Chapter 93

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan finally managed to persist until off-duty time.

Li Xiulan walked out of the construction site alone, only then daring to reveal a pained expression.

She supported her waist, walked to the street corner and sat down, rested for a long while, only then feeling slightly better.

Unexpectedly, on the first day back to work after resting five days, her waist injury flared up again.

She was now full of hesitation in her heart, wondering whether she should still persist or not.

She was afraid it would be just as Zhong Jianguo said — if she continued doing heavy labor, she would leave a lifetime's worth of illness roots.

Forget it then...

Li Xiulan's mind was full of thoughts of retreat.

But when the pain in her waist eased slightly, she felt that perhaps she could still grit her teeth and persist a bit longer.

Her inner heart was contradictory.

She was very afraid of getting sick, but even more afraid of being poor, even more afraid of having no money.

Walking alone to the street entrance, Li Xiulan felt that today she would likely have to walk home again.

Although today was market day, it was already nearly evening, the market had long since closed up, and the passenger-carrying small four-wheelers had also long since gone home.

There was actually a trace of expectation in her heart, hoping to run into Zhu Rou Rong, just like last time at the street entrance when she happened to see Zhu Rou Rong waiting for her, but reality often fails to satisfy one's wishes.

She waited blankly at the street entrance for a good while, didn't see Zhu Rou Rong's figure, and also didn't catch a ride back to Shangou Village.

Looks like today, she really would have to walk home again.

Anyway, those motorcycles costing seven or eight yuan, she absolutely could not take them.

She worked herself to death all day for a wage of only fifteen yuan, impossible to hand over half her wages to those motorcycle drivers.

She walked on foot for four hours, returned home very late, the children were all asleep.

Li Xiulan finished eating and bathing, rested for one night, her waist injury improved slightly, the next morning she continued going to the town to work.

Today was not market day, so even going to the town, she had to walk.

In order to arrive on time, Li Xiulan got up even earlier than usual.

Usually she got up at five-something, today she got up at four-something, the sky still pitch black, got up to feed chickens and pigs, wash clothes and cook.

Then at five-something, she called the children up to eat breakfast, while she ate breakfast and hurriedly set off.

The sky had just turned dawn, the entire village almost still immersed in sleep, she walked out the front door alone, walked out of the village, along that still-unhardened yellow mud highway, walking all the way toward the direction of the market town.

Morning dew wetted her trouser legs, the cool morning breeze disordered her hair strands, unknown when it started, her face had obvious wrinkles, beneath the dull skin, her features showed the dry, sallow, bitter look common to rural women.

That Village Beauty who once gave birth to three children yet still maintained a perfect figure, beautiful face, and delicate skin, now was not much different from most village women.

One can only say, life is truly beauty's poison.

It can, in silence, strip the beauty from a woman's body.

Although Li Xiulan set out at five o'clock, walking on foot to the town construction site, it was already nearly nine o'clock when she arrived.

Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei were already waiting for her at the construction site.

Originally agreed to start work at eight o'clock, Li Xiulan arrived nearly at nine, this made them quite disgruntled in their hearts.

Although they didn't say anything with their mouths, the way they looked at Li Xiulan, the tone they used speaking to Li Xiulan, all allowed Li Xiulan to clearly feel their inner dissatisfaction.

But Li Xiulan also couldn't say anything, she could only keep apologizing, then work even harder, to compensate for the loss caused by her lateness.

Because she knew, her being late was definitely her fault, no matter what the reason, it could not become a cause for lateness.

But the harder she worked, the greater the damage to her waist.

So after only working a few hours, she was already in so much pain cold sweat broke out all over her body.

But she endured it forcefully, didn't make a sound, afraid Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei would discover it, and fire her from this small worker job.

As a result, when she was carrying two buckets of cement sand into the construction site, she really couldn't endure it anymore, that held-in breath suddenly leaked out, her whole body stumbled, vision went black, she fell to the ground and fainted dead away.

Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei were still laying bricks with heads down, neither discovered she had already fainted.

After about ten minutes passed, Lin Dajun used up the cement sand at hand, Li Xiulan still hadn't brought new cement sand up for a long time, he really couldn't endure it, only then carrying brick knife and grey bucket, stood up and went out to check the situation, still complaining at the corner of his mouth:

"Li Xiulan, not that I'm saying you, your work speed is no good, too slow, you have to speed up your hands and feet, can't dawdle..." Speaking to here, Lin Dajun's face suddenly twitched, voice cut off abruptly, because he saw Li Xiulan lying unconscious on the ground, "Li Xiulan, what happened to you, don't you scare me!"

Lin Dajun was scared into a cold sweat, hurriedly threw down the brick knife and grey bucket in hand, went to check Li Xiulan's condition.

Zhou Hongwei heard the movement, also hurriedly ran out.

He saw Li Xiulan lying on the ground motionless, also a face full of panic:

"Dajun Shu, what happened?"

"How would I know what happened!" Lin Dajun was anxious and flustered, then hurriedly said: "Hurry up and take her to the hospital to have a look, saving the person is most important!"

Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei together brought Li Xiulan to the town's health center, after the health center medical staff's round of treatment, Li Xiulan only then woke up from her drowsy state.

The doctor told Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei, the person has woken up, but whether the body has any abnormality, their hospital cannot say clearly, after all the township health center's medical conditions are limited, many illnesses cannot be detected, so they suggest it's best to go to the city's big hospital for an examination.

Li Xiulan lay on the hospital bed, also heard the doctor say these words.

Waiting for Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei to come in, she forced herself to sit up from the hospital bed, and said:

"Dajun Shu, Hongwei Ge, thank you for bringing me to the hospital, however much this medical expense is, I'll return it to you."

Lin Dajun looked at Li Xiulan with a gaze carrying complex emotions.

He felt both sympathy for Li Xiulan, and disdain.

Sympathy for her frail and sickly body and bitter fate, disdain for her slow work at the construction site dragging down the project.

Now that Li Xiulan has fallen ill, he feels the situation has become even more troublesome.

Li Xiulan needs to make a living, and his Lin Dajun's whole family, young and old, also needs to make a living.

Anyway, no matter what, the construction progress absolutely cannot be delayed; he cannot ruin his own reputation, otherwise in this township town, no one will be willing to come find him to build houses.

"Xiulan, you go back and recuperate well; the medical expenses don't need you to pay, you fainted at my construction site, so me advancing the payment is only right."

After Lin Dajun was silent for a long while, he spoke this one sentence.

Hearing this, Li Xiulan couldn't help but be moved, and at the same time, she also felt some guilt.

"Dajun Shu, really very sorry, causing you trouble."

Lin Dajun, however, was quite magnanimous:

"No need to say these things to me, I merely did what I should do; how about this, I'll settle the wages for these days for you, you go back and recuperate well, wait until you're recovered then come find me again, health is most important, health is the capital of revolution, you absolutely must not ruin your health."

Lin Dajun's words were spoken very tactfully; this was him dismissing Li Xiulan.

Li Xiulan might faint again at any time; delaying construction progress is actually still a small matter; if she were to die on the construction site, that would be a big matter, and Lin Dajun this foreman absolutely cannot bear such consequences.

So right now he absolutely cannot let Li Xiulan continue working under him anymore.

Although Li Xiulan's EQ isn't high, she's not stupid either, so she immediately heard the meaning in Lin Dajun's words; she couldn't help but shed tears; she doesn't blame Lin Dajun either, Lin Dajun has already treated her with utmost benevolence and righteousness; she can only blame herself for her body being unpromising.

"Alright, Dajun Shu, I'll listen to you in everything... truly sorry, causing you trouble..."