Chapter 74
The days passed one by one, neither hurried nor slow.
That evening, Grandma Chen had a simple bowl of porridge. Around noon, a neighbor's aunt brought her a bundle of edamame beans, which had been drying in the yard all afternoon. She carried the stalks to the door. The setting sun dyed the sky outside a pleasant orange-red, and the evening's afterglow fell on her empty yard. The lights in the old house behind her were off, and the room was dark and desolate.
She repeated the process of shelling edamame, gazing at the setting sun in the distance. Suddenly, an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. In the past, when the old man was still energetic, the two of them, one shelling edamame while the other lay in the yard smoking, occasionally chatting and having someone join in. But now, in such a large yard, there was not a single sound.
The sudden voice of "Mom" broke the silence in the yard.
Grandma Chen looked up and saw Chen Cheng appear at the door, dragging Chen Ming, who looked reluctant. Chen Ming was holding a few plastic bags filled with milk and some fruits.
"Mom, we came to see you," Chen Cheng spoke first.
Chen Ming turned his face away, said nothing, and just stood there with his things in his hand.
Grandma Chen was stunned for several seconds. She casually threw the edamame shells in her hand together with the freshly peeled edamame in the frame. She stood up, brushed off the crumbs on her apron, turned around, and walked into the house tremblingly.
Grandma Chen said: "Come in and sit down, I'll pour you a glass of water"
Chen Cheng followed her.
The lights in the old house were turned on, and a ray of light once again shone through the darkness.
Grandma Chen took out the kettle and poured a glass of water for them.
She went into the kitchen again.
"Why are you looking so gloomy?" Chen Cheng saw Chen Ming sitting there without saying anything. "What are you doing here this time? You better behave yourself."
"I know," Chen Ming said reluctantly.
The sound of water in the kitchen stopped, and Grandma Chen was holding the freshly washed apples.
"I bought it this morning. The boss said it was grown in his yard and it's fresh." Granny Chen saw them and noticed something was missing from the table. "I'll go get the peeler."
"Mom, please stop working." Chen Cheng held her down and kicked Chen Ming's leg under the table. "Hurry up and say something to Mom."
Chen Ming held it in for a long time. He glared at Chen Cheng unhappily, glanced at Grandma Chen uncomfortably, and said reluctantly: "Mom, last time, last time I spoke too harshly, please don't take it to heart"
He grabbed his hair again, his eyes dodging, "I was wrong about that matter. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. The boss has also taught me a lesson."
When Granny Chen saw him, the grievances in her heart seemed to surge up, a breath of anger was choked in her throat, and her eyes were a little sore. She just waved her hand and sat down next to the two of them, "Mom doesn't blame you"
"As for the appraisal fee, I've discussed it with the boss, and we'll split it equally. You don't have to worry about it," Chen Ming added, but his voice sounded even lower than before.
Chen Cheng nodded and said, "Yes, Mom, we have already figured out the money, you don't have to worry about it."
Grandma Chen sat on the chair. When she heard what her sons said, her nose felt a little sore and her eyes turned red. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but in the end she just lowered her eyes in silence. She said tiredly: "Mom is old. I can't say or manage these things. You can just make the decision."
After that, she slowly stood up, holding the edge of the table, "I want to go back to the house to rest for a while."
"Let me help you." Chen Cheng hurried over, and Chen Ming subconsciously held her other arm.
The white woven lamp at the stairwell was covered in a thick layer of black dust, and the light was dim. When it shone down from above the three of them, it also illuminated the dense spider webs in the corner. The second floor had only palm-sized windows, and air rarely came in. The hallway leading upstairs was stuffy and narrow, and the smell of damp mold mixed with old wood was suffocating.
The white woven lamp at the stairwell was covered in a thick layer of black dust, and the light was dim. When it shone down from above the three of them, it also revealed the dense spider webs in the corner. The second floor had only palm-sized windows, and air rarely came in. The road leading up to the stairs was stuffy and narrow, and the smell of damp mold mixed with old wood was suffocating.
The old wooden staircase creaked slightly underfoot. Two steps at the corner had been unevenly stepped. Chen Ming, helping someone up, nearly tripped over the steps. Holding them from behind, Grandma Chen was forced to raise her shoulders and walk sideways. Every step she took felt weak, her body swaying with each step. After finally reaching the top floor and sitting down on the edge of the bed, she couldn't help but gasp softly.
Grandma Chen sat on the bed. Chen Cheng was about to say something when Chen Ming's eyes were drawn to the items on the bedside table. Besides a few photo frames and the medicine Grandma Chen had to take before bed, there was also a wooden box.
When he saw the wooden box, the anger that Chen Ming had just suppressed suddenly came to the surface.
"Why are you still keeping this broken thing? Are you not embarrassed enough last time?" Chen Ming reached out to grab the wooden box.
Chen Cheng stopped him and said, "What are you doing? You are here to apologize to your mother today."
"Apologize?" Chen Ming sneered. Unable to suppress his anger, his voice suddenly rose. "Look at what she has on display. We spent five thousand dollars on the appraisal fee and got this thing in return. And now she still has the nerve to put it on display. Isn't she just trying to piss me off?"
Granny Chen was so shocked by his shout that she subconsciously backed away. She looked up and saw Chen Ming's face, twisted and distorted with anger. The corners of his mouth twitched. She opened her mouth, but still couldn't speak.
The dim white light in the room clearly reflected her dry and wrinkled face, her cloudy eyes deeply sunken in her eye sockets, her vision blurred, and her profile blocked by the wardrobe in the room was full of loneliness.
Chen Cheng quickly glanced at Granny Chen. The old woman, moved by what he had said, lowered her head silently. Her dry fingers clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, her thin body hunched over, her whole body radiating helplessness.
He went over and grabbed Chen Ming's arm, leading him to the door. He lowered his voice and said urgently, "Can you please stop yelling? Mom can't stand your rudeness at this age. Besides, this thing is Dad's leftover. She can do whatever she wants with it. We have no right to control it, and it's none of your business. Do you understand?"
Chen Ming was nearly staggered by his pull, and his anger grew even stronger. He shook off Chen Cheng's hand unhappily, his eyes full of impatience and ridicule, "Okay, you're the only one who can pretend to be filial and a good person, so I'm wrong to say a few more words. You were the one who wasted your time and money last time, weren't you?"
"What's the point of arguing about this now?" Chen Cheng stole a glance at Grandma Chen behind him, his eyes instantly cold. He leaned over to block the old woman's view and warned Chen Ming in a low voice, "What did I tell you when I came here? Mom has been hiding it for so many years, how could it be a fake? If you're making such a fuss now, if Mom really hides it or gives it to someone else because she feels bad, then neither of us will end up in a good situation. Can you please clear your mind?"
Chen Cheng's words just hit Chen Ming's mind. He was stunned for a few seconds, and the anger on his face slowly faded away. He glanced at Chen Cheng, pursed his lips in dissatisfaction, and said nothing more.
The two brothers stood in silence for a while. Chen Cheng walked back to the bed first. He said to Grandma Chen in a soft voice, "Mom, the second brother is just like that. Don't take it to heart."
Chen Ming also came over. He scratched his head, a little guilty in his eyes. Chen Cheng frowned and looked at him. Chen Ming squatted down reluctantly. He put his hand on Granny Chen's skinny arm and said, "Mom, I was so angry just now that I lost my mind and spoke a little harshly. Please don't be angry."
Granny Chen looked up, glanced at Chen Ming, then back at Chen Cheng. Their deliberately averted gazes made her feel a little uncomfortable, her throat tightening. The helplessness she had suppressed resurfaced, along with a sense of emptiness and melancholy. How could bones that had stood straight all their lives now bend?
Granny Chen stared at the two faces before her, faces she had known for nearly a lifetime. From their childhood until now, she remembered them clearly: when they grew their first teeth, when they fell, when they started school, who got married first, and what they said about getting married. After decades, how could they seem so unfamiliar now that they were older? She even barely recognized them.
When you get old, don’t think about these things anymore.
Just like what the old man said before he left, let's just turn a blind eye. If it's good for you, just accept it. If it's not good for you, just endure it. Anyway, you don't have many years to live, so don't think too much or see too clearly.
Pretending to be deaf and dumb is not necessarily a bad thing.
Granny Chen shook her head gently, sighed, and faced the two of them, she said calmly: "Mom is not angry, Mom knows that your life is hard, you both have families and people to support, Mom just hopes that your life can be better."
Grandma Chen from "Xiaocheng" looked at Chen Cheng and said, "Go and help Mom get that box."
Chen Cheng took the wooden box as Grandma Chen asked.
She held the cold box, her rough fingers stroking the smooth surface. "The things in this box were handed to me by your father before he left. He prepared two of the same things, one real and one fake."
Chen Ming frowned, "Why did my dad prepare two?"
"Your father wants to test you," said Grandma Chen. She tried hard to look at her two sons in front of her. Her eyes were no longer clear as before, but rather chaotic. There seemed to be a heavy layer of gray fog covering her cloudy eyes, making everything hazy and unclear.
"Your dad said, if you only care about the things and don't think about me, your mother, then I can't give you this real thing even if I die," Granny Chen said stiffly, looking at the front with empty eyes, as if she was reciting a line she had prepared long ago, "But if you have me in your heart, then when I'm old, this thing will naturally be yours. Your dad also prepared a certificate for me, and locked it in the cabinet over there. He said that with this certificate, even if you take the things away and want to sell them, you can't sell them without my consent."
Before Granny Chen could finish her words, Chen Cheng had already gone over. He opened the wardrobe, pushed aside a few hanging old clothes, and found the locked wooden box in the corner.
"The key is in the pocket of the blue shirt above," said Grandma Chen.
Chen Cheng found the key and nervously inserted it into the lock. The moment the lid of the box opened, a whiff of camphor hit him. There was nothing else in the box except a leather envelope.
He pulled out the contents of the envelope, which contained a supplementary note to the will. It stated that the blue-and-white bowl would be kept by Grandma Chen for the time being, and would only be inherited by the brothers a hundred years later. Furthermore, if the two brothers wanted to dispose of the bowl, they would need Grandma Chen's consent.
After reading the letter, Chen Cheng gritted his teeth secretly.
After searching for so long, it turns out the biggest plan is here.
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