Chapter 51
Hearing this, Zhong Hua swallowed a half-eaten egg with difficulty, cleared her throat, and said casually, "The medicine is almost finished." Glancing at the worried eyes of the two, she changed the subject and started jokingly, "Oh, it's like this when you get older! But the cough is only severe at night, and it's fine during the day!"
Ke Xin lowered her head and took a sip of soy milk, silently engraving her aunt's cough into her heart. After breakfast, she carried the bamboo basket on her back and followed Zhong Hua to the tea mountain.
She had a slender figure, and the bamboo basket made her pure and innocent look look delicate and innocent.
Her bright and fair face is particularly eye-catching among the tea mountains, completely different from the local people who are tanned by years of wind and sun. She looks more like a movie star who has strayed into the mountains, attracting the attention of tea pickers.
"Hey, Zhong Hua, who is this pretty girl?" Several old colleagues couldn't help but ask.
Several male college students who were helping with housework nearby had their eyes glued to Ke Xin - there were few strangers in the village, let alone such a dazzling girl.
It was the first time that so many eyes were focused on his niece. A sense of pride welled up in Zhong Hua's heart, and he said loudly: "My dear niece! Don't think about her anymore, she is already taken!" With these words, he extinguished the restless thoughts of those around him.
An old man picking tea nearby cheerfully chimed in, "It's not surprising for such a pretty girl to have a partner! Besides, you can get divorced after marriage. As for opportunities, just wait in line!"
The aunts nearby suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Hahaha!"
The atmosphere on the tea mountain was relaxed and cheerful. Seeing Ke Xin pursed her lips and smiled lightly, not annoyed at all, everyone quickly treated her as one of their own.
Zhong Hua taught Kexin how to identify the tenderest leaf tips and demonstrated the quick and complete picking technique. Kexin learned diligently and soon mastered it.
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the fragrance of new tea and the subtle sweetness of osmanthus, seemingly washing away all worries. An older man, deftly working, chatted at the top of his voice, "Do you remember that Sister Wang I was talking about? She was forty and still refused to get married, so she came up with a drastic plan and found someone ten years younger! Now, she's been nurtured by love and feels like a child again!"
"Ah? She is getting married?" the aunt next to her asked in surprise.
"I haven't heard of that! But in my opinion, these days, it doesn't really matter whether you get married or not, as long as the two of you are happy together!" Uncle smacked his lips.
Another aunt sighed: "Are you still happy? You're lucky to find a normal partner! My daughter was pursued by someone a while ago, and that guy gave her a red envelope on Valentine's Day. Guess how much it was?" She looked indescribable.
Everyone looked at her expression and guessed cautiously: "Five dollars?" "Fifty dollars?" "One dollar?"
My aunt kept shaking her head, then rolled her eyes and said angrily, "0.01 cent! And he gave me more than ten cents in a row!"
"Isn't that generous?" She raised her voice.
There was a burst of laughter under the pavilion.
An old man laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. "Look at that! This kind of 'generosity', no wonder the trend of not getting married and having children has spread to our village! Who would dare to get married?"
When talking about marriage, several elderly aunts shook their heads, half jokingly and half sincerely: "I finally understand now. I should have learned from Sister Wang and found a younger one ten years ago!"
"Of course, men, after twenty-five, they're straight to sixty!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the men around him looked around and fell into a suspicious silence.
Ke Xin stifled a laugh, but her heart felt like it had been gently bumped. Listening to these ridiculous "cases," Fu Xuan's good qualities became clearer and more precious to her, and a warm feeling of wanting to cherish him surged quietly.
The morning flew by, fueled by the gossip of these lively colleagues. At lunchtime, everyone unloaded their tools and gathered in the pavilion, placing their lunch boxes on the large stone table. Over a dozen dishes blended together, the aroma filling the air. Everyone tacitly filled their plates with rice and sat in a circle, each taking a bite of food with their chopsticks, each enjoying a sip of soup, a lively and satisfying meal.
"Mm! Sister Lin, the ribs are cooked perfectly this time, not dry at all!"
"Uncle Wu, these vegetables are so tender that they're juicy. They're so delicious!"
"That's right! Your sister-in-law picked it from her own garden and fried it right away!"
Laughter and chatter mingled with comments on the dishes, creating an atmosphere even more warm and lively than a banquet. Ke Xin picked up a piece of pork chop and nibbled on it, listening to the family gossip with relish. Seeing the genuine smile on her aunt's face, her own smile deepened. Her aunt's life, with true love by her side, a job she loved, and surrounded by these lovely people, was truly fulfilling.
She suddenly remembered the last sentence of "Things about the Ming Dynasty": A successful life is to live your life the way you want.
Her thoughts shifted, and she thought of her mother, Chen Min. For as long as she could remember, Chen Min seemed to have never truly "grounded" herself in life. Her energy was constantly consumed by unfulfilled anxiety—gloomy before she had a son, and a new melancholy after he did. Her brow was perpetually furrowed, and she complained to everyone she met, complaining about the uselessness of men and emphasizing how much she had sacrificed for her family. She tried to elicit sympathy or recognition through her immense sense of "sacrifice," only to turn around and wish she could double the suffering she had endured on her daughter. Such a life seemed to be possessed by an invisible force, smearing the vibrant background with unbearable misery, even dragging those around her into the mire.
Ke Xin looked towards the gurgling river in the distance and fell into deep thought: What is it that makes two people with similar starting points live such different lives?
Zhong Hua was chatting animatedly with a colleague when she suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking with laughter. As she laughed, her expression suddenly changed, and she clutched her chest, erupting in a violent coughing fit. "Cough, cough! Cough, cough—!" The coughs grew in intensity, piercing and resonating through the empty valley, resonating with a shuddering chorus, as if she were coughing up all her internal organs.
The terrifying coughing sound jolted Ke Xin out of her thoughts. The smiles of those around her froze, replaced by genuine worry.
"Sister Zhong, your cough... doesn't sound right. We really need to go to a big hospital!" Someone lowered his voice and spoke in a serious tone.
"Yes, Huazi, it will be very painful if a minor illness is not treated properly until it becomes a major one! Your health is your capital, you can't be careless!" Another person echoed, his face full of concern.
Zhong Hua coughed until his face turned red. After finally catching his breath, he waved his hands again, trying to prevaricate with the same old words: "No... It's okay... cough cough... It's an old problem... I've been taking medicine... "
"Alas, it's easy to get sick as you get older. Old Wang from our area is only in his early fifties, but he has Alzheimer's! All day long... Oh, I won't say more, it's scary." The topic turned to the serious problems of old age, and the atmosphere became a little tense.
Ke Xin gently patted Zhong Hua's thin back. Looking at her pale face from coughing, her heart sank. She said with unquestionable determination: "Aunt, I'll accompany you to town this afternoon. After getting the medicine, we'll go directly to the county hospital for a check-up."
Zhong Hua covered his mouth, nodded weakly, and did not refute.
The small village pharmacy was Zhong Hua's initial support. When she first started coughing, she could walk a kilometer to get some medicine, which worked. Later, when the medicine's effectiveness wore off, she was forced to take a bumpy three-wheeled vehicle to the town clinic. The medicine in town seemed better, and over the years, a monthly trip to get medicine became a routine.
Initially, her husband, Wu Cheng, accompanied her. But Zhong Hua gradually noticed that Wu Cheng was always somewhat absent-minded when they went out together. His eyes would wander off mid-sentence, and sometimes he would even become absorbed in a book. Eventually, Zhong Hua felt that this "accompany" was only adding to her frustration, so she decided to go alone.
This was Ke Xin's first time accompanying Zhong Hua to the town clinic. Though it might be called a clinic, it looked more like a small health center. The consultation was surprisingly simple, even skipping the registration process. They were greeted by a white-haired, elderly doctor whose movements were slow but meticulous. He listened carefully to Zhong Hua's description, then pulled out his stethoscope and listened to her chest and back for a long moment, his brow furrowed ever deeper.
"Recently...is there blood in the sputum you cough up?" The old doctor put down his stethoscope, raised his eyes and looked directly at Zhong Hua, his tone calm but with invisible pressure.
The clinic fell silent for a moment. Zhong Hua lowered his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds. His fingers resting on his knees curled unconsciously for a moment before he nodded very lightly, his voice low and hoarse: "...a few days ago... there was a little."
Ke Xin felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She clenched her aunt's cold hand tightly, and her fingertips were trembling.
The old doctor sighed deeply, took off his reading glasses and wiped them: "Girl, listen to my advice, don't waste time in town. Go to the county quickly, or preferably to a big hospital in the city, take an X-ray, and get a thorough check. This... is not a trivial matter." His tone was heavy and firm.
Helping Zhong Hua out of the clinic filled with the smell of disinfectant, the afternoon sun was so bright that it was hard to open your eyes. Ke Xin felt that the weight of her aunt leaning on her seemed to be heavier. She spoke with uncontrollable anxiety and fear: "Aunt! The doctor said so! Let's go to the county hospital immediately, go now!"
Zhong Hua silently stuffed the bag of medicine she'd just taken into her cloth bag. She tried to look calm, but couldn't hide the dejection. "Ahem...silly girl, why are you so anxious? We farmers... minor ailments require medical attention, but serious ones... treatment is useless. We spend money, suffer, and in the end... lose everything. What's the point?" Her voice was filled with deep weariness and resignation.
"Aunt!" Ke Xin's voice rose as tears welled up in her eyes. "What will happen to Uncle if you collapse? Didn't you agree to travel around the world together when his book becomes a hit?"
Zhong Hua stopped and looked at the gray street scene in the distance. The corners of his mouth pulled up an extremely bitter arc, and his voice was as light as a sigh: "In the first half of my life... following him, I... have enjoyed the blessings. In the second half of my life... if my life could really be exchanged for him to write a hit book... cough... it would be... not in vain to love him..." There was an almost cruel calmness and dedication in these words, but also despair.
"Aunt!" Ke Xin was anxious and afraid. She stamped her feet hard and cried, "Don't say such things! Bah! It's unlucky!"
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