sbdcsierra Chapter 126 Old Lady 1
Chapter 126 Old Lady 1
Zhou Guo felt ashamed in front of his family. He lowered his head and walked to Li, saying shamefully, "I'm sorry, mother. I couldn't find Zhou Su and bring him back."
Li held her daughter in her arms with tears in her eyes, tightly, crying, "Don't worry, don't worry. Your little brother was lost by mother in the first place. Besides, in this vast sea of people, there is almost no hope of finding him. It's okay, don't take it to heart. As long as your little brother is still alive, he will definitely come back. Mother just hopes that you all live well."
Everyone in the family cried silently. Nothing good had happened in the family in these days.
After a while, Zhou Guo raised her head from her mother's arms.
Walked to Grandma Huang beside.
She looked at the white hair on her temples these days and touched it with great heartache, "Grandma, I'm sorry."
Huang smiled, patted her head lovingly, and said, "What have you done to let me down, child? You have done enough. It doesn't matter that Zhou Su was not found. That little guy is not a very obedient person. It's good that he can survive. He has your shadow in him, so I'm not particularly worried about him."
She looked at her and said, "On the contrary, I am more worried about you. You have been ignorant since you were a child and you don't know anything. It's not easy for you to get better and become so capable and responsible. It seems that your small shoulders want to bear all the things. Grandma doesn't want to see you suffer so much."
"It's just that, Guoguo, grandma is sorry for you. After grandma is gone, this family will fall on your uncle and your shoulders. They all rely on you. But grandma also wants to tell you something. If you can't bear it in the future, and you can't take care of the people at home, and you are tired, then don't worry about it. Just live your own life. You don't owe anyone anything."
Zhou Guo was shocked, "Grandma, what's wrong with you?" Why did she say all this for no reason, as if she was leaving a will.
Huang shook her head. "I'm just tired. I'll be fine after a rest."
After saying that, he closed his eyes.
Zhou Guo lay on top of her in panic, listening for a long time before he noticed the faint breathing sound.
"Your grandmother's health has long been failing. When she fled from the famine, she didn't have enough food to eat. She secretly saved some food from every meal and gave some to each of you grandchildren. When she was hungry, she ate grass roots. Plus, she was overworked, which consumed most of her body."
"As early as when we were in Yunli County, the doctor said that her body was already empty and that she could live for another four or five years if she took good care of herself. But after being chased by bandits, she had to encounter many bumps and bruises on the road. And then something like this happened to her two youngest grandchildren. With all the things added up, she couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed. She has been holding on these days." Li said, wiping away her tears.
All the children in the Zhou family knew about it, and they were all so sad when they saw the old lady with a pale face.
One of the two elderly people in their family passed away along the way. Now they are not far from the north, and it is obvious that her health is failing. If something happens to the old lady, wouldn’t the sky be falling for their family?
Zhou Guo felt dizzy and a little unsteady on his feet for a moment. The old lady was a huge mountain hanging over their family. Even though she was not noticeable on weekdays, the old lady was responsible for most of the stability of their family. If she was gone, would this family still be a family?
She looked at everyone. Her great aunt Xu was still the same. She didn't cry or make a fuss, but just held the dress and rocked it back and forth, like coaxing a baby. She suppressed the bitterness in her heart. Because of her mistake, her daughter lost her life. Her great aunt might not be able to live well in this life. She was afraid that she would stay in that day forever. It was really pitiful.
The smart, lively and clever sister in the family passed away before she had the chance to eat rice without bran. After this incident, her brothers and sisters in the eldest wife became much quieter.
The two picked up children sat aside, silently looking at the old lady. They were both still young and ignorant.
"Where's my uncle?" She then realized that her uncle was not there. Where could she go at this time?
"He went hunting, saying he wanted to give your grandma some good nourishment." Li said.
“Dalang… Dalang… Erlang… Don’t go. Have you seen your father? I can’t find him anywhere. Where have you gone…” The old lady suddenly closed her eyes and started talking nonsense, waving her hands in the air and speaking quickly and rapidly.
Zhou Guo quickly stretched out his hands and held them tightly, "Grandma, grandma, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all here, all here."
The old lady spoke again in a low voice. After a moment, she turned her head away and remained silent again. She did not even open her eyes during the whole process.
Mrs. Li sighed and said, "Your grandmother has been like this for the past few days. Every time she falls asleep, she calls your uncle, your father, and your grandfather in her dreams. Sometimes she starts to cry while calling them. She misses them."
Zhou Guo was silent. How could he not be thinking about it? He had raised his son with great difficulty, and now he had lost two of them in an instant. He had to send his son off to his old age.
Grandpa passed away again, and she was afraid that she didn't even have anyone to talk to in her daily life.
She regretted her decision very much in an instant. Why didn't she care about her more before? The old lady was already old, and as she got older, she couldn't help but think too much. This disease might be related to her long-term depressed mood.
"Here he comes, my uncle is back."
Zhou Dacang was carrying a big knife on his back, and his hands were busy, with a rabbit and a pheasant, but he looked really embarrassed.
Her hair was a mess, like a mad woman, with chicken feathers, dead twigs and rotten leaves on it. There was a hole in her clothes, with strips of cloth falling out there. One of her shoes was missing, and she limped back in a hurry, carrying the two wild animals.
He handed both prey to Li, "Second sister-in-law, these are all I can catch. Cook them quickly so that everyone can have some."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the old lady. He saw Zhou Guo at a glance, then looked around and didn't see Zhou Su. He sighed and patted her shoulder as a way of comforting her.
The two men stood on the left and right of the old lady, motionless and without saying a word.
Li and Zhou Xing started to prepare dinner.
Zhou Mai and several other boys were also busy, helping to fetch water, make fire and collect firewood.
These have always been their jobs, and they used to do them with great enthusiasm every time, because doing these meant it was time to have dinner and have something to eat. Usually, after finishing these, they would follow their younger brothers and sisters to dig wild vegetables on the hillside.
However, they couldn't be happy at all at this moment. They were too lazy to dig wild vegetables. They just dug a few when fetching water and collecting firewood. If it was enough, that was it. If it was still not enough, they would eat less and drink more soup.
Soon, dinner was ready.
None of the two prey were kept and all were put into the pot. Li also chopped up half a pheasant and cooked a pot of chicken soup with wild vegetables for the old lady.
However, everyone looked at the soundly sleeping old lady and some people didn't have the heart to wake her up. She had not slept well in the past few nights, tossing and turning, and even when she fell asleep she was not at ease. Today, when she saw Zhou Guo coming back, she fell into a deep sleep.