A Young Woman's Heart

Mo Xueyao hopped on her bicycle and arrived at the fruit shop in three minutes. She threw down her schoolbag and shouted to her father, "Dad, how's Mom? Which hospital is she in?"

"At the People's Hospital, what, are you going there? Do you know the way?" Her father glanced at her. "Do you want to bring your schoolbag? You can stay at the hospital with your mother and do your homework at the same time."

"Okay... which bus should we take?"

“If you need to transfer, you go first…” Her father explained in detail, and then, fearing that Mo Xueyao might forget, he tore off a piece of cigarette pack paper, wrote down what he had just said on it, and handed it to her. “Take this with you, so you don’t forget. Don’t rush, take your time.”

"Okay! I'll go see her now!" Mo Xueyao put her backpack back on, just like yesterday, and squeezed onto the bus.

During peak hours, the hospital entrance is bustling with people and has many cars parked there.

Ambulances also sped by and rushed into the hospital.

The beeping sound made Mo Xueyao's heart clench.

She walked quickly towards the inpatient department and went up to the ward number her father had given her.

“519…” She took the elevator to the fifth floor and followed the corridor all the way back. Finally, she found her mother’s ward at the end of the corridor.

This is a three-person ward, with three beds placed side by side, separated only by a simple curtain.

The mother lay on the hospital bed near the door, sleeping peacefully. Her face was slightly pale, but perhaps because she was usually tanned, her pale complexion made her look a little better than usual.

This suddenly reminded her of the time when she had her surgery.

When she was asleep, did her mother look at her like this?

This feeling of being in the opposite position made Mo Xueyao feel somewhat uneasy.

She approached the bedside without waking her, but her mother seemed to be a light sleeper and woke up when she heard footsteps.

"Yaoyao's here?" She turned her head and asked with a smile.

"Hmm, Mom, are you alright?"

"The surgery is done, we just need to wait for the wound to heal," the mother said casually. "She'll probably be in the hospital until at least this Friday."

"You should stay a little longer."

"It's alright, it's just a minor surgery, the incision is very small, it will be fine soon." Her mother stretched her hand out from under the covers, and Mo Xueyao quickly reached out her own hand and grasped her rough hand.

How was class today?

"Uh... I'm alright." Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Seeing that you're really okay... I'm relieved."

"Oh my, my Yaoyao is so caring! It's good to have your concern, you don't need to worry," the mother teased. Just then, the door opened again, and the nurse walked in. "I've come to check the wound. And who is this?"

"My daughter."

"Do you need to leave for a moment?" the nurse asked.

"Ah, I'm going out." Mo Xueyao quickly stood up, but her mother held her hand tightly.

"Yaoyao, did you bring money?"

"I brought it... so what?"

"Then go to the cafeteria and buy some food." After gently squeezing her fingers, her mother let go. "Get some food, I don't need too much, just one serving of rice and one serving of vegetables, and some tofu. Get whatever you want to eat yourself."

"Okay...where's the cafeteria again?"

"Go downstairs, turn right and walk inside," the nurse replied on behalf of Mo Xueyao's mother.

……

Chapter 232 China Mobile

Mo Xueyao walked out of the inpatient department with a limp, looked around, made her way, and headed towards the cafeteria.

The large outdoor screen on the hospital's largest building was broadcasting news about the imminent official registration of China Mobile Communications Group, which would bring various impacts.

With China Telecom finally having a competitor that can rival it, many people are optimistic about this.

Competition leads to discounts, which is a good thing for consumers.

The hospital cafeteria looked like it had been converted from a factory; both the walls and the floor were made of cement, and it looked quite rudimentary.

There were people queuing in front of several windows. Mo Xueyao took out a ten-yuan bill from her bag and waited quietly.

The food in the hospital cafeteria is no cheaper than outside, and is even slightly more expensive.

Mo Xueyao ordered a dish of minced pork and tofu, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and stir-fried pork with peas, plus two servings of rice, spending a total of eight yuan.

In other places, five yuan would be enough.

If you want something cheaper, three and a half yuan will do.

This dish is considered a meat dish in the hospital cafeteria, but in other restaurants, it is considered a vegetarian dish or a small meat dish.

Unfortunately, the only cheap option near the hospital is the hospital cafeteria.

The surrounding restaurants are even more expensive.

If we go any further, it will become quite troublesome.

The only advantage of the hospital cafeteria over other places is that the takeout containers are made of paper, not foam.

It won't make that unpleasant, sharp sound like something scraped by chopsticks.

Moreover, foam boxes are easier to break; a little force will puncture the box.

Paper-based products don't have this problem.

Mo Xueyao carried the bag of boxed lunches and walked back in a relaxed mood.

As I walked closer to the hospital entrance, I saw Li Wanyan carrying a schoolbag.

"Wanyan!" Mo Xueyao waved to her. "You're here."

"Hmm, is godmother alright?"

"It should be fine." Mo Xueyao didn't dare to be too sure of herself, because she always felt that if she spoke too definitively, things would take a turn for the worse.

Although it may just be a psychological effect with a touch of superstition...

"My godfather gave me the money."

"Oh...is it to pay for the rest of the payment?" Mo Xueyao nodded. "How much did you bring?"

"one thousand."

"One thousand!" Mo Xueyao's eyes widened in surprise, but for some reason, she felt that it might not be enough.

However, the fact that Mo Xueyao's father could directly hand over a thousand yuan to Li Wanyan and ask her to bring it over shows that he trusted her a great deal.

At first, Li Wanyan thought that Mo Xueyao's parents were just being polite to her, but as they spent more time together, she could feel from every little thing in life that her godparents really treated her like their own daughter.

This not only moved her, but also made her feel apprehensive. She didn't know how to respond to this affection, let alone how to repay this kindness...

In particular, Mo Xueyao's father was more like a 'father' to her than her own biological father.

A responsible and capable man is what a true 'father' should look like in her heart.

"If it's not enough, pay for part first." Li Wanyan looked at the bag in Mo Xueyao's hand. "Dinner's bought?"

"Oh yeah, you didn't...do it, did you?"

"No." Li Wanyan shook her head.

"Then I didn't buy your portion. Wait, shall I go buy another meal?"

"...No need, I'll just have instant noodles." Li Wanyan grasped Mo Xueyao's warm little hand. "Let's go upstairs first."

When we got upstairs, my mother's physical examination had just finished.

Mo Xueyao rushed over and asked the nurse anxiously, "Nurse, is everything alright? My mom."

"It's alright, you'll be fine in a few days, and you can be discharged as early as Friday." The nurse, wearing a mask, smiled and squinted her eyes. "By the way, did you bring any money with you? If so, please settle the current medical expenses first."

"I brought some, um, Wanyan, why don't you go?"

"Okay, where do I pay?"

"plz follow me."

Mo Xueyao then entered the ward and saw her mother sitting on the hospital bed, looking rather unwell as she flipped through a medical science magazine.

"Mom, I've bought the food. Wanyan is here too. She went to pay."

"Yes, I asked the nurse. Including the upcoming hospitalization fees, it will probably cost more than 800. I should pay about 500 or 600 this time."

"It's so expensive..."

"It's not too expensive." Her mother, who had been worried about the high medical costs, comforted her instead. "It's a pity there's no medical insurance, otherwise we could probably get some of it reimbursed."

"Yes, it's good that Mom is alright."

"Hehe, why are you suddenly so concerned about me lately? Or has your daughter finally grown up? Hmm... a daughter is still a daughter, she's her mother's little darling."

"Tch..." Mo Xueyao retorted somewhat embarrassedly, "I wasn't concerned about you, I was just worried that something serious might happen to you, and then there would be no one to help me with the laundry and cooking!"

"Oh, that's good. Be nicer to Mom from now on." The mother wasn't angry at all; instead, her smile widened. "Now you know you can't live without Mom, right?"

"Tch, don't give me that." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "I bought minced meat and tofu, are you going to just pour it into your rice?"

"No need, let's eat separately like this. What did you buy yourself?"

"Stir-fried peas with pork and shredded pork with garlic sauce... the portions aren't large, and it feels so expensive." Mo Xueyao pouted, "It's like they're slaughtering a pig."

"Hehe, that's settled then. Is there one less serving of rice?"

"When I bought it, Wanyan wasn't there. She said she was going to eat instant noodles later."

"That won't do. Go buy some rice right away, and see if there's enough vegetables. If not, buy some more." The mother said with some dissatisfaction, "You're not just spending your own money so you don't want to buy anything for Yan Yan, are you?"

"Hey, am I that kind of person?!" Mo Xueyao felt hurt by the misunderstanding. "It was Wanyan who insisted on not wanting it... Okay, okay, I'll go buy it now."

“That’s right. As a person, you must consider others. Sometimes what people say is just polite talk, so don’t take it too seriously,” her mother said with a teasing laugh. “Your mind is a bit too simple, aren’t you?”

"Tsk, I think people should be straightforward. Why bother with all the roundabout ways? If you want something, you want it; if you don't want it, you don't want it."

“Everyone has a different personality.” The mother smiled. “Yan Yan’s upbringing is different from yours, so you should take better care of her.”