Fang Yanming said irritably, "Your mother is my own aunt. Why would I curse her for no reason? Don't you see how ugly my aunt's face is? Before, my aunt could eat a whole braised pork knuckle and finish five or six big steamed buns in one meal. Now she can't even finish a bowl of rice. Don't you have eyes?"
Good intentions go unrewarded; it infuriated him.
Cousin Fang looked at Aunt Fang suspiciously. He was a careless person who never paid attention to details. Now, reminded by Fang Yanming, he realized that his mother's complexion was indeed not good, and her appetite had decreased. She didn't even have the energy to eat meat. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Mother, are you feeling unwell?"
Aunt Fang looked a little uncomfortable and stopped being stubborn. She told the truth, "I just feel a bit unwell. Meat doesn't taste good anymore. I'm getting old and my mouth isn't working as well as it used to. Sigh."
Actually, she had been feeling unwell for more than half a year. She thought it would get better slowly, but it became more and more uncomfortable. She thought it was because she was getting old and didn't take it too seriously. But now that Fang Yanming has mentioned it twice, Aunt Fang is a little scared.
She's afraid of dying; she hasn't had enough of the good life yet. She's also afraid of getting sick. Her family's situation has finally improved, and if she gets sick again, the family will definitely be dragged down. How can ordinary people afford to get sick?
"It's just that you're getting old, what kind of illness could you possibly have? Yanming, you've been in the city for so long that you've become paranoid. People in the countryside aren't so delicate; as long as they can eat and sleep well, they'll be fine." Uncle Fang didn't care at all, puffing on his pipe.
He sat with Fang's father, filling the room with smoke. The tobacco leaves were grown on their own land, dried using traditional methods, and then shredded. It was the village men's favorite treat. Many elderly people in the village didn't like smoking filtered cigarettes, finding them not strong enough. They preferred the homemade tobacco.
Mao Fangfei frowned slightly and went outside into the yard. She didn't want to inhale secondhand smoke. This kind of homemade tobacco contained more nicotine than filtered cigarettes, so the harm of secondhand smoke was naturally greater. Mao Fangfei really sympathized with the women in the village. It would be strange if their health wasn't affected by inhaling secondhand smoke all day long.
Uncle Fang didn't take Fang Yanming's words seriously at all. He even thought Aunt Fang was being pretentious, saying that human life is cheap and she shouldn't take herself too seriously.
Aunt Fang hesitated, though she hadn't been sleeping well lately and always felt anxious. But she was afraid that if they didn't find anything wrong, they would waste money on tests and her husband would definitely scold her.
"Take some time to look it up."
When Mr. Fang spoke up, he also felt that his sister was not well and that it would be more reassuring to have her checked. Mr. Fang's uncle looked somewhat dissatisfied. The checkup was not cheap, but since Mr. Fang had spoken, he couldn't say anything and could only reply, "Wait a while, go after the Lunar New Year. Going to the hospital during the New Year is bad luck."
"Um."
Mr. Fang nodded, and the matter was settled.
In the following days, guests came to the Fang family in an endless stream. They were all distant relatives who had never met before, and they all brought gifts to visit. People don't come to a temple without a reason, so these people who came from afar were obviously not just here for a meal.
Today, the visitors were Fang's mother's cousin and her husband, who had married into a neighboring village. Fang Yanming had only met them a few times, but they were quite hospitable and brought two boxes of Brain Gold, which was considered a generous gift in the countryside.
During the meal, the niece finally revealed her purpose: she wanted Fang Yanming to help her son find an easy and high-paying job in Pingjiang, and preferably also resolve his household registration issue.
"What is your son's educational background?" Mao Fangfei asked.
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