Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 240: A Kind Neighbor

With his mother's help, Zhou Yuan walked out of the hospital. Xiao Mei saw them off at the hospital entrance and gave Zhou Yuan's mother a few words of advice, which were probably about resting and recuperating at home and paying attention to some issues related to diet and daily life.

Then Xiaomei turned to Zhou Yuan and said, "Brother Zhou, go home and rest well. Don't overwork yourself. Go back to work after a week of rest."

"um. Thank you."

"Don't be shy. If you need anything, call our nurses' office. If I'm not at the hospital, call my home phone."

"Ok."

Xiao Mei then waved goodbye to Zhou Yuan and his mother.

Zhou Yuan and his mother waved goodbye, and Xiao Mei ran into the hospital to go to work.

"Son, what do you think of Xiaomei?"

"well enough."

"Is it alright? Your expectations are too high. I wish Xiaomei were my daughter-in-law. But being a nurse is tiring, with lots of miscellaneous tasks."

"Mom, how can one person have all the good things?"

"Hmm, kid, what you said is exactly the same as your dad's, even your expression is the same. By the way, did Xiaomei tell you her home phone number?"

"Ah."

"It seems Xiaomei is interested in you."

"Mom, don't talk nonsense."

"But I think Xiaomei is really nice."

Zhou Yuan's mother kept talking as the two walked out onto the street, where cars and people came and went. The weather was cloudy with little sunshine.

Zhou Yuan looked east and then west. To the east, a part of a blue planet was visible, and to the west, a part of a blue planet was also visible. These two large planets hung on the horizon at opposite ends of the horizon year-round.

If it is evening and your eyesight is good, you can also see two smaller, pale blue planets hanging in the sky in the east and west directions.

Zhou Yuan's mother hailed a taxi, and the two of them took it home. Zhou Yuan's home was a courtyard house. Zhou Yuan's grandfather and father were both natives and good at business, but the family had declined since his father passed away.

Zhou Yuan's mother, being from Beining, a major city in the Eastern Land Kingdom, was illiterate, but she and her husband had learned business for several years. After Zhou Yuan's father passed away, she opened a small restaurant near their home, which did quite well, attracting many regular customers. While Zhou Yuan's father was alive, the family was relatively wealthy. During the earlier difficult times, Zhou Yuan's parents often helped their neighbors, so the neighbors took great care of Zhou Yuan and his mother. Even the neighbors' children would go to this restaurant to eat when they returned home, to repay the life-saving kindness of Zhou Yuan's parents.

When the taxi stopped at the alley entrance, several elderly men and women rushed over, helping Zhou Yuan's mother with her luggage while scolding her, "Sister, why didn't you tell us Zhou was being discharged from the hospital? Honestly!" "Sister, yes, you're treating us like outsiders!"

"Xiao Zhou, how are you? Are you alright?" Grandpa Zhang asked as he helped Zhou Yuan up. "Thank you, uncle and aunt. The doctor said I just need to rest at home for a week."

“Xiao Zhou, you don’t know how worried we were when your mother said you fell badly and were hospitalized.”

“Son, they all went to the hospital to visit you, but you were still unconscious then.”

Zhou Yuan was surprised. "Thank you so much!"

"We're all family, no need to be so polite."

"Yes, yes, we're all family."

Zhou Yuan's eyes welled up with tears, which seemed about to spill over. He saw kinship and friendship in these elderly men and women, as well as something deeper.

An older woman suddenly asked, "Brother Pan, I heard that Nana is going back to China for summer vacation, is that true?"

"Yes, that's right. The girl called the community committee the day before yesterday and said that the three of them would be arriving in Beining in the next two days."

"Old Pan, it's been so many years since you last saw your daughter, sixteen years, right? I wonder what Nana looks like now."

"Brother Zhang, don't say anything more, I also really want to see her soon."

Zhou Yuan suddenly remembered that the girl named Nana was named Panna. She was his childhood friend and he was three years older than her. When Panna was about four years old, her parents divorced, and her mother took her to the Western Kingdom. She then remarried and settled there.

Zhou Yuan suddenly felt the changes of the world. He remembered that Pan Na was still young, three or four years old, and would follow him and his other friends around. Now, he couldn't believe that sixteen years had passed.

A group of people rushed into Zhou Yuan's courtyard house. Although the courtyard house was quite old, Zhou Yuan's mother still kept it clean and tidy.

An older man carried a mahogany chair from the main room and placed it in the courtyard, helping Zhou Yuan sit down. Some people went home and brought over some vegetables, and some brought some salted meat. Then some older women started washing vegetables and rinsing rice with Zhou Yuan's mother, busily preparing lunch. Several older men worked together to carry the heavy table from the main room out to the courtyard, and then moved some stools.

About half an hour later, a large table of delicious dishes was laid out on the table. There were twelve people in total, sitting around the table.

“Come on, let’s have a drink to celebrate our talented son’s discharge from the hospital and wish him a speedy recovery.” Uncle Zhang was old, so he started the conversation.

"Okay." Drinking was no problem for the older folks. Zhou Yuan's mother also had a good tolerance for alcohol and drank a little with them. Zhou Yuan, of course, could only drink soft drinks.

"The second toast is to wish our talented son success in his work and a bright future. Xiao Zhou, you've really brought honor to us. We'll be shining in the neighborhood and other communities. Can we go into the National Astronomical Observatories? Do they have any telescopes? I really want to see if there are any aliens on those blue planets."

"Brother Zhang, if there were aliens, we probably wouldn't be sitting here eating."

"Hey girl, how do you know aliens aren't turtles or tortoises?"

Everyone burst into laughter, while Zhou Yuan smiled slightly.

"The third toast is to wish our talented son a speedy finding of a partner and the birth of a child."

"Hey, this is great, we can have a wedding feast now!" The uncles and aunties never mind making things complicated.

"Xiao Zhou, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're 23 years old, not young anymore. My Xiao Dan is already climbing on the bed. Look at you." Xiao Dan is Uncle Zhang's youngest son, two years younger than Zhou Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan's mother also became interested and toasted everyone.

"Brother Zhang, Zhou is a college student."

"College students get married and have kids too. Hui-mei, when is your niece coming over?"

"Brother Zhang, she won't be here until at least the New Year. She's very busy."

"Sister Hui, you have an older sister?" Zhou Yuan's mother seemed unaware of this, so she asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, my sister married and moved to Sutang City in the south. She has a son and a daughter. They rarely come to Beining, only twice, and that was during the Chinese New Year."

"Little Zhou's mom, Aunt Hui is quite something. She has a great figure and a beautiful face, and I've heard she's also..." Uncle Zhang lowered his head, "I've heard she's some kind of special forces soldier. Right, Hui?"

"Yes, that's why I said she's very busy."

"Really? Special forces? Oh my god." Everyone had respect for soldiers, including Zhou Yuan's mother.

“Brother Zhang, one is in the north and the other in the south, that won’t work, will it? It would take a whole day and night to get there by train.”

"Brother Pan, that's not true. As long as the feelings are deep, distance doesn't matter."

Several middle-aged men and women applauded. Uncle Zhang had drunk quite a bit and started talking more. Zhou Yuan's mother didn't want to stop him from drinking, and besides, these people were introducing potential partners to their son, which was a good thing.

"Hui-mei, why don't you talk to your sister about it?"

"Brother Zhang, that sounds good. But I can't guarantee it will work. Sister Zhou, please don't blame me later."

"Oh, thank you, sister. Let's have a drink." Zhou Yuan's mother and Hui Meizi took a sip of wine.

Several middle-aged men and women were chatting about whether any of their relatives' daughters had introduced them to potential partners, which Zhou Yuan found quite amusing. But to be honest, in this day and age, in this community, and even in Beining City, a 23-year-old who wasn't looking for a partner was probably very rare, so it was no wonder that Zhou Yuan's mother was very anxious.

The meal lasted about two hours, and everyone except Zhou Yuan was slightly drunk.

Several middle-aged women quickly tidied up, washing dishes and cleaning.

Several middle-aged men sat on benches, smoking and chatting, and also talking to Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan was quite interested in his childhood and asked about the lives of his grandfather and father.

When talking about Zhou Yuan's grandfather and father, the uncles became animated, describing them as legendary figures. From their descriptions, Zhou Yuan finally learned about his father's life. Uncle Zhang, in particular, had followed his father around the country in his early years, so he knew most of his father's stories.

At 3:30 p.m., the uncles and aunties helped Zhou Yuan to bed to rest before they all left.

"Mom, you've had a tough time these past few days. Go get some sleep, I'll read a book."

"Just call me if you need anything."

"Ok."

"By the way, son, I've already spoken to Hui-mei and asked if she could introduce me to her niece."

"Mom, really! Didn't you say it was Xiaomei? Why have you changed it again?"

"Hehe, son, who ever finds a girlfriend by just dating one person? Back in the day, your dad was introduced to two women before he finally chose me."

"Mom, it would be strange if Dad didn't like you. You're a great beauty."

"Stop being so cheeky, go to bed early." Zhou Yuan saw a smile on his mother's face.

Zhou Yuan's mother left his room, closing the door behind her. Zhou Yuan picked up a book from his bedside table and began reading with great interest. After an hour, he felt dizzy and went to sleep.

At dinner time, several middle-aged men and women came over with chicken and chicken soup, saying they wanted to help Zhou Yuan recover.

Zhou Yuan's mother thanked them and invited them to stay for dinner. Everyone went inside to visit Zhou Yuan for a while, but declined, saying they had to go home to take care of their grandson.

Hui Mei pulled Zhou Yuan's mother into the lobby and said softly, "Sister Zhou, I called the community committee this afternoon and told my sister about it. You know what? My sister is so happy."

"Oh, really? That's great."

“We’re not strangers, so I told you, Sister Zhou. My niece Xiaolu has been introduced to seven or eight men by my brother-in-law, my sister’s colleagues, and their relatives, but she just doesn’t like any of them. She either says they’re too short, or they’re too good-looking, or she thinks they’re uneducated. It’s driving my brother-in-law and sister crazy. They were over thirty when they had her.”

Zhou Yuan's mother handed Hui Mei a cup of tea. Hui Mei took a sip and continued, "I told my sister about your family and Xiao Zhou's situation, and my sister was overjoyed. My sister said it doesn't matter if the economy is bad. She has her eye on Xiao Zhou. He's tall, good-looking, and educated. As long as Xiao Lu and Xiao Zhou like each other, that's all that matters."

"Hui-mei, did you mention that one of them is in the north and the other is in the south..."

“I already said that my sister said it’s okay, that she and her husband will retire in a few years and they can come to Beining after they retire. My niece Xiaolu can have my brother-in-law find someone to transfer her to Beining.”

"That would have been too much trouble for your brother-in-law and sister," Zhou Yuan's mother said, feeling somewhat apologetic.

"Sister Zhou, my niece is very nice. It's a pity you didn't get to meet her during your two visits. Believe me, if this works out, we'll be even closer relatives."

"Okay, thank you, Hui-mei. If your niece agrees, that would be great."

“My sister said she’ll talk to her niece about this tonight. If her niece agrees, the three of them will come to Beining soon. What do you think? Should we talk to Xiao Zhou about this?”

“I just tested the waters by suggesting you introduce him to your niece, and he didn’t object.”

"Oh, all right."

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Sister Zhou, don't be so polite. Little Zhou is going to start work in a week, so I think we should get this settled as soon as possible."

"Yes, I'm really worried. He's at work and might not have time, it's driving me crazy."

"Sister Zhou, I'll call my sister back now and ask them to come over as soon as possible."

"Okay. Thank you so much."

"We've been neighbors and good friends for many years. It would be too formal to say that."

Hui Mei chatted with Zhou Yuan's mother for a few minutes, then left happily.

Zhou Yuan's mother immediately went to Zhou Yuan's room and told him what had happened. Zhou Yuan just hummed a few times and continued reading his book.

Zhou Yuan's mother gently shook her head, closed the door, and became even more determined to finalize this important matter before Zhou Yuan went to work.