Chapter 53 (Memories)
Grandma Zhou fainted in the stairwell and was discovered by Grandma Yang and sent to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with cancer.
She is old, has worked hard for most of her life, and is in poor physical condition. The doctor assessed that surgery and chemotherapy would be more harmful to her than the cancer cells themselves.
"I've lived for so many years, and I've had enough. I don't want to suffer any more for medical treatment, but I have to trouble you again, Xiao Mo." Grandma Zhou was very open-minded and decisively chose to go home to recuperate. "Because you helped me take care of Xiao Yu, I have saved a little money in the past two years, and I should be able to pay for the medical expenses myself."
“Grandma, I have a lot of scholarships, I can pay for it.”
Zhou Yu opened his mailbox to show the scholarship notification letter he received. Because his fingers were shaking, he clicked it several times before he could open it.
Grandma Zhou: "Xiaoyu, listen to me. The scholarship will continue to be used to pay for tuition, and I must use this money for medical expenses."
Zhou Yu was puzzled. "Why? I finally managed to help you."
Grandma Zhou looked at him lovingly and said, "For your own good and Xiao Mo's good, I cannot have any inheritance."
"You mean..." Yao Yingmo's face darkened. She saw the confusion on Zhou Yu's face out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to explain, but felt it was inappropriate.
"It's okay if Xiaoyu doesn't understand." Grandma Zhou saw Yao Yingmo's embarrassment and decided not to explain to Zhou Yu. She turned to Zhou Yu and comforted him, "Anyway, Grandma understands your feelings, but I don't need your scholarship for the time being."
Zhou Yu subconsciously looked at Yao Yingmo.
During this period, Yao Yingmo had become the adult he trusted the most. Whenever he encountered something he understood or couldn't make up his mind about, he would reflexively seek her advice.
The response he got was a serious shake of the head.
The riddles Yao Yingmo and his grandmother played in front of him seemed to involve very serious issues, and they didn't want him to know.
Maybe I was afraid that he would be sad.
It is also possible that they are afraid that he will not be able to control his emotions and do something irreversible in anger.
Zhou Yu grasped a vague feeling in his confusion and lowered his head unwillingly, "Okay."
Yao Yingmo patted him soothingly.
"Grandma Zhou, I'll take care of the expenses as you wish, but I have a request."
"you say."
Yao Yingmo: "Move to the capital."
The elderly man lying on the hospital bed rarely showed a dazed expression.
Yao Yingmo explained, "You need someone to take care of you, so that no one will notice if something unexpected happens. Also, Xiaoyu definitely wants to be with you during this time."
Moreover, after hearing the hidden meaning behind Grandma Zhou's words, she would never let her live alone again. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are common to all people, but they should not be accelerated artificially. Yao Yingmo felt that only by keeping someone by her side could she feel at ease.
Yao Yingmo and Grandma Zhou looked at each other silently. After a few seconds, Grandma Zhou sighed and nodded in agreement, "Okay."
After returning to the capital, with the insistence of Yao Yingmo and Zhou Yu, Grandma Zhou stopped working outside, and the physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive work gradually recovered.
It’s just that people have been busy all their lives and are suddenly forced to stop, just like suddenly stepping on the brakes while driving. The body will be pushed forward by a strong inertia, making it easier to get injured.
Grandma Zhou couldn't stand this gap, and she couldn't sit still. She took the initiative to prepare three meals a day for the family and went out to buy groceries early every morning. In just two weeks, she became familiar with all the mothers and grandmothers in the community.
She made friends in the new environment and was needed at home. Her whole spirit was refreshed and she didn't look sick at all.
Yao Yingmo was happy to see this happen, but was also worried that she would make herself too busy again, so she asked her to learn cooking skills. Unknowingly, she used learning as an excuse to take the job of being the chef into her hands.
"You will be the head chef in charge of the entire kitchen, and let me, the apprentice, do the work."
Yao Yingmo half coaxed and half deceived her, and in the process learned all of Grandma Zhou's skills.
Zhou Yuze served as a judge and was forced by Yao Yingmo and Grandma Zhou to give comments every day.
At first, Zhou Yu could tell the difference after just one taste. Later, if they didn’t explain it, Zhou Yu couldn’t tell which dish was made by whom.
"It tastes exactly like grandma's. You've made it, sister." Zhou Yu gave a thumbs up and breathed a sigh of relief.
The long study time was finally over and he no longer had to speak a lot.
Yao Yingmo's attention was elsewhere. "What did you call me?"
Did he just call her "sister"? Was the "Yao" in front of her finally removed?
Yao Yingmo was so moved that he couldn't express it in words. The feeling was like seeing the plants he had carefully cultivated finally bloom and bear fruit. The only way to describe it was satisfaction.
Yao Yingmo stared at Zhou Yu with his bright eyes, not hiding his joy at all.
Zhou Yu was so frightened that his whole body trembled, his fingers loosened, and the tips of his chopsticks fell and hit the table.
He picked it up hurriedly and said, "Sister, sister. Is there something wrong?"
Did he call it wrong?
"That's right," Yao Yingmo shook her head, the smile on her face never fading. "Call me sister from now on."
Zhou Yu: "Okay, okay."
Grandma Zhou was watching from the side and found it funny. She joined in the fun and said, "Then, Xiao Mo, when are you going to call me grandma?"
Yao Yingmo was stunned for half a second, "Is it okay?"
If everyone changes their words, we will be a real family.
Grandma Zhou affirmed, "Of course."
Yao Yingmo didn't want to delay for a moment and immediately changed the subject: "Grandma."
The old man also happily responded: "Hey."
Zhou Yu bit his chopsticks, looked to the left and then to the right, and laughed too.
Yao Yingmo: "There's a short holiday next week. I'll take you guys there. How about a stroll in the forest park?"
"OK."
The lives of Zhou Yu and his grandson finally became completely stable, and Yao Yingmo also had the company of his family again.
Happy times fly by.
Two years later, Zhou Yu was in his third year of high school.
One afternoon, grandma passed away in her sleep.
Yao Yingmo discovered that his grandmother had gotten up later than usual, so he opened the door to check, but it was too late.
She still called an ambulance.
The next process was similar to the previous one, except that this time she became the companion and guide, and the major decisions and signatures were handled by Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu's situation was more complicated. Fortunately, as he was already in his third year of high school, he was old enough to sign many things, and the entire process was handled without too many difficulties.
Zhou Yu, now in his third year of high school, is calmer than he was in junior high school. He has helped a lot during this period and can give advice with reason and evidence.
Yao Yingmo followed his instructions, including how his grandmother should be buried.
After two years of mental preparation, although they are sad, they have not lost the rhythm of their lives.
That's how it should be.
Zhou Yu's father heard the news from somewhere and came to their house the day before they had dealt with everything and were about to return to the capital.
"What are you doing here?"
Zhou Yu stood at the door like a door god, preventing Zhou's father from entering.
Father Zhou looked nonchalant, his hands in his pockets, and said in a nonchalant tone, "To pay respect to my mother."
Zhou Yu took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, "She has been buried."
Father Zhou's eyes passed Zhou Yu and drifted into the room, looking at something unknown. "I know. I just want to see where she lived before she died."
"Uncle Zhou, long time no see. Four years have passed and you still look the same, so my answer is the same," Yao Yingmo walked behind Zhou Yu and put his hand on his shoulder. "If you never came when you were alive, it will be too late to come after you die."
Four years have passed, and Yao Yingmo, who supports the lives of three people alone, has grown rapidly, and his aura is no longer the same as before.
Father Zhou was a little timid, and stepped back subconsciously, but he still said defiantly: "She is my mother, of course I have the right to see."
Zhou Yu clenched his fists and asked, "What qualifications do you have?"
Father Zhou kept his left hand behind his back, as if he was hiding something.
Yao Yingmo had some bad guesses, so he pulled Zhou Yu, shook his head, took a step back, and let him in.
They stayed outside the door and did not follow in.
After entering the door, Zhou's father seemed to be inspecting his territory, with his chin raised, his hands behind his back, touching here and playing there.
Yao Yingmo watched him open the fifth cabinet. When he found it was empty, he paused and closed the door as if nothing had happened.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
He seemed to be looking for something. What was he looking for?
Zhou's father looked around but found nothing.
He rushed forward and grabbed Zhou Yu by the collar, "Tell me, where did you hide my mother's money?"
Zhou Yu shook his head and said coldly, "I don't have any money."
He now fully understood what they were talking about on his grandmother's hospital bed.
It turns out that some people will appear with the smell of money, even if the money is tainted with the smell of death.
"How could she not have money? She works so many jobs, how could she not have money?"
Zhou's father didn't believe it. He shook Zhou Yu hard until Zhou Yu stared at him with murderous eyes like a wolf cub. Then he let go and went back to the house to search again.
But after searching the entire house and finding things scattered all over the floor, he didn't see any money. Even the book he finally found only had zero yuan in it.
"Did you hide the money secretly? Did you take it away?" Zhou's father condemned sternly.
Zhou Yu felt a surge of anger, and he could hardly control it. "Don't think that everyone is the same as you."
"Grandma is sick, so of course she needs medical expenses." Yao Yingmo stood in front of Zhou Yu. "Since you're here, why don't we calculate Grandma's medical expenses?"
As Yao Yingmo spoke, he actually opened the account book on his mobile phone and pretended to discuss the medical expenses with Zhou's father.
Father Zhou only glanced at it and quickly looked away, "I won't pay."
"Grandma Zhou is your mother after all." Yao Yingmo repeated Zhou's father's original words to him.
"No! She's already dead, not only did she not leave any money, she even spent mine." Zhou's father tutted, "She should have been burned to death at that time, but someone had to meddle in other people's business to save her."
Yao Yingmo frowned and looked at the person who blurted out the truth in front of him with disgust.
It turned out that the fire was indeed related to him. The murderer who killed her parents was standing right before her, talking proudly and smugly.
Even someone as good-tempered as Yao Yingmo wanted to raise his cell phone as a weapon and smash it on his head.
But no, she was recording.
She even had the wit to reach out and block Zhou Yu.
"If you don't have anything to pay, please leave."
Father Zhou pouted, "He died without leaving a penny. How unlucky!"
"Please leave." Yao Yingmo tried to remain calm as much as possible and stood at the door to watch him leave.
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