My Multiple Identities Revealed After Marrying the Bigshot
Chapter 317: Paralyzed

Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Paralyzed

"President Lu, although you were the one who called first, I must be the first to offer New Year’s greetings!" Yan Lixu hurriedly said, "President Lu, happy New Year to you! May Little Pink Book flourish prosperously, and may you achieve great success in the coming year!"

Lu Youxi: "..."

"Then, I accept your auspicious words..." Lu Youxi was baffled by the comments and quickly returned a few auspicious phrases to Yan Lixu.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Youxi sighed, "I never realized how exhausting it is to offer New Year’s greetings to others before."

It hadn’t been as tiring when he had called Professor Zhang.

Catching his breath, Lu Youxi then called Grandma Xu to wish her a happy New Year.

However, on the other end of the line, it was unusually quiet at Grandma Xu’s house.

There were no sounds of other people chatting.

Normally, first thing in the morning, if family members were around with children making noise in the house, it wouldn’t be so quiet.

Lu Youxi then asked, "Grandma Xu, are you at home, or did you go to your children’s place for the New Year?"

"I’m at home," Grandma Xu replied, her tone unchanged, "Everything’s fine here, you don’t need to worry about me."

"How are your children’s jobs going? How about your grandchildren’s studies?"

"They’re fine, all’s well," Grandma Xu said with a laugh.

"How was last night’s dinner?" Lu Youxi asked further.

"It was good, we made a big table full of dishes," Grandma Xu chuckled.

"That’s great," Lu Youxi smiled, "I’m glad to hear that."

Grandma Xu then asked about Lu Youxi’s own situation, to which Lu Youxi selectively shared some details.

After hanging up, Grandma Xu turned to look at the dining table brimming with untouched leftovers.

In Hexing Village during the cold winter, there was no central heating; the household relied on burning coal for warmth.

Due to the low temperatures at night, there was no need to refrigerate the dishes.

Grandma Xu sighed, looking around the empty house, then glanced at the phone.

Aside from Lu Youxi’s call, her children hadn’t even made a phone call.

After hanging up, Lu Youxi called Aunt Lin.

After wishing Aunt Lin a happy New Year, Lu Youxi asked, "Aunt Lin, how has Grandma Xu been recently? I just called her, and it was too quiet on the phone, not at all like the New Year. Her children should have returned, bringing the kids, and it should have been bustling."

"Ah!" Aunt Lin sighed deeply, "Don’t remind me, Grandma Xu’s children didn’t come back for the New Year at all!"

With that, Aunt Lin became upset and couldn’t help complaining to Lu Youxi, "And even if you aren’t coming back, say so earlier. Grandma Xu, at her age, needn’t have spent so long getting things ready. She was busy all day yesterday!"

"Usually, Grandma Xu is frugal in her eating and drinking, saving all the money she can. Thinking her children in the city might have it tough, she tries to help out by sending them money occasionally, no matter the amount; at least it’s something. Only yesterday, she thought to provide a feast for her children and grandchildren — she even butchered a chicken and a goose and bought fish and ribs from the town to prepare a big table of dishes."

"Turns out, her children decided not to come back too late, only calling in the afternoon when the sun was about to set, to say they weren’t coming. But Grandma Xu already had everything ready, mostly cooked, expecting them to have a meal as soon as they walked in the door, so they wouldn’t be hungry."

"We outsiders are angry hearing about this, let alone Grandma Xu herself," Aunt Lin said increasingly angry, "Those two children of hers, they used to be alright, but after getting married, they only care about their own little families, completely neglecting their own mother."

"Even if they do come home, it’s to ask Grandma Xu for money," Aunt Lin sneered, "Those two, if they’re not coming for money, you won’t even see them."

"It’s sad, Grandma Xu is such a good, kind person, and yet... yet she has such ungrateful children! She’s labored for others all her life, never thinking of herself, and now in her old age, she still suffers harm from her own children, whom she struggled to raise," Aunt Lin sighed, "I was actually thinking of going to visit Grandma Xu today, to chat with her, tell her some interesting stories, to brighten her spirits a bit."

After finishing, Aunt Lin paused then said, "Oh, right, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you."

"What is it?" Lu Youxi heard the seriousness in Aunt Lin’s voice.

"Your grandma also became paralyzed," Aunt Lin revealed.

Lu Youxi was shocked, "When did this happen?"

"It was after that time you came back, when you gave your grandma a bank card for your grandfather’s medical expenses," Aunt Lin explained, recounting the events that followed, "Initially, Ge Guifen said it was just Old Madam Lu who had a fall and was resting in bed."

"But then, as she rested, she completely became unable to leave the bed," Aunt Lin revealed, "At first, when she hurt herself, we didn’t take it too seriously, just another fall, not a big deal. Working in the fields, we’re used to bumps and bruises — people in our village grow up tough. Normally, we wouldn’t consider routine injuries too seriously."

"But after more than a month, Old Madam Lu ended up completely unable to get out of bed," Aunt Lin continued, "Ge Guifen didn’t even take her to the hospital, probably didn’t want to spend the money. I even suspect..."

Aunt Lin lowered her voice, "I suspect it might have been deliberate by Ge Guifen. Originally, when Old Madam Lu was injured, timely medical treatment would have meant it wasn’t serious. They could’ve had an x-ray to see what was wrong and treated it properly. But Ge Guifen deliberately didn’t take your grandma to the hospital, and the injury worsened progressively, eventually leaving her completely bedridden by paralysis."

"Although the injury happened the day after you left, it was only a short while before the New Year that she really couldn’t get out of bed," Aunt Lin stated, "I was thinking of telling you after the New Year, so as not to let your father know and have him insist on coming back during the New Year. It would have just ruined the festivity."

Lu Youxi sighed, "If it were just about my grandma, I definitely wouldn’t go back. But you said Grandma Xu’s children didn’t return, I must make a trip back."

"Last time we went back, Zhou Shuyan had suggested, wanting to bring Grandma Xu to live with us in the Imperial Capital. He was worried about her being old and living alone in the village; if anything happened, it would be hard to get help quickly since everyone has their separate homesteads. But Grandma Xu said her children were going to come back for the New Year. She said as long as she was there, their home was there, their way back was there."

Lu Youxi pursed his lips, "But what ended up happening? Her children didn’t return for the New Year. No matter what, we must bring Grandma Xu here this time."