Chapter 91
Su Xiaoxiao sniffed and quickly pushed the door open. “Brother!”
With just that one word, her voice resembled the mournful cry of a cuckoo. Su Hongchen was taken aback by the unexpected presence of his little sister in the hospital room. He saw the intense sadness in her eyes, and her tears flowed like broken beads, one after another.
“Is it necessary to be so upset? I’m out of danger now, and it’ll only take me a month or two to fully recover,” Su Hongchen quickly reassured her, even attempting to sit up. Su Xiaoxiao hastened to stop him.
“Brother, don’t move. You’re injured like this; don’t overexert yourself. Just lie down and rest,” she said.
“If you hadn’t come crying your eyes out, I wouldn’t have been worried,” he continued with a grin.
Once she was sitting by his bedside, he gently patted her head and asked, “Why did you come? People around here are exhausted.”
“I took some time off after the harvest season in our area. We only have left the land reclamation work, which I can’t do, so I requested leave to come here,” Su Xiaoxiao explained.
“Alright, I don’t want you to strain yourself with the work. Just go back to the city once mom and dad find a job for you,” Su Hongchen reassured her lovingly.
Su Hongchen wasn’t concerned about her taking time off, as long as her parents were understanding, which they appeared to be.
“Don’t worry. Arranging work haphazardly would violate the regulations. We don’t want any negative consequences due to this matter. My days at the production team are not miserable. I pull some weeds every day, and with the financial support from you and our parents, I’m well-fed, well-clothed, and don’t even do three hours of work a day,” Su Xiaoxiao replied.
She wanted her brother to know everything about her life, as well as her trip here. She had been sent to the countryside just when her brother was sent on a mission. He returned only after she had joined the production team. She had received one letter after another, filled with apologies, self-blame, and worry.
“It’s good to hear that you’re doing well. Don’t worry too much about work. Mom and Dad have a plan. You came all this way to find me, why? Shouldn’t you go and visit them?” Su Hongchen inquired further.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she held his cold hand, which sent her heart racing. She wondered, “Brother, why are your hands so cold?”
Su Hongchen chuckled, “I’m injured and have lost a lot of blood, and my body functions have decreased. It’s normal. I just need to recover.”
Su Xiaoxiao could see his discomfort, so she put his hand back under the blanket. Then she pulled a nearby chair to sit down.
“When you came here, did you travel by yourself?”
Su Hongchen, who had calmed down from his initial shock, now remembered the potential danger she might have been in due to the long journey alone.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head, “No, I didn’t come alone. Some people from the production team gave me a ride because it was on their way.”
However, in a village, it was unusual for someone to have a reason to travel far. Su Hongchen stared at her for a while and noticed the evasiveness and unease in her eyes.
“You have a boyfriend, don’t you?” Su Hongchen asked directly.
Su Xiaoxiao jumped in surprise. She raised her head, looking at him in astonishment. She couldn’t believe that her brother saw through her.
“I… I just didn’t want you to get too angry and worsen your condition,” Su Xiaoxiao said, fidgeting.
“Fine, let him come in,” Su Hongchen conceded, despite his disagreement with his younger sister marrying at such a young age.
Since he was already here, he couldn’t just drive him away.