Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One: Illness

After a while, Liu Qian finally stopped crying.

She pointed to the stream and said to Zhang Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, look at this river. From its source, it is just a thin stream of water, flowing along the riverbed. As more water flows in, it grows larger and larger. Gradually, it becomes a big river, a major river, and finally flows into the sea. Just like people, this is its growth process, and the sea is its end. If the river stops flowing, what will it become? A pond, a dirty ditch. If the river stops flowing, it loses its meaning of existence and will die. It's the same for people. We must go through the process of birth, growth, and death. This is a complete life. We don't know about those who can live forever, but for ordinary people like us, birth, aging, illness, and death are necessities of life, like notes in the song of life."

Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously, "Why can't we live forever?"

Liu Qian replied, "Because we don't know how to live forever."

Then she continued, "Like Grandma, who is over eighty years old, she has experienced so many storms. From learning to speak, growing up, meeting your grandfather, forming a family, having your mother, and enduring hardships to raise your mother to adulthood, then seeing your mother marry and live with your father, and even watching her lifelong partner pass away. Now, she sees you and your siblings grow up. Her life has been very fulfilling, with few regrets. You should be happy for Grandma's complete life. How many people can have a life of over eighty years?"

Zhang Xiaohua looked up and asked, "What should I do then?"

Liu Qian stroked Xiaohua's head and said, "What you need to do now is to gather your thoughts and spend time with Grandma. Let her see her beloved grandson in her final days, without any unhappiness, and let her leave this world in peace."

The gloom in Zhang Xiaohua's heart began to dissipate, and a smile appeared on his face. He said, "Sister Liu, you know so much. I understand what you said. If I told my mother these things, she would definitely scold me for not thinking positively."

Liu Qian said, "Everyone has their own way of expressing their thoughts. Your mother scolds you in her way to tell you not to overthink. I just use a different way to tell you. If you can understand my method, feel free to come to me when you have any problems in the future."

Zhang Xiaohua said playfully, "Of course, I will definitely come to you more often."

Liu Qian said, "You naughty little one, go fetch water quickly. The sun is already high. Your mother will scold you again soon."

Zhang Xiaohua stuck out his tongue and said, "Then let's go quickly. But if I come out with you, Mother won't blame me for coming back late."

Although he said that, Zhang Xiaohua still hurried to fetch water because Grandma seemed to like drinking the mountain spring water.

In the following days, Grandma's condition worsened, and she even coughed up blood. As Zhang Xiaohua had said, Grandma's illness was not ordinary. This time, Guo Sufei was really worried. She didn't blame the old veterinarian, Mr. Chen, nor did she take care of the injured family members. Instead, she quickly found a donkey cart to take Grandma to the town for medical treatment. Zhang Xiaohua insisted on going, but his mother left him at home. Zhang Cai, the head of the family, went, even though his leg injury was not fully healed. The donkey cart had limited space, so the most beloved grandson by Grandma was left at home.

The donkey cart set off early in the morning. Zhang Xiaohua helped Liu Qian take care of his two injured brothers and did some household chores. However, his mind was still on Grandma, and he kept looking outside. Although Liu Qian wanted to tell him that Grandma would return at night, she saw the absent-minded and anxious expressions of Zhang Xiaohua, Zhang Xiaolong, and Zhang Xiaohu, so she held back. She just did the household chores thoughtfully without saying any comforting words.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened. Finally, Zhang Xiaohua saw the long-awaited donkey cart. He immediately jumped off the chair, ran out of the house without even calling his brothers, and almost tripped over a small stool by the door in his hurry. He didn't care about the stool he kicked aside and rushed out.

By the time he ran out of the small gate, the donkey cart was close. The driver jumped off, led the donkey a few steps, and stopped in front of Zhang Xiaohua. He then held the reins and stopped the cart in front of the Zhang family's courtyard.

Three people, dressed warmly, sat in the back of the cart. In the twilight, their faces were unclear. Before the cart had even stopped, Zhang Xiaohua heard one of them cough heavily. He walked to the cart, calling out, "Grandma~" with concern, but Grandma was coughing so hard that she couldn't respond.

Guo Sufei got off the cart first, calling Zhang Xiaohu to help Zhang Cai down. Then, she and Liu Qian carefully helped Grandma, who had just finished coughing, down from the cart.

Zhang Cai paid the driver, and the donkey cart left, leaving the Zhang family standing in the twilight.

Liu Qian and Zhang Xiaohua supported Grandma, who was coughing, to her small room. Hearing the coughing, Zhang Xiaohua's heart ached. But halfway there, Grandma said weakly, "Let's go to the main room first, I want to spend more time with you."

They followed her request and helped Grandma into the main room.

Guo Sufei followed absentmindedly, then Zhang Xiaohu helped the limping and somber-faced Zhang Cai, and finally, Zhang Xiaolong, with his arm still in a sling, entered the room.

The main room was small, and with everyone inside, the air seemed to freeze.

At this moment, Grandma started coughing again. Liu Qian quickly went over, gave her a cup of warm water, and the coughing gradually subsided.

Liu Qian wanted to break the silence but didn't know how to start.

Finally, Grandma spoke, "The doctor in town is really expensive. Sufei, we won't go there next time. One visit costs a silver coin, which would take our family a long time to earn."

Guo Sufei forced a smile and said, "Mother, don't worry. If you're sick, you must see a doctor. Even if we are poor, we can't neglect your illness."

Grandma said, "I know my condition. It's not something a doctor can cure. I said I didn't want to go, but you insisted on spending the silver coin."

Guo Sufei's eyes reddened and said, "Mother, don't worry about us. Zhang Cai also needed to see a doctor, and you just went along."

Grandma sighed and didn't say anything more. She drank a little more water, and her coughing seemed to ease. She then let Xiaohua help her back to her room to rest.

Zhang Xiaohua helped Grandma to the bed, covered her with a quilt, and she seemed tired, quickly falling asleep. Zhang Xiaohua then quietly left the small room.

Back in the main room, his mother was sobbing softly, wiping her tears. His father was frowning, smoking his pipe, and his brothers and Liu Qian also looked grim.

Zhang Xiaohua knew Grandma's condition was not good, as he had expected, so he didn't ask about the details of her illness. He just found a small stool and sat in the shadow by the wall.

After a while, Guo Sufei calmed down a bit, stopped sobbing, and noticed Xiaohua had returned. She asked softly, "Xiaohua, is Grandma asleep?"

Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said, "Yes, Mother. Grandma must be tired. She fell asleep quickly after lying down."

Guo Sufei turned to Zhang Cai and asked, "What should we do, Father? Should we go to a bigger city to find a better doctor?"

Zhang Cai took a deep puff of his pipe, exhaled, and said with narrowed eyes, "Sigh, didn't the doctor say that Grandma's cough is not just a simple cough? It's because of her age and her body can't support it anymore. There's no cure. Besides, with Grandma's condition, can she go to a bigger city? The nearest Pingyang City is a day and a night's ride away. Grandma might not be able to endure it."

Guo Sufei became sad again, her voice trembling, "So we just watch Mother's health deteriorate day by day? Listen to her cough so severely every day?"

Zhang Cai smiled bitterly and said, "There's nothing we can do. The doctor also said that for someone of Mother's age, he rarely sees such a case. Moreover, for an eighty-year-old, Mother's health is still good. I think we should follow the doctor's advice, let Mother rest well, eat well, and spend this time comfortably."

Guo Sufei had no other options. She knew Mother was at the end of her life, but she still held out hope, trying to grasp at straws. However, in the face of this harsh reality, how much value could a little hope have?

Guo Sufei looked at the flickering flame of the oil lamp, lost in thought. Suddenly, she asked Zhang Cai, "By the way, Father, what did the doctor say Mother should eat? I didn't know about it."

Hearing this, Zhang Cai also looked up, puzzled.

Everyone asked in unison, "What?"

Zhang Cai tapped his pipe and said, "At the clinic, the doctor initially said that Grandma was at the end of her life, and there was no point in diagnosing her. The cough was just a surface symptom, and her internal organs were in chaos. But after your mother's persistent pleading, he examined her more carefully and found that although Grandma's body was in a terrible state, there was a vital energy inside her. However, this energy was too weak to sustain her life. The doctor said it must be because Grandma recently ate something like ginseng."

Everyone was stunned. Ginseng? How could they afford it?

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