https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-388-Aren-t-you-interested-in-money-/12965980/
Chapter 387: Mumps
Chapter 387: Mumps
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were sound asleep when a loud knock on their door startled them awake.
Li Xiuxian's voice called out, "Fourth Brother! Xia Xia!"
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were jolted awake by the commotion.
In the dimly lit room, Jiang Xia's voice, heavy with sleepiness, responded, "It's Second Sister."
"Mhm," Zhou Chenglei sat up, holding the blanket with one hand to keep the cold air from creeping into the bed, and said to Jiang Xia, "You keep sleeping. I'll go and see what's happening."
Jiang Xia nodded.
Zhou Chenglei got out of bed, quickly put on his clothes, and noticed the light was on in the living room through the door crack, so he didn't turn on the room light to avoid the glare in Jiang Xia's eyes.
After getting dressed, he opened the door and asked, "What's the matter, Second Sister?"
"Yingying has a fever, and her body is burning up. Can we borrow your motorcycle to take her to the clinic? Where are your keys?"
Fortunately, she had asked her daughter to sleep with them that night, fearing she might kick off her blanket. Otherwise, if she had been sleeping with Zhou Zhou, they wouldn't have known about her fever.
Zhou Chenglei replied, "I'll go with Second Brother to take Yingying to the town clinic."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiuxian said, "Alright, then you push the motorcycle out first, and I'll get Yingying dressed."
"Mhm," Zhou Chenglei acknowledged, closing the room door and putting on his pants for going out. He spoke to Jiang Xia, "Yingying has a fever. Second Brother and I will take her to town. You keep sleeping, no need to wait for me."
"Okay, be careful riding the motorcycle. Put on an extra layer, wear your down jacket! It's cold at night."
Zhou Chenglei had intended to grab a thin jacket but, after her suggestion, opted for a down jacket instead, "I've put on the down jacket. Don't worry, go back to sleep."
"Mhm."
Zhou Chenglei finished dressing, took the motorcycle keys from the sideboard, and left, closing the door behind him.
In the living room, Zhou Mu had also been awakened by the commotion. She went to check on Zhou Ying in the opposite room, concerned that she might have mumps.
Even if it wasn't mumps, fevers were highly contagious. In the past, whenever one of the Guang Zong Yao Zu brothers got a fever, the other three would inevitably catch it too, and sometimes even the adults would fall ill.
Seeing Zhou Chenglei fully dressed, she said, "You stay here. Let Second Brother and Second Sister go. Yingying might have mumps. Don't let her infect you, and then you might infect Xia Xia. She can't afford to get mumps right now."
Zhou Chenglei recalled Doctor Gao's advice to Jiang Xia to keep warm and avoid fevers and colds, as they could affect the fetus's development.
"Alright, I'll push the motorcycle out first."
Zhou Chenglei went to push the motorcycle.
At that moment, Zhou Chensen emerged, holding Zhou Ying.
Her face was flushed red from the fever.
Zhou Mu spoke to her son, "Ah Sen, Yingying might have mumps. You and Ah Xian take her to the clinic. I'll tell Ah Lei not to come. Xia Xia is in a special situation right now, and she can't take any medication. If Yingying has mumps, you two shouldn't come back for a couple of days. Stay in town until she recovers, then return. Zhou Zhou and Xia Xia are at home, and it would be troublesome if they get infected. If you need to work and want me to take care of Yingying, just call, and I'll come to town to look after her."
Li Xiuxian's face darkened upon hearing this.
How could she declare Yingying had mumps without even seeing a doctor? And she didn't want them to return home? Was this how she intended to be a grandmother?
Zhou Chensen understood; there was a child and a pregnant woman in the family, and an infection would be problematic for anyone.
Moreover, he recalled Zhou Mu mentioning that Jiang Xia had a weak constitution and often ran a fever after returning from the sea, which was why the fourth brother had found some sea cucumbers to nourish her health.
He hadn't planned to trouble anyone else, and Ah Lei was going out to sea the next day.
"Okay, Ah Xian and I will take Yingying. We won't come back tonight. You lock the courtyard gate. If Yingying has mumps, I won't return tomorrow either. I'll come back after she recovers."
Then he turned to Li Xiuxian, "Put on an extra layer, hold Yingying, and I'll ride the motorcycle."
Li Xiuxian went straight to the room to put on her coat.
Zhou Chenglei walked in and asked, "Do you know how to drive?"
"Yes, I learned a long time ago," she replied.
Zhou Chenglei handed her the keys, saying, "Be careful on the road, and don't rush."
Li Xiuxian put on her thick coat and walked out.
Zhou Chensen took the keys, "Okay, you two go back to sleep! We'll take Yingying to see the doctor first."
So the couple hurriedly rode the motorcycle to take Zhou Ying to the doctor.
Zhou Chenglei washed his hands and face, changed his clothes, and then returned to bed.
"Does Yingying have mumps?" Jiang Xia also overheard their conversation.
"I see that her left cheek is a little swollen. Don't worry, many children get this. Go to sleep, Second Brother and Second Sister will take good care of Yingying," Zhou Chenglei said as he held her in his arms.
"Hmm."
The next day, Zhou Chenglei still had to go out to sea, and this was the time when he felt the most tired. They both fell asleep quickly.
In Town
Zhou Chensen and Li Xiuxian took Zhou Ying to the doctor, got her treated, and returned home around three in the afternoon.
Zhou Chensen fed his daughter medicine, carried her back to the room, and put her on the bed. She took off her coat, covered her with a blanket, and then found a pen without ink. He turned the pen upside down and wrote the character 'Tiger' on his daughter's face.
His nephew had mumps when he was little, and Zhou Chensen had seen his mother do the same thing. His mother had just reminded him of this, saying it would help her recover faster.
Li Xiuxian scoffed, "You actually believe that?"
"What's to believe or not believe? When Wen Zu was little and had mumps, my mother did the same thing, and the swelling went down the next day," Zhou Chensen explained.
Although it was a bit superstitious, there was no harm in listening to the elders, especially since they weren't suggesting any dangerous remedies.
"That's true. Your mother's words are like a prophecy. She said Yingying had mumps, and indeed she did," Li Xiuxian agreed.
Zhou Chensen glanced at her, "Why are you being so weird? Last time, when my colleague's son had mumps, I told you about it, and you mentioned that many children at the school had mumps recently. This disease is contagious, and it's likely that all the schools in the village have it. Isn't it normal for my mother to guess that?"
After saying this, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands and face, and then returned to the room to sleep.
After a restless night, he was tired, and as he was about to fall asleep, Li Xiuxian came back to bed and nudged him, asking, "Are you going back to sea tomorrow?"
Zhou Chensen replied, "No, I can't go with Yingying having a fever. I'll go next week."
"Yingying's fever is not your fever. Why can't you go to sea? I can take care of her at home."
Another week of waiting, and the boat they bought would have been sitting there for three weeks!
In three weeks, they had only made a few dozen yuan!
Didn't he hear Tian Caixia say that Zhou Chenglei had been earning over a thousand yuan every day he went out to sea these past few days?
Their boat money had been earned back, and they hadn't even made the change!
Zhou Chensen said, "I'm worried I might catch mumps and infect them, which would be troublesome."
Li Xiuxian asked, "Who are 'them'? Jiang Xia?"
Zhou Chensen sat up abruptly, "What are you talking about now?"
Li Xiuxian continued, "It's not like having a child is something new. Look how nervous your mother is! She doesn't even want us to go back! Someone who doesn't know might think you married a princess, and everyone has to cater to her."
Zhou Chensen said, "When you were pregnant with Yingying, Wen Yao had chickenpox and a high fever. You hid, didn't you? And when Wen Zu had mumps a couple of years ago, you took Yingying and hid. Why did you run back to your mother's house? Everyone could see how you were avoiding her!"
"You can do whatever you want, but others can't. I think it's not just Xia who's the princess; you want to be the empress dowager!" Zhou Chensen left the room after saying this.
Li Xiuxian sighed.
Thank you to all the readers who have supported with rewards and comments. Good night.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
