Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

“Last month. She slipped while cutting pigweed.”

“I’m fine now, aren’t I?” Grandma Sun quickly said.

“How is this fine? You can’t even walk.” Sun Qiufang squatted to check her foot. “Did you go to the hospital?”

“I applied some medicinal wine. It’s not serious. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” said Grandma Sun.

“It not hurting is the real problem!” Sun Qiufang was furious. She knew her mother was frugal, but her eldest brother and sister-in-law were just as stingy? The old lady was injured this badly and they didn’t even take her to the town clinic? How could they still have a conscience?

She stood up and told Su Min, who was sitting beside Grandma Sun, “Minzi, go look after the shop. Tell your dad to come home and take Grandma to the hospital.”

“Okay!” Su Min jumped up and ran out quickly.

Grandma Sun said worriedly, “I’m really fine. Don’t make Changrong skip work.”

Sun Qiufang said firmly, “Now that you’re here, stop worrying about that.”

Not long after, Su Changrong came running home, and without a word, carried Grandma Sun to the county hospital. Sun Qiufang and Sun Hai both went along.

After the check-up, they finally understood how serious the injury was.

Grandma Sun’s leg was badly injured—her bone was affected. The medicinal wine had done nothing, and the delay in treatment had actually made it worse.

Seeing her leg swollen and darkened, both Sun Qiufang and Sun Hai’s eyes grew hot with emotion.

The doctor gave her an injection, applied a splint, and put on a plaster cast—only then was the initial treatment complete.

They say tendon and bone injuries take a hundred days to heal. Since the treatment was delayed, a full recovery would take at least six months.

Grandma Sun grew anxious when she heard this.

“Half a year without walking?”

The old doctor said, “You delayed treatment and didn’t rest properly. Half a year is fast, honestly. In the meantime, do not try to be strong and walk. If the bone gets reinjured, it’ll be even worse.”

Hearing this, Grandma Sun grew worried. At her age, with her leg in this condition, she wouldn’t be able to help her children at all—and might even become a burden.

To be an elder and still cause trouble like this — she’d become unwelcome.

The doctor recommended staying in the hospital for a week to observe her recovery. Without hesitation, Sun Qiufang arranged for her to be admitted.

Seeing her daughter’s cold expression, Grandma Sun didn’t dare say anything more. She was scared now — what if she truly couldn’t walk anymore and dragged down her children for the rest of her life?

Once she was settled into the hospital bed, Sun Qiufang stayed to take care of her. Sun Hai returned to the shop to check on things and prepare food to bring back. Su Changrong went back to watch the shop and make sure Su Min had something to eat.

When Sun Hai got to the shop, it was the lunch rush.

Li Meng was efficiently cooking and serving dishes for a customer while also clearing tables.

When Sun Hai saw Li Meng wiping her sweat while cleaning up dishes, he suddenly felt a surge of emotion. His heart was slightly sour, and with tightly pressed lips, he stepped into the shop.

Li Meng saw him return and broke into a smile.

“You’re finally back.”

Sun Hai rolled up his sleeves. “What dishes need to be cooked? I’ll do it.”

“One braised fish, one mapo tofu.”

Hearing this, Sun Hai quickly went to cut the tofu.

Li Meng swiftly cleaned up the dishes and put them in the basin. Then she helped with handling the live fish in the bucket. “Did you bring your mom back? She’s probably at your eldest sister’s place, right? When are you bringing the old lady over to visit? I can take her to the theater to watch an opera.”

“My mom’s in the hospital. Probably won’t be able to watch any opera.”

“She’s in the hospital?” Li Meng nearly cut her hand with the knife. She looked at Sun Hai in surprise. “Auntie’s sick?”

Sun Hai nodded. “She hurt her leg. We just got to the hospital. I still have to bring food over in a bit. Let’s close early today.”

Li Meng quickly said, “Sure, I’ll come with you to visit her.”

Hearing that Li Meng wanted to go to the hospital too, Sun Hai opened his mouth to say something but didn’t end up refusing. After all, she was being kind—if he turned her down, it would be too hurtful.

Back in Sunjia Village, Sun Bing and Zhang Guihua had also rushed home through the night.

As soon as they entered the house, Sun Bing hurried into Grandma Sun’s room to check on her.

Zhang Guihua glanced at him but didn’t call him back. She went into their own room, turned on the light, and was just about to go to the kitchen to make something for the old lady when she heard Sun Bing shouting.

“What’s wrong?”

Sun Bing came rushing out of the room. “My mom is gone.”

Zhang Guihua frowned. “She can’t even move. How could she be gone? Did you look properly?”

“The blanket’s folded up. She’s really not here,” Sun Bing said in a panic and rushed outside to search.

Zhang Guihua quickly stopped him. “Where are you going to look in the middle of the night? Who knows where she went? Let’s ask the neighbors first. They’re always home and probably know something.”

Reminded by Zhang Guihua, Sun Bing finally felt like he had a direction and hurried over to Auntie Gao’s house next door.

Before he could ask anything, they already told him that Sun Hai had come back and taken Grandma Sun to the city.

Sun Youcai’s daughter-in-law added, “Sun Hai asked us to pass the word along. Said he was rushing for the bus and couldn’t wait for you two. I went over to your place several times but didn’t see anyone.”

“We just got back,” Sun Bing sighed.

Auntie Gao was eating from a bowl and chuckled when she heard this. “Good thing Sun Hai came back to take her, or your mom would’ve had to go hungry again.”

Hearing that, Sun Bing’s face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly thanked them and rushed home.

After Sun Bing told Zhang Guihua what happened, she said in annoyance, “What’s Sun Hai doing? Just taking her away without saying a word—left us worrying for nothing. Good thing we didn’t run around blindly looking, or we’d still be searching till morning.”

Sun Bing looked upset. “It’s also our fault for coming back so late. I told you we should leave early and eat at home, but you insisted on staying and eating there. If Xiao Hai hadn’t come back, my mom would’ve missed a meal.”

“Oh, so now you’re blaming me? I work my butt off for this family every day. I finally get a chance to visit my parents, and they asked us to stay for a meal—what’s wrong with that? I’ve been taking care of your mom all this time. It’s just one meal. Eating late isn’t going to kill anyone.”

Hearing her explode, Sun Bing felt exhausted and quickly waved his hand. “Alright, alright, I won’t say anything more. You don’t yell either.”

With that, he walked into the room with his hands behind his back.

Zhang Guihua looked at his back and gritted her teeth. “So what if they took her? It’s not like I was dying to care for the old lady. Whoever wants to take care of her can go ahead. Just because I’m a daughter-in-law doesn’t mean I was born to serve anyone. I work for this family day in and day out, and I still don’t get any credit.”

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Grandma Sun was also thinking about the matters at home. She had been worrying all her life and was used to it. Now that she was suddenly idle, she felt a bit uneasy.

Sun Qiufang sat and talked with her for a while, then brought up the topic of buying a house in the city and having Grandma Sun stay with Sun Hai permanently instead of going back.

Grandma Sun said, “Are you doing this with Changrong’s knowledge? Don’t go secretly helping Xiao Hai.”

“Changrong knows, and he supports it. The house isn’t a freebie for Xiao Hai. If he wants it, he’ll buy it later. If not, the house will go to Minzi.”

“Changrong is a good man. You had a good eye picking him back then.”

Sun Qiufang smiled. “If he hadn’t met me, he might not be living such a good life either.”

“You sure have a thick skin.” Grandma Sun laughed.

When Sun Hai brought Li Meng into the hospital room, he saw Grandma Sun and Sun Qiufang chatting and laughing. Li Meng glanced secretly at Grandma Sun and, seeing her kind face and gentle demeanor, felt a wave of relief.

What she had feared most was that the old lady would be too picky, which would’ve made things difficult.

“Mom, Sis, I brought you some food.”

When Sun Qiufang looked up and saw Li Meng behind Sun Hai, she smiled. “Li Meng’s here too.”

Li Meng nodded with a smile. “Sun Hai said Auntie is in the hospital, so I came to see her.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” Sun Qiufang said with a smile.

Grandma Sun, sitting on the bed, lit up when she saw the young woman appear alongside her son. “Haizi, who’s this young lady?”

Sun Hai smiled. “She helps out at our restaurant. Her name’s Li Meng.”

Li Meng greeted cheerfully, “Hello, Auntie.”

“Oh, hello, hello.” Grandma Sun responded quickly and pointed to the chair beside the bed. “Come, have a seat.”

Li Meng sat down beside her.

Sun Hai handed a bowl of lean pork and vermicelli soup to Grandma Sun. “Mom, have some soup to warm your stomach. We were in a rush today, but I’ll cook you some bone broth tomorrow.”

Seeing Grandma Sun sipping the soup, he turned to invite Sun Qiufang to eat as well.

Grandma Sun was indeed hungry and quickly finished the soup. Li Meng, quick and considerate, handed her a small bowl of rice with some side dishes.

“What a lovely girl,” Grandma Sun said as she took the bowl with a smile.

Seeing all this, Sun Qiufang immediately understood—this girl wasn’t here just to visit an elder. But whether her silly brother realized it was another matter. After all that effort from the girl, he still didn’t show the slightest reaction.

Li Meng, being naturally lively and skilled at winning over elders, chatted with Grandma Sun in a way that kept her laughing nonstop. Even Sun Qiufang, her own daughter, couldn’t get a word in.

As it got late, Sun Qiufang reminded Sun Hai to walk Li Meng home.

Grandma Sun added, “It’s so late, Haizi, you must walk Mengmeng home safely.”

Sun Hai smiled. “Mom, I know. Don’t worry.”

Li Meng also said goodbye. “Auntie, I’ll come see you again next time.”

Grandma Sun smiled and nodded. “Alright, that’ll make me very happy.”

After the two had left, Grandma Sun eagerly turned to her daughter. “So what’s the relationship between Mengmeng and Haizi?”

Sun Qiufang sat in a chair. “Calling her that affectionately already? Like he said, she just helps out at the restaurant.”

“Oh, I thought she was Haizi’s girlfriend,” Grandma Sun said, a little disappointed. “I was just about to ask but didn’t dare to.”

Sun Qiufang asked, testing the waters, “What’s wrong, did you take a liking to the girl?”

Grandma Sun nodded with a smile. “She seems like a good-natured girl—easy to like.”

“When Zhang Guihua married into the family, you said she was good too. And look how that turned out,” Sun Qiufang muttered. Her mother always thought everyone was nice.

Grandma Sun sighed. “No matter what, your sister-in-law is a good person. Some wives in the village are lazy and greedy. Your sister-in-law might be a bit calculating, but she puts her whole heart into the family. You know your brother’s temperament—he can’t handle things outside the home. Everything depends on her.”

Hearing her mom still defending Zhang Guihua, Sun Qiufang retorted, “You always side with her. Why couldn’t I have a mother-in-law like you? I must’ve done something bad in my past life.”

Grandma Sun chuckled and tapped her forehead. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

After that hospital visit, Li Meng began personally bringing lunch and dinner every day, taking the chance to grow close to Grandma Sun.

Sun Qiufang didn’t point anything out. The girl seemed decent enough. The key was how Xiao Hai felt. If the old lady found out about the girl’s feelings, she’d surely start pushing for marriage.

And since Xiao Hai was so filial, he might just agree without thinking it through. Better to let him bring up the idea of marriage himself—only then could they talk openly about it.

But thinking of her blockhead brother, Sun Qiufang couldn’t help worrying. She picked a time when Li Meng came to deliver food and purposely went to the restaurant to find Sun Hai.

Sun Hai was washing vegetables, preparing for dinner, and looked surprised to see his sister, who should’ve been at the hospital. “Sis, what are you doing here? Is someone with Mom?”

“Li Meng is over there chatting with her. I couldn’t get a word in, so I came to talk to you instead.”

Hearing that, Sun Hai chuckled. “Li Meng really is a talker. The customers at the shop usually like her a lot.”

“Then do you like her?” Sun Qiufang suddenly asked.

Sun Hai was startled by the question. His face flushed. “Sis, what are you saying? That sounds so awkward!”

“What are you afraid of? It’s not like there are any outsiders here.” Sun Qiufang fixed her gaze on him. “Good girls are getting harder and harder to come by. I think Li Meng is hardworking and has a good personality. Don’t tell me you’ve never had any thoughts about her?”

“Well… I haven’t really thought of her that way. She’s been doing a good job at the shop, and if I had other thoughts, it wouldn’t feel right.” To be honest, Sun Hai really hadn’t considered it before. Li Meng had been a coworker, but they weren’t especially close. Later, due to the situation with Liu Li, he even felt a little awkward seeing her. After she started working at his shop, he simply thought she was a diligent, unpretentious, lively person who was good at talking to people.

Sun Qiufang couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Her brother really was dense.

She pursed her lips and said seriously, “You never thought about it before—then start thinking now. I feel like Li Meng has a thing for you. If you’re interested too, don’t drag it out. What kind of man waits for the girl to confess first? If you don’t like her, then stop getting so close. Don’t let her wait around for nothing—that’s just wrong.”

“I… I don’t know what to think,” Sun Hai said, blushing.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Let me ask you—if Li Meng were to marry you, would you find her annoying?”

Sun Hai thought about it and shook his head.

“Then do you like her?”

“I’m not sure either,” he mumbled. “It just feels nice being around her.”

Sun Qiufang clapped her hands. “Well, that’s it, then! Feeling happy around her is liking her. You’ve dated before—how can you still not get it?”

Sun Hai said awkwardly, “When I was with Liu Li, I felt happy too, but I was always nervous inside.”

“Nervous? How are you supposed to live a life like that? Look at me and your brother-in-law—does he look nervous around me?” Now that she understood her brother’s thoughts, she could tell he had feelings for Li Meng, just not very deep ones yet. She said, “If you’re interested, you should talk to Li Meng directly. If she agrees, give it a try. Once you start dating, you’ll know whether you’re compatible. Xiao Hai, good girls are hard to come by. If you miss this chance, there might not be another. Alright, I need to go back and give Li Meng a break.”

She stood up, glanced at her silly brother, shook her head with a smile, and headed back to the hospital.

Sun Hai sat where he was, feeling his temples throbbing. His heart pounded, and the calm from before was gone.

Li Meng noticed that ever since she had stayed a bit longer at the hospital that afternoon, Sun Hai had been acting strange back at the shop. He stopped talking to her, and even during meals, he’d take his food outside instead of sitting and chatting like before.

Seeing how he kept avoiding her, Li Meng couldn’t help but wonder—had she been too obvious, and Sun Hai figured it out? Did he hate her now, so he was keeping his distance?

The thought left her disheartened. Could Aunt Li really be right? Was this not going to work out?

After staying in the hospital for a week, Grandma Sun was finally discharged.

Because her legs would need at least half a year to fully recover, Sun Hai bought a wheelchair for her. Now she could sit and follow Su Changrong and the others to help out at the shop.

Grandma Sun no longer went against her children’s arrangements. Whatever Sun Qiufang and Sun Hai planned, she went along with it. At the shop, she helped Sun Qiufang watch over things.

Sometimes, when Su Min got out of school, she would push Grandma Sun’s wheelchair to visit Sun Hai’s shop.

Seeing the business bustling, Grandma Sun was happy. When things got busy, she helped Sun Hai sort and wash vegetables. Knowing she couldn’t sit idle, Sun Hai would let her do whatever small tasks she could handle.

After spending more time at the shop, Grandma Sun also began to notice that Li Meng seemed to have feelings for her son. But she didn’t say anything, fearing she might have misunderstood and make a fool of herself. She did quietly ask her son if he had any plans.

Sun Hai, still flustered from Sun Qiufang’s earlier talk, was already avoiding being alone with Li Meng. That was part of the reason he brought his mother to the shop—to avoid the awkwardness. Now that his mom was asking about it too, he felt even more tangled.

“Don’t just stay silent. What is it exactly? I really like Mengmeng. What do you think?”

“Mom, she hasn’t said anything about how she feels. Please don’t say anything either,” Sun Hai said nervously, unsure of what to do.

Grandma Sun understood her son well. Seeing how flustered he was, she could tell he did have feelings for the girl. She smiled. “If you don’t know, then ask her. Want me to ask for you?”

“Mom, I-I can’t let you do that!” Sun Hai squirmed.

“What’s the big deal? Men should marry, women should wed. You’re both old enough. It’s normal to date. If you’re too shy, I’ll do it for you.”

Sun Hai lowered his head and struggled for a long time before finally saying, “I’ll talk to her myself.”

Li Meng had been really depressed lately. Sun Hai had completely ignored her these past few days. Even when she sat and talked to Grandma Sun, he’d stay far away. Only when she got busy did he go over to speak to the old lady.

With how obvious he was being, Li Meng was certain now—Sun Hai really disliked her.

He was an honest guy, so even if he disliked her, he wouldn’t drive her away.

But Li Meng felt—she couldn’t just sit here and wait to be discarded.