"Young man, excuse , let in." Granny Yu’s voice was tinged with irritation, her tone unfriendly.
He was only putting in a little effort, while the Fourth Wife of Jing was paying the fare. Granny Yu didn’t think it was worth the trouble.
The man turned sideways, letting Granny Yu squeeze past to take the inner seat.
The bus started moving. With people constantly getting on and off, Qin i felt absolutely awful. Her face turned pale, and her once-rosy lips lost their color, taking on a sickly pallor.
Qin i felt dizzy and disoriented, her stomach churning. Several tis, she almost threw up but managed to force the urge down.
Qin i found it strange. Jie Jingshan had been very quiet ever since getting on the bus. Her head was lowered, her expression blank. ’I wonder what she’s thinking.’
Qin i knew Jing Qi was harboring deep resentnt. Qin i herself kept her lips tightly sealed, afraid she would start vomiting the mont she opened her mouth.
When they arrived at the cotton mill, Qin i had no ti to worry about Jing Qi. She clamped a hand over her mouth, ran off the bus, and squatted by the roadside, vomiting violently.
Passengers on the bus helped Granny Yu lift the wheelchair-bound Jing Qi off. The two of them watched Qin i retching by the road. Granny Yu was filled with guilt, while Jing Qi’s heart ached with worry.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, are you all right?" Granny Yu asked worriedly.
"Fourth Sister-in-law," Jie Jingshan called out in concern.
Qin i didn’t respond to them. She felt much better after throwing up. Jie Jingshan handed a water flask to her.
Qin i took it and tilted her head back, opening her mouth wide. She poured the water in without letting the flask touch her lips and rinsed her mouth twice until the sour, foul taste was gone. Only then did she take a proper sip before screwing the cap back on and handing the flask back to Jing Qi.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, your motion sickness is really severe." A look of pity crossed Granny Yu’s eyes. It was painful just watching her suffer. She decided she wouldn’t dare recomnd Qin i for any jobs that were too far away.
Qin i wiped her mouth. Though her face was pale, she managed a smile. "Granny, it’s nothing. It’ll be fine once I learn how to ride a bicycle."
Granny Yu gave a noncommittal smile, her expression unreadable as she looked at Qin i.
Qin i didn’t say anything more. ’Communication in this era is so inconvenient,’ she thought. ’If this were the future, Granny Yu wouldn’t have needed to co all this way to tell . A single phone call would have solved everything.’
Granny Yu took Qin i directly to the deputy director’s ho. The deputy director wasn’t there, but his wife was, looking after their daughter-in-law during her postpartum confinent. Seeing Qin i’s pale face and Jie Jingshan in her wheelchair, the deputy director’s wife pulled Granny Yu aside and asked in a low voice, "Sister Yu, are you sure this is okay?"
"Sister Lijuan, I guarantee there’s no problem." Granny Yu thumped her chest in assurance.
"Sister Yu, of course I trust you. It’s just... she doesn’t look well. She’s not sick, is she? Sister Yu, we have a newborn in the house. I have to be careful. It would be terrible if she passed so illness to my daughter-in-law, who’s in confinent, or to my grandson," the deputy director’s wife said.
Granny Yu was taken aback for a mont, then she smiled. "Sister Lijuan, you’re overthinking it. She’s not sick, she just gets terrible motion sickness. It’s really bad—she started throwing up the mont she got off the bus. It’s painful just to watch."
"Motion sickness?" The deputy director’s wife, Lijuan, was skeptical. But seeing Granny Yu practically swearing an oath to guarantee it, she was convinced. She glanced at Jie Jingshan in the wheelchair and asked another question. "And what’s the story with the young lady in the wheelchair?"
"She’s the youngest daughter of the director of the machinery factory," Granny Yu said.
Lijuan was stunned. "Director Jie’s disabled youngest daughter?"
She had heard about Jie Jingshan’s situation from her husband. ’What a pity, such a terrible pity. Such a nice young girl, crippled by an accident.’
"Then she is...?" Lijuan asked, looking back at Qin i.
Granny Yu hesitated. Recalling Qin i’s instructions, she steeled herself and said, "Comrade Qin here specializes in taking care of Jing Qi. She knows traditional Chinese dicine and has real skill. My granddaughter-in-law couldn’t produce any milk, but after a massage from her, she had more than enough for the baby. The little one couldn’t even finish it all."
Lijuan didn’t ask any more questions. She led Qin i into her daughter-in-law’s room. The daughter-in-law was trying to breastfeed the baby, but she couldn’t draw any milk. The little one was very unhappy, making noises of protest.
"Comrade Qin, if you need anything, just let know," Lijuan said with a smile.
"I should warn you beforehand, the massage will be painful," Qin i said. She wanted to be upfront about it, so they wouldn’t co looking for trouble when they heard screaming, or worse, give up halfway through and then bla her for it.
"How painful?" Lijuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Very painful," Qin i replied.
Lijuan hesitated. Granny Yu, standing at the doorway, chid in, "After the pain, the baby will have milk to drink. When my granddaughter-in-law had her massage, she was screaming her head off. Her cries were so blood-curdling they startled the neighbors, who all ca out to see what was happening. For the baby’s sake, my granddaughter-in-law endured it. Now her milk is abundant, and seeing the baby all full and satisfied, she’s so glad she persevered."
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