Two hours later, Aunt Liu’s son arrived at the hospital.
"Mom, Aunt Yang, Aunt Wang, thank you for taking care of my mother. I’ve taken time off work, and this time I’ll carefully choose a caregiver."
When the caregiver called him, he refused to believe his mother was being unreasonable. So, after taking leave and arriving at the hospital, he first asked the nurses for details. Once he understood the situation, he wasn’t about to let anyone take advantage of him.
Since the caregiver hadn’t properly looked after his mother, he naturally demanded his money back. Initially, he had hired the woman because she had recommended herself, boasting about her strength and ability to care for the elderly.
Who knew she would act one way in front of him and another behind his back?
"We’ll head off now," Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang said, not wanting to intrude on the mother and son’s conversation.
"Mom, why didn’t you say anything earlier?" Aunt Liu’s son gently wiped his mother’s hands.
"I didn’t want to bother you—I know you’re busy. I never expected her to be so awful."
"You didn’t even tell us when you fell and got hurt. You waited two days, thinking it wasn’t serious, but it only got worse."
Aunt Liu fell silent at her son’s words. She truly hadn’t realized things would turn out this bad.
The holiday came quickly. Following the children’s requests, Yang Yufen reinforced their pants with extra layers and packed their backpacks with their belongings. Then, Hu Jun and Shen Xianjun took the kids away.
"Mom, I’m heading to work too," Qin Nian said, watching the children leave before bidding Yang Yufen goodbye.
"Alright, go on," Yang Yufen waved her off.
With everyone gone, she grabbed her keys, hopped on her bicycle, and rode to her newly purchased house.
The furniture left behind by the previous owner was in good condition, especially the wooden pieces, though the original carvings had been worn away. Yang Yufen fetched water and a rag and began cleaning.
A lived-in house was undeniably different from an empty one—it took her only a day to tidy everything up.
The pavilions she had seen last time at the Summer Palace were truly beautiful. She also remembered Qin Nian mentioning a swing. Back then, she hadn’t had the time or energy for such things, but now she could indulge in them to pass the time.
Yang Yufen decided to spend the next few days exploring more of Beijing. With no meals to cook for the children and only a few egg-laying chickens at home—easy to care for with just extra feed—she had plenty of freedom.
Professor Wen fully supported her decision.
"I have free time too. I’ll go with you."
The phone rang sharply. Fan Juan, calling from her workplace, dialed directly into the research institute’s office line.
Qin Nian was summoned to answer. Recognizing Fan Juan’s voice, she immediately thought of the items she had requested.
"Hello?"
"Your things have arrived. Should I bring them to you, or will you come get them?" Fan Juan spoke between bites of her meal—time was tight.
"Bring them over. What time? I’ll meet you at the entrance."
"How about tonight? I actually have something to discuss with you too. Gotta go—more work to do."
After wolfing down the rest of her meal, Fan Juan grabbed her documents and hurried after her boss.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind howled through, snatching the papers from her hands. She scrambled to gather them.
Back in the residential compound, Yang Yufen heard the wind roaring and rushed outside to collect the laundry. The bamboo pole held firm, but the melons on the vine weren’t so lucky—they fell with a crack, splitting open on the ground.
Professor Wen stepped out to help but nearly got hit by a falling melon.
"Get back inside!" Yang Yufen urged.
Yang Yufen quickly ushered the person inside.
“How did such strong wind suddenly pick up?”
Professor Wen couldn’t help but feel a little frightened by the noise.
It sounded like even the roof tiles were being blown loose.
“It might be a heavy rain coming. This year’s been unbearably hot, and right now is the busiest time for farming. If a downpour hits and the harvested grain isn’t covered in time, it’ll probably sprout.”
Yang Yufen couldn’t help but worry, hoping the rain would only fall in a few areas.
The light outside the windows dimmed almost instantly, followed by a loud pitter-patter.
“This rain seems a bit too heavy, doesn’t it?”
Professor Wen sounded uneasy.
Yang Yufen also sensed something odd and cracked the door open to look—hail was falling outside, the size of glass marbles, and growing larger by the minute.
“Oh no, it’s hailing! The vegetables in the yard—”
Yang Yufen slapped her thigh in frustration.
“What? Hail? Don’t you dare go out for a few vegetables! Good heavens, hailstones this big—shut the door tight! If one of those hits your head, it could kill you!”
Professor Wen quickly pulled Yang Yufen back inside.
Listening to the sound of roof tiles cracking under the hail, Yang Yufen’s heart ached. Then she thought of the children.
After about ten minutes, the noise on the roof gradually subsided, but the temperature inside the house had dropped noticeably. Yang Yufen dug out two thick coats, and they both put them on.
When she opened the door to look outside, even though she’d braced herself, the sight still pained her.
“The vegetables are all ruined. I’ll check on the chicken coop in the back,” Yang Yufen said to Professor Wen.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, there’s only one pair of rain boots.”
Yang Yufen stopped her and hurried to the backyard.
The chicken coop, covered with wooden planks, had survived the hail, but the chickens were shivering from the cold. Yang Yufen used a shovel to clear the hail away, then took out some stored tarpaulin to cover the coop and keep the chickens warm.
Since the vegetables would freeze and spoil if left unharvested, Yang Yufen decided to pick them all.
The damaged tomatoes could still be made into preserves, and whatever couldn’t be eaten would go to the chickens.
“Sister Wang, are you home? Is everything alright over there?” Yang Yufen called out to the neighbor.
“We’re fine, just scared the children a bit,” Aunt Wang replied promptly.
“Good. I’ve got some spare roof tiles at home. Once I fix my roof, I’ll come check on yours. Do you have any extras?”
Yang Yufen was already carrying a ladder, ready to climb up.
“Yes, but be careful! I’ll come help you in a bit.”
Aunt Wang soothed Miaomiao while Yaoyao stayed inside, the two little girls huddled under a quilt.
Hearing the commotion, Professor Wen also came out to assist.
Tile-roofed houses always kept spare tiles for repairs. As Yang Yufen climbed onto the roof and surveyed the devastation, she sighed.
At least it was still afternoon—if this had happened at night, fixing the roof would’ve been impossible.
“We probably don’t have enough tiles at home.”
Yang Yufen prioritized the worst spots, spacing the remaining tiles wider to stop leaks for now. She’d replace them properly once she could buy more.
Right now, even the supply depot wouldn’t have enough tiles to go around. Waiting for their help would take too long—better to handle it themselves.
This was when the advantages of living in an apartment building showed—no need to fear storms like this, and in winter, no backbreaking snow shoveling either.
When Army Commander Liao arrived with his men, he saw that Yang Yufen and the other family had nearly finished repairing the roof. He left them some additional tiles before leading his team to assist elsewhere.
