Chapter 65: Discharged
In the end, Zhang Hongqiang was still pinned to the sofa by Comrade Huang Guixiang and taken a feather duster to his backside.
Heh~
He had been eating and drinking so well these past few days that the boy had packed on some meat; even his backside had become springy!
“The good news is, your son-in-law helped rent a courtyard house over in Guihua Lane.”
“We can move straight over.”
“Old Zhang, on Sunday you bring a few of your apprentices to lend a hand. We’ll move everything over in one single trip!”
Zhang Aimin: “!!!!”
“Why throw away money on a rented house?”
“There’s space to live at home, isn’t there? This money needs to be saved. Down the road, Wanwan and the boy will have children, and raising kids is exceptionally expensive!”
Huang Guixiang scoffed, “If we don’t rent a house, are we really supposed to stay here and let people wag their tongues behind our backs?”
Zhang Aimin smiled sheepishly, “Haven’t we already split the household?”
“Can that house be returned?”
Lin Wan quickly cut in, “Uncle Zhang, it can’t be returned. Returning it would be a loss!”
“He’s a military officer, so he gets preferential policies for everything in the local sectors.”
“The military also provides a housing subsidy!”
“If he doesn’t rent a house, he won’t get the subsidy.”
“Besides, the rent is half the price of renting normally through the Housing Management Office!”
“Rest assured, renting this house is a guaranteed win with zero losses!”
“But you can’t spread this around.”
“To outsiders, just say the house was arranged by him and we don’t know anything else!”
Zhang Aimin was instantly hoodwinked by Lin Wan. He then asked embarrassedly, “But that would be Wanwan and Little Huo’s bridal home. Is it… is it appropriate for me to move in too?”
Huang Guixiang: “I’m not at ease letting Wanwan live alone, so I’m absolutely moving in to accompany her. If you feel too embarrassed, then don’t come!”
Zhang Aimin shook his head repeatedly. There was no way he was separating from his wife.
Huang Guixiang added, “Once we move over, the apartment in the factory family compound will still be ours. When Little Huo comes back, we’ll return to the family compound to stay.”
“Of course, you and Hongqiang also need to go back and sleep there every few days.”
“Otherwise, if we stay away for too long, someone might just pry the lock open and occupy the place, and then there will be an endless mess to deal with later!”
Zhang Aimin nodded in succession.
Lin Wan stayed in the hospital for three more days. After all, she was supposed to have a concussion; discharging herself the moment she secured the house would look far too calculated.
Meanwhile, Big Sister Gao’s relationship with Lin Wan shot up like a rocket. Comrade Lin Wan was incredibly loyal—every item she spared for her was significantly cheaper than black market prices! Furthermore, her mother worked at the supply and marketing cooperative. Lin Wan had even promised to secure flawed fabric and Dacron cloth for her!
When Lin Wan was discharged, she felt somewhat reluctant to let her go. It would be so wonderful if Comrade Lin Wan could just stay hospitalized forever…
Phooey, phooey, phooey!
Stop right there! That kind of thought is highly uncalled for!
Over these last three days, the comrades from the Tuanjie Office also came to visit her. The cadres’ ward thoroughly awed them. Comrade Lin Wan’s background was far from simple! She had actually secured a stay in a cadres’ ward! They had to stay on her good side! Absolutely had to stay on her good side!
When Lin Wan and Big Sister Gao went to process the discharge paperwork, they spotted Xu Hui. Xu Hui’s face was fully covered in injuries, and she was being pushed in a wheelchair to undergo examinations…
“What on earth happened to her?” Lin Wan’s curiosity flared up intensely. She hurriedly went to ask a nurse sister in the inpatient department.
By now, she was on exceptionally good terms with the nurses in the Third Hospital’s inpatient department. The nurses all knew she had a mother who was a supply and marketing cooperative salesclerk! To expand her business, Lin Wan seized every single opportunity to advertise!
The nurse sister immediately dished out the gossip in a low voice: “I heard that a few days ago, she had a massive fight with her family and bolted out in the dead of night, only to get thrashed by someone.”
Lin Wan: “…” Isn’t she the female lead? Where is the female lead aura? Could it be that an antagonist piece of baggage like herself had thoroughly crushed her female lead aura to pieces?
Big Sister Gao wore a face full of gossip. “A young girl running out alone in the dead of night—was she just thrashed, or was she…” Her words trailed off halfway.
The nurses were actually gossiping too: “Who knows? She only allowed them to examine her hands and feet; she wouldn’t let them inspect any other places…”
Lin Wan quickly cut them off: “Let’s drop the subject. Her family has someone in office. If some nasty rumor spreads around later, that unreasonable mother of hers might just report you all for defamation.”
Hearing this, the nurses quickly shut their mouths.
Lin Wan also strictly instructed Big Sister Gao not to spout absolute nonsense: “Xu Hui’s mother is truly far from a submissive, simple character. Big Sister Gao, you must absolutely never let yourself get entangled by her!”
For some unknown reason, Lin Wan harbored a subtle, ominous presentiment.
“Big Sister Gao, I’ll treat you to a meal another day. I’ll head back first!”
Big Sister Gao waved her hand at her. “Go rest up properly. The leadership approved three days of sick leave for you. Tomorrow is Sunday, and Sundays don’t count, so you don’t have to return to work until Thursday!”
“Rest assured, your perfect attendance won’t be docked!”
Lin Wan smiled radiantly. “Awesome! Big Sister Gao, you must have spoken up for me. Thank you so much!”
Big Sister Gao beamed a massive smile. “We’re sisters, don’t mention it! Little Lin, rest up properly!”
Returning to the machinery factory family compound, the neighbors spotted her and asked immediately, “Oh, Little Lin is back! We heard you were thrashed into a concussion by someone?”
Zhang Hongqiang, who was carrying the bags, flushed crimson with pure rage. “What’s the matter? Are you rare a concussion? How about I give your family’s Dongzi a try then!”
The auntie rolled her eyes. “You child, how dare you speak like that!”
Lin Wan said with a beaming smile, “Auntie Jia, I indeed was thrashed into a concussion. Are you curious about what a concussion feels like?”
Auntie Jia nodded. “Yes, why don’t you tell this auntie what it tastes like?”
Lin Wan rolled up her sleeves. “It’s hard to say, let me deliver one to you, and you’ll know the moment I strike!”
Auntie Jia was thoroughly choked. Seeing her suffer a setback, the surrounding neighbors instantly erupted into a roar of laughter.
Auntie Wu squeezed through the crowd, shielding Lin Wan as they headed upstairs. She asked with deep concern, “Wanwan, how are you doing? Are you feeling a bit better?”
“I kept saying I wanted to come visit you, but your mom wouldn’t allow it and refused to tell me which hospital you were staying in.”
Lin Wan smiled, “Auntie Wu, I only discharged myself after I had thoroughly recovered.”
Auntie Wu let out a sigh of relief. “It’s good that you’re fine! By the way, your mom entrusted me to stew some chicken soup for you, stewed with chestnuts. Head home to rest first, and I’ll bring it over to you in a bit.”
“Your mom won’t clock off until evening, so she told you not to wait for her for dinner!”
“Oh my, your mom truly is blessed now—she’s a glorious salesclerk! She really brought immense face to us old women in the family compound!”
Auntie Wu was on excellent terms with Huang Guixiang. Now that Huang Guixiang had secured such a spectacular job, she was genuinely happy for her—unlike the others who acted sour to her face and harbored deep envy behind her back.
Lin Wan lowered her voice to say to Auntie Wu, “Later on, if you ever want anything or run short on items, just tell my mom and have her keep an eye out for defective goods for you.”
Hearing this, Auntie Wu was incredibly delighted. The immense benefit of a good sister having a spectacular job was perfectly manifested right here! Over the past few days, Guixiang had been at the hospital looking after Wanwan, so she hadn’t found the time to bring this matter up. Lin Wan proactively raising it made her feel exceptionally comforted in her heart.
The chicken soup Auntie Wu stewed was remarkably delicious. After eating her fill, Lin Wan took a solid nap and then began packing their things. The bedding on the bed didn’t need to be packed, just in case they needed to return to stay for a few days.
In the evening, when the others returned, they all showered her with a wave of superficial concern. Not a single person mentioned the matter of moving.
The next day, Zhang Aimin’s three apprentices arrived pushing three flatbed carts. The couples from the first and second branches were completely dumbfounded.
“Wait, Dad, what do you mean by this?”
Zhang Aimin lifted his eyelids and cast a cool, flat glance at his two sons. “Moving.” Did they lack eyeballs to see it themselves? “Lend a hand!”
The two sons were turned into pure manual labor.
Yet, after they hauled everything over to the small courtyard house, who could have guessed that the courtyard gate would be completely blocked?
