Their home was further down the alley, and what came into view was a dilapidated wooden door that looked like it could be easily kicked to pieces even by Zheng Wan, who was the weakest among them.
Even so, the men carefully opened the door and invited them in.
Before the disaster, the family's situation had already deteriorated. Apart from a dilapidated cart parked in the middle of the yard, they had no poultry or other livestock.
But it's also possible that they didn't stop raising animals, but rather that they ate them all after the disaster. After giving them a quick glance, the man led them into the main house.
The dimly lit room was devoid of any bright colors, instead adorned with white flowers, and in the center of the table sat a color photograph of an old man.
They stopped in their tracks, and the man turned around and, seeing them staring at the photo, explained, "The old man left in a hurry and didn't have time to get a black and white photo, so we'll have to make do with this for now."
When something like this happened to someone's family, Cheng Zhi and the others didn't know what to say, and simply offered their condolences.
They took off all their belongings, and Cheng Zhi then realized that they were all quite young. The eldest brother was about twenty-five or twenty-six, and the two younger brothers were twins who looked about the same age as them.
But at this point, Cheng Zhi wasn't curious about their information. After putting away the umbrella, she said she was going to see their mother.
The eldest brother nodded, took two steps to the side, lifted the curtain of the small door next to him, and said that his mother lived here.
The room was poorly lit, and because the door was closed, the air was not circulating. A woman with graying temples lay on the bed, barely breathing, and coughing occasionally.
On the way back, my older brother had already told them that Mother had caught a bad cold from being caught in the rain. Everyone works hard every day and is generally healthy, so they rarely get sick and there's no medicine on hand at home.
Unexpectedly, the illness struck like a landslide. My father, who had initially only had a cold and fever, likely developed another illness and died. Shortly afterward, my mother also collapsed due to overwork and grief.
The two younger brothers had already gone to boil water. Cheng Zhi sat down by the bed and touched the old woman's forehead with her hand. Fortunately, she didn't have a fever, otherwise it would have been much more difficult.
Hot water and bowls and chopsticks were already prepared. Cheng Zhi took out some cold medicine from her pocket and prepared it. After it cooled down a little, she had her three brothers help their mother to drink the medicine.
Huang Yiyi, who was standing next to them, even took out two of her own loquat and fritillaria throat lozenges and gave them to the three brothers. The three brothers thanked her repeatedly.
Cheng Zhi also took an extra packet of medicine and placed it by their bedside, saying that if his mother woke up in the middle of the night, he could give her the medicine again, which might help her recover faster.
The eldest brother put the medicine away, and the two younger brothers helped the old woman to bed. They said they would prepare two clean rooms for them so they could rest.
Just now, outside, my brother said that quite a few people in the village had been spying on them, and they wouldn't dare sleep in the car tonight. Staying here is better than sleeping on the street, so they didn't refuse again, only saying that one room would suffice.
Upon hearing that they only needed one room, the older brother's expression immediately darkened. Looking at the group of men and women, he said, "What kind of nonsense is it for you girls to live with two boys? It doesn't sound good to outsiders. You should live separately."
Xiao Feiran frowned upon hearing this; the fatherly tone was irritating. She immediately shook her head and refused, "We won't trouble you. One room is enough for us. We don't care, so outsiders don't need to worry about us."
Having been so clearly rejected, the older brother and his companions didn't know what to say. They gave an awkward laugh and went to tidy up the room with their two underlings.
As soon as they left, Zheng Wan rolled her eyes uncomfortably and said in a low voice, "I hope his mother gets better soon. I don't want to stay in this place for another second."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
