"Sister Kaiyun, you need to pull yourself together."
"There's no hurdle that can't be overcome. We have hands and feet, and life will go on."
"Look at Little Peach. She's so young and already had the misfortune of having a scummy father. You can't afford to have anything happen to you, or what will become of the child."
Looking at the little girl crouching behind Qin Kaiyun, Chen Yang felt a pang in his heart.
He thought of his daughter in his past life. When he left, was the baby girl as timid as Little Peach, just crouching shyly behind Shen Xue?
Even more pitifully, Shen Xue had passed away later. Su Dan Novel Network
The more he experienced, the less he could bear to see such scenes.
"Yangzi, I understand what you're saying, but with Youtian the way he is, my heart aches."
"Youtian's wife, though she doesn't say it, is also bothered. A good man has been injured. He's the pillar of this family."
"Youtian can't work, and the family has to feed two more mouths with us. How can we live like this?"
As Qin Kaiyun spoke, her eyes reddened, and she wiped away tears.
Her younger brother, Qin Youtian, was beaten like this for her. How could she not feel terrible?
"Life will go on. Sister Kaiyun, I came today precisely to invite you to do business with me. We'll do some small business, which will definitely be better than earning work points at home."
"Come, let's go inside and see Youtian. While we're there, we can discuss this matter with Youtian and his wife."
"Little Peach, come, Uncle will take you inside."
Chen Yang called out to Little Peach, who was hiding behind Qin Kaiyun. The little girl was sallow and thin, with yellow hair, clearly malnourished.
Why did elders call young girls "yellow-haired girls"? There was a reason. In the past, children had little to eat, and malnutrition causing yellow hair was common.
"I'll decoct the medicine and then go in."
"Little Peach, come inside with Uncle. It's cold outside."
Qin Kaiyun wiped the tears from her eyes, pulled her daughter out from behind her. A cold wind was blowing outside, and even with the stove lit, it felt quite chilly.
"Little Peach, don't be scared. Uncle has candy. Here, have some candy."
Chen Yang took out a White Rabbit toffee from his pocket. A father always had some snacks hidden away, a silent understanding among men.
"Thank you, Uncle."
The little girl shyly took the candy. At least she wasn't as scared as before.
Chen Yang didn't force her. After all, the little girl had only met him a few times. What surprised him most was that.
Little Peach unwrapped the candy but didn't put it in her own mouth. Instead, she held it to Qin Kaiyun's lips.
"Mommy, eat candy."
The little girl's tender voice sounded in Chen Yang's ears. Looking at the obedient and sensible Little Peach, his heart ached.
"Mommy doesn't want it. Candy is for children. Little Peach, you eat it."
The tears Qin Kaiyun had just wiped away, could no longer be held back and streamed down again.
"Uncle has more here. Give your mom a piece, and you eat the rest."
Chen Yang took out a few more candies from his pocket and put them into the little girl's hand. The girl placed one piece in Qin Kaiyun's palm and then toddled into the house.
"Uncle, eat candy. It won't be bitter after eating candy and taking medicine."
The tender childish voice echoed from inside the house, reminding Chen Yang of the time he was hospitalized after an injury. Little Peach and Chen Hao had also given him their favorite snacks.
What good children.
"Sister Kaiyun, I'm going to see Youtian."
Chen Yang entered the house and saw Qin Youtian lying on the bed, his face pale and looking very weak.
"Why is the window open on such a cold day?"
Chen Yang walked over, intending to close the window.
"Yangzi, don't close it. I feel suffocated, like I can't breathe."
Qin Youtian had injured his ribs, and his chest often felt stuffy. So, even though it wasn't warm yet, the window was open. The wind blew in, and although it was cold, he felt a sense of freshness.
"Sister-in-law, why is my cousin looking so bad? Has he eaten anything nutritious?"
Chen Yang glanced at the bedside. There was only a thermos bottle, nothing else.
He seemed to be getting tired and weak even after just a few words.
"What nutrition? The family has two more mouths to feed, and we're barely making ends meet. How can we afford nutrition?"
"Wife, don't say that. Now you're not letting my sister go back to her parents' home. Where will she and Little Peach go? She's a woman with a child..."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Qin Youtian coughed violently before he could finish his sentence.
"Youtian, don't get agitated. Drink some water, drink some water."
Seeing his condition, Chen Yang quickly poured a cup of water for Qin Youtian using the enamel mug on top of the thermos.
"Sister-in-law, here's two hundred yuan. Take it. Tomorrow, go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some malted milk essence and brown sugar for my cousin, and some fine grain. He needs to recover properly from this injury."
"If you feel unwell anywhere, go to the hospital and let the doctor see him. If the money isn't enough, come to my place and say so. Don't leave any hidden ailments. Youtian is only in his early twenties, and this is just the beginning."
Chen Yang looked at his cousin, who was around the same age as him, and felt a knot in his heart.
When they were children wearing split pants, they had played together. Now Qin Youtian lay in bed, looking more than ten years older than him.
"Cousin, this is wonderful. I thank you on behalf of Youtian. Youtian has suffered a lot these days, and it's my fault for not being able to take good care of him. I'll go buy some nutritional supplements for him right away."
Qin Youtian's wife took the money, a smile appearing on her face. She quickly ran out of the room.
"Yangzi, this money..."
"Youtian, we are brothers. You just focus on recovering. I originally wanted to talk to you about doing business, but now you can't. We'll talk about it after you've recovered."
"Sister Kaiyun, hurry up and bring the decocted medicine in. Just in time, I'll discuss this with you."
Chen Yang could see that Qin Youtian was still very protective of his sister. However, torn between his wife and his injured body,
he was also in pain and torment!
To change the situation in his brother-in-law's family, it was still necessary for his cousin Qin Kaiyun to step up and earn money.
If she could earn money, she could not only support herself and Little Peach but also contribute some money to Qin Youtian's medical expenses.
It wasn't that Chen Yang was unwilling to give money. He had said that if Qin Youtian needed money for his medical treatment, his wife should just come to his place and ask, and he would definitely help.
However, Qin Kaiyun felt extremely guilty because Qin Youtian had been injured for her. If she could earn money herself and give it, she would feel much better.
Moreover, if she could earn money, honestly, her position in this family wouldn't be so awkward.
"Youtian, drink your medicine. It's a bit hot. Sister will blow on it for you."
Hearing Chen Yang's words, Qin Kaiyun also quickly brought in the medicine. While she was feeding Qin Youtian, Chen Yang also spoke.
"Sister Kaiyun, I plan to take you to Jinling to do some small business. You can follow me to sell radios, and I'll give you a commission for each one sold."
"This way, you can also earn some money to support yourself and Little Peach. You can even bring the little one to the shop, so there's no one to look after her."
Qin Kaiyun, a woman, couldn't manage a breakfast shop alone. Letting her be a distributor was feasible. This was also equivalent to Chen Yang helping her earn money.
"I... I'm just a village woman who only went to primary school. Can I do it?"
Qin Kaiyun listened to Chen Yang's words, feeling a little flustered. She knew her cousin meant well and was helping her, but the more sincerely Chen Yang helped her, the more she feared she would fail and cause trouble for him.
"Women hold up half the sky. What's wrong with being a village woman? Who says women can't do business or earn money to support the family?"
"Don't worry, this will be fine. I'll be there to guide you."
...
ps: I've been experiencing writer's block recently, finding it difficult to know what to write. The story has reached a bottleneck, and I'm unsure how to proceed. Do you have any suggestions?
Please leave comments for me to consider. I will organize the outline and resume stable updates as soon as possible.