Chapter 219 Thunder Vine

Grandma Mai is old, but her mind is still sharp. She sent Mai Defu to find Qin Suisui, hoping to try and secure a chance for her unfilial son's survival.

She saw how much blood her unfilial son vomited, and the outcome was exactly what she had expected.

After Qin Suisui drank a large glass of water, she removed the silver needles from Mai Dong's body. Pei Jiuyan and the others helped move Mai Dong to the bed, and Mai Dong woke up in less than two minutes.

His eyes were somewhat vacant, and he stared at the ceiling for a long time before realizing where he was.

Ada rushed over, shouting, "Daddy, Daddy..."

Ada's intelligence level remained at that of a four or five-year-old. He only knew that his father was vomiting blood and was sick, but he didn't know why his father was suddenly like this, so he was so scared that he kept crying loudly.

Grandma Mai rushed over, tears welling in her eyes, unable to utter a single word.

Perhaps it was because he was about to die that Mai Dong felt endless guilt towards his mother. He raised his hand and touched his grandmother's full head of silver hair: "Mom, I am unfilial and have caused you so much trouble."

"I haven't been able to properly take care of you in this life. I hope you will choose me to be your son in the next life and give me a chance to fulfill my filial duty again."

Grandma Mai covered her mouth and gently stroked Mai Dong's face with one hand, too painful to speak.

The greatest pain in life is for a parent to outlive their child. No matter how much resentment they had before, at this moment, all the resentment and anger seem to vanish, leaving only endless heartache. After all, that is their own child! A piece of their own flesh and blood!

Ada was still crying loudly. Maidong gently raised his hand and patted Ada's head: "Ada, Daddy is going on another long trip. When you're at home, you have to be a good boy and listen to Grandma. You're the older brother, the man of our family. You have to take good care of Grandma and little brother Huzi, understand?"

Ada nodded: "I'm a man, I'll take care of... Grandma... and my little brother..."

Mai Dong tilted her head again, glanced at Hu Zi who had been sitting there silently since the beginning, and waved to him.

Tiger's expression remained indifferent, but he still walked over. Mai Dong tried to reach out and touch him, but he nimbly dodged her.

Mai Dong wasn't annoyed, and chuckled, "Good lad! You've got the style of your old man back in the day, knowing to avenge your mother!"

Tiger looked up in surprise, puzzled. He seemed to be wondering why Mai Dong wasn't angry, and instead praised him, when he had poisoned Mai Dong and was about to die.

Then Mai Dong continued, "Your mother's death is not only a wound in your heart, but also a wound in mine. You have to believe that my love for your mother is no less than your love for her. So Dad won't blame you. Dad hopes... you can forgive Dad, okay?"

He looked at Tiger with longing eyes, hoping to hear the little guy call out "Dad" before he died.

But Tiger just kept his head down and didn't say a word.

Mai Dong chuckled softly, as if comforting him, or perhaps comforting herself: "It's alright, I'll go down to her myself and ask for her forgiveness."

His gaze swept around the room again, finally settling on Qin Suisui's face. He smiled and nodded at her, silently saying, "Thank you."

His gaze quickly became unfocused as he tried to look at Grandma Mai, his mouth opening and closing but unable to utter a sound.

Grandma Mai quickly bent down and put her ear close to his ear. She heard his voice, broken and forceful, saying, "No...don't blame Tiger...good...raise him well...raise him...to grow up..."

But before he could finish uttering the last word, he had already stopped breathing.

Grandma Mai and Ada rushed over immediately, crying and shouting loudly.

Qin Suisui and the others also looked grief-stricken; no one wanted things to develop to this point.

Only Tiger remained indifferent, his eyes revealing no emotion, as if the events here had nothing to do with him.

Just hours before the New Year, Ophiopogon japonicus remained forever in 1970.

Because of Mai Dong's last wish, no one pursued Hu Zi's responsibility. Even if they did, it would be useless; Hu Zi is not yet 14 years old and is a minor, so even if he killed someone, he could not be held accountable.

But Mai Dong was a soldier after all. His inexplicable death would definitely be investigated by the organization, and they wouldn't be able to hide it even if they wanted to.

Therefore, Tiger will most likely be taken to a special reformatory for a period of time. However, such places generally focus on cultural education, legal and moral education, vocational skills training, psychological counseling and behavioral correction, and will not be as harsh as prison or farm reform.

It's none of Qin Suisui's business what happens to Mai Dong after her death. Besides, it's the New Year now.

On the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the organizers arrived and wanted to take Hu Zi to a reformatory for a year. This was a relatively lenient sentence, considering Mai Dong's last wishes and after Mai's grandmother, a family member, pleaded on her behalf.

Qin Suisui brought him clothes and food, but Hu Zi just kept his head down, just like last night.

Before leaving, Hu Zi finally looked up at Qin Sui Sui, tugged at her clothes like a child who had done something wrong: "Sister Sui Sui, I will definitely be obedient from now on."

Qin Suisui glanced at him, feeling both heartache and self-reproach. She had discovered it when she came to take Mai Dong's pulse; Mai Dong had been poisoned by the same toxin as Xie Ting—Tripterygium wilfordii.

A few days before the Lunar New Year, when Qin Suisui went to the base, she found that Hu Zi was always going out with Jia Zhenzhen and the others to collect herbs. At that time, she asked, "Doesn't Hu Zi have to do his homework? You don't need to collect herbs every day. We have enough herbs."

Tiger's eyes looked strange at that time, but she didn't think much of it. If she had been more observant, she might have discovered that Tiger had secretly picked Tripterygium wilfordii, and this tragedy could have been avoided.

She wasn't feeling sorry for Mai Dong, but rather for Hu Zi. Sending him to a reformatory at such a young age would definitely affect his future.

She turned to look at Hu Zi, a boy who was not even ten years old and still thin and small, but his eyes held a hint of adult caution.

She sighed, squatted down, and patted his head: "Sister knows you've always been a good boy. Even if a good boy makes a mistake, if we're brave enough to correct it, we're still a good boy. Be good in there, listen to the instructors, but don't let anyone bully you. Sister will find a way to come see you."

Qin Suisui asked herself honestly, if she and Hu Zi were to switch places, she would definitely kill Mai Dong at all costs to avenge her mother.

But she couldn't say such things to Tiger; she couldn't instill any incorrect ideas in a child whose values ​​hadn't yet been formed. She didn't object to Tiger going to the shelter either; on the contrary, she wanted the child to know that wrongdoing had consequences, and compared to other punishments, this was the mildest one.

After seeing Hu Zi off, Qin Suisui and Su Yunyi carried food and incense to Xie Ting's grave to pay their respects. On their way back, they found that on a nearby slope, the villagers were burying Mai Dong, and Grandma Mai and Ada were there too.

Before his death, Mai Dong wanted to be buried with Xie Ting, but Hu Zi insisted on disagreeing. So his grave was arranged in the "clan grave" of Guangmingding Brigade, facing Xie Ting from afar, just like their ill-fated life.