Chapter 58

Back in Cangshan Town, it was around six in the evening.

Ye Mingluo was eager to investigate the lake that Medicine Farmer Star mentioned, and after dropping Huo Wen’an at the doorstep, he hurried off.

Huo Wen’an walked into his yard and suddenly turned around to look at the neighbor’s yard, seeing a strange woman standing in Xu Xingguang’s yard through the iron fence.

She was a burly middle-aged woman wearing a light blue knitted sweater, sitting alone and staring off into space atop a pile of lumber, with a suitcase by her side.

Apparently, she had been waiting there for a while.

Noticing Huo Wen’an’s gaze, the middle-aged woman looked up at him. She had never seen such a handsome young man like Huo Wen’an, and Sister Lin was momentarily stunned before she nodded politely at Huo Wen’an.

"Hello, sir."

Huo Wen’an gave a gentle smile and walked to the edge of the garden wall, asking Sister Lin, "Are you here for Miss Xu?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Sister Lin stood up and walked over to where Huo Wen’an stood, standing behind the row of plants Xu Xingguang had planted and tentatively asking Huo Wen’an, "Sir, do you know where Miss Xu is?"

Huo Wen’an had left early this morning with Ye Mingluo to Tuo Ling Peak, so he didn’t know where Xu Xingguang had gone. "She should be out, right? Have you been waiting long? Do you need me to call Miss Xu?"

"Not for long. Miss Xu might be busy, so there’s no need to call." She was afraid of disturbing Xu Xingguang with important matters.

Huo Wen’an glanced at the luggage behind Sister Lin and asked with a smile, "Are you Miss Xu’s relative?"

Sister Lin waved her hand quickly to explain her identity. "You’ve misunderstood. I am the caregiver Miss Xu hired to look after Mr. Xu. My surname is Wang, and everyone calls me Sister Wang."

Nodding, Huo Wen’an noticed the woman’s lips were a bit dry, so he said, "Miss Xu might return home later. If you don’t mind, you can come to my house for a cup of tea."

"No need, I’ll just wait here." In her line of work, she frequently dealt with patients and never visited others’ homes casually.

Concerned about spreading illness, others might avoid them.

Upon hearing this, Huo Wen’an didn’t insist further and returned to his own house. Not long after, he emerged again with a canvas bag.

Sister Lin sneaked a glance at Huo Wen’an’s back, muttering, "What kind of luck is this? It’s one thing to have a gorgeous employer, but the neighbor is a handsome guy too."

Sister Lin had never encountered such good fortune in her years of working.

Nearing six forty, Xu Xingguang finally returned home. Seeing Sister Lin, who had been waiting, Xu Xingguang was slightly surprised, "Sister Lin, why did you come early?"

When they spoke on the phone earlier, Sister Lin had mentioned she could only start her job the following week.

Sister Lin explained with a smile, "The daughter of my last employer returned from abroad and paid my wages early. I thought of you, who needs to study, and caring for the elderly alone would be inconvenient, so I came early."

A bit embarrassed due to her unexpected arrival, Sister Lin told Xu Xingguang, "I tried calling you before, but your phone was off and I couldn’t get through. Was it a bit abrupt of me?"

"Not abrupt; I’ve been hoping you would come sooner." Xu Xingguang had been with people from the Alliance Military Department, forcing her to turn off her phone and miss Sister Lin’s call.

"Come inside, I’ll show you your room." Xu Xingguang picked up Sister Lin’s luggage and led her inside, straight to the second-floor bedroom.

There were four rooms on the second floor.

The room on the far east side was Mo Yinshu’s bedroom, the most spacious one, equipped with a walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom.

Adjacent to the master bedroom was Mo Yinshu’s study, not smaller than the master bedroom and featuring an entire wall of open bookshelves filled with various books.

It has now become Xu Xingguang’s study.

She hadn’t touched Mo Yinshu’s belongings; she planned to build a whole new wall of bookshelves for her own books.

Currently, Xu Qingnian resides in the west room by the wall, which was Xu Xingguang’s childhood room. Though not large, it is well-lit and ventilated, suitable for the convalescent.

The room arranged for Sister Lin was right next to Xu Qingnian’s room; turn left upon exiting for the communal bathroom and toilet.

"This is your room. This is an old house, so the decor is quite outdated. The previous things have been removed, and renovations will start soon. Stay here for now; let me know if you need anything."

Following Xu Xingguang inside, Sister Lin carefully examined the room’s setup.

This seemed to be a small guest room, about ten square meters, featuring outdated French-style furniture, yet it was clean.

Near the window was a French-style dressing table.

Sister Lin had worked as a live-in caregiver for other employers before, those with large homes, villas spanning two or three floors underground. However, they had only provided her a maid’s room near the basement laundry. Such rooms were small and had no bright windows.

This room had good lighting and was clean, which pleased Sister Lin. "This is quite nice; it’s even bigger than my room at home." Sister Lin had been married once, suffered emotional trauma, and didn’t want to marry again.

Having been married once, her previous home became her parents’ home.

A divorced woman returning home feels somewhat like an outsider.

Sister Lin preferred to work rather than stay at home. Helping patients recover and sending them off romantically was fulfilling for her.

Sister Lin loved and took pleasure in her current job.

Seeing Sister Lin had no concerns, Xu Xingguang felt relieved. She put the luggage by the wardrobe, then leaned against the door to look at Sister Lin.

Xu Xingguang straightforwardly said, "Sister Lin, you’ve cared for me before, so I trust your professional skills. But let’s address the important matters here and now."

Sister Lin nodded promptly, her expression earnest. "Miss Xu, you are the employer. Whatever requirements you have, let’s be open about them. I am here to work for your satisfaction, as long as the demands are fair and reasonable."

Sister Lin was upfront and preferred straightforward conversations.

Hearing this, Xu Xingguang made no attempt to hide her thoughts, saying, "Caring for paralyzed elders is different from rehabilitating patients. With patients, their situation improves daily, motivating your work. But with paralyzed elders, the condition worsens daily, and the caretaker’s mood can become depressed and irritable."

"Since you’ve chosen this career, I do hope you’ll maintain an appropriate work attitude."

Sister Lin responded earnestly, "Naturally, I have done this work for ten years without a single complaint from an employer. Regarding the attitude issue, rest assured, if I am paid, I’ll provide the correct attitude."

"That’s reassuring." Xu Xingguang had prepared a set of job details in advance and fetched the document from the study, handing it to Sister Lin, saying, "Feel free to review the job details. If everything’s alright, you can officially start tomorrow, with a salary of fifteen thousand a month deposited by the fifth."

A monthly salary of fifteen thousand was considered high among Yujiang City’s caregiver community.

Thus, Xu Xingguang’s demands were more numerous and strict, which Sister Lin understood.

Sister Lin accepted the A4 paper and began reading; it contained 25 points. Many details she hadn’t considered were covered by Xu Xingguang.

It showed that she really cared for Mr. Xu.

After reviewing, Sister Lin questioned the fifth point, "Taking the elderly for a drive is fine, but it’s troublesome as he lives on the second floor. I am strong, but carrying the elderly down is challenging."

"You don’t need to worry about that." Xu Xingguang said, "Tomorrow someone will install an elevator directly from my grandfather’s room to the backyard."

Hearing that, Sister Lin gave Xu Xingguang a thumbs up, "With a granddaughter like you, the old man is truly blessed."

Suddenly, Xu Xingguang heard the sound of someone opening the courtyard gate downstairs.

She walked to the window, looking down at the yard gate, and saw Huo Wen’an standing behind it with a canvas bag full of food, looking up at her window.

"Boss Huo?" Xu Xingguang showed her puzzlement on her face.

Huo Wen’an shook the canvas bag in his hand and said to Xu Xingguang, "Last night, you invited me over for dinner."

He was considerate enough to bring supplies.

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