Those painful words still echoed in my ears. Connecting the dots between 놛's stories, I finally grasped their profound meaning.
I tried to clarify the situation and asked, "When did you...늀놆 start drinking?"
His emotions seemed to have sunk to a dead end. His tone was unusually calm, as if he were recounting someone else's story: "Well. He was... miserable. He'd been treated like a living cuckold, and he had nowhere to vent his anger, so he could only drink himself into oblivion. He'd always get drunk, and when he got angry, his eyes would turn red, and he'd grab the child's mother and beat her up." He paused, his voice cold and numb. "She did such a shameful thing herself, and when she was beaten and scolded, she could only hunch her shoulders... and dared not say a word."
I can only imagine what a hell it would be like for a family to be torn apart repeatedly by alcoholism and violence.
I hesitated, then finally asked, "You... didn't you ever ask how... you ended up together?"
He twitched his lips, a hint of cold sarcasm on his face. "Ask? Of course I did! I hit her too hard. The mother cried and wailed, saying it was the first time... that old bastard raped her!" He gulped down a mouthful of wine, his Adam's apple rolling as his voice purged from between his teeth. "That boy was born with a clever tongue... Later... she half-heartedly got involved... in that shameful business." He paused, his cloudy gaze seeming to pierce through time, resting on a distant point with a resigned cruelty. "My wife... was very attractive back then. Look at how Xiaohui and Xiaomin look now; you know she was quite good-looking when she was young."
I pressed on, "Then...how did you accidentally kill Xiaohui's mother in the end?"
His throat rolled, his voice hoarse. "That day, I was at a wedding in the neighboring village. There was a jerk from the same village at the banquet who drank too much cat urine. In front of everyone at the table, he used that scandal to embarrass me! I was furious and started arguing with him. Who would have thought... the person next to him would take sides, pin me to the ground, and curse me so terribly! I was so angry that my insides felt like they were exploding..." He took a deep breath, as if he could still feel the humiliation. "I returned home with this raging stomach, and I saw a bag of rice stuck in the middle of the house. I knew the old man had come again, and this grain was sent by me."
Her eyes became empty. "At that moment, it was like a demon possessed me! I jumped onto the kang, grabbed the child's mother and beat her to death! Maybe I hit her too hard, she couldn't bear the pain, so she picked up the bob from the needlework basket at the head of the kang and hit me randomly..." Her voice suddenly trembled. "I snatched it away, and without thinking, I hit her head... with all my might! Once... twice..."
He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple shaking violently: "Hey... It's my life. After a few hits, she was silent. I thought she was pretending to be dead and wanted to avoid being beaten... Until I sobered up the next day and saw the pool of dried black blood... ... " The last few words were choked in his throat and turned into a heavy sigh.
In her memory, Xiao Min had only ever described her father as a drunkard and gambler who accidentally beat her mother to death. But what she heard now was a completely different story.
However, no matter which is true or false, a bloody family tragedy, a tragic human tragedy, is a cold fact that cannot be changed.
He poured himself another glass of wine. I was afraid he'd drink too much, so I immediately reached out and pressed the bottle cap. "Grandpa, you can't drink any more. I can't bear the consequences if you get sick from drinking."
He didn't insist. He loosened his grip, letting the bottle fall back onto the table. He sighed, "My worthless life would be saved if I drank it all away. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that Xiaohui and Xiaomin won't let you go?"
I smiled awkwardly: "You should think more positively. Aren't things getting better now? In the future, the sisters will still have to be filial to you."
He shook his head sadly, "I won't have that blessing in this life. They're in there, wishing I'd die sooner. I beat their mother to death... They hate me to death and won't forgive me."
I couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you tell them these... details?"
"I've told the eldest daughter." Her voice lowered. "This child has a deep prejudice against me and is half-believing and half-doubting... I don't know whether she mentioned it to the eldest daughter. But the eldest daughter came here twice and said she wanted to see me. She left within a quarter of an hour. I understand. It's my fault. They suffered. Who can I blame?" She smiled bitterly, and that smile was uglier than crying.
I still have doubts in my heart: "After the incident, you sentenced them... Their uncle, have you ever thought about taking care of them?"
The familiar rage suddenly flashed in 놛's eyes again: "That beast!...Don't mention it."
He closed his eyes heavily and sank into the back of the chair, as if he was completely crushed by the unbearable past and didn't want to say another word.
Whether it was the alcohol or the weight of the past that had drained the last bit of energy from me, I felt like I'd been drained of all my strength and bones, but I collapsed, my eyes vacant. I reached out to help me onto the bed. Unexpectedly, veins suddenly popped in my skinny hand, and I swung it with a fierce wave, snapping, "Leave me alone! I haven't finished what I'm saying yet!"
I had no choice but to respond: "If you have anything else to say, please tell me."
He suddenly opened his eyes! His cloudy eyes suddenly emitted a sharp light, his pupils shrank like needles, fixed on my face, and his voice suddenly rose, with an oppressive feeling that made it impossible to breathe: "You boy—tell me the truth! My two daughters... did you let you get them?!"
That gaze held a burning, interrogating tone, carrying the weight of a father's concern. My throat tightened, as if struck by a club. Unable to bear the lie any longer, I lowered my head, my voice hoarse, "...놆."
"Ha! Hahahaha!" He suddenly burst into laughter, shaking the bottles on the table. "It's different! It's different! You have guts! Everyone takes responsibility for their own actions! You... your mother is quite lucky! My two beautiful daughters are both yours... Oh, this... this is their good fortune!" The laughter stopped abruptly. He gasped, staring at me with complicated eyes, "Actually... the first time you stepped into my house, I saw it clearly! I was only worried... I was only worried that the two sisters would not follow the old path of the older generation and kill each other... Fortunately, fortunately, you... are still able to deal with it..."
Before I could finish my words, my skinny hand suddenly clamped down on my wrist like an iron clamp, and I was furious! My cloudy eyes burned with the last bit of obsession, and I locked my eyes with them. "Listen up to me—remember this! Be nice to my two girls! Don't you dare treat them badly..." I gritted my teeth, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between my teeth, with a chilling chill. "Even if I crawl to you, I will settle this account with you! Believe it or not?!"
Before I could respond, the door to the ward was flung open, and a gust of cold wind blew in.
I looked towards the door in surprise. The strong afternoon light poured in from behind the intruder, outlining a dazzling golden outline behind him, blurring my vision. For a moment, I couldn't see who it was - until that sharp, angry shout rang out:
"Guan Hongjun! What are you doing with nothing to do after eating?! You come here to drink yellow soup and listen to your nonsense?!"
놆Peng Xiaohui!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
