Chapter 97: Cold worsens

Lin Xinyuan hurriedly finished her meal, and at her mother’s insistence, she drank a bowl of soup before slipping away immediately.

Everyone kept talking about her situation, and since she was right there, no one would feel comfortable…

But she didn’t leave entirely; instead, she quietly went up to the terrace.

Although this was only her second time here, she still had some impression of the place.

Her grandfather’s old house was only one story tall, with an open ceiling in the main hall.

From upstairs, she could directly see the elders eating below.

Lin Xinyuan squatted behind the railing, scrolling through her phone while listening to the conversation downstairs.

Fortunately, the phone signal was full strength at her grandfather’s house; otherwise, she wouldn’t know what to do here and would definitely be bored out of her mind.

She had already felt her phone vibrating non-stop during the meal.

Looking at the green chat bubbles, it wasn’t that annoying Huang guy sending messages… but Chen Ze complaining again in the Dormitory Group!

She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, then suddenly blinked and shook her head.

“What… what’s wrong with me? Why am I thinking about that guy again…”

“Annoying…”

Muttering absentmindedly, Lin Xinyuan chalked it up to boredom.

Opening the Dormitory Group to check the messages, it seemed like Chen Ze and Yu Xiaowei had made some progress, which was why he was so excited.

Both Chen Ze and Yu Xiaowei were locals from Tianbei, even from the same district, so it wasn’t strange for them to meet.

Chen Ze was now bragging about his “victory” from yesterday.

Lin Xinyuan wasn’t very interested in this and only glanced a few times before going back to reading her novel…

The meal downstairs went on for a long time.

Just when she was about to give up on hearing any news about her mother, the elders downstairs mentioned her again, followed immediately by her father.

A chill ran through her body, and Lin Xinyuan suddenly perked up, listening carefully — only to be disappointed…

She overheard them talking about how her father had driven her out of the house.

In the end, her grandmother cursed a few times and seemed like she wanted to say more, but was stopped by her grandfather: “Enough, it’s all in the past!”

Downstairs, her grandfather whispered and subtly pointed upstairs.

Everyone looked up.

Behind the railing was a small, curled-up figure — who else but Lin Xinyuan!

Her grandmother immediately fell silent, and her mother only just realized that her daughter was hiding up here.

She had thought Lin Xinyuan was inside her room.

“Xinyuan, what are you doing up there? Come down now!”

“Ah… okay…” Hearing her mother’s voice startled Lin Xinyuan.

Realizing she had been discovered, she hurriedly stood and descended the stairs, feeling somewhat nervous.

“You child… you caught a cold and you’re up there in the cold wind?” Her mother put down her bowl, displeased and on the verge of scolding her but held back. “Either sit here or go back to your room!”

“Mm…”

Lin Xinyuan could only quietly return to her room.

The room was some distance from the dining table, and inside, she could barely hear the conversations outside.

Feeling reluctant, she moved closer to the door, but the talking had stopped.

It was quiet outside, with only a few indistinct snippets of conversation.

Well… no choice…

It seemed impossible to find out anything unless her mother or the others spoke about it themselves…

At the end of December, multiple hospitals in Jiang City reported several cases of Pneumonia Cases, but it didn’t seem to attract much attention.

People continued living at their own pace…

In the early morning countryside, the greenery was undiminished, shrouded in mist — the scene looked like immortals dwelling among the woods.

Inside the room, the girl gradually woke, staring at the ceiling with a somewhat dazed expression.

Her butterfly-wing-like eyelashes trembled slightly, still carrying the haze of just waking.

This was Lin Xinyuan’s first night at her grandmother’s house, sleeping in a strange bed in an unfamiliar place.

She was a little reluctant to get up and hadn’t slept well last night.

Thanks to her cold, which made her easily fatigued, she managed to fall asleep during the latter half of the night.

Slowly sitting up, she felt as if all the bones in her body were weak and soft.

Shaking her head, she realized the cold seemed worse than yesterday — she felt even more uncomfortable.

“It’s over… cough cough…” Lin Xinyuan muttered, covering her mouth as she coughed hoarsely.

Her mother’s prediction yesterday was true; her condition had worsened.

Now, she felt utterly powerless all over.

Weakly lying back down, she just felt so exhausted, her head throbbing faintly.

This feeling was unbearable.

She regretted being so stubborn yesterday…

Curling up under the warm quilt, her mind grew hazy again, and she had no desire to get up…

“Xinyuan? Are you up? It’s time to eat!”

Just then, a knock came at the door, accompanied by her mother’s voice from outside, instantly snapping Lin Xinyuan’s consciousness to alertness.

“Mom.”

“Cough cough cough…”

She wanted to answer but couldn’t muster the strength, her voice too faint to be heard.

Only her coughing reached outside.

Hearing this, her mother pushed the door open without hesitation and immediately saw the girl still lying in bed, coughing.

Her brows knitted tightly but she didn’t scold.

She firmly closed the door, walked to the bed, and placed her hand on Lin Xinyuan’s forehead.

Feeling guilty, Lin Xinyuan closed her eyes, afraid to look at her mother’s face.

After a moment, her mother’s rough but gentle hand slowly moved away.

Just as Lin Xinyuan was about to relax, that hand shifted to her neck.

“You, girl… the injury here is healed…” Her mother’s expression was helpless, “but your head’s turned dumb? I told you not to go catch the wind yesterday, and now it’s worse…”

Noticing her mother’s tone wasn’t angry, Lin Xinyuan slowly opened her eyes and met the look of concern mixed with reproach.

She felt a twinge of guilt but couldn’t bring herself to explain her actions.

After all, she didn’t know her mother’s true attitude yet.

Rushing to ask about the past might not yield any answers.

Moreover, judging by the elders’ behavior yesterday, she sensed they were avoiding the topic when it came to her…

“I… cough cough…” Lin Xinyuan tried to explain but fell silent.

The girl’s conflicted expression and flushed, delicate face stirred feelings of pity.

Her mother seemed to suspect something and began stroking the face that looked so much like her own, her gaze filled with thoughtfulness and hesitation.

“Xinyuan… do you… want to hear about it?”

Her mother’s sudden question startled the still-conflicted girl.

She was confused, unsure how her mother had guessed, and grew nervous.

“You? How do you know…”

Her mother shook her head and laughed softly, “You, girl, show almost everything on your face. It’s hard not to guess…”

Lin Xinyuan blushed instantly, her cheeks reddening.

Since becoming a girl, her emotions had been hard to control, and her face had become much more sensitive.

Before, she could at least watch certain movies without flinching…

“Mom… can I really ask?” Lin Xinyuan hesitated, afraid of stirring bad memories, “cough cough cough…”

“It’s fine, I’m almost forty years old. What could be so hard to get over? At worst, it just hurts a little.” Her mother smiled warmly, now certain what her daughter wanted to ask.

That’s right…

Only this matter could make a daughter, who had been treated that way since childhood, curious…

She didn’t intend to hide anything because deep down, she felt guilty toward her daughter…

After all these years, there was really nothing that couldn’t be faced.

“But… not now… don’t tell Xinyuan just yet…” Her mother gently patted Lin Xinyuan’s little head, her voice tender. “Let’s wait until tonight… For now, get up, wash, and eat, alright? I’ll take you to town for an injection later.”

Perhaps because of the emotional gap they had when Lin Xinyuan was young, her mother often spoke to her now in a coaxing tone, occasionally patting her head.

Although Lin Xinyuan found her mother’s actions and tone awkward, she had gradually gotten used to them over these past days.

“Okay…”

Though still conflicted inside, curiosity ultimately won out.

She desperately wanted to know why her mother had been that way before…

But she never imagined that, after only one day, her premonition would come true…