Yi Roujing sat for quite a while, getting familiar with the old lady, calling her "grandma" affectionately, and the old lady responded sweetly. Everyone in the hospital room thought they were relatives. After talking back and forth for a few times, Yi Roujing had already learned quite a bit about the old lady.

When Yi Roujing was about to get up and leave, a young woman came in, and it turned out to be an acquaintance.

"Xiangxiang is here, come and meet your little cousin Roujing." Old Mrs. Guo introduced them with a smile.

Yi Roujing looked at Guo Xiangxiang with a sense of helplessness, wondering if the world was too small; how could she recognize an acquaintance through a random relative connection? Guo Xiangxiang was also surprised to see Yi Roujing. She had learned some things about Yi Roujing these days and didn’t reveal their pseudo-relative relationship, calling her "little cousin" warmly.

"Grandma, I’m off to work now and will give my little cousin a send-off as well."

"Of course, of course, Roujing, come over to our house next time." Old Mrs. Guo said cheerfully.

After they left the hospital, Guo Xiangxiang looked at Yi Roujing with a face that said, "You can’t hide it from me."

"Xiangxiang, why doesn’t your grandma visit our employee hospital for treatment?" Yi Roujing asked with a smile, trying to divert her attention.

"Oh, I probably haven’t mentioned this to you; both my parents work at Huaixi County Hospital, so it’s better for my grandma to stay there." Guo Xiangxiang replied, "Alright, your turn. What’s with the ’little cousin’ business?"

"I might have mistaken her for someone else." Yi Roujing coughed lightly, indicating her embarrassment, "Sometimes, I do care about face, and since I got it wrong, I just went along with it."

"Tsk, why don’t I believe it?" Guo Xiangxiang cast a sidelong glance at Yi Roujing.

"I really did have some matters to attend to, but I can’t tell you right now. Thanks for your help today; I’ve decided to give you some extra guidance on the specifics of being an operating room nurse." Yi Roujing immediately offered a sweet reward.

"That’s not necessary." Although Guo Xiangxiang’s eyes were full of longing, she immediately refused, "Having someone visit my grandma makes me very happy as it’s rare to see her smile so joyfully."

"How about next time I come home with you and make our grandma laugh some more? What do you think?" Yi Roujing asked with a smile. She hadn’t brought anything this time, and she should make a formal visit next time.

"You’re welcome to come; I’d be very pleased." Guo Xiangxiang said with a smile, "My grandma will also be delighted, but you might be wronged, so maybe it’s better if you don’t come." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Yi Roujing blinked in confusion, "How would I be wronged?"

"The atmosphere in our family isn’t great; they look down on nurses. Except for my grandma and me, everyone else in the family is a doctor." Guo Xiangxiang’s lips curled with heavy sarcasm.

"Everyone’s a hospital worker; I didn’t expect them to look down on nurses." Guo Xiangxiang said seriously to Yi Roujing, "I’m normally not sociable and not easy to talk to, but you’re an exception because I know the slogans painted on our hospital walls were your words."

"Nurses and doctors are indispensable collaborative aides. They are essential for the daily operation of a hospital, requiring mutual respect and maintaining a friendly relationship that is mutually independent, supervising, and advancing together." Guo Xiangxiang perfectly repeated what Yi Roujing had said when she was still working as a nurse in the outpatient department.

Yi Roujing hadn’t expected Guo Xiangxiang to view her differently because of this reason; it all seemed to be fate.

"So, are you captivated by me?" Yi Roujing jokingly hooked Guo Xiangxiang’s arm.

"You could say that." Guo Xiangxiang admitted without hesitation, "Later when my brother and mother started talking about nurses, I repeated what you had said. I told them if they kept talking like that about nurses, I’d report them to the county hospital and see how they’d continue working there."

Yi Roujing was a bit stunned; had the situation become so tense?

"I managed to shock them, so they talked less, only giving me the cold shoulder, but what’s being ignored? Since I chose to attend nursing school, I’ve been completely ridiculed and neglected."

"I wanted to become a nurse because of my grandma." When Guo Xiangxiang talked about her grandma, her eyes were filled with warmth, a tenderness that could drown you.

"I was raised by my grandma as a child; my parents devoted all their attention to my two brothers. After I was weaned, my grandma took care of me."

"When I was naughty and got into scrapes as a child, my grandma was the one who applied medicine and bandaged me. It was then that I wanted to become a person like her, not like my mom."

"When I reached school age, my parents took me home for schooling. I didn’t fit in there. When I got hurt, all I received was my mom’s scolding, saying I was like a wild child getting into mischief everywhere. After a few times, even when I got hurt later, I treated myself."

"I used to love winter and summer vacations the most because I could visit my grandma again. Later, I wanted to bring her to live in the city, but she insisted on living in the village with my uncle’s family. Moving to the city to live with her younger son would invite criticism for my uncle’s family."

"My uncle and aunt are very kind, they fed and housed me and treated me like their own child, so I felt reassured with my grandma there." Guo Xiangxiang smiled, "It’s just my parents are really something."

For once, the girl showed a youthful expression, so Yi Roujing laughed, "If they aren’t nice, then we won’t bother with them. Not all parents are good parents. Sometimes when you lose something, you gain something else. You see, you have your grandma and uncle’s family; you’re not alone."

Guo Xiangxiang nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Is this why you chose to become a nurse at the food factory employee hospital instead of the county hospital?" Yi Roujing asked.

"That’s one of the reasons. If I went to the county hospital, they would feel humiliated by me. The employee hospital was my choice, it had nothing to do with them." Guo Xiangxiang replied, "Another reason is that I wanted to leave the county hospital position to my cousin."

"He’s a famous chef nearby. He used to handle the cooking at village weddings and funerals. By not going, allowing my cousin to work in the county hospital cafeteria was what I wanted, and when I told them this, they immediately agreed."

Yi Roujing understood and patted Guo Xiangxiang’s hand. This child really doesn’t have it easy.

After opening up to each other, Yi Roujing and Guo Xiangxiang’s relationship improved greatly. Every day at lunch, Yi Roujing would ask Guo Xiangxiang to join her, along with Ding Anmin. The three became good friends, and Guo Xiangxiang also got to know Ding Anmin, becoming much more open than before.

Guo Xiangxiang wasn’t the only one suffering from family troubles. At that moment, Li Hongying couldn’t help but recall the girl named Dai Zhenhua whom she had seen in the streets before National Day, who closely resembled her eldest sister.