Chapter 403: The 90s Contrast System (6)

Zhu Meijiao was in her room packing her luggage for returning to school.

Seeing Zhou Ru return from outside with an ugly expression through the window glass, her eyes flickered.

She had learned from Yang Taohua that Xie Yang was sick; she didn't know the specific illness, but it was quite frightening when it flared up on the train.

Yang Taohua had said at the time: "... An old doctor in another carriage urged her to go to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible, saying that if she kept dragging it out, it would leave behind a chronic ailment. She was terrified, and as soon as she got off the train, she insisted on going to the hospital first. Meifang and the others couldn't stop her no matter how they tried."

What kind of illness would make an old doctor urge someone to get a check-up at the hospital as soon as possible? It couldn't be some terminal illness, could it?

Zhu Meijiao curled her lips and cursed "bad luck" under her breath.

Immediately after, just like Zhou Ru, she thought of the salary and year-end bonus in Xie Yang's hands. Her expression shifted uncertainly for a long while, and finally, she put down the half-folded clothes and walked out of the room:

"Auntie Ru."

"Meijiao, you've finished packing your schoolbag, right?" Seeing her stepdaughter, Zhou Ru unconsciously wore a smile, "I went to Lao Zhou's house to buy some eggs. His family's eggs are good; they often have double yolks. I'll boil some tea eggs for you to take to school to eat."

"Thank you, Auntie Ru."

Although Zhu Meijiao said this, she felt a bit dissatisfied that Zhou Ru had gone out for half a day only to bring back a small basket of eggs.

She had thought she would go to the village grocery store like before to weigh two catties of apples for her and buy a catty of freshly made Egg Roll.

Now it seemed that blood is thicker than water; no matter how nice she talked—saying she treated her and Xie Yang equally—the moment her own daughter got sick, even if it was just going to the hospital for a check-up and the specific illness wasn't even known yet, she started saving money.

This week it was just buying fewer apples and Egg Roll, but next week, would she even have to save on eggs?

And what about later? Wouldn't that mean lowering the whole family's standard of living?

Zhou Ru didn't notice her stepdaughter's expression. She was concerned about the time for her stepdaughter to return to school, so as soon as she entered the house, she hurriedly carried the eggs into the kitchen, washed them, took a small pinch of the tea leaves her husband drank, and started boiling the tea eggs.

Just as she put the pot on the coal stove, Yang Taohua's slightly shrill voice rang out from outside: "Xie Yang! You're back from the hospital? What did the doctor say? Where did you buy this outfit? It's so pretty!"

What!

The dead girl bought clothes?

Zhou Ru forgot to even put down the spatula, and holding it in her hand, she rushed to the courtyard gate, unable to hide her anger.

Zhu Meijiao also heard Yang Taohua's loud voice, which was several decibels higher.

However, she wasn't as angry as Zhou Ru.

Anyway, no matter what Xie Yang bought, as long as she showed that she liked it very much, these things would eventually become hers.

At most, it would just be letting Xie Yang wear them for a day or two.

But not being angry was one thing; she still had her little moods.

Wasn't she supposed to go to the hospital to see a doctor? How did she have time to go shopping for clothes?

Yang Taohua had said that before getting on the train, Xie Yang had bought a canvas backpack and some local specialty New Year goods that Zhou Ru had told her to bring for visiting relatives and giving gifts.

Zhou Ru hadn't even let Xie Yang bring her own new clothes for the New Year.

To quote Zhou Ru's original words: "That dead girl has no taste; the clothes she picks are tacky. It's better to bring the money back, and when you're on winter break, I'll take you to the department store to buy some, and you can pick them out yourself."

So she was waiting for winter break!

She had gone shopping with a classmate before and taken a fancy to a down jacket; she tried it on, and it really set off her skin tone.

For this year's new clothes, she wanted this down jacket.

With these little schemes turning in her mind, Zhu Meijiao followed behind Zhou Ru out of the main room.

Seeing Xie Yang leaning against the courtyard gate and talking to Yang Taohua, Zhu Meijiao: "!!!"

Xie Yang had actually bought the down jacket she had been eyeing for a long time!

And she had specifically bought a long, small-sized one.

This style and this size, at a glance, were only meant for Xie Yang to wear; it definitely wouldn't fit her!

Her legs were short, her neck was short, and her chest and stomach looked fleshy because she was on the heavier side; she wasn't suited for long styles at all!

That day when she went shopping with her classmate, she had tried both long and short styles, and the short one clearly suited her better.

For the long style, if the size was small, the zipper wouldn't pull up, and if it was big, it made her look like she had no legs or neck, like a diesel barrel.

But as it happened, what Xie Yang bought was the long, small size!

She was doing this to spite her on purpose!

At this moment, Zhu Meijiao wished she could rip the long down jacket off Xie Yang, throw it on the ground, and trample it hard a few times.

Fortunately, Zhou Ru was even angrier than her.

"You dead girl! And you said you were going to the hospital to see a doctor... so it turns out you went to the County to buy new clothes? Who told you to spend your salary and year-end bonus?

I warned you repeatedly in my letters not to buy things blindly, not to buy things blindly. Is this how you listen to me? Not only did you buy new clothes, you also bought new shoes? And you even carried the new schoolbag I told you to bring for your sister? Good for you, you dead girl! You've really grown bold! The older you get, the less you listen!"

While scolding, Zhou Ru swung the spatula like a feather duster and struck hard at Xie Yang.

Xie Yang dodged, avoiding the incoming spatula attack.

Zhou Ru was even angrier and chased after her, brandishing the spatula: "I'll let you dodge! I'll let you dodge!"

But after chasing for a few steps without hitting her, she stopped, panting, and pointed at Xie Yang with resentment:

"You dead girl, stand still! Did I tell you to dodge? You're back now, but you stayed in the County for three or four days without coming home, you lied, and you spent money recklessly. Can't I even scold you a few times?"

Xie Yang didn't forget that she was still a "patient," and leaning against the water vat under the eaves, she argued back with "unsteady breath":

"When did I lie? It's true that I fainted on the train, and it's true that I went to the hospital to see a doctor after getting off the train. I only got the check-up report this morning; it's still fresh.

But did you look at it? Did you care about me? You didn't even ask me a single question before you sentenced me and found me guilty.

Are you really my biological mother? Why is it that even though I have a biological mother, I live worse than Zhu Meijiao, who doesn't have one!"

"..."

Zhou Ru was so angry her chest heaved up and down.

Zhu Meijiao had just stepped one foot onto the threshold of the main room, and now she could neither go out nor retreat.

Both stepmother and daughter focused on the last desperate question Xie Yang asked; they didn't think Xie Yang could have any serious illness at all, feeling that she was just being pretentious and wasting money blindly.

Yang Taohua was startled by Xie Yang's sudden resistance, thinking to herself: Goodness! So Xie Yang wasn't without a temper, she just hadn't let it out before!

"Xie Yang, how did your hospital check-up go?" Yang Taohua asked curiously, "What did the doctor say you have?"

"The situation isn't very good."

Xie Yang lowered her eyes, wiped the corner of her eye, and then took the photoshopped medical report out of her backpack and handed it to Yang Taohua.

"Sister Taohua, am I going to die? Otherwise, why would the doctor tell me to go home, eat well, drink well, and not worry about anything else?"

"???"

Upon hearing this, Yang Taohua became even more curious. What kind of illness could it be? Why didn't they prescribe medicine or give injections, but just tell someone to go home and eat and drink well?

It made her want to have it too.

Until she saw the final diagnosis conclusion, her eyes suddenly widened.

"... Gastric something membrane thinning... something membrane basement layer thickening, HP severely exceeded..."

There were some characters she didn't recognize, and some English she didn't understand, but that didn't stop her from understanding the last sentence—

"Extremely high probability of developing into cancer, cancer?"

Zhou Ru: "!!!"

Zhu Meijiao: "!!!"