Thinking back on the events of the past few years, Qin Huairu felt a lingering fear. Only when people are on the verge of despair do they reflect on their actions. Qin Huairu realized that every time she prepared to deal with Wei Hua or Wei Hua's family, unexpected events would occur.
The reason he broke his leg was because he stole something from Wei Hua's family. Jia Dongxu also drowned because of Wei Hua's family.
Even her previous act of stuffing herself into the acid pickling tank was to morally blackmail Wei Hua and renege on Wei Hua's family's money. Thinking back to being hit by hail this time, Qin Huairu became somewhat unsettled.
Whenever she tried to deal with the Wei Hua family, all sorts of unexpected events would occur, which made Qin Huairu somewhat afraid.
Although there was no evidence to suggest that Wei Hua was responsible, Qin Huairu knew it was definitely related to him. Those in the courtyard who opposed Wei Hua never fared well. The only one who maintained a good relationship with Wei Hua was Sha Zhu, and Sha Zhu's family was doing quite well.
The more Qin Huairu thought about it, the more frightened she became, and she immediately voiced her suspicions. But no one else was willing to believe her.
Madam Jia Zhang didn't believe in karma or retribution. If karma truly existed, she wouldn't know how many years she'd been dead.
Qin Huairu's words were somewhat absurd; no normal person would believe such nonsense. Jia Zhangshi still had time to listen to these things, but Bang Geng didn't even have time to listen to them.
Banggeng is extremely busy these days. He has to go to the market to buy vegetables before dawn every day. He has to rush to the countryside to harvest vegetables right after noon. Because of the distance, Banggeng doesn't get back to his rented room until late at night. After a quick wash, it's already 11 or 12 at night. He has to get up before dawn in the morning, so he doesn't have time to talk to Qin Huairu about these things.
If someone had helped him, Bang Geng might not have to work so hard. But now Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi are both in bed, so Bang Geng has no time to rest.
If he doesn't work hard to earn money, what will he do in the future? Bang Geng still wants to live a good life through his own efforts and then marry a beautiful wife.
After leaving the rented room for a while, Bang Genggen found his oxcart. Since oxen are not allowed to roam freely in the city, Bang Genggen had to tie it to a nearby mountain before driving the oxcart out of Beijing.
Banggeng had considered getting a three-wheeled motorcycle or some other vehicle. But the other vehicles were too expensive for him to afford.
So when the vegetables are brought to the suburbs, the stalks have to find a way to bring the vegetables in from the suburbs.
After Banggeng left the rented room, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi could only lie on the bed groaning. For a day or two, it was alright, but as time went on, their condition worsened.
Rashes gradually appeared on both of their bodies, and maggots even began to infest some areas. Jia Zhangshi's condition was slightly better than Qin Huairu's. After tossing and turning in bed for more than a month, she gritted her teeth and slowly crawled out of bed. She ran to the tap in the yard and washed herself.
Qin Huairu's injuries were much more severe than Jia Zhangshi's. To this day, Qin Huairu can only eat two steamed buns with her hands. As for anything else, it's just wishful thinking. Even turning over is difficult.
Bang Geng was too busy to take care of them, at most leaving some steamed buns by their beds every few days. This made Qin Huairu's condition worse and worse, to the point that she had to pick maggots off her own body and eat them.
Jia Zhangshi was helpless in this matter, as she herself had not fully recovered. She wouldn't have crawled into the courtyard to wash herself if she hadn't been so unbearable.
Human nature slowly began to show at this point. Whenever Bang Geng placed food beside her, Jia Zhangshi would eat more than her share. No matter how much Qin Huairu protested, Jia Zhangshi pretended not to hear; the most important thing now was to heal her injuries. As for whether Qin Huairu lived or died, Jia Zhangshi didn't care at all.
Qin Huairu couldn't think of any other way to deal with the maggots on her body. She had tried to contact her son, Bang Geng, but he was too busy to bother with her. Aside from saying a few words to Jia Zhangshi, Bang Geng did nothing else. As for helping Qin Huairu bathe, he didn't have the time, nor did he want to do such a disgusting thing. He only gave Jia Zhangshi a few instructions and then ignored the matter.
Even Bang Geng himself needs to take a shower every few days, so he doesn't have time to take care of his mother.
Providing Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi with some food every day was already a sign of Bang Geng's conscience. Bang Geng had almost completely forgotten what happened when he was a child. Since returning, he hadn't had a good life, and was even implicated by Qin Huairu. If it weren't for fear of gossip, Bang Geng wouldn't want to support them at all.
Qin Huairu watched her health deteriorate day by day. She had considered changing the situation, but paralyzed in bed, she was powerless to help even if she had the means. Her neighbor, Jia Zhangshi, was also a heartless person, and given her own precarious condition, she couldn't offer any assistance even if she wanted to.
Ultimately, Qin Huairu's body began to slowly rot, and the area of decay grew larger and larger. As time went on, Qin Huairu herself gradually began to despair.
If you maintain an optimistic attitude, cancer might not recur so quickly. But under these circumstances, Qin Huairu felt her health deteriorating, and she even started coughing up blood.
Everyone knows Qin Huairu is likely nearing the end. All Banggeng can do is try to get her some good food when he has the money. As for anything else, there's nothing he can do.
Qin Huairu remained in bed for another two months. By the end of 1968, she could no longer hold on.
At first, no one knew that Qin Huairu was dead. Banggeng called his mother to get up for lunch, but Qin Huairu ignored him, and Banggeng thought his mother was asleep.
To prevent the food from getting cold, Banggeng went to the bed to wake Qin Huairu. But as soon as he touched Qin Huairu, Banggeng was startled because Qin Huairu's body had already hardened.
Madam Jia, who was standing nearby, also noticed something was wrong. Madam Jia was feeling slightly better now. She immediately went over and touched Qin Huairu's body.
"Bang Geng, your mother is dead. And it looks like she's been dead for quite some time. What should we do now?"
"What else can we do? You expect me to save her? Now we can only buy a coffin, drag her back to Qin Family Village, and bury her somewhere."
Seeing Bang Geng's indifferent attitude, Jia Zhangshi knew that her future fate would likely not be good either. This gave Jia Zhangshi a sense of shared sorrow, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox. After she died, her grandson would probably just find any place to bury her.
Although she wanted to say something, Jia Zhangshi didn't know what to say. In the end, she could only stand there blankly.
Seeing this situation, Banggeng could only prepare for Qin Huairu's funeral. Fortunately, Banggeng had earned some money in the past few months. Although he couldn't afford a grand funeral, buying a coffin wasn't too difficult.
After buying a coffin from a funeral supply store, Bang Geng returned to his rented room. He washed Qin Huairu's body and dressed her in clean clothes. Then he carried Qin Huairu out of the room and placed her in the coffin.
Although Jia Zhangshi was selfish, she had lived with Qin Huairu for so long. Seeing Banggeng carry Qin Huairu away, Jia Zhangshi gritted her teeth, got out of bed, and slowly walked to the oxcart, leaning on her cane. She got on the oxcart and went back to Changping with Banggeng. On the way, Jia Zhangshi unusually asked Banggeng to buy some paper money candles.
After two or three hours, they finally arrived at Qin Family Village by cart. Regardless of whether his uncles liked him or not, Banggeng still informed them and then drove the oxcart up the mountain.
Although Qin Huairu's siblings didn't particularly like her, so many years had passed, and Qin Huairu was already dead. Upon receiving the notification, they still eventually came to the small house on the mountain.
Knowing that Bang Geng planned to bury Qin Huairu here, Bang Geng's uncles and aunts finally stepped in and helped dig a pit, placing Qin Huairu's coffin inside.
Jia Zhangshi stood to the side and burned some paper money candles for Qin Huairu. In case others didn't know that someone had been buried here, everyone worked together to move some stones over.
After preparing a simple grave, everyone went about their own business. Qin Huairu's affair didn't have much of an impact on anyone. In the evening, Banggeng drove his oxcart back to town. Qin Huairu's traces quickly vanished from this world.
Qin Huairu was already dead, and it was impossible for the police station and the court to exhume her body and throw it in jail. In the end, the matter could only be left unresolved.
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