Chapter 238 How to get through the rest of the year?

Zhao Lin stood outside the bamboo grove, listening intently, and a smile quietly crept onto his lips.

The wind rustled through the forest, making the bamboo leaves whisper in her honor.

Her eyes twitched slightly, but her smile was deeply hidden, only spreading gently at the corners of her lips.

She knew that although Dr. Mao was rude, he was not a bad person and what he said was true; and Aunt Mao's scolding revealed all the twists and turns in people's hearts.

She wasn't annoyed; instead, she felt warm.

She lowered her head and touched the polished cane in her hand, her fingertips slowly tracing the smooth wooden surface, the patina that had been worn down over the years, warm and smooth as jade.

One end of the cane was slightly worn, clearly from frequent use. She leaned on it, her steps slow but steady, moving forward step by step.

With each step she took, the old injury on her leg throbbed with pain, but she gritted her teeth and refused to make a sound.

She cannot fall, nor dare she fall, because there is a pair of eyes watching her as she supports the family.

The fire in the stove was still glowing, the ashes were slightly reddish, and the residual heat had not yet dissipated. There was also a half-bundle of dry grass piled up next to the stove.

The teapot on the table was empty, and it sat tilted to one side with the spout pointing downwards, leaving a faint water stain around the surface.

The three cups were piled up haphazardly, with brown tea stains remaining on the cup walls, clearly indicating that they had just been used.

A few pieces of sweet potato peel were scattered nearby, some still covered in mud, and some already gnawed by rats. A thin line of crumbs trailed from the rat hole in the corner of the wall—clearly, the family of three had eaten hastily and then went their separate ways without cleaning up.

When Shen Cuifen saw Zhou Anguo run back, she didn't cook and rushed out to find Zhao Lin.

The straps of her apron were loose, and her cuffs were covered in flour. The fire in the stove was burning too brightly, and no one cared that the pot was red-hot.

She had only one thought in her mind: Could something have really happened to her mother?

Anguo cried and said that she had fallen and broken her leg, and was now walking on crutches...

These words pierced her heart like a knife. Without even changing her shoes, she ran outside wearing only her coat.

The two passed each other by, but she didn't see anyone. Zhao Lin had no choice but to turn around and go out to look for her again. Actually, she could have called out, but she didn't want to disturb the neighbors, and she didn't want Shen Cuifen to see her in such a disheveled state.

"Cuifen, over here!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the night.

As Shen Cuifen walked, she wiped away her tears, wiping her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed.

Her nose was bright red, and she was breathing rapidly, like a lost little animal.

Looking up, he saw Zhao Lin in front of him, his figure hunched over in the moonlight, leaning on a cane, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

She immediately ran over, her shoes slapping against the dirt road, making a pattering sound: "Mom! Are you alright? I was so worried I cried! Anguo said you broke your leg and are using crutches... He scared me to death! I thought you'd be bedridden for months, and I'd have to take care of you day and night..."

Seeing her face covered in tears, Zhao Lin felt a pang of tenderness in his heart, as if someone had ripped it open.

She gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks, just like when she was a child and she was being coaxed to sleep.

Touching her daughter's wet cheek with her fingertips, she couldn't help but sigh: "Silly girl, why are you crying? I just tripped and fell, and bumped my knee. It's not broken. My bones are fine. The doctor said I just need to rest for a few days. Anguo, that kid, tends to exaggerate when he's anxious. Don't believe his nonsense."

Shen Cuifen stared intently at the cane in her hand, her eyes filled with doubt and heartache.

The cane was clearly genuine and well-worn; it wasn't something they'd found temporarily.

Her lips trembled slightly: "Mother...you're really strong. Don't hide it from me, I know you're in pain. You've always been like this, bearing everything on your own. When I was little, I had a fever, and you carried me to the clinic, walking ten miles of mountain road, falling three times along the way, but you didn't utter a sound. You're trying to hide it from me this time too, aren't you? But I'm your daughter, I can take care of you, I want to take care of you..."

Zhao Lin hadn't expected Zhou Anguo to fabricate such a convincing story, even preparing a cane. He simply accepted the offer, letting out a long sigh, his tone heavy: "I'm getting old, this is my fate. My legs are starting to give way, I can't walk properly. The doctor said it's a recurrence of an old injury, I'll need to rest for a while. It's not that I can't live, it's just inconvenient, you'll have to take care of me more in the future. I don't want to be a burden on you, but this body... it's not working for me anymore."

Shen Cuifen helped her home while crying.

She gripped Zhao Lin's arm tightly with one hand and supported her crutch with the other, afraid that she would fall again.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, not from the cold, but from fear—fear of losing her mother, fear of her family falling apart.

All the way, she kept urging, "Mom, don't talk about being a burden. Your being alive is the greatest blessing. Tomorrow I'll go to town to get the best doctor, and I'll personally oversee getting the medicine. I'll also make the soup every day. You can't push me, and you can't be stubborn!"

Inside the room, Zhou Nuli and Zhou Xiuli lay on the bed, their ears perked up, listening to the sounds outside.

Neither of them was asleep; they lay on their respective beds pretending to be asleep, with the blankets covering their chins but their eyes wide open.

Zhou Nuli had a bottle of liquor hidden under the bed, and his body still smelled strongly of alcohol; Zhou Xiuli quietly pressed her ear to the pillow and even breathed softly.

They heard Shen Cuifen helping Zhao Lin into the room, the tapping of the cane on the ground, and the low voices of the mother and daughter talking. They exchanged a knowing glance.

"Mother, would you please sit down?"

Shen Cuifen helped her to a chair in the main room, squatted down in front of her, and looked up at her.

"You can't sit down... Waaah, then I'll help you lie down! If you think the kang (heated brick bed) is cold, I'll add a mattress for you and boil a hot water bottle. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you right now, even if it's the middle of the night!"

"Don't be afraid. Even if you're crippled, I'll sleep with you. Just call me and I'll get up immediately. I'll take care of you, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."

Zhao Lin didn't speak, but coldly glanced at his own room door and then looked in the direction of Zhou Xiuli's room next door.

Her gaze lingered on the closed door for a few seconds, her eyes as cold as frozen well water in winter, without a ripple.

She wasn't unaware of the promise; she simply knew that no matter how beautiful the words, they couldn't withstand the test of time and reality.

She's lame. What will happen to the two of them?

How should we live our lives from now on?

Who will support this family?

These thoughts churned in her mind, but not a single sound escaped her lips.

As dawn broke, the morning light shone through the paper windows, casting a hazy shadow on the wall.

Zhao Lin, leaning on his cane and supported by Shen Cuifen, slowly walked out to the dry toilet in the courtyard.

With each step she took, she frowned, as if she were stepping on a knife's edge, and a piercing pain shot through the soles of her feet, as if iron nails were driven into the cracks of her bones.

She gritted her teeth, remaining silent, but fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead and slid down her temples.

Shen Cuifen's eyes reddened again: "Mom, let's go to the hospital to get it checked out. Don't delay. If you keep pushing yourself like this, what if you develop a more serious illness? The doctor said it's best to treat it early, otherwise it will be harder to get better."