"Xiaoyu, what are we going to do about Longlong?" Her cousin-in-law pulled Qin Xiaoyu aside and started wiping away her tears.
"What's wrong with Longlong?"
“A few days ago, some of his classmates came over. I don’t know what they talked about, but he got angry and kicked them all out. That night, he moved into your old house, locked the door, and wouldn’t come out when called. He hasn’t come out for meals for the past two days. He only responds after calling for a long time, saying that I’m not dead and to stop calling! Your brother said he’d break down the door, but I’m afraid that if I push him too far, he might do something stupid.”
“This child has suffered a lot, and he has to overcome one obstacle after another.” Qin Xiaoyu understood Tang Long’s thoughts.
“I know he’s suffering, but am I not suffering too?” My cousin’s wife sobbed uncontrollably.
"Is there anything in life that isn't bitter?" Qin Xiaoyu put her arm around her cousin-in-law's shoulder, the two women leaning on each other with their heads close together.
Qin Xiaoyu had originally made up her mind never to set foot in the Tang family again, but now, for Tang Long's sake, she had no choice but to make this trip.
As Qin Xiaoyu walked into the alley, she could feel the unsettling gazes directed at her. They seemed to want to strip her clothes off and see everything.
"Xiaoyu, don't pay them any attention!" Her cousin-in-law took Qin Xiaoyu's arm.
The courtyard that once made her cry, laugh, and feel pain is both familiar and strange.
Qin Xiaoyu stood in the courtyard, surrounded by people who had gone from being distant to becoming close to her, and then resolutely parted ways with her.
They just didn't dare to come out; they were all afraid of Qin Xiaoyu now.
"Longlong, it's your auntie, open the door."
"Auntie, you should go back. You shouldn't have come here." Tang Long finally replied, and his sister-in-law breathed a sigh of relief.
That damned door separated her from her son, and she was constantly worried about what was happening inside, yet she was powerless to do anything about it.
"Longlong, I really shouldn't have come. Since you know, please let me in." Qin Xiaoyu could already feel that Grandma Hanhan was watching through the window, and she felt like she was being watched from behind.
Tang Long couldn't bear it any longer and opened the door. The smell inside was awful. There was the smell of alcohol and smoke, so strong it made one's eyes water. Tang Long had stolen a few bottles of wine from his cousin, and for the past two days he had been alternating between sobering up and getting drunk.
"Xiao Long, are you just going to continue like this?"
On the way here, Qin Xiaoyu prepared several large buckets of chicken soup, but when she saw Tang Long's disheveled and dejected appearance, she felt that any words were superfluous. He was a man who had lost his fighting spirit.
It's like a car whose engine is completely broken; no matter how much fuel you put in, it won't run.
"If I can't afford to die, I'll just muddle along. They can't bear to part with me, so I'll just make do with living." Tang Long took a deep drag on his cigarette and nodded toward the courtyard.
"But it hurts them to see you living like this."
"Am I not in pain? Are they the only ones in pain? Their pain is only temporary, but I will be in pain for a lifetime!" Tang Long's emotions were somewhat out of control.
"Xiaolong, your auntie is so tired." Qin Xiaoyu's tone suddenly softened, and she sat down softly by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), as if all her strength had been suddenly drained away.
Qin Xiaoyu has never been weak in front of others. Even when she is down on her luck, she is always a tough woman who walks with the wind. But now she has softened, which moves Tang Long.
"Auntie, you're alright. If the school is gone, we can open another one," Tang Long reassured her.
"It's not as simple as you think. I lost more than just a school. This has had a huge impact on Hanhan and my little sister, especially my little sister. She still can't speak. Do you know how desperate that is for a mother? I dream of hearing her call me 'Mom' every time. But I can't show it. I have to tell my little sister, 'It's okay, Mom's here.' But I'm not omnipotent." Qin Xiaoyu burst into tears. She didn't know who to tell these words to. They had been bottled up inside her, and now they were about to explode.
"Auntie, don't cry." Tang Long was completely flustered. No matter how much he acted up or lost his temper, he was kind at heart, especially towards Qin Xiaoyu, who was not related to him by blood but had indeed done him a favor. He couldn't even be unreasonable to his own family.
“Longlong, we’re both having a tough time. I’m doing this because I have two kids and I don’t want to settle. I’m determined to give it my all, even if I fail. At least I’ll know I tried. Just think of it as doing this for your parents. They pulled you back from the brink of death. Don’t let them down again, okay?”
"I understand, Auntie."
“You’re older now and want your own space, I understand. I’ll talk to your mom and get this house cleaned up for you to live in,” Qin Xiaoyu arranged.
"I'll listen to my aunt," Tang Long said softly, his head bowed.
"Okay, I'll pack it up today!" The cousin-in-law couldn't see what had changed about Tang Long, but she was satisfied as long as the door was open for her.
"What are your plans?" Qin Xiaoyu asked again.
This is a sensitive issue. Tang Long has developed a leg problem and is slightly lame. This won't have a huge impact on his college entrance exam, but losing an eye would make him disabled, and many schools have already closed their doors to him.
His family all understood that he couldn't retake the exam, but no one could bring themselves to say it, so they had to let him say it himself.
"I'm not going to university. My dad wants to go solo, so I'll become an apprentice." It seems Tang Long had already considered his future, but he was simply unwilling to give up.
"Then let's start as apprentices. It's not like we'll be doing this forever. Just treat it as a break. Staying home all the time will make us stupid." Qin Xiaoyu made the decision, and the matter was settled.
"Aren't you going upstairs to check?" Seeing Qin Xiaoyu take her bag and leave, her cousin-in-law stopped her and gestured towards the madam's room.
"Forget it, I'm not a member of the Tang family anymore, so I don't need to get in anyone's way." Qin Xiaoyu was also stubborn.
She suddenly noticed that the door to the west room had flashed open, and Grandma Hanhan had emerged from the west room. It was quite a strange thing, and she couldn't help but glance at her cousin-in-law.
"I don't know how these two got together, it's funny. They used to be fighting like roosters, but now they're allies." The cousin-in-law was referring to Hanhan's grandmother and aunt.
"Sister-in-law, I'm leaving." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to stay any longer. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Grandma Hanhan rushing over with a face full of anger.
"Qin Xiaoyu, you're ruthless!" Grandma Hanhan said angrily, hands on her hips.
"What do you mean? I don't understand," Qin Xiaoyu said indifferently.
"Are you still pretending to be stupid? I saw Hanhan on the street that day. I called him, but he ignored me and went with someone else. You've kidnapped our Tang family's grandson, how dare you!" Hanhan's grandmother adopted a shrewish stance, blocking Qin Xiaoyu's path and refusing to let her go.
"I told you to stop making a scene. Aren't you ashamed? You'll just attract all the neighbors to watch the spectacle!" Qin Xiaoyu's cousin-in-law came over to clear the way for her.
"What am I afraid of? I'm an old man, and I'm afraid of some people who still want to pretend to be good people and marry into good families!" Grandma Hanhan's words became more and more outrageous.
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