Chapter 143 What is Family?
The wound is festering and the high fever persists.
If it weren't for Granny Wang next door discovering him early, he would have been dead long ago.
Later, a kind-hearted old woman in the village took pity on him and took him in.
The old woman lived alone, surviving on meager relief food, yet she still saved her own rations to feed him until he grew up.
But when he was eleven years old, the old lady also passed away.
On a cold winter night, the old man quietly closed his eyes, still clutching a pair of worn-out cloth shoes he had worn as a child.
From then on, he lived alone, all by himself.
He barely made a living by carrying water, chopping firewood, and cleaning pigsties, and lived with a limp for decades.
My legs are bad, and I also have other unspeakable health problems.
He once thought that he would just endure his life like this until the day he died, and that would be the end of it.
Every day I lie in bed, looking at the mold spots on the roof and counting the cracks in the ceiling.
The pain often struck at night, tormenting him and keeping him tossing and turning in bed.
He had asked himself countless times, what is the meaning of living?
But I don't have the courage to end it all completely.
And so, day after day, he dragged his broken body, waiting to die in despair.
Until that day when he went up the mountain to chop firewood, he met Yang Juanhua.
It was a late spring morning, the mountain mist had not yet dissipated, and the dew had dampened his trouser legs.
He leaned on his crutch and moved with difficulty across the slope, trying to gather some dry branches to take home and use as firewood.
Just as he bent down to gather firewood, a familiar figure walked out from the forest path.
Yang Juanhua was wearing a faded blue cotton shirt and a faded headscarf.
The moment their eyes met, Lu Qiming's heart skipped a beat.
In fact, he had enjoyed a few happy years with Yang Juanhua.
Those were the warmest and most reassuring times of his life.
At that time, he could still walk and had plenty of strength.
The two worked together to farm, raise pigs, and build houses. Life was tough, but their hearts were filled with sweetness.
Every evening, they would sit on the doorstep to watch the sunset and listen to the distant bells of cattle and sheep returning to their pens.
Occasionally, they would exchange a few intimate words, and their laughter would startle the sparrows under the eaves.
The children ran around, calling out "Dad" and "Mom".
He once thought that such days would continue indefinitely.
Even in poverty, life is complete.
During that time, he felt that his life had regained its light.
He no longer felt like a useless person, but rather the pillar of the family.
Yang Juanhua would lean on his shoulder at night and whisper, "With you here, I'm not afraid."
Those words, now that I think about them, seem like echoes from a dream.
He once vowed to himself that as long as he lived well, things would get better and better.
But when Yang Juanhua became pregnant again, the family began to fall apart.
At first, he was overjoyed, thinking that a new life would be added to the family, bringing new hope.
But as the months went by, Yang Juanhua's expression became increasingly strange.
She always avoided his gaze, couldn't eat, and often secretly wiped away tears at night.
He finally couldn't help but ask, "Whose child is this...?"
She remained silent, only shaking her head and muttering, "Don't ask, don't ask..."
No matter how much he begged and pleaded, or how many times he knelt and kowtowed, she refused to utter a single word.
Even so, he gritted his teeth and endured it.
He told himself that the child was innocent.
Since you're already pregnant, then give birth to the baby.
He even tried to convince himself that perhaps she was just confused for a moment.
For the sake of keeping the family intact, he preferred to pretend he didn't know and swallow his grievances.
He continued to work in the fields as usual, and continued to prepare medicine and meals for her as usual, never mentioning a word about it to outsiders.
But no one knew that his heart had already been gnawed and riddled with holes.
And what was the result?
In the end, he was paralyzed in bed and could never move again.
That day, he was harvesting rice in the field when suddenly everything went black, and he fell heavily into the muddy water.
When he woke up, he was in a hospital bed in the county hospital. The doctor shook his head and said, "Your spine is damaged and your nerves are compressed. I'm afraid you'll never be able to stand up again."
At that moment, his world completely collapsed.
He stared at the snow-white ceiling, tears silently streaming down his face.
From then on, he could no longer work in the fields.
And the child who caused him so much suffering ultimately did not survive.
Yang Juanhua miscarried a month later.
Looking at Lu Qiming like this, Shen Cuifen felt quite uncomfortable.
"Sigh! Dad! I promised to take care of you until you're old, it's not because I want your house."
Her voice choked with emotion as she raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye.
“I am your daughter, and I will always remember your kindness, regardless of whether you are my biological daughter or not.”
"I just want my children to understand that people should have a conscience and not be ungrateful, taking advantage of others and then turning their backs on them."
“I can’t control those two heartless bastards, but the three children who have lived with me, they all regard you as their own grandfather from the bottom of their hearts, so you are their own grandfather.”
"Even if you don't transfer the house to my name, I will still take good care of you."
"Don't worry, I, Shen Cuifen, am not the kind of person who would betray principles for personal gain. I didn't stay here for a single brick or tile; I just couldn't bear to see you waiting to die alone."
On the one hand, if she really abandoned him, Lu Qiming would definitely not survive.
No one in the village was willing to take in such a paralyzed old man, who needed to be cared for in every way, from eating and drinking to toileting.
Who could endure such torment?
Hire a caregiver?
Who can afford to pay over a thousand a month?
Lu Weidong?
That's even less likely to work.
That person was unfilial from a young age, and after getting married, he never even visited during holidays.
If Shen Cuifen leaves, Lu Qiming will just lie in the house and slowly wait to die.
The thought of such an ending is chilling.
On the other hand, she also hopes that her children will understand filial piety.
She often taught them, "Although Grandpa isn't a blood relative, he supported your education and built you houses, so he's closer to you than a blood relative."
"If you become successful in the future, don't forget this kindness."
She knew that actions speak louder than words.
If I were to abandon Lu Qiming now...
How will the children, influenced by what they see and hear, learn to repay kindness in the future?
Filial piety is not innate; it is passed down through countless small acts of kindness.
Even if there is no blood relation, as long as you have lived together and supported each other, you are family.
Everything Lu Qiming has done for this family over the years.
Which one isn't real and tangible?
Can these favors be wiped out just because he is paralyzed?
Although Lu Qiming is not related to them by blood, all the houses they live in and the land they farm over the years have been obtained thanks to Lu Qiming.
He worked hard in his youth to earn this peaceful life.
He lived frugally, saving all the money to support his family.
Now that he is old, sick, and fallen ill, these people are trying to wash their hands of him.
Isn't this repaying kindness with enmity?
Shen Cuifen did not want to become that kind of person, and she did not want her children to become like that.
"No, no! The house must be transferred to your name!"
Lu Qiming said firmly.
"I'm over seventy years old. I might just pass away one day if I can't catch my breath."
"When Lu Weidong suddenly appears again to argue about this and that, who can you turn to for justice?"
"That guy is ruthless and vicious; he's capable of anything."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
