life
Li Guorong ran down the hospital corridor once again, reached the payment counter, and shouted, "Pay!"
The nurse inside rolled her eyes. "No noise in the hospital. What's your name?"
Li Guorong replied, "Li Qiangguo from Mengshan."
“400”
After paying the fees, Li Guorong hurried to find his mother and older brother. His mother looked worried, and his older brother sat in a chair with a pale face. He excitedly exclaimed, "I've paid the fees! Dad can have the surgery now!"
Hearing the joy on the faces of the two men, the father was immediately wheeled out of the ward, and the four family members looked at Li Qiangguo with hope in their eyes.
As the stretcher entered the operating room corridor, Li Qiangguo suddenly began to convulse violently, making gurgling sounds in his throat. His pupils dilated rapidly, and his limbs stiffened.
The green line on the electrocardiogram monitor jumped wildly a few times before straightening out, and the alarm blared through the corridor.
The doctors and nurses nearby quickly put the patient on a fibrillation machine for resuscitation.
The family of four heard the operating room door slam shut in confusion and fear, as if a boulder had hit their hearts, making it hard to breathe. They waited at the door, and time seemed to drag on for an eternity.
The doctor emerged, drenched in sweat. "I'm sorry, we did our best."
Li Guorong broke down and shouted, "Why didn't you perform brain surgery as soon as I arrived at the hospital? I would have paid for it, you bunch of executioners!"
The doctor simply pointed to the large characters next to him.
The hospital wall next door had bright red characters that read, "No credit, pay first, then receive treatment," which seemed to mock her exasperation.
It was only then that Li Guorong realized that this was the late 1980s, a time without the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, without compassionate doctors, and where even minor illnesses could bankrupt rural families. She could no longer live in a daze.
Li Guoqiang hugged his mother, who could no longer stand, and wept silently.
Li Guojian shouted, "Give me my money back! Compensation! You bunch of liars!"
The doctor remained silent. The body was taken to the morgue, and further protests were futile. Li Guojian went to process the refund.
The rain fell heavier and heavier, the dampness enveloping Li Guorong, all sounds in the world vanished, leaving her alone. It was so quiet again. She touched the red mole on her chest; there were two more. Her eyes grew increasingly listless. Why did she wake up on the night of the 25th? If it had been the 24th or the 23rd, would her father not have died?
A surge of anger ignited within her. She rushed into the rain, but the downpour could not extinguish her raging fury. She raised her head, pointed her finger to the sky, and roared, "Ye Nuantang, you are truly my good daughter. I have treated you well all these years, and you side with your father like this, killing your grandfather. Why don't you die? Why don't you let Ye Fan die!"
Li Guojian, his face pale, fumbled for the returned surgery fee in his hand and said to his elder brother Li Guoqiang, "My little sister has gone mad. You must try to persuade her."
The tractor sputtered to life, and Li Guorong snapped out of her daze, staring intently at it. Could it be that if she died, she could return to the past? She shouted, "I want to go back to number 23! I want to go back to number 23!" She lunged at the tractor; she wanted to go back to number 23. Ye Nuantang wouldn't let her die.
"Smack!"
A loud slap landed on Li Guorong's face. It was impossible to tell whether his mother's face showed heartbreak, disappointment, or heartache. Her eyes were misty, like the perennial blue mist deep in the Mengshan Mountains, damp and cold.
She opened her mouth wide and cried out, "Mom, Mom, Dad is gone."
Wu Cuihua hugged her frail daughter tightly. She didn't know what had happened to her daughter in the past two days, but her daughter was stronger and more filial than anyone else. She held back her tears and comforted her, "You're still here, you're still here."
Li Guoqiang couldn't hold back his tears and burst into sobs. The village chief got off the tractor and discussed the funeral arrangements with Li Guojian, the only one who was in a normal mood.
The men in the family wrapped the body in white cloth and placed it on a tractor covered with straw. A strip of white cloth was tied to the front of the tractor. The village chief drove the tractor, the two brothers guarded the body, and Wu Cuihua and Li Guorong, wearing straw raincoats, mourned behind the vehicle.
The eldest son, Li Guoqiang, cried out in anguish, "Dad, let's go home~~~" His voice pierced through the rain, touched people's hearts, and led their spirits home.
The main room was wide open, the coffin faced the door, its tail against the back wall, with wooden planks supporting the ground underneath. Three white candles were lit on each side, and an oil lamp was lit under the tail of the coffin, which was kept watch by the eldest son day and night.
A food jar was placed under the coffin, and the second son would add rice to it every day.
On the left, from the altar towards the door, sit the eldest son Li Guoqiang, the mother Wu Cuihua, the youngest son Li Guoliang, and the second son Li Guojian. On the right, from the inside out, sit the eldest sister Li Guolan and the youngest sister Li Guorong.
On both sides of the mourning hall stood children, paper sedan chairs and horses, and on the left side of the door hung a paper money offering for viewing the mountain.
The younger brother, half-lying in his mother's arms, was still bewildered, staring blankly at the coffin. The eldest brother, Li Guoqiang, stared intently at the eternal flame, his hands frantically rubbing the prayer mat. The eldest sister, Li Guolan, continued burning paper money, weeping uncontrollably.
The mother comforted her youngest son, her brows furrowed. The second brother, Li Guojian, whispered, "Dad, eat your fill before you go. We have plenty of money." Li Guorong's eyes were red, but she couldn't shed a single tear. The last time she had her father, counting past and present lives, was 70 years ago. His appearance had vanished with the smoke and waves. She never imagined that the next time she could carefully look at her father's face would be another separation by death.
The dim candlelight cast flickering shadows on people's faces, while man-eating monsters lurk in the corners of shadows. As the wind blows, the shadows cast by the candlelight twist and turn strangely, silently spying.
The youngest son, Li Guoliang, huddled even deeper into his mother's arms, saying in a tearful voice, "Mom, I'm scared. I miss Dad." His innocent words brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.
Li Guojian coughed twice, his eyes narrowed as he secretly observed Li Guorong, and said suggestively, "I don't have much money left. I paid for the coffin, the child boys and girls, the banquet deposit, and the geomancer's fee. But I don't have any money left for living expenses."
Wu Cuihua took out 20 yuan from her bosom and handed it to Li Guojian, saying, "Second brother, take this first. My family is here. I'll borrow it to sell the sow at home and then we'll have money."
Li Guolan stopped crying and said, "That won't do. What will we eat if we sell him? How will my little brother go to school?"
When Li Guoliang heard about going to school, he perked up and said, "I want to go to school! I want to go to school! I want to go to school with Gousheng!"
Li Guojian stared intently at Li Guorong, waiting for her to give her an answer.
Li Guorong took out 50 yuan from his pocket and said, "I paid the hospital fee too. Didn't you take the rest, Second Brother? There should be at least 300 yuan left. With this 50 yuan in my hand, it should be enough."
Second brother Li Guojian sneered, "Li Guorong, we haven't separated the family yet. Whoever earns money still gives the lion's share to the family. Mom is still here!"
Li Guorong touched the more than 1,000 yuan in her pocket. Why should she hand it over to her family? For so many years, she had saved all the money she earned and could give it to whomever she wanted.
Li Guoqiang, the older brother, advised, "Guojian, it's already quite impressive that my little sister can earn more than 500 yuan. It's normal for her to keep a few yuan for pocket money. When we both do odd jobs, we also keep a few cents, don't we?"
Li Guolan, the eldest sister, said to Li Guorong, "Keep a few yuan on hand; it's better to give the money to Mom for unified management."
Li Guorong pursed his lips tightly. In his previous life, when he asked Ye Fan for money to buy tableware, he said he was a spendthrift. Later, when he earned money himself, he was disabled and unable to work. To make a living, he still stayed at home doing laundry and cooking. He listened to her in all matters at home, and his daughter also sided with him. He still wanted to keep the money in his own hands.
Li Guojian's face darkened. A dozen yuan was one thing, but that was over 1,000 yuan! Girls are outgoing, and Li Guorong is especially vain. She'd spend it all without leaving him a penny. "Li Guorong, tell me how much money you have left. Do you dare say? What do you need so much money for, you little girl? Are you lovesick?"
Hearing this, Mother Wu Cuihua growled in a low voice, "Alright, we have my eldest son, you don't need to worry about money." Li Guorong's heart trembled upon hearing this. In his previous life, after his father died, his mother raised several people on her own. His eldest brother, second brother, and eldest sister did indeed hand over most of their earnings to the family. Her hand kept groping for the corner of the money, wondering if she should hand over some.
Li Guojian said loudly, "From now on, no one should pay any money. Everyone should live their own lives. And the same goes for meals. Don't let my older sister cook. Whoever cooks should eat. Mom always says I'm scheming. Li Guorong, I think you're the most selfish one. You made a scene at night over a bowl of rice. Dad had to coax you for ages. The next day, Dad had to go to the pigsty to get you to get food, and that's when the accident happened. You work so hard to earn money. I didn't want to bring this up, but now I have 1,500 yuan. Dad is waiting for his funeral, my older brother and sister are waiting to get married, and my younger brother is waiting to go to school. You're holding onto it so tightly. Why didn't you die? Li Guorong, you deserve to die!"
The remaining brothers and sisters looked at Li Guorong in astonishment. Such a large sum of money, is digging for medicinal herbs really that profitable?
Wu Cuihua stood up, slapped her second brother across the face, and said sternly, "Second brother, what are you saying? Your father's death was an accident. How can you blame your little sister? Besides, your little sister is digging for medicinal herbs and earning money by risking her life."
Li Guojian covered his face, his flushed complexion returning to normal, and tears streamed down his face as he said, “Mom, you just spoil your little sister. What has she done all these years besides cutting pig feed and feeding the pigs? The whole family used to save work points, but now all the men are doing the farm work. My older brother and I are looking for odd jobs everywhere, and my older sister can cook, feed the pigs, make clothes, and even quilts. Someone like her will never get married in this lifetime.”
Li Guorong stood up and shouted, "Who says I can't get married? I'm in high demand, and I'm definitely doing better than my older sister!"
Even though Ye Fan was a useless cripple in his previous life, he was still better than his brother-in-law. At least he cooked, cleaned the house, and took care of the children. His brother-in-law, on the other hand, drank every day, did no housework, and never made any money.
Li Guolan's face turned pale. She wasn't as pretty as her younger sister, but she was hardworking and capable, handling everything inside and outside the house. "Younger sister, how can you say that? Besides, I never leave a single penny of the money I make sewing quilt covers for others to my family."
The older brother also stood up and said, "Little sister, how could you keep so much money? This is your first time earning money, you don't know that the majority of it should be given to the family."
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