Gilang reluctantly ate another meal at Uncle Indra's house. Aunt Murni, Uncle Indra's wife, had already cooked for him, so he couldn't refuse.
"Lang, why are you eating so little?" Aunt Murni asked.
"Yeah, Auntie. I already ate at Angga's house, so I'm still kind of full. But since you cooked, I have to make room, right? You're the best cook ever," Gilang replied with a small smile.
"Hmm... You sure know how to flatter people. Oh, Gilang, why didn't you let us know you were coming back to Antajaya? I was shocked when your uncle told me you were already in the village. And then you went straight to Angga's house without stopping here first," Aunt Murni said.
"Sorry, Auntie. It was kind of last-minute. I had to hurry after Angga told me Aunt Darsih was seriously ill, so I hadn't actually planned on coming back to the village in the first place," Gilang replied.
"It's okay, I understand. But if you can, let us know next time you're coming home so I can prepare some food and other things for you," Aunt Murni said.
"So how's Aunt Darsih's condition now?" Darsih asked.
"She's still the same, Auntie. She can't get out of bed on her own yet. She still needs help walking if she wants to leave the room," Gilang replied.
"Haven't you taken her to a hospital with better facilities, Lang?" Aunt Murni asked.
"We already tried, but Aunt Darsih doesn't want to go," Gilang replied.
"Yeah, I already asked her to go to a bigger hospital too, but she refused. Maybe she's tired of going from one treatment to another, and she's probably also afraid that if she gets hospitalized, Angga's daily life will become even more difficult," Uncle Indra added.
"She'd probably be better off being treated at a hospital rather than staying overnight at home. All we can do is pray that Aunt Darsih gets well again soon," Aunt Murni said.
"Amen..." Gilang and Uncle Indra replied.
"By the way, how's college going, Lang?" Aunt Murni asked.
"It's going smoothly, Auntie. Everything's fine as usual," Gilang replied.
"You're in your final semester now, right, Lang?"
"Yeah, Auntie," Gilang replied.
"Do you have any plans for what you'll do after graduation?" Aunt Murni asked.
"Not yet. I want to focus on graduating first," Gilang replied.
"If you can, you should already have a plan for what you'll do after graduation. But if you still don't know, you can stay here for a while and help with the family business," Aunt Murni said.
"Yeah, Lang. A lot of our employees have left recently, and many young people these days have also gone to other cities to find work. So we're a little short-staffed. That's why the village is quieter now. It's not as lively as it used to be," Uncle Indra added.
"Really, Uncle? Why did they leave?" Gilang asked.
"Most of them left because they got job offers elsewhere. They say the pay outside the village is better," Uncle Indra replied.
"But the business is still doing okay, right, Uncle?" Gilang asked.
"For now, we can still keep it going, but who knows what the future will bring. The important thing is that it's still running for now. But don't worry about that yet, Lang. Just focus on college. You're almost done," Uncle Indra said.
"Got it, Uncle," Gilang replied.
"All right, go get some rest. Tomorrow I'll take you around to see the factory and the plantation. On our way back, we'll stop by Aunt Darsih's house again. You can sleep in the upstairs bedroom; Aunt Ijah already tidied it up," Uncle Indra said.
"Okay, Uncle. I'm going to my room now," Gilang replied.
Gilang went to sleep early that night, probably because he was tired from the journey. But he had no idea that a small incident the next day would change the way he saw his life.