Smiling Tiger sighed. "Forget it. Those aren’t people we can afford to offend." If he wasn’t mistaken, that had been a gun.
If a mere woman was carrying something like that, who knew what the people backing her were capable of?
"Hurry up. Haul everything here back," he ordered his men. If Maotou’s gang found out, things could get ugly...
"Got it, Boss," his subordinate replied. The leader of the crew wasn’t stupid. If the boss was saying this, the woman definitely had forces behind her that they couldn’t afford to provoke.
Bai Jiu didn’t care what the people in the black market thought.
Once she reached a deserted area, she immediately stored the money in her dimension. She kept the ration coupons with the cash. There weren’t many coupons—just a small bundle—but it was enough for her future use. Then, she changed out of all her clothes. Even in the dead of winter, she had broken a sweat.
If Smiling Tiger had been there, he would have definitely slapped himself a few times. What he thought was a gun was actually just a dagger tucked into Bai Jiu’s waistband. When she had first bought things on autopilot, she had accidentally stashed it away. The hilt was indeed crafted to resemble a gun grip.
If she had known this little item would save her life, she probably would have built a shrine for it.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Bai Jiu went to the station and caught a bus back to town. It was now afternoon, and she had to hurry back to make dinner for the children.
She still had chickens in her dimension, so there was no need to buy any. She also took out some dried goods. It was just a pity that her large woven basket was gone. She would need to buy a new one when she got back to town.
When she returned to the hospital, Bai Jiu was carrying a lot of things. She had also taken out quite a few apples, ensuring there were at least enough for everyone to get one. These items weren’t worth much to her, but they were perfect for winning people over.
"Thank you so much, Sister Bai! Our lives have gotten so much better since you arrived," the nurses thanked her happily after receiving the gifts.
"Not at all, I’m the one who should be thanking you. If it weren’t for your care, Xiuxiu and Zhengyang wouldn’t have recovered so quickly." Because of their head injuries, Bai Jiu hadn’t dared to discharge the children too soon.
She had kept them recovering in the hospital. If they were an ordinary family, the doctors and nurses would have rushed them to leave long ago. After all, the hospital had many patients and few beds.
"It’s hardly our credit that Xiuxiu and Zhengyang recovered so fast. It’s all thanks to how well you nourish them, Sister Bai. Other people always lose a ton of weight when they’re hospitalized. Xiuxiu and Zhengyang are the only two patients I’ve seen in all my years working here who will be discharged chubbier than when they came in," joked the nurse in charge of the children.
On that point, truly no one could compare to Sister Bai. She was willing to let them eat well and wasn’t stingy about spending money on her children. Just looking at their meals, an ordinary family couldn’t afford to serve a whole chicken every day, let alone milk powder and other nutritional supplements.
She remembered hearing from Doctor Zhang once that Sister Bai had actually asked him to prescribe nutritional supplements for the kids. Those things were incredibly expensive! What other family was as generous as Sister Bai? Sometimes, the nurse even envied Xiuxiu and Zhengyang. Although her own parents treated her well, they had never gone to this extent.
"Children are a piece of their mother’s flesh; how could I not dote on them? Your parents love you very much too. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent you to school for so long and helped you get jobs at the hospital."
On this point, Bai Jiu genuinely respected the nurses’ parents. In her mind, sons and daughters were the same. If they became successful, they would be equally filial; there was no need to cling solely to sons.
"You don’t need to comfort us, Sister Bai. We all know how it is. Hurry back and see Xiuxiu and Zhengyang. The two little ones were just asking me if their mother had returned!" The plump nurse and the others were all smiles.
Sister Bai wasn’t just kind and generous; she was also a great conversationalist. No matter what they talked about, speaking with her always left them in a good mood. But no matter how much they enjoyed her company, they knew their boundaries. Her children were still waiting in the ward.
"Alright then, I won’t hold you up any longer. Could you help me give these to Doctor Zhang and Director Huang later? I won’t be heading over there." Bai Jiu placed the remaining apples on the nurses’ station for them to deliver on her behalf.
"No problem." The nurses were more than happy to run errands for her.
Returning to the ward, the two children immediately got out of bed and eagerly gathered around Bai Jiu, chattering away.
"Mom, why were you gone for so long? Were things hard to buy?"
"Mom, are you tired? Do you want Xiuxiu to give you a massage?"
The two children were so sensible that her heart ached for them, yet she deeply enjoyed their sweet concern.
"Mom isn’t tired. It’s just that the New Year is approaching, so things are harder to buy. That’s why Mom was out a bit longer. I’ve already asked the hospital kitchen to cook the chicken, and I’ll go fetch it in a bit. Are you hungry?"
She also had a small cloth bag in her hand, filled with the little snacks she had bought for them. There were puffed rice sticks, canned fruits, and more. With the New Year approaching, there were actually quite a few of these items available outside. Aside from the supplies in her dimension, she especially loved eating the food from this era, which was completely free of artificial additives. Since she was no longer short of ration coupons, she definitely wouldn’t let herself or her children go without.
"But don’t eat too much right now, or you won’t have room for the delicious chicken soup later."
After staying in the hospital for another three days, Bai Jiu finally brought the children home.
It was time for her to settle the score with the main culprit.
"Sister Bai, I really hate to see you go. But then again, it’s better if you never have to come back," the plump nurse sighed emotionally while helping Bai Jiu pack their belongings.
"Then, Sister Fang, are you really okay with letting me go?" Xiuxiu asked sourly upon hearing the nurse from Suzhou City—that is, the plump nurse—speak.
Nurse Fang’s heart melted at the little girl’s expression. She pulled her into a hug. "Oh, my little sweetie! Sister Fang will miss you the most. Don’t go getting sick anymore, alright? You really scared your mom this time."
Xiuxiu glanced at her mother. "Mm." She nodded vigorously. "I’ll never get sick again."
Xiuxiu had gained quite a bit of weight recently. She looked fair, tender, and so plump that anyone who saw her would want to pinch her cheeks.
"Haha, you said it!" Nurse Fang was highly amused by her adorable antics.
"I promise."
"I promise too," Zhengyang, who was helping pack on the side, chimed in with a serious expression.
He was more reserved than Xiuxiu, but after being so well-cared for by the nurses these past few days, he had reclaimed some of his childlike innocence. Bai Jiu didn’t care if her children grew up to be exceptionally successful or highly capable. She only wished for them to be safe and healthy. Therefore, she was delighted to see her children as happy as they were now.
"Alright, Xiuxiu, hop down from Sister Fang now. Our things are mostly packed. If you miss Sister Fang and the others, we can come visit them in the future, okay?" Bai Jiu coaxed, lifting Xiuxiu out of Nurse Fang’s arms and gently tapping the little girl’s nose.
"Mm, next time I’ll come visit Sister Fang and the others," the little girl agreed earnestly.
Bai Jiu finished packing everything up. Since they had been in the hospital for a while, there was quite a lot of stuff, though it wasn’t too heavy.
"Nurse Fang, thank you all so much for everything during this time. When I get the chance, I’ll treat you all to a meal," Bai Jiu said, conveying her genuine gratitude.
"Now you’re just acting like a stranger! It’s not like we didn’t receive plenty of perks from you, Sister Bai. You don’t need to treat us to a meal, but do remember to come visit me when you’re free next time." After spending so much time together, bonds had naturally formed. Nurse Fang had genuinely grown fond of this older sister figure.
"Not a problem," Bai Jiu agreed with a smile.