In this life, he will never let the tragedy repeat itself.
As night deepened, only the chirping of autumn insects remained in the courtyard.
Wang Xiulan stood at the door of the side room, holding a wooden basin that was steaming.
She took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open with her elbow.
"Father, Mother, I've brought you some water to wash your feet."
Wang Xiulan said softly.
Inside the room, under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, two elderly people were sitting on the edge of the bed tidying up a few worn-out clothes.
Upon seeing her daughter enter, Wang's mother hurriedly stuffed a patched cotton-padded jacket into her bundle, while Wang's father frantically hid a cloth bag under the bed.
"What are you still busy with so late?"
Wang Xiulan put down the wooden basin. A few mugwort leaves floated on the surface of the water, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
"Come soak your feet and relax."
The father chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his hands together.
"No need for all that trouble, we country folk don't stand on ceremony..."
"Father, please listen to me."
Without saying a word, Wang Xiulan squatted down and helped her father take off his worn-out cloth shoes.
Her fingers trembled slightly when she saw the thick calluses and several cracks on the soles of her father's feet.
The Queen Mother spoke awkwardly from the side.
"Xiulan, you've had a long day too, go and rest. We can manage on our own."
"Mother, what are you saying?"
Wang Xiulan looked up and saw that her mother's wrinkles were deeper than she remembered, and her hair was much whiter than when they last met.
"You two have gone to so much trouble to come all this way, what's wrong with me taking care of you?"
As soon as Wang's father's feet were immersed in the hot water in the basin, he involuntarily pulled them back slightly, and then let out a satisfied sigh.
Wang Xiulan noticed a bruise on her father's ankle.
"Dad, what happened to your foot?"
She couldn't help but ask.
Wang's father hurriedly dipped his feet into the water.
"It's nothing, I just tripped and fell on the way."
Wang's mother suddenly started coughing, while giving her husband a meaningful look.
Wang Xiulan saw this and became increasingly suspicious.
"Father, Mother."
Wang Xiulan straightened up, her voice a little strained.
"Did something happen at home that you two came this time?"
The room suddenly became eerily quiet.
The father stared blankly at the basin of water, while the mother bent down to straighten her clothes, which didn't need straightening at all.
"Xiulan."
The Queen Mother finally spoke.
"Your dad's just getting old, he's not very steady on his feet..."
"mother!"
Wang Xiulan suddenly raised her voice, startling the two elderly people.
"I'm your daughter! Is there anything you can't tell me?"
Wang's father raised his head, his cloudy eyes glistening with tears.
He opened his mouth, but was stopped by a look from his wife.
"Nothing's wrong."
The Queen Mother forced a smile.
"I just... I missed you, so I came to see you."
Wang Xiulan's tears welled up instantly.
She knelt down in front of her parents with a thud and grabbed their hands.
"Father, Mother, if you two don't tell me, I'm not leaving tonight! Look at what you're wearing, look at all the things you brought..."
She pointed to the bundle sticking out from under the bed.
"This isn't the proper way to visit relatives; it's clearly..."
The words were on the tip of her tongue when she suddenly choked up. A terrible thought flashed through her mind.
Could my parents have been kicked out of the house?
The father's hands trembled violently.
The Queen Mother sighed and finally loosened her clenched fist.
"Old man, speak."
The Queen Mother's voice carried a hint of shame.
"My daughter is doing well now, it's not a good idea to keep it a secret."
Finally, tears fell from Wang's father's eyes and dripped into the basin of water.
"Xiulan."
The old man wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
"Father...Father is too ashamed to say this..."
It turns out that ever since their eldest grandson, Wang Youcai, got married last year, the family's life has been getting worse day by day.
The granddaughter-in-law was the daughter of the accountant from the neighboring village. Relying on her family's influence, she started finding fault with the two elderly people after marrying into the family.
"She complained that we ate too loudly and that we smelled like old people..."
The father's voice grew softer and softer.
"Even when coughing, they have to hide in the yard..."
Wang Xiulan felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
She never imagined that her strong-willed older brother would let their parents suffer such injustice.
"Where's your older brother? Is he just watching?"
She couldn't help but ask.
Father Wang shook his head, his wrinkles deepening.
"Your older brother...he's having a tough time. The family's gone into a mountain of debt trying to get Youcai married. The girl wants a three-wheeled watch and a radio, plus a 300 yuan dowry..."
The turning point came three months ago.
When Brother Wang went up the mountain to cut down trees, a pine tree suddenly fell and hit him right in the waist.
Although he survived, he could never stand up again.
"That day..."
The father's voice choked with emotion.
"That day, Youcai's wife was yelling in the yard, saying that the family couldn't afford to support two useless people..."
Wang Xiulan's tears flowed uncontrollably.
She never imagined that her parents would be kicked out of their home by their own grandson.
"We stayed at the second brother's house for a week."
The Queen Mother took over the conversation, her voice eerily calm.
"The second son's wife breaks pots and pans every day, saying we're biased and gave all the land and money to the eldest son..."
"The third brother's family was more direct. On the third day, they made it clear that they had no room in their house, gave us two steamed buns, and kicked us out."
"We...we really have nowhere else to go."
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