Chapter 180 The Price (2)
Now let's talk about Fu's mother.
The three of them settled in the town's guesthouse. As soon as they entered the room, Fu's mother could no longer hold back her tears.
She felt so sorry for her friend, wondering what kind of life she had been living for the past few decades.
The more Fu's mother cried, the more regretful she became, feeling that she shouldn't have left like this today.
“We shouldn’t have left like this. I know she was worried that we would be entangled with her good-for-nothing son. So what if he does entangle us?”
Tang Mingli knew that her mother-in-law probably wouldn't listen to anything she said at this point, so she could only try to appease her by agreeing with her.
“We’re still here. We can go see Aunt Xiujuan again tomorrow.”
Mrs. Fu nodded repeatedly: "We'll go earlier tomorrow."
"good."
"We got up and set off before dawn."
Tang Mingli: "..."
It seemed a bit early, but under the circumstances, she agreed, "I'll get up and leave before dawn."
It's okay to sleep one less day occasionally.
Little did they know that before dawn, the old man and the child were already trudging along the dark country road. They arrived in town just as day was breaking.
The town is small, with a street about eighteen meters long, lined with red brick and tile houses on both sides, which makes it the most prosperous place in the surrounding area.
There was only one guesthouse in the town, so Wei Xiujuan easily found Fu's mother and the others.
Fu's mother and Tang Mingli had just finished washing up when they saw Wei Xiujuan and her granddaughter, and they couldn't believe how they had gotten there.
How did they manage to get through those difficult mountain paths without even a flashlight?
Fu's mother, her eyes swollen from crying, couldn't hold back her tears again. "How did you all get through this?"
Wei Xiujuan laughed: "I walked here."
"It's so dark, can you see anything?"
"I've been walking this road for decades; I could walk it with my eyes closed."
"That's true, but what if you fall?"
As she spoke, Fu's mother actually went forward to check.
Fortunately, both of their clothes were clean and there were no signs of a fall.
But seeing the patched-up clothes on my friend's body, my heart ached again.
Wei Xiujuan was also touched by her friend's concern.
For many years, she had not felt any care or concern from others.
She thought to herself, "If you fall, just get up. I've fallen plenty of times before." But she didn't say it aloud; she just smiled and said, "How could that be?"
As he spoke, he pushed his granddaughter in front of him again: "Niuhua, call for help."
Wang Niuhua was also very clever; as soon as her grandmother finished speaking, she sweetly called out to everyone.
Mrs. Fu quickly praised her son.
Looking at this face that is almost identical to that of a friend when he was a child, he exclaimed, "This child looks exactly like you when you were a child."
When this was mentioned, Wei Xiujuan's smile became more genuine.
The child does look like me, and perhaps that's why I secretly hope she can be better than me.
...
As soon as Wei Xiujuan and her granddaughter arrived, Tang Mingli signaled to her husband to go to the street to buy some food.
She was certain that neither of them had eaten anything.
So while Fu's mother and Wei Xiujuan were having a lively conversation, Fu Ci quietly left.
After a while, they came back carrying large and small bags.
It's all food and drink.
Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, white porridge, pancakes, dumplings... he bought almost everything he could find on the street.
Once laid out on the table, it looked as abundant as if it were Chinese New Year.
At least in Wang Niuhua's view, it was as abundant as celebrating the New Year.
She was instantly captivated by the food and couldn't hear what the two grandmothers were saying.
Tang Mingli smiled and encouraged everyone to eat and chat.
Only then did Fu's mother realize that her friend and granddaughter had set off before dawn and must be hungry, so she quickly pulled them over to sit down.
Wang Niuhua stared intently at the table full of food.
Wei Xiujuan felt heartbroken seeing this.
The child has never seen so much food at once before.
She rarely spoke to her granddaughter in such a gentle tone, saying, "Eat up, eat as much as you want today."
Upon hearing this, Wang Niuhua's eyes lit up even more, and she carefully picked up a steamed bun and began to eat it.
It's a meat bun; one bite and you'll find it packed with meat.
It's Chinese New Year... no, it's even happier than Chinese New Year.
Today is the happiest day of her life.
It turned out that Grandma hadn't brought her to the market, but rather to have a delicious meal.
Wang Niuhua's expression, as if she were eating some rare delicacy, made the adults present feel heartbroken.
Especially for Fu's mother, everything she has seen in the past two days tells her how badly Xiujuan has lived these past few decades.
Tang Mingli was also reminded of her long-forgotten memories, and tenderly poured Wang Niuhua a glass of water.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
Before she could finish speaking, Wang Niuhua choked on a steamed bun.
Fortunately, Tang Mingli had just brought water, and she quickly picked up the cup and drank half of it in one gulp before she could swallow the bun that was stuck in her throat.
She was nine years old, an age when she was old enough to understand things. She knew she had just embarrassed herself, and her face instantly turned bright red, her head hanging low.
Tang Mingli felt as if she were seeing her younger self, and she felt a mix of emotions.
She knew that comforting the child at this moment would only make her more embarrassed, so she acted as if nothing was wrong and recommended the pancakes she was eating.
"This pancake tastes pretty good, would you like to try some?"
Wang Niu blushed and looked up, wanting to say no, but seeing Tang Mingli eating so heartily, she subconsciously swallowed.
Tang Mingli naturally broke the pancake in her hand in half and handed it to her: "Try it."
Wang Niuhua took it, took a bite, and found it so delicious that she wanted to swallow her tongue.
There was a lot of food for breakfast, but thanks to everyone's efforts, we managed to solve the basic problem.
After they had almost finished eating, Wei Xiujuan suddenly said to her granddaughter, "Niuhua, kowtow to Grandma Yujuan."
This terrified Fu's mother, who quickly stopped Wang Niuhua from kneeling down.
"Xiujuan, what are you doing?"
Wei Xiujuan said, "Yujuan, you have done her a great favor, and she has no way to repay it yet. Let her kowtow to you."
"This is a new society, this kind of behavior is not acceptable. If you continue like this, I will get angry."
Seeing that her friend was truly angry, Wei Xiujuan had no choice but to give up and instead instructed her granddaughter, "Child, Grandma Yujuan will support your schooling from now on, so you must..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wang Niuhua, upon hearing that she could go to school, forgot all about eating her pancake and almost reflexively knelt down, kowtowing several times to her mother-in-law.
Everything happened so unexpectedly.
Looking up again, Wang Niuhua's eyes were brimming with tears: "Can I really go to school?"
Fu's mother and Tang Mingli were moved to tears, and even Fu Ci, a grown man, had tears in his eyes.
As she helped her up, Fu's mother told her firmly, "Yes, you can."
At that moment, she made up her mind that even if it meant getting hurt, she would take the child to the city to go to school.
At this point, she still thought that her friend wanted her to take Wang Niuhua to school in Guangcheng, and Fu Ci and Tang Mingli thought so too.
Unexpectedly, as Wei Xiujuan explained, it became clear that she was only asking her friend to pay for her child's school fees, and that there was no need to worry about anything else.
Fu's mother asked, puzzled, "Why? Wouldn't it be better to just take her to the city to study?"
Wei Xiujuan shook her head, and before she could say anything, Wang Niuhua said anxiously, "I just want to be able to go to school, it doesn't have to be in the city."
These words surprised not only Fu's mother, but also Tang Mingli and Fu Ci.
You should know that there is a huge difference between going to school in the city and going to school in the countryside.
Wang Niuhua is probably too young to understand the implications.
Fu's mother told her, "Niuhua, the quality of education in the city is better than in the countryside."
Wang Niu Hua replied, "No matter where I am, as long as I can go to school, I will definitely study hard."
“But…” Fu’s mother looked at her friend, unsure whether she should say those words in front of her child.
Don't the child's parents not want her to go to school? How can she manage if she doesn't go to the city?
Wei Xiujuan understood what her friend meant and said confidently, "Don't worry, I have a way to get them to agree."
Fu Mu, however, did not believe it.
If there were a way, why wouldn't I be nine years old and still not in school? And why would this problem come to me?
So she pressed on, "What method?"
Wei Xiujuan didn't say anything, but told her friend, "Trust me, as long as they don't have to pay for the tuition, I have a way to make them willing."
She had considered pressuring her son and daughter-in-law to contribute money and effort to their child's education, but she knew that asking them for money would be tantamount to taking their lives. Even if they agreed readily, they might back out when it came time to hand over the money.
Fu's mother was skeptical, but still thought it would be simpler to just take Niu Hua to the city to study.
Wei Xiujuan shook her head, "If that's the case, then I'd rather you not help me."
"Why?"
Fu's mother couldn't understand why her friend liked to complicate simple things.
Tang Mingli, however, figured out the reason behind it.
If Wang Niuhua were taken directly to the city to attend school, Wang Tiechui and his wife might become like a stubborn leech, clinging to her.
No, it's not just possible, it's certain.
Moreover, seeing Wang Niuhua's excellent living conditions in the city might cause her to suffer a severe psychological imbalance and do things that are unimaginable to ordinary people.
Of course, if Wang Tiechui really did that, the Fu family wouldn't be without a way to deal with him. This is probably another concern for Wei Xiujuan.
No matter how bad Wang Tiechui is, he's still her son.
However, there was another reason that Tang Mingli hadn't considered.
“I don’t want to instill in her, at such a young age, the idea that she can change her fate by relying on others. Niu Hua was born into this family, that’s her destiny. If she wants to change it, she has to work hard herself.”
That day, Wei Xiujuan talked to them a lot and gave Wang Niu many instructions.
That day, Wei Xiujuan and Fu's mother stayed together until the sun was almost setting before reluctantly getting into Fu Ci's car to go home.
She thought that if she could have such a day at the end of her life, she would have no regrets.
When the car arrived at the village entrance, Wei Xiujuan and her granddaughter got out.
This was agreed upon from the beginning; people would only be taken to the village entrance.
"Hurry back to the guesthouse." As soon as they got out of the car, Wei Xiujuan waved to them, signaling them to hurry up, "It's dark and the road is difficult to walk on."
But Fu's mother said, "I'll watch you go back."
Wei Xiujuan shook her head: "I'll watch you leave."
...
In the end, Fu's mother couldn't persuade Wei Xiujuan otherwise, so she got into Fu Ci's car and left first.
On the way back to the guesthouse, she was preoccupied with how her friend would persuade her son and daughter-in-law to let their granddaughter go to school.
Seeing her mother-in-law racking her brains, Tang Mingli simply advised, "Mom, don't think about it anymore. You'll find out soon anyway."
And so what if you disagree?
As long as they are willing to help, Wang Niuhua will definitely be able to go to school.
We must make sure Wang Niuhua goes to school!
-
If Wang Tiechui didn't see his mother and daughter for a day, he knew they must have gone to town to see their wealthy friend.
At first, he was very angry, feeling that his mother shouldn't have gone behind his back, or at least shouldn't have only taken her daughter.
There are two grandsons in the family; the eldest grandsons are the root of the Wang family. He cursed his mother inwardly for being muddle-headed and unable to distinguish between what's important and what's not.
Therefore, when he saw his mother return with her daughter in the evening, Wang Tiechui immediately expressed his dissatisfaction and made accusations.
"Mother, how could you leave without saying goodbye?"
Wei Xiujuan scoffed, "Since when have you started caring about me?"
Wang Tiechui ignored the sarcastic question and continued to criticize: "Why did you bring Niuhua with you when you went out? Da Cui worked alone today and was so angry that she cursed all day."
Liu Dacui, Wang Tiechui's wife.
Wei Xiujuan took a sip of water and told her son's friend, Wei Yujuan, that she would support her granddaughter's schooling.
Upon hearing this, Wang Tiechui jumped up in anger: "Mother, are you serious? What's the point of sending a daughter to school? She can help with the house for a few more years and then get married."
"Shut up, stop talking about getting married in a few years. I just want Niu Hua to go to school."
"Mother, you..." Wang Tiechui scratched his head anxiously, not knowing how to address his mother.
“It is your two grandsons who should be in school, so you should beg for your two grandsons.”
Hearing her father's words, Wang Niuhua pleaded with tears in her eyes, "Dad, please let me go to school. I promise I'll help with the housework after school."
"Bullshit." Wang Tiechui was furious, but instead of taking it out on his mother, he slapped his daughter.
Wang Niuhua's face immediately swelled up.
Wei Xiujuan was furious at her son's actions and shouted his name.
"Wang Tiechui".
However, he was so angry that after calling out the name, he couldn't say anything else and started coughing violently.
It felt like I was about to cough up my heart, liver, spleen, and lungs.
Wang Tiechui was frightened by his mother's appearance.
However, something even more terrifying was yet to come.
After several violent coughs, Wei Xiujuan spat out a mouthful of blood.
Wang Niuhua was so frightened that she burst into tears, crying, "Grandma, Grandma, what's wrong with you?"
Wei Xiujuan looked at the blood on her palm and sat down shakily.
"My son, your mother is terminally ill and won't live much longer. My only wish before I die is for Niuhua to go to school. Can't you grant my wish?"
Wang Tiechui dared not look at his mother, which also meant that he was unwilling to compromise.
Wei Xiujuan knew her son too well, and suddenly laughed.
Blood was still seeping from the tip of his mouth, and his smile was both terrifying and desperate.
"You've grown up, and I've grown old. You no longer listen to what I say."
“Sometimes I really miss you when you were little. Back then, your mother was your everything. Every time your father was about to hit you, you would run to me.”
These words stirred up long-forgotten memories for Wang Tiechui.
When they were young, their mother was truly their pillar of support.
Whenever her father was in a bad mood and wanted to hit someone, her mother would stand in front of them.
From as far back as he can remember, he has always longed to grow up quickly.
When they grow up, they will be able to rebel against their father and protect their mother.
Later, his father didn't live to see him grow up and rebel, and when he grew up, he forgot his original wish to protect his mother.
In the silence, Wei Xiujuan glanced outside.
The sun is about to set, and it's getting dark.
When she was little, she always thought that there was night because there was day.
Later I finally understood that night is the norm, the place where everyone is destined to be, while daytime is just a pitiful gift from God.
She said to Wang Niuhua, who was still sobbing softly, "Go help your mother make dinner."
Wang Niuhua knew she should help with the chores, but she was still a little worried about her grandmother.
She only left the main room when Wei Xiujuan urged her again.
When it was just the two of them, Wei Xiujuan suddenly said, "Son, come with me to a place."
"Where to? The sun is almost setting."
Wei Xiujuan said, "I have something to give you."
Wang Tiechui said "oh" and followed his mother out the door.
Wei Xiujuan led her son up the mountain, and after walking for quite a while, she showed no sign of stopping. Wang Tiechui couldn't help but ask, "Mother, is the thing you wanted to give me hidden in the mountains?"
Wei Xiujuan chuckled, "That's right, it's hidden in the mountains."
After walking for a while, Wei Xiujuan finally stopped at a flat area in front of a cliff.
Wang Tiechui looked around, unable to understand what could be hidden in such a place.
However, it was during this glance around that, when his gaze returned to his mother, he was horrified to discover that she had walked to the edge of a cliff.
Wang Tiechui hurriedly said, "Mother, come back quickly. You can't even walk steadily anymore, what if you fall?"
Wei Xiujuan continued walking forward until she was about to fall into an abyss.
She turned to her son and said, "Son, I don't want to be a burden to you anymore."
Upon hearing this, Wang Tiechui was horrified, realizing that his mother intended to commit suicide.
"Mother, what are you saying? Come back quickly."
Wei Xiujuan remained motionless.
Wang Tiechui continued, "Didn't you just meet up with a friend you haven't seen for many years? Aunt Yujuan was obviously very happy to see you too. Can you bear to make her sad?"
When Wei Yujuan was mentioned, Wei Xiujuan became emotional.
But a few seconds later, his expression became resolute.
"Son, your mother has only one wish: for Niuhua to go to school."
At this point, let alone sending his daughter to school, even if it meant going to heaven, Wang Tiechui would have to agree first.
"Yes, Mom, I promise you, I'll let Niuhua go to school."
"Also, your Aunt Yujuan is already doing you a great favor by being willing to support Niuhua's schooling. You must not pester her."
"Okay, I'll agree to whatever you say, my dear mother, please come back soon."
With tears in her eyes, Wei Xiujuan said sternly, "Remember, make sure Niuhua goes to school. You must make sure Niuhua goes to school."
After saying that, Wei Xiujuan opened her arms and fell down without hesitation.
"mother!"
That cry of "Mother!" was so tragic and piercing that it echoed throughout the valley.
Wei Xiujuan thought that this time her son would remember what he had promised her.
Tormented by illness and rejected by her children, she had long since lost the will to live. But ending it all truly required courage.
During this period, the physical pain had reached the limit of what one could bear, and it took a lot of courage to stay alive.
She kept thinking, what kind of departure would have any meaning? Instead of like other elderly people in the village, where so-called filial sons and grandsons would wail a few times, carry them up the mountain, and then it would be as if they had never existed.
Later, she accidentally saw her granddaughter secretly crying because she couldn't go to school, and she wondered what price she would have to pay to let her granddaughter go to school.
Once the thought popped into her head, she could no longer think about him; all she could think about was getting her granddaughter into school.
She had actually been planning this moment for a long time and had imagined it countless times in her mind.
She wanted to gamble, in the most extreme way, that her son still had some affection for her, his own mother, and burden him with a guilt he could never shake off, in order to give her granddaughter a glimmer of hope.
A glimmer of hope to change one's destiny.
There was nothing behind her, only the wind constantly blowing her clothes, her hair, her body, and every inch of her skin.
It felt so warm, reminding her of her grandmother's embrace.
When she was little, only her maternal grandmother would hold her tightly and whisper "my little darling" in her ear over and over again.
Grandma, all these decades you've watched your little darling suffer so much from heaven, were you worried sick? Were you in so much pain that you cried?
Fortunately, it's all over.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Sobbing] Xiujuan's tragic life. This section has been edited and cut, so that's it. I thought I could finish this story today so everyone could understand it all at once. But it's not possible, I'll continue tomorrow. [Sobbing] But I really want to cry, why is that?
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