"Alright, wait here, I'll go get it for you right now."
Su Lang turned serious, "Zhilan, Mom's illness..."
Lin Zhilan pursed her lips and said, "Mom is getting older, and this illness has dragged on for a long time. It's basically impossible to cure completely, but it can be controlled so it won't just flare up out of nowhere like it did today. Mom will be able to live a bit more comfortably day to day."
"That would be wonderful," Su Lang gave her a grateful look.
Auntie Yu handed her the medical records and medicine. She hesitated, looking as if she wanted to say something, but after thinking for a moment, she held back. She just smiled and said, "You've been on the train for days, you must be tired. Go to your room and rest for a while. Comrade Lin, the room was decorated entirely according to Comrade Xu's wishes. Go see if you're satisfied with it. If anything isn't to your liking, I'll change it right away."
Lin Zhilan smiled, "Thank you, Auntie Yu. Just call me Zhilan. You and Mom have gone to so much trouble."
"It's nothing. I don't know much about decorating anyway; Comrade Xu handled it all herself."
Su Lang held out his hand, "I'll take you on a tour."
Auntie Yu was still right there, so Lin Zhilan rolled her eyes at him, swatted his hand away, and followed Auntie Yu into the room.
It had to be said, a lot of thought had really gone into it.
The room faced east and had a small balcony, allowing for excellent natural light.
There was a large bed, fully two meters wide, spread with bright red bedding and pillow towels. By the window sat a mahogany sofa and a coffee table, upon which rested a vase holding a single artificial flower.
Against the wall stood a mahogany wardrobe, flanked by a bookcase and a desk.
Arranged on top were Su Lang's old books, toys, and certificates of merit.
Auntie Yu led her into the room and then tactfully stepped out.
Lin Zhilan opened the wardrobe. Inside, winter coats, scarves, hats, padded jackets, cotton socks, and even underwear and feminine hygiene products were neatly hung and arranged.
Lin Zhilan gestured for Su Lang to come over. "Mom must have spent a lot of money getting all this for me, didn't she?"
Su Lang wrapped an arm around her waist. "Mom already bought it, so just use it."
Lin Zhilan smiled but didn't say anything.
Su Lang was her biological son, so he could say things like that, but she couldn't take it for granted.
She could only keep this kindness in her heart for now and make sure to be more attentive to Su Lang's parents in the future.
"Where are the kids?"
Su Lang opened another door in the room, which led directly into an adjoining room, making it a suite.
Xu Yueyun figured that since Linlin was still so young, it wouldn't be good for her room to be too far from her parents.
So she had cleared out this inner room specifically for Linlin.
For this, she had even repainted the entire room. Fearing the fresh whitewash would make the room damp, she had Auntie Yu bring in several stoves right after the painting was done, keeping them burning for several nights straight.
Then she put up wallpaper with little pink flowers, clearly prepared with a little girl in mind.
Jiang Chengzhou had his own separate room, which used to belong to Su Lang's eldest sister.
But right now, as soon as the door opened, Lin Zhilan immediately spotted two tiny figures on the bed.
Jiang Chengzhou and Linlin were lying shoulder to shoulder, sleeping soundly.
Neither child had their shoes taken off. Their little feet hung over the edge of the bed, their faces were flushed red, and the hair on their foreheads was damp with sweat.
"Su Lang, why didn't you take off their clothes before putting them to bed?"
Su Lang rubbed his nose. "I was afraid of waking them up."
"Even if they wake up, you have to take them off." Lin Zhilan stepped forward, slipping a handkerchief down her daughter's back to wipe her sweat. "Her undershirt is soaked with sweat. She'll definitely catch a cold when she wakes up."
Su Lang quickly stepped up to help. "I'll do it, I'll do it."
Lin Zhilan swatted him away. "Go get a clean towel and wipe Chengzhou down."
Jiang Chengzhou was a heavy sleeper. He didn't wake up even after being moved around a bit; he just mumbled a few words and fell back asleep.
Linlin, however, woke up.
She groggily opened her eyes, saw her mother in front of her, and broke into a wide smile. "Mama~"
"Is my baby awake?" She simply picked her up. "It's good you're awake. Daddy and Mommy are going to take you and your brother to take a bath."
"Mhm." Linlin wasn't fully awake yet and obediently rested her head on her mother's shoulder.
Jiang Chengzhou was picked up by Su Lang. He was dazed for a moment before realizing where he was.
"Auntie?"
Even though it was his uncle holding him, he called out for his aunt first.
Su Lang playfully slapped his bottom in exasperation. "You little brat. Let's go, taking you guys to the bathhouse."
"Are Auntie and my sister going too?" Jiang Chengzhou asked sleepily.
Ever since he arrived in the capital, he had become especially clingy.
Lin Zhilan smiled, "We're all going together."
Su Lang rubbed his face. "It's good you're awake, you can walk yourself. In another two years, Uncle won't even be able to carry you."
"Uncle can just carry my sister," Jiang Chengzhou quickly grabbed Lin Zhilan's hand. "I want Auntie to hold my hand."
He certainly had it all figured out.
Su Lang took Linlin, Lin Zhilan held Jiang Chengzhou's hand, and the family of four went downstairs.
Auntie Yu was busy in the kitchen and poked her head out when she heard the noise. "Heading out?"
"We haven't showered for days on the train, so I'm taking Zhilan and the kids to the public bathhouse to wash up," Su Lang said.
Auntie Yu nodded. "Go on then, dinner will be ready right when you get back."
The snow outside had stopped, and the sky was a hazy gray.
The snow on the road had been trampled into slush by passersby, revealing the wet blue brick pavement underneath.
A cold wind blew against their faces. Su Lang pulled his daughter's hat down a bit further, covering almost half her face.
Jiang Chengzhou also only had his eyes exposed, looking around at this city that felt both familiar and strange.
The bathhouse wasn't far, but the road was so difficult to walk on that it took them nearly half an hour to get there.
The bathhouse was right on the street corner. The storefront wasn't large, and a thick cotton curtain hung outside.
Lifting the curtain, a rush of hot air and the smell of soap hit them in the face.
The ticket seller was an elderly man. He smilingly took their money and handed over a few wooden tags. "Men's bath is on the left, women's on the right."
Lin Zhilan stood there blankly. "Su Lang, I take our daughter over there?"
This was her first time experiencing a public bathhouse; she had only heard about them before.
Now that she had to separate from Su Lang, she felt a little nervous.
The old ticket seller laughed. "You silly girl, that's the women's bathhouse. Can he go in there?"
Su Lang explained for her, "Sir, it's my wife's first time at a public bathhouse, so she's a bit unfamiliar with it."
The old man looked enlightened. "I see. Well, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's full of people inside, just do what everyone else does."
That made sense in theory.
Lin Zhilan gathered her and her daughter's things and took her daughter from Su Lang's arms.
Linlin was still a bit confused. "Isn't Daddy coming with us?"
"Daddy and your brother are boys, so they have to go to the men's bath. You'll go with Mommy."
Linlin nodded and waved at her father and brother. "Bye-bye Daddy, bye-bye brother."
Su Lang watched the mother and daughter go in before leading his eldest nephew into the bathhouse.
On the women's side, right inside the door was the changing room.
There were rows of wooden lockers, and several older women were changing clothes, bare-chested.
Lin Zhilan still couldn't be quite so uninhibited. She carried Linlin to a corner and started taking off her clothes.
It was Linlin's first time in a place like this, and her eyes weren't enough to take it all in as she looked around.
Suddenly, she whispered, "Mommy, they aren't wearing any clothes."
