Chapter 8: Chapter 8: A Tender Moment, Ordering Meals at the Canteen

The Gu family of three also began their lunch.

There were forty dumplings in total, and with three people, Gu Qinghuan served herself twelve and split the rest evenly between her mother and grandmother.

“Mom, Grandma, hurry and eat your dumplings.” Gu Qinghuan handed them their portions.

Zhong Zijun looked at her daughter’s rough hands and felt a pang of sadness. Using her good right hand, she took her lunchbox and picked out two dumplings from her own to add to her daughter’s bowl.

“Huanhuan, you work so hard. Eat more so you’ll have strength. I’m lying around all day, I’m not even hungry.”

Gu Qinghuan was taken aback.

In times like these, who isn’t hungry? And with dumplings this delicious, how could there ever be too many?

For a moment, she truly envied the original owner of this body, because she had a mother’s complete, unconditional love.

It was something she had always longed for in her previous life, but never received.

Not all parents love their children.

“Okay, Mom, you eat too.” Gu Qinghuan smiled sweetly, not refusing her mother’s affection.

The word “Mom” slipped out more naturally than before, carrying a new warmth and intimacy.

Besides, they also had chicken soup, so eating a couple fewer dumplings didn’t matter.

Cheng Shuying watched the little exchange between mother and daughter and couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

She had always believed that no matter the circumstances, as long as a family’s hearts were united, nothing could break them. It was this warmth and love that had helped her weather all of life’s storms.

The dumplings tasted especially delicious that day. Even though they had eaten far fancier food before, nothing could compare to the warmth of this moment.

After the dumplings, the three of them shared the chicken soup from the thermos. Gu Qinghuan made sure to give the biggest portion to Zhong Zijun, since she needed the nutrition most.

The old lady praised Gu Qinghuan’s chicken soup endlessly, while Gu Qinghuan showered compliments on her pork and glass noodles, making her laugh heartily.

In their conversation, Gu Qinghuan learned that the old lady’s son was the manager of the provisions store, and her husband was a retired official. Their family was doing quite well.

But if you wanted to talk about well-off families, the Zhong family used to be truly prominent, and Cheng Shuying herself came from a scholarly background.

So the three of them had their own pride and dignity, and their conversation was free of envy, jealousy, or flattery—if anything, it made the old lady in the next bed look at them with newfound respect.

After lunch, they learned that Zhong Zijun planned to go home after her IV drip in the afternoon.

Gu Qinghuan specifically went to ask the doctor if she could be discharged.

The doctor said that if possible, it would be best to stay another couple of days. The journey home could be bumpy, and there was a risk of her bones shifting out of place.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t know much about treatment, but she knew it was always right to listen to the doctor.

“Mom, injuries to muscles and bones are a big deal. We have to listen to the doctor. What if something goes wrong?” Gu Qinghuan said seriously.

For some reason, Zhong Zijun felt her daughter was different from usual today. She was no longer listless and dull, but lively and cheerful, handling everything with just the right touch.

Like now, even when she was scolding her, she had an air of authority that made Zhong Zijun instinctively want to listen.

“I… Huanhuan, your grandpa’s been alone in the village these past two days. I’m worried about him. He’s getting old—what if something happens to him? Please, just let me go home!” By the end, Zhong Zijun’s tone was almost pleading.

But Gu Qinghuan wouldn’t budge.

“No. I’ll go check on Grandpa. You just focus on taking care of yourself.”

Cheng Shuying was packing up on the side, and seeing her daughter being outmaneuvered by her granddaughter, she couldn’t help but chuckle. Truly, there’s always someone who can keep you in check!

“Huanhuan, I’m really fine. Because of my arm, the family’s already struggling. I can’t let you shoulder all the burden. Please, just let me go home!” Zhong Zijun tugged at her daughter’s sleeve, still not giving up.

Gu Qinghuan looked at her seriously.

“Mom, I’m here for the family. You just focus on getting better. I’ll handle everything else.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it had a quiet strength and calm that made people believe she would do as she said.

Zhong Zijun suddenly felt that the person in front of her was a little unfamiliar, not quite like her daughter. She shook her head to clear away the strange thought.

Who else could it be but her Huanhuan?

In any case, this change made her happy. Her child had grown up and could now shoulder half the sky for her, shielding her from the wind and rain.

If not for this child, after her injury, she might have been left disabled—or worse.

Thinking of this, Zhong Zijun sighed, “Alright, I’ll listen to you. But don’t come over these next two days. It’s not good to keep asking for leave.”

Especially today’s lunch—it was just too extravagant. Pork and chicken, even better than what they had for New Year’s.

The family didn’t have much money to begin with. She really didn’t want Gu Qinghuan to waste more money on her, but she couldn’t bear to scold her daughter for her good intentions either, so she just reminded her not to come again.

But Gu Qinghuan saw right through her mother’s real thoughts. She agreed on the surface, “Alright, I won’t come these next two days. But when you’re discharged, I’ll definitely come pick you up.”

Zhong Zijun knew she couldn’t win, so she agreed, “Alright then. Head home early. It’s not safe for a girl to be out on the road alone.”

Especially since her daughter was so pretty.

Cheng Shuying walked Gu Qinghuan to the door.

“Grandma, you probably don’t have much money left, right? Here, take this.” Gu Qinghuan took thirty yuan from her space and stuffed it into Cheng Shuying’s hand.

It wasn’t that she was stingy and didn’t want to give more—she just couldn’t explain where the money came from.

Last time, she’d said she borrowed it from the educated youths. This time, she really couldn’t think of another excuse.

“Child, did you borrow money again? Give it back. Last time you gave us a hundred, sixty went to the hospital, and with a couple more days plus medicine, eighty-something is enough. Don’t get us into more debt.”

Cheng Shuying thought young people didn’t know how to manage money and were getting addicted to borrowing, so she hurried to persuade her.

“You still need some living expenses. You have to eat and drink, and Mom needs good food to recover.

The old lady next door told me you two have been eating nothing but flatbread and plain water. How can you get any nutrition like that?”

“What do you mean, no nutrition? That’s white flour flatbread—hard to come by these days.

Don’t think I don’t know. Last year, you traded all your fine grains for coarse grains to help us out. You haven’t had fine grains for over a year, have you?

We’ve survived even harder times. What’s there to be afraid of?

Child, it’s you who’s had it the hardest.” Cheng Shuying’s eyes filled with tears as she held her granddaughter’s hand.

In the end, she insisted on stuffing the money back into Gu Qinghuan’s pocket.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected this. She knew that even if she left money, they wouldn’t spend it on good food, so she simply accepted it and decided not to give more.

After saying goodbye to Cheng Shuying, she headed straight to the hospital canteen and paid to order two days’ worth of meals for her mother and grandmother.

Each morning, they’d get two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge. For lunch, one meat and one vegetable dish with two taels of rice per person. For dinner, each would get a bowl of shredded pork noodles.

The two days’ meals cost her one and a half jin of grain coupons and five yuan.

Honestly, it wasn’t expensive, but it was a hassle to come up with the grain coupons. Luckily, the original owner still had some left, though not much.

When ordering, she made sure to tell the canteen staff that she was doing it behind her family’s back, since they’d be reluctant to spend money on food.

The staff were touched by her filial piety, gave her a thumbs up, and promised to deliver the meals on time.

People in this era were mostly honest and sincere, so Gu Qinghuan wasn’t worried about them slacking off. She thanked them profusely and left.

That evening, just as Cheng Shuying was about to buy some flatbread, the canteen delivered two bowls of shredded pork noodles. The two of them thought it must be a mistake.

But the staff explained that it was ordered by the patient’s daughter, and the money and coupons had already been paid.

Once they confirmed it was Gu Qinghuan who ordered the meals, mother and daughter exchanged a look, both seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes.

This child was becoming more and more independent.

“Comrade, my daughter ordered these meals. Can we get the money and coupons back?” Zhong Zijun immediately asked.

“No refunds! Your daughter specifically said there are no refunds, and you must eat well,” the young staffer replied, setting down the food and leaving.

Zhong Zijun looked at the two bowls of shredded pork noodles on the table, feeling a pang of heartache.

It was just too extravagant.

The old lady in the next bed wiped tears from her eyes. Getting old really did make you sentimental.

“Your daughter is really something—so capable and filial, even better than a son. My own son is so clueless, he just makes me angry.” The old lady praised Gu Qinghuan while shooting a glare at her own son.

Cheng Shuying hurried to praise the woman’s son as well, saying he was the manager of the provisions store and must be busy, but still took time to bring food to his mother after work—a model son.

The man looked at his mother, completely baffled. Had he done something wrong today?

After some small talk,

The two women finished every last bite of their shredded pork noodles."

"Chapter 9: Dabao’s Longing Gaze