Chapter 80: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 80

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan returned from the Village Entrance Convenience Store and explained the situation to Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei, saying her mother was ill and she had to return to her maternal home tomorrow, asking Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei to take a day off.

Lin Dajun said instead:

"You go back to your maternal home, Hongwei and I will keep working; Hongwei can do the small worker's tasks. This project can't be delayed any longer—we must finish it quickly!"

Li Xiulan said:

"Then you two arrange it yourselves."

She had long been absent-minded and distracted.

That night, Li Xiulan tossed and turned, unable to sleep, staring wide-eyed until dawn.

As soon as day broke, she got up to make breakfast and feed the chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs.

After Wang Dashan and Wang Erhai went to school, she tidied everything up, took some savings, and took Wang Xiaohua back to her maternal home together.

Li Xiulan's maternal home was in the neighboring town, not far from Shangou Village, just over ten kilometers.

It happened to be market day in the neighboring town, and there were small four-wheelers specifically carrying passengers to the neighboring town.

Li Xiulan went to wait by the roadside for the small four-wheeler to arrive, then took it to the neighboring town.

Around eleven o'clock at noon, Li Xiulan finally arrived at her hometown.

At this time, inside her hometown's dilapidated black-tile mud-brick house, many relatives had already gathered.

Inside the living room, her eldest and second brothers were pouring tea and water to welcome the arriving relatives.

Li Xiulan's father had passed away years ago, so now her eldest and second brothers were the heads of the household.

Inside the living room, a dim doorway led to the bedroom.

Li Xiulan's mother was lying on the bed inside the bedroom.

Although she was very weak, her mind was still clear.

Seeing so many people come to visit her, she knew her time was running out.

Many relatives and friends might only be able to see her one last time.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, where is Mom?"

Li Xiulan held Wang Xiaohua's hand, walked into the living room, and asked her eldest and second brothers.

Wang Xiaohua looked at the unfamiliar environment and unfamiliar crowd, her gaze timid.

"Inside, hurry in and take a look. Mom has been saying she wants to talk to you."

Li Yaozu said this to Li Xiulan, then went to greet the guests.

His face was extremely weathered, but as the eldest son in the family, he had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of handling family affairs.

"Okay!"

Li Xiulan led Wang Xiaohua into the dim bedroom.

Wang Xiaohua was a little afraid; the bedroom was filled with a damp, moldy smell.

Dim light leaked through the small wooden window, falling just right on Li Xiulan's mother's pale, withered face.

Wang Xiaohua would never forget the scene she saw at this moment: her unfamiliar maternal grandmother, reduced to skin and bones, her eye sockets deeply sunken, mouth slightly open, gaze unfocused, breath faint as a thread.

A smell of death and decay rushed into her nose, and the originally timid Wang Xiaohua immediately grabbed Li Xiulan's hand in terror and hid her head behind Li Xiulan.

She dared not look again.

"Xiulan, are you here……"

Li Xiulan's mother panted, speaking with difficulty.

Li Xiulan's nose felt sour, but she held back her tears. She moved a chair over, sat by the bed, and looked at this relative who was terminally ill, feeling she was so unfamiliar.

Clearly full of spirit during the Spring Festival, how could it be that after just a few months, she had become so unrecognizable?

Cancer is truly a terrifying thing!

"Mom, it's me. Don't worry too much. Your illness will get better……"

Li Xiulan held her mother's withered hand, memories of childhood constantly coming back to her.

When she was a child, her family was dirt poor, unable to even afford rice. Her mother risked her life to go to the production team in the middle of the night and steal half a jin of rice, grinding it with tree roots and tree bark into powder, along with Guanyin Soil, and cooking a big pot of pitch-black congee. In the middle of the night, the whole family ate in silence in the dark, and her mother warned her and her two brothers that they absolutely must not make a sound while eating, otherwise if people outside found out, they might not even have this black congee to eat!

This was the most memorable thing in Li Xiulan's memory, and also the fullest meal she had ever eaten as a child.

"I know my own condition. You don't need to lie to me. Is everything okay at home? Has Wang Zhanggen bullied you? How are your three children? I can see you've lost a lot of weight compared to before……"

Li Xiulan's mother spoke in a weak voice. Even at the end of her life, she still cared about her children's lives.

Li Xiulan could no longer hold back; tears streamed down, and she began to sob.

"Mom, I'm fine. There's food at home, there are clothes, and the children are also fine. Wang Zhanggen hasn't bullied me……"

Li Xiulan didn't want her mother to worry about her family's trivial matters before passing away, so she told this lie.

"You, you always like to shoulder everything alone. That's not good. In the future, if you have something you can't communicate with Wang Zhanggen about, come back home and find your two brothers. They will definitely help you. After all, they are your own brothers, not outsiders……"

Li Xiulan's mother immediately saw that Li Xiulan was unhappy in life.

After all, she was the biological mother. Whether her own child was doing well or not, it couldn't escape her eyes.

"Mm, mm, I know. I will do as you say……"

Li Xiulan nodded in agreement, wiping away tears.

"Is the one behind you your son?"

Li Xiulan's mother looked at Wang Xiaohua behind Li Xiulan.

Li Xiulan pulled Wang Xiaohua out:

"He is my youngest son Wang Xiaohua; Eldest Brother and Second Brother both went to study and didn't come over... Xiaohua, quickly call Waimu!"

Wang Xiaohua was timid; he looked at the emaciated Waimu, as if seeing a ghost, scared to death.

But he still followed Li Xiulan's instruction, calling out "Waimu" in a low voice.

Li Xiulan's mother forced out a laugh, then fished out a wrinkled red envelope from under the pillow and handed it to Wang Xiaohua:

"Good grandson, this is for you."

Wang Xiaohua dared not take it.

Li Xiulan wiped tears and said: "Ma, why give him this? No need to give! You keep it yourself!"

Li Xiulan's mother said instead: "It's needed; what use is it for me to keep? Besides, this is custom, cannot be omitted; grandson comes to visit grandmother, must give a red envelope, just a token, auspicious and smooth, healthy and safe!"

Li Xiulan urged Wang Xiaohua:

"Quickly accept the red envelope, thank Waimu."

Only then did Wang Xiaohua very reluctantly accept the red envelope, saying thanks to Waimu.

"I'm tired, want to rest a bit..."

After Li Xiulan's mother gave the red envelope, she said just this one sentence.

"Then Ma... you rest, I'll go out..."

Li Xiulan took Wang Xiaohua and turned to leave.

Went out to outside the living room.

Relatives were chattering away; men frowned worriedly smoking cigarettes, the whole room filled with thick smoke.

At this time, eldest brother Li Yaozu saw Li Xiulan come out and beckoned to Li Xiulan:

"Xiulan, come with me for a moment!"

Li Yaozu took Li Xiulan into the vegetable garden inside, speaking alone with Li Xiulan:

"Doctor said, our Ma although is late-stage cancer, but doctor said, if do surgery, still has a glimmer of life; if no surgery, estimate won't survive past this month, but surgery fee needs thirty thousand yuan, me and your second brother are useless, not promising, can't scrape together this much money..."

Li Yaozu frowned worriedly.

Li Xiulan heard this and hurriedly asked:

"How much more money is needed?"

Although Li Xiulan is very short of money now, but her own birth mother, she definitely cannot watch die without saving.