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Upon returning home, Liu Xiuzhen and Qingmei had not yet arrived, and Qing Shusheng was also absent. Only Old Lady Liu sat alone in the yard, and upon seeing Qinglan and Xu Wen return, she quickly got up to pour them some water.
In recent years, she had become much more forgetful than before, and her legs were not as nimble as they used to be. Liu Xiuzhen no longer assigned her many household chores; most of the time, she would sit in the yard making shoe soles and cutting shoe patterns, no longer doing embroidery, but her health remained robust.
Although Qinglan was now a mother, in her eyes, she still appeared to be the young girl from years ago. Every time Qinglan returned home from outside, just like when she came back from school in the past, Old Lady Liu would get up to pour her water or bring her something to eat.
As for Xu Wen, even though he had stayed in their home for so many years and had always helped Qinglan, Qinglan maintained a distant attitude towards him. Because of this, they always felt indebted to Xu Wen; thus, they treated him like an esteemed guest, remaining polite at all times. Therefore, whenever Xu Wen returned from outside, Grandma would certainly get up politely to pour him water.
Seeing this, Xu Wen quickly stopped her and said, "Grandma, we can do it ourselves. You sit down; Lanlan and I will take care of it. If you want water, just call me or Lanlan."
Qinglan smiled slightly at this; it was the first time Xu Wen had called her Lanlan in front of her family. She hadn’t expected him to say it so casually, as if he had been calling her that for over twenty years.
Old Lady Liu looked at him with a smile and repeatedly said, "Good good good," as she set down the teacup in her hand.
After Old Lady Liu went out, Xu Wen discussed with Qinglan about talking to Qing Shusheng and Liu Xiuzhen about their relationship once they returned.
Qinglan nodded with a smile.
Xu Wen continued speaking and planning their future while Qinglan stood by, simply nodding with a smile.
What else did she need to worry about? Since college days began, as long as she was with him, Qinglan didn’t have to concern herself with anything; all she needed to do was agree and live happily.
While they were talking, they heard Liu Xiuzhen's startled voice and a commotion coming from the yard.
Xu Wen and Qinglan hurriedly ran outside to see a male villager rushing into the house while holding Qingmei in his arms, his body and face covered in blood.
Liu Xiuzhen followed behind anxiously shouting. A few other male villagers were behind her looking panicked and discussing among themselves.
"What happened?" Xu Wen and Qinglan rushed up to the male villager and asked urgently.
"I don't know." The villager said as he continued walking into the house, "Shusheng Brother! Shusheng Brother!" He called out inside.
"My Father is not home. What is going on?" Qinglan's face began to show signs of anxiety as she reached out to hold onto Qingmei, but the villager did not let go.
"Hurry and call your Father back," the villager instructed.
"Just now, your Mama brought Beautiful to play at our house. We were chatting inside, and Beautiful was playing with our grandson and a group of kids at the door when her nose suddenly started bleeding and wouldn't stop," the villager continued.
As Qinglan followed the villager into the house, she placed Qingmei on the bed, while Xu Wen had already rushed out to call Qing Shusheng.
Old Lady Liu, who was sitting in the yard, also entered the room, and the place became chaotic.
Beautiful's nostrils were stuffed with a cotton ball, but the bleeding still wouldn't stop, soaking the cotton ball and dripping blood continuously.
Qinglan and Liu Xiuzhen wiped her face repeatedly with a wet towel, and the water in the basin turned a bright red.
This was not the first time Qingmei had nosebleeds for no reason; she had experienced it several times before. They had always managed to stop the bleeding using local remedies, so they kept some herbal medicines for external application or decoction at home. However, this time, even after Liu Xiuzhen administered herbal decoctions and various home remedies, the bleeding still wouldn't cease.
Liu Xiuzhen and Old Lady Liu were at a loss, exchanging worried questions:
"Why hasn't Qing Shusheng returned yet?"
"Did Xu Wen go to call him?"
Qingmei had turned pale from excessive blood loss and looked weak. The lively girl who used to jump around could only gaze weakly at Qinglan, lacking even the strength to call out "Mama."
Suddenly, Qinglan burst into tears.
When Qing Shusheng finally returned and took Qingmei to the town hospital, the bleeding had stopped, but the hospital advised them to take her to County Hospital.
There was no choice; Qinglan had to grit her teeth and contact Jian Ming overnight. Jian Ming then reached out to his father and mother, and with their help, they borrowed a car and rushed to deliver Qingmei to County Hospital.
At County Hospital, the conclusion was shocking: Qingmei had leukemia.
This conclusion hit Qingmei like a bolt from the blue, causing her to faint on the spot.
When Qinglan woke up the next day, she found herself lying in a hospital bed, with Xu Wen sitting beside her. In just one night, the once graceful Xu Wen appeared much older.
Qinglan wanted to get up and see Qingmei, but Xu Wen pressed her down, saying, "You've been exhausted these past few days, and with yesterday's blow, the doctor said you need to rest properly. Otherwise, how can you hold on? Who else can Qingmei rely on?"
With tear-filled eyes, Qinglan insisted on getting out of bed to see Qingmei, repeatedly asking, "Where is Qingmei now? How is she doing?"
Xu Wen spoke softly yet firmly: "Qingmei is not just your beloved; don’t your father and mother love her? Don’t I care for her too? Where is she now? How is she doing? Do you think that aside from your love for her, no one else will take care of her? Of course she’s fine right now; that’s why I can sit here and look after you."
After hearing Xu Wen's words, Qinglan felt somewhat reassured and didn’t insist on seeing Qingmei anymore; she lay back down. However, tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
Xu Wen knew that if he didn’t update her on Qingmei’s condition, she wouldn’t be at ease. So he said, "Qingmei is in the ward; experts from the county are consulting to determine a treatment plan. You’re educated; you should know what leukemia is. Fortunately, Qingmei was diagnosed relatively early, and there are still treatment options available. I’ve just spoken with the doctor; if it doesn’t work here in the county, we can transfer her to the Provincial Capital. If that doesn’t work either, there’s always Beijing."
Qinglan listened quietly.
"Early-stage leukemia doesn’t always manifest symptoms. A few days ago she had a nosebleed, but after it stopped, she’s been able to play freely like any normal child—eating and laughing happily. She doesn’t even need to lie in bed like you do for proper rest; otherwise, your body really won’t hold up. If you fall ill later on, it won’t be possible for you to care for her." Xu Wen continued speaking. "Right now, your condition is worse than Qingmei's; you still need rest and care."
Qinglan fell silent again, lying quietly while tears kept streaming down her face.
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