Shen Xue felt a little more at ease watching Chen Yang, who had been reading for an entire afternoon without moving.
Despite Chen Yang earning so much money, she wasn't particularly happy. Instead, she felt more anxious. After all, in this era, having money wasn't necessarily a good thing. If her grandfather hadn't had the foresight to donate the winery to the state early on, it was debatable whether their family would have anything now.
However, as long as Chen Yang got into university, he could return to the city and wouldn't have to spend his life as a farmer in Shenjiaba Village. This was something Shen Xue was certain of.
"Chen Yang, it's time to eat. I've steamed some buns and boiled some red date congee."
Shen Xue cut a small plate of pickled radishes. Although she had only boiled red date congee once, both the little one and she had fallen in love with the taste. Adding a few raisins made it even more delicious.
Hearing Shen Xue's voice, Chen Yang finally emerged from his immersive study state. He stretched his limbs and then walked out of the room.
"What's wrong with Yan Yan? She's not up for dinner yet."
He glanced over; the little one wasn't by the small table. Usually, at meal times, the child would be hovering around, especially for the red date congee she loved so much. Yet, she was still asleep in her little bed. Chen Yang instinctively felt something was wrong.
"Yan Yan played for a while this afternoon, so I put her to sleep. Afterwards, I tidied up the donkey cart and cooked. I didn't pay much attention."
As Chen Yang asked, Shen Xue also put down her chopsticks. Normally, the little one was full of energy. At just over two years old, she was at an age where she loved to move, and rarely slept for an entire afternoon.
"Yan Yan, wake up and drink some congee. Mama cooked your favorite red date congee."
Chen Yang pinched the little one's cheek. The child only whimpered.
"Baba, hot, want to sleep."
The little one mumbled, her eyes still closed. Chen Yang's feeling that something was wrong intensified.
"Oh no, Yan Yan has a fever."
Chen Yang touched the little one's forehead. It was burning hot!
"She was fine this afternoon. How did she suddenly get a fever?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Xue rushed over and took the little one into her arms, pressing her cheek against the child's forehead. Indeed, she had a fever.
However, she didn't notice that Chen Yang's entire body trembled, nearly making him fall to the ground.
He thought of something terrifying!
He had thought he had been reborn, and as long as he took good care of Shen Xue and the little one, nothing would happen again. But now, looking at the feverish child, Chen Yang started to panic!
"Let's go, hurry to the hospital!"
Chen Yang directly slung the bag of money he earned from selling fish over his shoulder, preparing to go and get the donkey cart.
Shen Xue looked at the rushing Chen Yang. She hadn't expected him to have such a strong reaction to their daughter falling ill.
"Let's go to the team leader's house first and find Old Wu the bone-setter. Let him prescribe some medicine for Yan Yan."
However, Shen Xue didn't think too much of it. When a child is sick, anyone would be anxious.
"No, we're going to the county hospital. If the county hospital isn't enough, we'll go to the city hospital."
But Chen Yang grabbed her hand. His grip was so strong that Shen Xue felt a sharp pain in her palm.
"Yan Yan probably caught a chill last night because she wasn't covered by the blanket. She'll be fine after some medicine. It's not that serious, don't be nervous."
Shen Xue couldn't understand why Chen Yang was so anxious. It was just a common cold. The little one had caught colds before, and Old Wu had always treated them.
"To the county hospital, let's go now. I'll drive the donkey cart. This is not up for discussion."
But Chen Yang's attitude was unusually firm! He didn't trust Old Wu; he had to take the child to a professional doctor!
Ignoring Shen Xue's confusion, he directly picked up Shen Xue, who was holding the little one, and put them on the donkey cart. He grabbed a blanket from home and immediately drove the donkey cart towards the county town.
Only Chen Yang knew that it was because the little one got sick that Shen Xue had suffered from chronic illness and eventually passed away in his previous life. And the reason the little one became so seriously ill was due to a minor cold that, with delayed treatment, led to severe pneumonia. Children have weak immune systems to begin with, and in rural areas at the time, minor colds were rarely treated at major hospitals; at most, they would get cold medicine from the village barefoot doctor. This was where the problem lay. While the village barefoot doctor, Old Wu, had treated many headaches and fevers, a child's constitution is different from an adult's. The little one's constitution was already frail, and Old Wu's treatment was ineffective, causing the minor cold to develop into pneumonia. In that era, with the medical conditions, it was not easy to cure pneumonia. The medical expenses incurred would also be beyond the means of ordinary people, which led to Shen Xue eventually selling blood to pay for the little one's treatment, but accidentally contracting an infection and tragically dying from the illness! Even though the little one wasn't sick at this time in his previous life, Chen Yang dared not gamble! He absolutely could not allow even the slightest risk to occur to the little one.
"Chen Yang, stop whipping the donkey, it's already running very fast."
"It's just a little cold, it's not that serious, don't worry."
All the way, Chen Yang was anxiously whipping the donkey. Shen Xue looked at Chen Yang, who was completely different from his usual self, and felt a sense of unease. She couldn't understand why Chen Yang was acting as if a major disaster had occurred over a mere fever in their daughter.
"You know nothing!"
"If anything happens to Yan Yan and you, I couldn't make up for it even if I died a hundred times."
Although he knew Shen Xue was worried about him being too anxious, Chen Yang couldn't hold back. He was too afraid of tragedy repeating itself, and for the first time, he yelled at Shen Xue.
Shen Xue looked at Chen Yang, veins bulging on his forehead, and was stunned. For some reason, she felt a wave of grievance. Had he been pretending all these days? Was he still the same old him, prone to losing his temper with them?
As soon as he shouted, Chen Yang knew he had made a mistake. He knew what had happened in the future, so he was nervous, but to Shen Xue, it was just a minor cold, and she naturally couldn't understand his actions. Especially when she saw her eyes instantly redden, and tears of grievance welling up, his heart felt as if it were being stabbed.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Xue'er, I didn't mean to yell at you."
"Yan Yan is still too young. If a fever isn't treated promptly, and it develops into pneumonia, the consequences are unimaginable."
"I really can't afford to lose you and Yan Yan again. I can't take the gamble."
Chen Yang held Shen Xue and the little one tightly in his embrace. Feeling the warmth of his embrace, Shen Xue felt a little better.
"I know you're worried about Yan Yan. I'm her mother, Yan Yan is a piece of my flesh. I care about her even more than you do."
"If you have something to say, tell me properly. When have I not listened to you?"
In fact, after hearing Chen Yang's explanation, Shen Xue also felt a little uneasy. It was her first time being a mother, and she lacked experience. An adult catching a cold was nothing, but a child couldn't be compared to an adult. What if it really became serious and developed into pneumonia? She truly didn't know what to do. However, she still felt wronged by Chen Yang yelling at her. After all, what woman wouldn't want her husband to dote on her?
"I'm sorry Xue'er, I was too anxious. I was afraid you wouldn't take it seriously."
Chen Yang gently patted the woman's back in his arms and apologized sincerely. This matter couldn't be blamed on Shen Xue either; she was also anxious when the child was sick.
They rushed to the county hospital, and Chen Yang immediately took the child to the on-call emergency room. It was late at night, and he didn't know who to look for, so he could only go to the on-call emergency doctor.
"Yan Yan, Baba promises you'll be okay."
Looking at the little one's face, flushed red from the fever, Chen Yang's heart ached more than anyone's.