Chapter 317: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 317: He Still Has Plenty of Opportunities, But I Don't Have That Time

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

"You can talk to Dashan and Erhai about it, but don't tell Xiao Hua—he's in his senior year. Whether my face as a father gains any luster depends on his performance this year of senior high; don't let it affect his studies..."

Wang Zhanggen smoked, a pensive look on his face.

Li Xiulan asked again: "Should we call Dashan now, or wait until later?"

Wang Zhanggen took a deep drag on his cigarette:

"Let's talk about it later..."

Then he changed his mind:

"Or better not say anything yet. We can tell them when the surgery actually happens; it's not too late then."

Li Xiulan herself actually leaned toward not saying anything yet; she feared the children would worry too much and it would affect their work.

Just then, Li Xiulan's mobile phone rang.

It was Wang Dashan calling.

"Dashan is calling."

Li Xiulan hurriedly answered.

"Hello, Dashan, what's wrong?"

Wang Dashan's voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Mom, did you put the things at Uncle's house?"

Li Xiulan felt uneasy inside; she was afraid Wang Dashan would ask about Wang Zhanggen's inspection results, because she had mentioned this matter to Wang Dashan that morning.

"We took them over."

"Have you gone back?"

"Waiting for the bus, we'll be back soon."

"How are Dad's inspection results?"

Sure enough, Wang Dashan still asked.

Li Xiulan didn't know how to answer for a moment.

She was originally not a woman good at lying.

Just then, Wang Zhanggen snatched her mobile phone away and said coldly into the phone:

"I'm doing very well, just some minor ailments; the doctor said there's no big problem. You work well in Guangzhou, don't think you're something special just because you bought a car. Hurry up and find a partner; you're no longer young, it's time to get married and have children!"

Hearing Wang Zhanggen's these aggressive scolding words, Wang Dashan was immediately full of displeasure, but he couldn't directly refute, only perfunctorily said:

"I know, I know. I also want to find a partner; isn't it just that I haven't met a suitable one? Once I meet a suitable one, I will definitely find one!"

Wang Zhanggen said at this time:

"If you can't find one yourself, then when the Spring Festival comes, I'll have the matchmaker introduce a few to you."

Wang Dashan immediately cried and laughed helplessly:

"Dad, don't worry about it anymore; I'll find one myself! I'm not unable to find one; I'm not in a hurry, why are you in a hurry?"

Wang Zhanggen said:

"Just afraid you won't put your heart into it and keep dragging it on; just afraid that after I'm gone, you still haven't found a partner!"

Wang Dashan cried and laughed helplessly even more:

"What nonsense are you talking? How old are you? Why think about that? Rest assured, I will definitely get married before thirty."

Wang Zhanggen pulled a long face, unhappy:

"Thirty is too late. This year during the Spring Festival, you must find a partner and bring her back for me; otherwise I'll arrange a blind date for you. Don't be dilly-dallying; time passes quickly, in the blink of an eye you'll be thirty, and in another blink, forty or fifty. By then, even if you want to find one, you won't be able to find one with missing arms and legs!"

Wang Dashan felt full of pressure, resisting and resentful in his heart, almost unable to help getting angry, but Wang Zhanggen didn't give him a chance to get angry:

"This matter is settled like this. If you still haven't found one by the Spring Festival, start going on blind dates. Hung up!"

Wang Dashan didn't have time to respond before Wang Zhanggen hung up the phone.

Li Xiulan beside him couldn't bear to watch anymore and couldn't help complaining:

"Why are you urging Dashan so urgently? It's not that he's unwilling to find a partner; last year during the Spring Festival he brought one back, they just broke up later. He's only twenty-one now; he has plenty of opportunities!"

Wang Zhanggen put on a stern face:

"He indeed has plenty of opportunities; I'm just afraid I don't have that much time left. If what's in my throat turns out to be malignant, how many days do I have left?"

Hearing this, Li Xiulan immediately fell silent.

Only then did she understand: Wang Zhanggen was afraid he wouldn't live to see his son marry and have children.

Wang Zhanggen took a deep drag on his cigarette and sighed deeply:

"I no longer dare to hope to see all three sons establish families and careers. As long as I can see Dashan marry and have children, and let me hold a grandson, I'll be content."

Li Xiulan hurriedly comforted him:

"Don't think so wildly. Didn't the doctor say that thing is mostly benign?"

Wang Zhanggen seemed not to hear her words, his empty gaze looking at the setting sun ahead, muttering to himself:

"The old man also passed away before holding a grandson. Back then my eldest brother had just married but hadn't had children yet. When he died, he was in his forties, not yet fifty. On the day he breathed his last, he was still muttering that if he could see his grandson before dying, that would be good. I don't want to be like him, carrying regrets to Huangquan."

Seeing Wang Zhanggen like this, Li Xiulan couldn't help but sympathize in her heart.

This man, she had loved for more than half her life, and also hated for more than half her life.

Her feelings for him were a mix of love and hate; it could be said to be very complex.

"Don't let your mind run wild; in a few days when the blood test results come out, we'll go see the doctor again, it should be nothing serious."

Li Xiulan was comforting him with her words.

But even her own heart was uneasy and apprehensive.

She recalled those days before her mother passed away.

Before her mother passed away, she and her two brothers scraped together over thirty thousand for the surgery fees, had the surgery done for her mother, but in the end her mother still passed away.

Her mother lay on the bed, groaning in pain, breathing with difficulty, that pitiful appearance of clinging to a last breath is still clearly imprinted in Li Xiulan's mind.

Thinking of all the suffering her mother endured before she passed away, Li Xiulan felt both fear and sorrow in her heart.

She dared not imagine, if Wang Changgen also had to go through that kind of process, how she would face it.

The bus heading to town finally arrived.

Li Xiulan and Wang Changgen spoke no more, the two of them boarded the bus together, returning to Shanggou Village.

At this time, they ran into Liang Yuanchao on the bus again.

Liang Yuanchao sat in the back seat, looking completely absent-minded, who knows what was going on.

Li Xiulan took the initiative to greet him:

"Village Secretary Liang, why are you returning so late as well?"

The pensive Liang Yuanchao's expression flickered slightly, and he hurriedly pulled himself back from his wandering thoughts into reality.

He hasn't been Shanggou Village's Village Committee Secretary for quite a few years now, it's been a long time since anyone called him Village Secretary Liang.

Now Li Xiulan's one "Village Secretary Liang" stirred up emotions in his heart.

But he still hurriedly restrained his emotions, his careworn face forcing out a polite smile:

"Xiulan, Changgen, what a coincidence, didn't expect to run into you two again."

Li Xiulan said:

"We were in the county town handling some business, missed the last direct bus to the village."

Liang Yuanchao said:

"I also had some business to handle, missed the last bus, later when we return to town, who knows if there'll be any vehicles to go back."

Li Xiulan said: "Taking a motorcycle back is fine."

Liang Yuanchao chuckled: "Guess only a motorcycle will do."

After saying this, he stopped speaking again, returning to a careworn appearance.

Li Xiulan didn't feel right continuing the conversation, because Wang Changgen beside her was also careworn.