Chapter 24
Watching Yoda return to a normal life, Yoda's mother felt as if the painful memories of the past had been sealed away. Even now, recalling them felt like watching someone else's story. Perhaps it was because the pain was so intense that the brain would block out the perception of suffering.
“At first, everyone was very sad, and you were in a deep sleep. Later in my pregnancy, it became increasingly inconvenient for me, and your father had to go out to earn money to support everyone. On the contrary, Shixing matured in an instant and took the initiative to take on the responsibility of taking care of you.”
Seeing the distress on Yoda's face, Yoda's mother comforted him, "Don't worry, this difficult period is actually very short, only a month or two. Once your condition stabilizes, Shixing will have established an agency. In those years, the agency had a very good future, and your father's small shop was also doing well. After that, no one will have to worry about medical expenses; we just need to wait for you to wake up."
Although it was just a few words, described in a light touch, everyone knew that it was the result of enduring day after day.
Yoda nuzzled her mother's shoulder, her hair falling down with the familiar scent of shampoo—a comforting smell. "Everyone has worked so hard during this waiting period."
Yoda's mother hugged her daughter, stroked her ever-fluffy hair, and said with some emotion, "Actually, after I gave birth to my brothers, I felt really sorry for you. Even the neighbors said that your father and I already had two sons, so we would definitely give up on your treatment. After all, back then, a patient lying in the ward every day was spending money like water, like it was flowing into a bottomless pit."
“We never intended to give up. No matter the outcome, we were determined to persevere to the end. But what those people said made it seem like even our perseverance was a defiant act.”
“So, your father and I discussed it and decided to sell our old house and move to a new place. It’s a fresh start.” Yoda’s mother looked at Yoda earnestly and said, “But having your brothers has really given me a lot of strength. Watching them grow up little by little from birth feels like reliving the experience of raising you. If you hadn’t had that accident, even if we were to keep your brothers, we would definitely have asked for your opinion. But given the circumstances, it felt like we made that decision behind your back, so sometimes I feel a little sorry.”
Yoda hugged his mother: "I don't need to apologize. Mom, you've done so well, so incredibly well. You and Dad have given me complete love. I believe I was able to come back because someone has always been thinking of me. So, I tried my best to stay awake and wanted to come back to see you. My brothers are so cute too. It's the best thing that the whole family can be together."
Yoda's mother looked at her daughter, and even after seven years of slumber, she was still so caring.
Thinking of Shi Xing, she couldn't help but suggest, "Now that you've graduated, have you two considered getting married? If not, you could get engaged first. You have to give his parents an explanation, after all these years of waiting for you. His parents have tried to persuade Shi Xing to settle down so many times, but to no avail."
At this point, Yoda's mother looked at Yoda and said, "We can't be unhappy, can we? It's only natural. If Shixing were my son, I would have advised him the same way."
Yoda nodded: "I know, I understand."
Yoda never thought about separating from Shixing, but marriage was not something that either of them had considered at the moment.
It wasn't just because she wanted to relive her life experiences that she felt she could take this step to get married. More importantly, Yoda could sense that Shixing had a huge trauma in his heart, and before that wound healed, she couldn't just pretend not to see or know it, and use Shixing's accommodations to pull him into the next stage of his life.
Yoda couldn't help but ask, "What were the times like while I was asleep?"
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Yoda's mother asked, puzzled.
Yoda sighed, "I went to Shixing's place last night, and it was empty, there was nothing there. It didn't look like anyone had lived there for so many years. There was no sign of life. I think Shixing was affected by my injury, and even though I'm awake now, the damage hasn't disappeared."
"Oh, you didn't come home last night." Under his mother's scrutinizing gaze, Yoda realized he had let something slip and quickly assured her, "I forgot my keys last night, so I went out."
Yoda's mother: "So you didn't come back, you stayed at Shixing's place for one night."
Yoda nodded sheepishly, but immediately assured him, "We each sleep separately, and we absolutely did nothing wrong."
Yoda's mother: "Really?"
Yoda looked up, a hint of doubt in her mother's tone: "Why do you sound a little disappointed when you say that?"
Yoda's mother: "Oh? You could actually tell."
Yoda retorted irritably, "You did it on purpose so I could hear it, didn't you?"
Yoda's mother looked at the sulking Yoda, finding it amusing to tease the child. "You're both this age now. Normally, if you had married young, I'd already have grandchildren. Do you expect me to still take care of you like I did when you were in school? I'm so old! In other families, I'd be a grandmother by now."
Yoda was displeased: "How can you say you're old? Yoming and Yoli are still so young, and you're still a young mother. Cheer up and keep taking care of me!"
Yoda's mother: "I don't care about you. It's more important for you and Shixing to live a good life. No matter what he becomes, it's all because of your injury."
Yoda's mother looked at Yoda earnestly and said, "Only someone who loves another would feel sad because of their misfortune. Others might sympathize with your plight, but they would never feel the same pain as someone who loves you." She sighed. "Your father, your brothers, and I have been supporting you. But Shixing has had to withstand the pressure from the family all these years, and also take care of you when you were completely unconscious. He's really had it so hard, so very hard. I know society is changing rapidly now, and young people have many new ideas. It's not like before where two people with such a deep connection felt they had to be together. But Yoda, no matter what, don't hurt Shixing."
"Even if Shi Xing has some shortcomings due to his experiences over the years, only you can save him."
Yoda nodded solemnly. She had never considered giving up on Shi Xing because of anything wrong with him; she only wanted to get to him faster and heal him better.
Yoda looked at his mother and chuckled, "If you don't care about me, then I'll go with the Times right now."
Yoda's mother patted Yoda on the shoulder a few times: "I want you to be together properly, not to mess around. You're not married yet."
Yoda snorted: "You said you wouldn't interfere, but now you can't help but want to, can you?"
Yoda's mother: "You're my little one. You're my child for life, and I'll be your mother for life. I'll take care of you even when we're old. Even if we've already agreed on the right path, we still need to be rational before we get married. Understand?"
Yoda: "They've just been away for a few days, and Xie Yiyi's family is with them too. They're all acquaintances. Don't worry."
Yoda's mother nodded. They were all friends who had stayed by Yoda's side while he was in a coma. Everyone had been tested, so there was no reason to worry about anything.
Fortunately, everyone went smoothly and the trip went as planned.
Yoda looked at Xie Yiyi's bags and suitcases, the trunk overflowing. There were even a huge pile of swimsuits, including several for a baby. "Why did you prepare so many swimsuits?" he asked.
While packing her luggage, Xie Yiyi said to Yoda, "These are matching outfits for the baby, and these are what I wear when I go out alone."
Yoda looked at the chubby little boy with an innocent smile. Did the baby even know that swimming was an activity? "Can such a small baby swim? Other babies are still wearing diapers."
Xie Yiyi didn't even turn her head: "You just don't understand, look." Yoda leaned closer and saw Xie Yiyi pull out a bag of diapers from her huge suitcase, saying smugly, "These are swimming diapers, specially for occasions like this. Don't you know? Babies are born knowing how to swim in their mother's belly. Our little one, even though she's so young, goes swimming every week."
Yoda looked down at the adorable chibi-style toddler in front of her and exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing! Even I can't swim!"
Neither Yoda nor Shixing could swim. They had originally planned to learn together during summer vacation in elementary school, but they were discovered secretly going to play by a pond. Even though they didn't go into the water, it scared the adults. They thought that if they learned to swim, they would probably dare to go into the water behind the adults' backs. Because of this, Yoda and Shixing have stayed away from all ponds ever since.
After putting away their luggage, they headed straight for the beach.
On the beach, people came and went. Xie Yiyi and her husband Li Mi, both of whom can swim, were fully equipped with swimming gear and excitedly led their baby to the sea.
Yoda looked on with envy. They hadn't planned to go into the water since neither of them could swim, but once they arrived at the beach, it was hard not to be influenced by the people around them.
"Let's go play too!" Yoda was very tempted and turned to look at Shi Xing.
Shi Xing frowned as he looked at the deep blue sea in the distance: "But neither of us can swim, so let's not go. We can just walk around on the shore."
Yoda, undeterred, pointed to the people playing in the shallow water: "Since you're already here, be bold and give it a try! Don't be afraid. Look, most of the people going down are wearing life jackets, which means there are more people who can't swim than those who can. And there's a lifeguard every so often on the beach."
Yoda repeatedly tempted him: "Don't worry, as long as we don't wander into the deep sea, we'll be very safe, right?"
Shi Xing hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist Yoda's repeated pleas, so he had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"yeah!"
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