"No, no." The items were indeed tempting, but since his mother hadn’t told him to accept anything, Gao Weiguo really couldn’t take them.
"Then at least come inside and have a cup of hot water, Weiguo," Bai Jiu invited when she saw him refuse.
Gao Weiguo froze. "No, there’s no need." How could he not know what others didn’t? He didn’t dare step foot inside, knowing the Bai Family’s political background. It wouldn’t be good if his own family got dragged down with them.
"So just accept these, Weiguo," Bai Jiu said, placing the items directly onto his quilt. "Take the quilt back with you, and give it to Aunt Peng later." She couldn’t let him freeze on his way back.
It was indeed freezing outside, so Gao Weiguo didn’t stand on ceremony anymore. "Alright, I’ll give it to her when I get back."
Just as Gao Weiguo was about to leave, Bai Xingguo ran out of the house. He held a glass bottle in his hand—one that was clearly used for IV drips at the hospital.
"Here’s a bottle of hot water, Weiguo. Drink it on the way, or put it under the quilt to keep warm," Bai Xingguo said, stuffing the bottle straight into the quilt.
Since they were both men, there was no need to avoid physical contact. After handing it over, he picked up his things from the ground and headed back inside, not giving Gao Weiguo any chance to refuse.
Don’t underestimate a glass bottle; it was a precious item. Not just anyone had one. If someone in the family hadn’t been hospitalized recently, they wouldn’t even have it. They only had two at home, and giving one away actually made his heart ache a little.
As Bai Xingguo had expected, Gao Weiguo wanted to refuse, but the man had already gone back inside. Left with no way to decline, he could only drive the ox cart away.
As the son of the village production captain, he had known Bai Jiu’s background for a long time. However, his father had forbidden him from telling anyone, so no one else in Gaodui Village actually knew.
At the Bai Family home.
Since it wasn’t time to get off work yet, no one was home except for Father Bai, who was sick in bed.
"Father is in his room. Go check on him. I’ll boil some water to warm you up," Bai Xingguo said. That bottle he had given away contained the last bit of hot water from the thermos in their father’s room.
"Okay, Xingguo." Now that she was home, all of Bai Jiu’s inherited memories neatly clicked into place. She took the two children and entered Father Bai’s room.
"Father." Seeing the emaciated man lying on the heated brick bed, Bai Jiu felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart.
Father Bai was only forty-five or forty-six this year and stood over 1.8 meters tall. Yet now, lying under the yellowed, tattered quilt, he hardly looked human anymore.
Perhaps delirious from the fever, Father Bai seemed to hear his daughter’s voice. He opened his eyes wide, looking at the figure walking toward him. "Is that my Jiu’er?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Bai Jiu let go of the children’s hands and hurried to her old father’s side. "Father, it’s me. Your daughter came back to see you." She was deeply influenced by the original owner’s lingering emotions, but it was also because she yearned for this familial warmth and didn’t want to pull away.
When Bai Jiu held his hand, she could actually feel the shifting of his bones against her palm—a stark testament to how much weight he had lost. "Father, how long have you been sick?" Looking at the frail old man, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart.
Hearing his daughter’s response, a long-absent smile appeared on Father Bai’s haggard face. "I’m fine. Dad is fine. Don’t worry, and don’t cry." He tried to lift his hand to wipe the tears from her face, but unfortunately, the illness had drained every ounce of his strength. He couldn’t even manage that simple gesture.
"If you keep crying, you won’t be pretty anymore, and my Jiu’er loves being pretty the most," he coaxed. Seeing how much his daughter had changed pained him deeply. Yet, no matter how much it hurt, he didn’t regret the decision he had made. Keeping her at home would have only made her life even harder.
She knew these were just a father’s comforting words, but she simply couldn’t hold back her sorrow. "Have you taken any medicine, Father?" she asked, forcing a change of subject.
Father Bai still thought he was dreaming, so naturally, he wouldn’t discuss his illness.
"I’m fine, no need for medicine. How have you been lately? Are you getting used to life in Gaodui Village? Do you blame your mother and me for marrying you off to a country man?" She had always been his biggest worry.
He knew his daughter’s personality better than anyone else. She was quiet, gentle, and utterly lacked assertiveness. He had no idea how she was faring after marrying into that family.
The last time he saw her was during her postpartum confinement, though it was a pity he hadn’t been able to go into the room and actually see her face-to-face. He had, however, seen his grandson and granddaughter—two adorable children.
Quietly, Bai Jiu retrieved a packet of fever-reducing medicine from her spatial dimension. Of course, she made sure the two children didn’t notice. They were a bit scared of their grandfather and stood far away by the door, and Bai Jiu currently had no energy to tend to them.