CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 75: EYES BEGINNING TO IMPROVE (THIRD UPDATE)

Although it’s not the coldest part of winter, it is already autumn, and after falling into the river, taking in several gulps of water and being shocked, it’s like half his life was gone.

Later, with the help of Beidewang’s care, Luo Xuhua finally regained his health.

After recovering, it was unclear whether he learned something new or if Qin Hongmei played some tricks, but Luo Xuhua left, and he never came back.

Luo Aiguo and Qin Hongmei had arguments, but what could be done; they already had sons, and now losing one, they couldn’t possibly lose the wife too.

During that time, Qin Hongmei was especially nice to Old Mrs. Luo, wanting her to speak on her behalf. At that time, Old Mrs. Luo was still in charge of the household, but she never liked Luo Xuhua’s mother, whom she saw as a mere rural woman unworthy of her son. Naturally, she sided with Qin Hongmei.

Luo Aiguo searched several times, but the world is vast; where could he find him? Later, he heard people say they saw a body floating downstream in the Kao Shan River, looking like a child of ten years old. At this news, Luo Aiguo wept bitterly, convinced it must be his Xuhua.

He pursued all the way downstream, but after long inquiries found nothing, and only then did he return home.

Because of Luo Xuhua’s affair, there remained a rift between Luo Aiguo and Qin Hongmei, leaving him lukewarm towards her for all these years.

This time with Luo Xuhua returning, who knows how much turmoil he might stir up.

The news of Luo Xuhua’s return swiftly spread throughout Kao Village. Owing to the old incident and Luo Aiguo’s family being outsiders, many people knew and guessed the truth. Thus, Luo Xuhua’s return was like a stone dropping into a pond, not only causing a splash but also long-lasting ripples.

On the surface, the Luo Family seemed calm, yet beneath lay potential undercurrents. Every household was waiting to see the Luo Family’s drama unfold.

Luo Er’s family continued their usual quiet life. Although interested in Luo Xuhua’s affair, they didn’t inquire much. After all, Luo Xuhua wasn’t a child anymore; he could fend for himself.

Every day, Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo paid close attention to any disturbances from that side, particularly whether Qin Hongmei was causing trouble.

Fortunately, in the days following his return, it remained relatively peaceful.

But Luo Anguo still felt uneasy. Based on his understanding of Qin Hongmei, she couldn’t stay this calm; surely, she was brewing something.

"You’ll see, if trouble starts, it won’t be a small one." Luo Anguo spoke with Mrs. Qin, frowning.

"As long as Huazi doesn’t suffer a loss, I don’t care about the rest," said Mrs. Qin.

She harbored no fondness for that family, save for the first son Luo Aiguo and his offspring. Particularly, she had disdain for her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who had caused her many troubles and even proposed dividing the family during their most challenging times.

Luo Anguo was aware of Mrs. Qin’s sentiments and sighed. He, too, was disheartened, despite being their real son.

They say that a husband and wife are like birds sharing the same forest, flying away during calamities. But during their toughest times, it was Mrs. Qin, a simple village woman, who supported the family through craftsmanship, while his birth mother and elder brother abandoned him.

Luo Anguo sometimes thought that the separation was perhaps a good thing. It allowed each family to walk their path. Towards his mother, he could still show filial respect in gratitude for her raising him.

Old Mrs. Luo always resented Mrs. Qin for being a village woman, deeming her unfit for their city-bred family. Yet Luo Anguo felt meeting Mrs. Qin was his greatest fortune.

Recently, Mrs. Qin looked much better, with more flesh on her face, and upon closer inspection, the cloudy mist in her eyes seemed to have lessened.

As Luo Anguo pondered this, he suddenly paused and examined her eyes closely, realizing it wasn’t his imagination; the haze over Mrs. Qin’s pupils truly had diminished significantly.

"Wife, have you noticed any change in your eyesight recently?" Luo Anguo leaned forward and asked.

Mrs. Qin, laying down her work, shook her head, "Nothing much has changed; just don’t feel as dry anymore, didn’t have to blink as often. Why?"

"Oh, nothing much. Little Tian’er said she’d treat your eyes; I just thought I’d ask."

Hearing this, Luo Anguo nodded but remained worried that it was only his perception. After all, her eyes had been this way for years; telling her now might just raise her hopes unnecessarily, heightening the potential disappointment should nothing change.

Mrs. Qin didn’t take it to heart and resumed her braiding task.

"It’s not that easy to cure," she remarked.

Luo Anguo fell silent but continued watching her eyes, more convinced that he wasn’t mistaken.

Before long, Beisitian came over from the west room, holding her freshly penned calligraphy, intending to show it to Luo Anguo.

Upon entering, she noticed Luo Anguo silently point towards Mrs. Qin’s eyes, indicating he’d noticed the change, bringing a smile to her face. "Once the clear part of the pupils fully reappears, vision will start to recover."

Upon hearing this, Luo Anguo felt elated and told Mrs. Qin, "Wife, there’s a chance your eyes might actually heal!"

Mrs. Qin felt a surge of excitement initially but now took it less seriously, thinking if it were true, results would surely have appeared by now.

"Wife, I’m not lying; the whiteness in your eyes has lightened!" Luo Anguo finally revealed what he’d been holding back for so long.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qin put down her work, fearing that Luo Anguo might just be comforting her, and turned to ask Luo Anping on the bed, "Can you see if the cloudiness in my eyes is lighter?"

Luo Anping had been observing since earlier. Hearing her question, he nodded, "It is lighter, and the color of your pupils is slightly deeper."

Mrs. Qin appeared dazed, almost disbelieving, and turned to Beisitian, "When the pupils reappear, will I truly be able to see?"

Understanding Mrs. Qin’s fear—fear of yet another disappointment—Beisitian concealed her smile, firmly stating, "Yes, because these eyes have been this way for so long, initial conditioning requires more time."

Beisitian’s words brought Mrs. Qin to silence, while beside her, Luo Anguo gently patted her hand, "Wife, what are you worried about? If it doesn’t heal, it’ll be as before—it can’t get any worse."

Convinced by this, Mrs. Qin found some solace. If it remained as before, visionless, then...

Despite not being entirely relieved, her mindset had improved significantly from before.

Beisitian, having taken a nap during the afternoon, started working on designs rather than practicing her calligraphy.

These recent days, she had been reviewing the various patterns given by Zhang Baoli, with a variety of types. She didn’t plan to replicate them identically, intending instead to merge them and create her unique designs.

She went through numerous attempts but was not quite satisfied, sketching and tearing them repeatedly until achieving five or six designs she was pleased with.

The final design would be chosen from these, and after several comparisons, she selected the one she favored most, applied a few more adjustments, and began to paint it onto the white silk cloth.