Chapter 948

That was her life.

When she was young, she was extremely beautiful. Because of love, she did not hesitate to marry far away into a family under Waguan Mountain. Although life was a bit poor, it was still manageable.

Life, after all, was bitter enough to make one want to cry, but by gritting one's teeth, one could get through it.

But good times did not last long. The world was not peaceful, war arrived, and her husband was unfortunate enough to be forced into the army.

Having never been on a battlefield and having no experience in fighting, he became cannon fodder, leaving behind only her and four children who were just a few years old.

The pillar of the family was gone, and the remaining four children were crying for food. She became a widow. Because of her appearance, she could not avoid some men talking flowery nonsense, wanting to marry her and let her enjoy a life of ease.

But she refused them all.

Not for anything else, but she was very worried; if she married someone else, she would have to have more children, and she was afraid her current children would be wronged.

Some people declared that as a young widow with four children, she would definitely not survive, and the children would be starved to death!

But she did it; she did not let a single child starve.

In that era of war and chaos, frequent natural disasters, and local clans offering usurious loans, even the old woman herself did not remember how she managed it.

Perhaps it was a miracle, or perhaps because her strength was not as good as a man's, she would leave the house earlier and get up earlier to work.

Or perhaps it was because her hands were covered in blisters while she still gripped the hoe, hoeing down one stroke at a time, the blisters breaking and regrowing from friction, repeating the process over and over.

Or perhaps it was "eating grass and squeezing out milk," that constant refrain of "Mother isn't hungry, you eat," while she clutched her stomach in hunger every day.

Life was bitter, but as long as she watched her children grow strong, a huge sense of satisfaction and happiness would rise in her heart.

Days passed, and her children grew up one by one.

They had their own small families and their own children.

She was happy from the bottom of her heart. When the eldest married, she was so happy that she gave him all her savings: two taels of silver.

The eldest daughter-in-law and the eldest son were so happy they almost jumped, saying they would support her for the rest of her life.

She was also overjoyed.

But following that, she realized a problem.

The eldest son had been given so much, what about the other children?

So, she picked up the hoe again, working from sunrise to sunset, but upon returning, she would use a kerosene lamp to sew a few more shoe soles.

Although they were cheap, they were still money, weren't they?

With great difficulty, all three sons were married, and the youngest daughter was also going to be married off. Although many families favored boys over girls, she treated them all the same.

They all came from her own womb, so how could there be any distinction between them?

So she gritted her teeth again and continued to labor.

Later on, she really grew old and felt unable to keep up. She began to stay at home to look after her grandchildren, cooking and cleaning, but she found joy in it.

Later still, her age grew, approaching sixty.

It was said that only at sixty was one a person of ill omen, but she hadn't even reached sixty yet when the eldest son injured his foot. The daughter-in-law resented her and cursed her as an old hag.

The second son was kicked out for stealing from his master and lost his job. The couple also resented her, saying that they had stolen so many times before without being discovered, and now that they were caught, it must be because of her, the person of ill omen!

If they were already this unlucky now, what would happen when she lived to sixty?

The youngest daughter's husband found another vixen, stayed out all night, and fooled around outside; this was also blamed on her.

It was as if she were the source of all misfortune!

But she wasn't even sixty yet!

But the siblings felt they couldn't wait any longer. They pooled their money to repair a Waguan grave for her, waiting for her to turn sixty so they could quickly send her in, lest she absorb the blessings of their descendants.

Speaking to this point, she let out a low cry, like a stray cat that no one wanted.

She didn't understand.

She hadn't even reached the age, so how did she become a person of ill omen?

How did she absorb the blessings of her descendants?

Moreover, they hadn't said that in the beginning.

The eldest son and daughter-in-law had patted their chests and promised her that the Waguan grave was a bad custom, that the "absorbing blessings" talk was all fake, and that they would never do such a thing, promising to serve her well until she was old.

The second son also said that when she was old, she could just bask in the sun in the courtyard, that she had worked hard for them her whole life and should rest well and enjoy her later years.

The youngest daughter had even said she would buy her the most beautiful clothes, use the most colorful fabric, and make her the most stunning old lady in all the villages for miles around.

She remembered these words clearly.

But how did it change?

Finally, she told the truth.

She had fallen asleep in the Waguan grave two days ago and had a dream. She dreamed that there was endless grain in the house, that her four children came to take her home, let her eat her fill, and that her youngest daughter put the most beautiful clothes on her.

But the dream ended.

She was surrounded by darkness, with only a small opening still being stacked with blue bricks, bit by bit.

The next day, the eldest son came.

He didn't say he was taking her home.

Instead, he said she would die sooner or later, and that eating one meal a day was a waste, so tomorrow would be the last meal; he would stack the bricks all at once and not come again.

She knelt and begged, asking him not to leave, saying she didn't want to die.

She could still work, she could still look after the children, do some farm work; she only needed one meal a day—no, one bowl of porridge!

But the eldest son left heartlessly.

She was so terrified; endless fear surrounded her like an abyss. She dug at the soil with all her might, blood seeping from her fingernails, the pain piercing her heart.

She was like a madwoman, gathering the mud together, using her feet to pad it, and climbing up with all her might.

She succeeded.

But immediately after, she didn't know where to go.

After going down the mountain, the eldest son kicked her, saying she would kill their whole family; the second son wouldn't see her; the third son wasn't there; the youngest daughter slapped her twice and drove her out.

Where could she go?

If she had silver, could it make them cast aside their prejudices?

Could she live with dignity?

She also told a lie.

The eldest son was not filial at all. He came up the mountain to deliver food just to put on a show for the villagers. Let alone a full meal, the porridge in that bowl was just a bowl of water with a few grains of rice.

In his view, the grain eaten by someone about to die was also a waste.

She survived by catching rats in the grave, by opening her mouth to drink water when it rained, and by eating the soil on the ground.

So when she crawled out, they only beat and scolded her; they didn't force her back because they knew.

She wouldn't live much longer.

After saying these words, she had no more movement.

Just as they wished.

She died.

Curled up in that small corner, her eyes wide open, she could never crawl out again. ===== CHAPTER 950 =====