Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu looked at each other and had a bad feeling in their hearts. They walked over quickly and opened the door, only to see a middle-aged woman in simple clothes standing outside the door with an anxious look on her face.

"Go to the hospital quickly. Your mother-in-law's hospital fees are almost used up. You have to renew them quickly." The middle-aged woman said breathlessly.

Qin Huairu was stunned and asked hurriedly: "How could it be used up so quickly? What happened to my mother-in-law?"

"Your mother-in-law has a good appetite and eats a lot every day. The hospital said that most of the expenses were spent on food."

My mother-in-law, Jia Zhang, has a bad temper. Although she is old, her appetite is not small at all.

Qin Huairu hurried back to the house, took out her mother-in-law's expense list from the drawer and looked at it carefully.

Sure enough, most of the expenses on the list went to food.

Qin Huairu's face turned pale. Given her family's situation, how could she have the extra money to pay for these expenses?

Sha Zhu also came over to look at the list, frowning, "How is this possible? Even if the old lady has a good appetite, she wouldn't eat so much. Is there some misunderstanding here?"

"No, I know my mother-in-law's temper. She must have felt that the food in the hospital was not to her liking, so she asked the hospital to buy so many things."

"So what do we do now? Where do we get the money to renew the subscription?"

"No matter what, I have to find a way to raise the money. My grandmother cannot suffer in the hospital."

Qin Huairu stood in the room, holding the list tightly in both hands, feeling extremely confused.

Sha Zhu looked at her, his eyes full of worry: "Don't worry too much, let's find a solution together."

At this moment, the middle-aged woman at the door spoke again: "You'd better go to the hospital. The old lady's condition may not be good."

"How could this happen? My mother-in-law..."

"I don't know for sure, but I heard from the doctor that the old lady's weight has reached more than 200 kilograms. It's not good for her health if she continues like this."

More than 200 pounds?

Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu looked at each other, both with shocked expressions.

Although Jia Zhang has a good appetite, she is not so fat.

"Okay, let's go to the hospital now."

The two hurried out the door and trotted all the way to the hospital.

When she arrived at the door of the ward, Qin Huairu saw Jia Zhang lying on the bed at a glance.

"What's wrong? I'm Qin Huairu."

Jia Zhang slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Qin Huairu, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes: "You're here."

"What happened? How did it become like this?" Qin Huairu asked with concern.

"Alas, as people age, their bodies become less useful. During this time in the hospital, although I ate a lot, I always felt that it was not nutritious."

Qin Huairu looked at the doctor beside her and said, "Excuse me, what happened to my mother-in-law's hospitalization expenses? Why did it run out so quickly?"

The doctor looked at the notebook in his hand and said, "It's like this. Your mother-in-law is overweight, so she needs more nutrition every day. The meals prepared for her by the hospital are customized according to her physical condition, so the cost will be relatively high."

After hearing this explanation, they had no choice but to look at Jia Zhang.

On the hospital bed, Jia Zhang's figure looked extremely bloated, and it was almost unrecognizable that the once thin and neat old man was.

"What's going on? Why has she become so fat?" Sha Zhu asked anxiously.

The doctor sighed and explained, "This is due to some side effects of the treatment that caused weight gain. We have tried our best to control it, but..."

Before the doctor could finish his words, Qin Huairu interrupted him: "What side effects? Didn't you say that this treatment would make her better? Why did it make her become like this?" Her voice was full of dissatisfaction and anger.

Sha Zhu also frowned, looking at Jia Zhang, who was having difficulty breathing and was listless on the hospital bed, and his heart ached.

He turned to Qin Huairu and said, "We can't let her go on like this. I want to take her home."

Qin Huairu was silent for a moment and nodded.

In this way, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu took Jia Zhang back home.

However, they did not anticipate how this decision would change their lives.

Jia Zhang's mental state became worse and worse, and she even began to mistake Sha Zhu for someone else, which brought her unprecedented pressure and burden.

The cold wind made the windows creak. Qin Huairu stood in front of the window, watching the falling snow outside, but she was worried about Jia Zhang who was lying on the sickbed. Since bringing Jia Zhang back home, this once lively home seemed to be shrouded in a haze.

Sha Zhu was busy preparing hot water and medicine for Jia Zhang.

His brows were furrowed and his eyes were full of worry.

Jia Zhang’s condition is far more serious than the doctor said, but what can they do?

There was a knock on the door.

Qin Huairu opened the door and saw the neighbor aunt standing at the door with a curious and concerned expression on her face.

"Oh, Qin Huairu, I heard that you took Mrs. Jia back home? How is she now?" asked the neighbor aunt.

Qin Huairu sighed and told the neighbor aunt about Jia Zhang's illness truthfully.

After hearing this, the aunt showed a sympathetic expression on her face, and after comforting her with a few words, she left.

Qin Huairu closed the door, but her heart felt even heavier.

Jia Zhang's illness has attracted the attention of her neighbors, and her physical condition is also worrying.

I couldn't help but start to worry, how long will this kind of life last?

Just then, Sha Zhu came over and patted Qin Huairu's shoulder gently.

"Don't worry, we will find a way." said Sha Zhu.

This winter brings them more challenges and tests.

Jia Zhang's condition became increasingly serious, her memory began to blur, and she even began to mistake Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu for other people.

The two felt unprecedented pressure and burden, but they still persisted, hoping to find a way to cure Jia Zhang.

Life at home became increasingly difficult.

The bed collapsed due to Jia Zhang's weight, as if it would be unable to withstand the heavy pressure at any time.

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu had to temporarily find a few wooden boards to put underneath to barely keep the bed flat.

Xiaodang and Xiaohuahua came home from school and saw Jia Zhang lying on the sickbed. They were so scared that they burst into tears.

They could no longer recognize the grandmother who once loved them. The Jia Zhang in front of them was just a strange fat old lady.

Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu took a lot of effort to calm the two children down.

Food also began to run short.

Jia Zhang needed to eat more food to maintain her body's needs, but the food rations at home were getting less and less.

Qin Huairu looked at the empty rice jar and felt sad.

She couldn't help but complain to Sha Zhu: "How can we live like this?"

Sha Zhu was silent for a while, then said, "I'll go find a job. I'll always find a way."

Qin Huairu sighed, she knew that Sha Zhu had tried his best.

Just when Sha Zhu was thinking about how to solve the dilemma at home, there was a sudden hurried knock on the door.