Chapter 111: Chapter 102: A Problem Occurs

Grandma’s eyesight was still recovering. According to her, she could only see shapes, not colors yet. It was probably like when people hold a film negative up to the light.

Grandpa felt they couldn’t delay and insisted on taking Grandma to the hospital. Xiao Man agreed and helped Grandpa persuade Grandma to go get a check-up with the hospital’s equipment to see what was going on. Unable to refuse the two of them, Grandma had to agree. She felt even more at ease after hearing that Xiao Man would invite Mo Linghui and Guan Ailan over for a few nights to keep her company, that Grandpa had asked Second Granny Qiu to help, and that Secretary Mo would also come by in the mornings and evenings to check on things.

Grandpa and Grandma took a bus to Wancheng, then transferred to another bus heading to the hospital in the provincial city. It wasn’t that Wancheng Hospital was bad, but for years, Grandpa had been dead set on taking Grandma to the provincial city’s hospital to have her eyes checked. Now that they had the money and the opportunity, of course they went straight there.

With the two elders away, Xiao Man’s home became even livelier. The villagers all naturally helped each other out. When they learned that Grandpa and Grandma had gone to the city hospital and Xiao Man was home alone, the families of Guan Ailan, Mo Shuixia, and Mo Linghui immediately gave their permission when the girls asked to stay with Xiao Man. At night, the girls darted all over the courtyard house, completely free without any adults to supervise them. They were practically raising the roof.

Fortunately, Xiao Man could still have some peace and quiet to herself during the day. Otherwise... ’Could I please tell them I don’t actually need this many companions?’

On top of that, Second Granny Qiu would come down to nag for a bit every morning and evening. And just as she was waking up in the morning or just getting into bed at night, Secretary Mo would be knocking at the courtyard gate, shouting, "Xiao Man! Xiao Man, are you girls all right in there?"

Xiao Man was utterly speechless.

The Mo family members who wanted the Mo Family Courtyard naturally got the news as well. Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer came by to knock on her door several times a day, but Xiao Man ignored them completely. No matter how they yelled or cursed, she treated them like they were madmen.

When Teacher Yu found out Grandpa and Grandma were away, she also came over to have lunch with Xiao Man a few times. Every time she came, she brought something: a handful of White Rabbit creamy candies, a couple of apples and pears, or a can of cured ham. These were all things her husband brought back from the county seat, things that were hard to find in the countryside.

Besides being captivated by the rose trellis, Teacher Yu had also fallen in love with the vegetables from Xiao Man’s garden, especially when Xiao Man stir-fried them herself. She was addicted, thinking they were even tastier than meat!

The provincial city was a big place, and the hospital was probably crowded. Just lining up to register would be difficult. Seven or eight days passed, and Grandpa and Grandma still hadn’t returned.

Meanwhile, a situation developed while Xiao Man was at home.

Not with Xiao Man herself, of course, but with Qiu Xiaohu’s younger brother, Qiu Xiaobao. He had an accident right at the gate of Xiao Man’s home.

Qiu Xiaobao was four years old and was usually looked after by Second Granny Qiu along with his two-year-old sister. Second Granny Qiu took them everywhere, holding one by the hand and carrying the other on her back. Since Xiao Man had to go to school, Second Granny Qiu had asked her for the key to the Knowledge Youth House’s courtyard gate. She explained that Little Tiger’s mom wasn’t home, and as an old woman, she was afraid of an accident if she took two small children to the river to do laundry. Xiao Man gave her the key, reminding her to be careful when opening the gate so that Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer couldn’t take the opportunity to slip inside.

’If Mo Guoqiang and his brother seize this courtyard, will they ever leave? That would mean destroying the peaceful life that Xiao Man and her grandparents worked so hard to get!’

So, as Second Granny Qiu, carrying a basket and leading the two children, was about to open the gate, she suddenly saw Mo Laoer and his wife walking towards her. She quickly put the key away, but Second Aunt Mo lunged forward and tried to snatch it. Second Granny Qiu struggled and resisted with all her might. Seeing their grandma being bullied, her two grandchildren started crying loudly and ran to her side. But Mo Laoer shoved them aside. In his mind, he was just casually pushing the kids out of the way, but he forgot they were just small, delicate children. He didn’t know his own strength. The two kids fell to the ground, and Qiu Xiaobao’s head hit a rock. Not much blood came out, but the little boy went into shock!

Villagers who rushed over helped carry Qiu Xiaobao to the brigade’s clinic. The medic managed to wake him up, but Qiu Xiaobao only opened his eyes, looked at the people around him, and then closed them again, falling back into a deep sleep!

Second Granny Qiu wailed to the heavens, clapping her hands and cursing Mo Laoer and his wife. She then grabbed Secretary Mo, demanding justice. The child was limp and wouldn’t wake up, his father was dozens of li away helping a relative fix a house, and his mother had gone back to her parents’ home. It was just Second Granny Qiu at home with the children... Secretary Mo had no choice but to order Mo Laoer to pay up and have Qiu Xiaohu’s uncle, who had rushed over after hearing the news, take the boy to the county hospital or Wancheng Hospital for treatment.

Mo Laoer tried to weasel out of it, claiming he had no money. Secretary Mo didn’t press him. He directly had the brigade’s cashier advance the money and then notified the production team that it would be deducted from Mo Laoer’s share when grains and money were distributed at the end of the year!

Now it was Mo Laoer and his wife’s turn to cause a scene, but no one paid them any mind!

With money in hand, Second Granny Qiu immediately directed the tractor driver to take them to Wancheng. She was convinced Wancheng Hospital was better than the one in the county seat!

When Xiao Man got out of school, Secretary Mo gave her the courtyard key and asked her to look after Qiu Xiaohu and his sister for one meal. He said someone had already been sent to the next village to notify their mother, who should be back soon.

Qiu Xiaohu’s mother, Wang Guihua, didn’t live far from her parents’ home, which was in a village near the mining district. As soon as she got the news, she rushed back, her eyes red and swollen from crying on the way. The moment she saw Xiao Man, she grabbed her and cried in a hoarse voice, "You went to Wancheng with your grandpa last time, you have to take me there! I need to see Little Leopard! I need to see Little Ni’er! Oh, my children, they must be in so much pain! My son won’t even wake up..."

Xiao Man tried to comfort her, "Little Ni’er is fine, and it’s not that Little Leopard can’t wake up. The medic said he’s just in shock."

"What’s ’shock’? I don’t understand! I just want to see my children! WAHHH... He must be hurt very, very badly! Xiao Man, you have to take me! You must! They were hurt at your house! It was your Uncle Mo who hurt them! You people have to take responsibility!"

Xiao Man: ...

’Now she’s blaming me for this?’

"Aunt Qiu, the brigade committee has already made a ruling. My Uncle Mo will definitely have to compensate your family! My grandpa left me twenty yuan. Here, why don’t you take it and go by yourself? I still have classes."

Wang Guihua snatched the money but didn’t let go of Xiao Man. "I’m illiterate, how would I dare go by myself? You’ve been there before, you take me... Xiao Man, just take your auntie, please!"

As chance would have it, just as the two of them were struggling at the gate, a bus heading back to Wancheng came driving down the road.

Living by the road for so long, they could tell the difference between the bus to Wancheng and the one to the county seat. Wang Guihua immediately raised her hand and flagged it down!

Under the circumstances, Xiao Man had no choice but to go. ’Qiu Xiaobao hurt his head,’ she thought. ’I don’t know how he is. It might be good to go check on him.’

She called for Qiu Xiaohu to go inside and get her satchel. She handed him the courtyard key and told him to lock the gate properly. When he went to school in the afternoon, he was to help her find Teacher Yu, explain the situation, and ask for a day off. She would submit a formal leave request when she got back. He also had to remember to give the key to Guan Ailan so she and the others could come watch the house at night. And, he had to remember to feed the piglet!

Then, Xiao Man was pulled onto the bus by Wang Guihua, and they headed for Wancheng.

Luckily, it was Friday. She only had a half-day of class tomorrow, Saturday, and the day after was Sunday, so she wouldn’t have to ask for too much time off.

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