The old lady looked after Lu Jinnian till he graduated high school. Then, when he went to Hangzhou, he couldn't afford to keep the house, so whenever he came back to Beijing during the university holidays, he would live at the old lady's house.
Later on, his life got better, so the old lady also lived a better lifestyle. In the last two years, the old lady had aged: she became a little muddle-headed, and her words were a little incoherent.
Lu Jinnian was busy at work, so he couldn't take care of her all the time. She was healthy, so living in a nursing home and hospital would probably create more problems, so Lu Jinnian hired the middle-aged woman to take care of her year in, year out.
-