Chapter 13: Examination – Daily Life of a Frail Sister-in-Law in the Courtyard

Chapter 13: Examination - Daily Life of a Frail Sister-in-Law in the Courtyard

By the time Cen Xi and Lin Qing left the house, everyone who had to go to work had already left. Once again, Lin Qing missed meeting Jiang Yang, the quasi-nephew-in-law.

"Mr. Cen, heading out?" Mother Li called out as she chatted with others in the courtyard, spotting the couple.

"Yes!" Cen Xi had no intention of sharing their plans for the day.

Mother Li had hoped to pry into their plans, but the conversation ended too quickly.

Without Cen Xi continuing the conversation, she couldn’t keep it going.

Feeling awkward, Mother Li said, "You two go on then."

"Alright, we're off," Lin Qing, who had been quietly standing by Cen Xi’s side, playing the part of a shy young wife, let Cen Xi handle the conversation without interrupting.

Neither Cen Xi nor Lin Qing were keen on chatting, so they were more than happy to make a quick exit.

Once they were out of sight, Mother Jiang spoke up. "Without an elder around, this young couple doesn’t show much respect," she said, referring to the fact that they hadn’t greeted her properly.

Mother Li wasn’t about to let her get away with it. "You want them to be respectful, but are you polite? Yesterday, when he gave out wedding candies, you had a sour face. Does everyone have to deal with your bad attitude?"

Mother Jiang wanted to argue but had nothing to say since she had indeed pulled a sour face.

Still, she tried to defend herself, "But he took my family’s house! Can’t I be upset?"

Mother Li, who had been managing the courtyard for years and still had some authority, put her hands on her hips and scolded, "Is that really your family’s house? Your family already has three and a half rooms, which is quite a lot in this courtyard. That’s the factory’s property, not yours. If you’re unhappy with the distribution, I’m sure the factory would be happy to take the house back and redistribute it."

Mother Jiang was left speechless. She didn’t dare argue further, afraid that if she said something wrong, the factory might take the house back and make her the family’s scapegoat.

At that moment, Mother Gu chimed in, "I think Mother Jiang is right. This young Cen couple really lacks manners. Yesterday, I went to ask them for some meat for my grandson, and they refused."

Though Mother Gu and Mother Jiang usually didn’t get along, they found common ground in this moment.

Mother Li shot her a look. "What nonsense! You can’t just go to someone’s house and demand meat! Who do you think you are? Even relatives shouldn’t do that. Meat is precious! I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you. Can’t your son, Gu Hang, a sixth-level electrician, support the family?"

Mother Li got so worked up that she practically spat on Mother Gu.

Cen Xi and Lin Qing never expected that after they left, Mother Li would “fight a verbal battle” on their behalf in the courtyard.

Mother Gu didn’t dare to say her son couldn’t support the family. After all, she was proud that he had become a sixth-level electrician at a young age, which was far more impressive than Jiang family’s second son.

The reason Mother Gu and Mother Jiang often clashed was that Mother Gu liked to brag about her son in front of Mother Jiang, whose greatest pride was that her second son had become a fourth-level fitter before the age of thirty. They frequently argued over whose son was more successful.

Moreover, the two often compared their sons. In this courtyard, only their sons were comparable. Others, like Zhou Jia and Zhou Qin, weren’t married, so there was no comparison. As for the Su family? All the men had passed away, leaving only two grandsons, so there was nothing to compare. Naturally, only the Gu family was worth comparing.

In the end, Mother Li won the argument hands down.

Mother Su always appeared gentle and accommodating outside, never engaging in conflicts over such matters, giving others no room to gossip. So, despite Mother Jiang and Mother Gu’s complaints about the Cen family, she stayed silent.

……

"Doctor, how is my wife’s condition?" Cen Xi, seeing the elderly doctor still checking Lin Qing’s pulse with a worried expression, couldn’t help but ask anxiously.

This elderly doctor was an exceptionally skilled traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who had already retired but was rehired by the hospital, though she only worked one day a week.

Cen Xi had learned she was working today, so he rushed to bring Lin Qing for a check-up the day after their wedding.

The elderly doctor lowered his hand from feeling the pulse and stroked his beard before saying, "Your wife's health isn't in great shape. She just recovered from an illness not long ago and is currently weak. Some of it is from not fully recovering after her premature birth, and some from her recent illness."

Cen Xi became anxious upon hearing about his wife's poor health. "What should we do?"

Lin Qing, however, didn't react much. After all, she had always known that her health wasn't great. When Cen Xi chose her so firmly and wanted to marry her, she was surprised but deeply touched.

After all, it was quite heartwarming to be so firmly chosen by someone.

The elderly doctor, observing the couple, smiled, and the atmosphere lightened up.

"Don't worry, I didn't say there's no hope."

Lin Qing: "?" Why did she suddenly get mentioned?

Cen Xi was truly anxious to improve his wife's health, so he asked eagerly, "What should we do?"

Hearing the doctor say there was hope, Cen Xi looked at him in surprise. "Really, doctor, are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. I'm a doctor, and I would never casually talk about such important matters."

"Great, great, this is fantastic!" Cen Xi was so excited that he hugged Lin Qing, who was startled by his sudden action.

"Alright, alright, don't get too excited. You've scared your wife—her face has gone pale."

"Oh, oh!" Cen Xi realized how abrupt and inappropriate his action had been and carefully put Lin Qing down.

"I'll prescribe a formula for now. Take it for a month, then come back for a follow-up." The elderly doctor looked at their clothing and assumed their financial condition shouldn't be too bad. After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you can, food nourishment is better than medicine. In your daily life, try to eat more nutritious food, and her health will gradually recover."

"Yes, yes!" Cen Xi noted down everything the doctor mentioned. He even brought a notebook with him.

Seeing how seriously he took it, Lin Qing felt a rush of warmth and couldn't help but smile.

It's true, she hadn't married the wrong person!