Chapter 64
◎Perhaps a New Turning Point Will Soon Arrive (Revised)◎
Fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time. The doctor gave him glucose, fed him warm sugar water, and some liquid food, and he slowly recovered.
When the widow Liu brought Maodan to the commune hospital, the hospital room was empty. Song Xiaojun was lying flat on the hospital bed, his eyes tightly closed.
Her gaze fell on Song Xiaojun’s haggard face.
His face was haggard and thin, his eye sockets were sunken into dark pits, his collarbones were clearly visible under his loose clothes, and the bangs on his forehead were matted with sweat, clinging to his pale forehead.
She had already heard that Song Xiaojun had been sent to the hospital for a hunger strike. She reached out and wiped away two hot tears. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. It was the first time a man had risked his life for her.
Song Xiaojun was not actually asleep. He was pretending to be asleep because he didn’t want to face his parents.
A warm and delicate hand gently stroked his face. Song Xiaojun opened his eyes and saw that it was the widow Liu and Maodan.
The widow Liu sighed. “I’ve already heard. Why are you doing this to yourself?”
Song Xiaojun’s IV tube moved under the quilt. His voice was as hoarse as a broken gong, but he still forced a pale smile. “It’s not hard. It’s just going hungry, right? Anyway, I’ve been hungry like this since I was a child. I’m used to it.”
After this trip to the underworld, Song Xiaojun had also thought through many things. Everything was illusory. Only the hand he was holding at this moment was real.
“Daddy.” Maodan bit his finger and came closer. He took out a candy from his pocket and stuffed it into Song Xiaojun’s mouth. “Daddy, don’t cry. Maodan will give Daddy candy to eat.”
“Maodan, Daddy can’t eat this now.” The widow Liu stopped Maodan.
Song Xiaojun looked at the rice bowl in her hand. “What good food did you bring me?”
“The doctor said you can only eat liquid food now. I made you some millet and pumpkin congee.”
As she spoke, the widow Liu lifted the lid of the rice bowl. The millet and pumpkin congee looked as if it had been cooked with great care. Every grain of rice had bloomed, and a layer of rice oil floated on top, looking very golden and tempting. The fragrance of millet and pumpkin filled the air.
The widow Liu wiped the spoon, knelt by the bed, and carefully scooped up a spoonful of pumpkin congee. After blowing on it to cool it down, she fed it to Song Xiaojun’s mouth.
A light cough came from behind.
The person who had come was Song Xiaojun’s mother, Xia Lilan. This once shrewd and capable person looked much more haggard, her face sallow, and her eyes dark. The widow Liu wanted to call out to her, but the two old Song family members had always disliked her, and their attitude was always cursing and disgusted. She really didn’t know what to say.
The widow Liu had married early. In fact, she was only one year older than Song Xiaojun.
Xia Lilan looked at the graceful woman in front of her. The corners of her mouth, which were turned down, turned up. Her son had almost given up half his life for this woman.
“I’ve discussed it with your dad. The marriage with the Su family is off. After you’re discharged from the hospital, you can go with Liu…” Xia Lilan’s gaze fell on the widow Liu. She didn’t know what to call her for a moment.
She had also discovered just now that her son would only show a little bit of a relaxed expression when he was with the widow Liu, like a normal man of his age.
Xia Lilan sized up the widow Liu in front of her.
She was wearing a blue floral dress, and her hair was neatly gathered, exuding a clean and fragrant aura.
In fact, once she had crossed that hurdle in her heart, she found that everything was not so difficult to accept. Although the widow Liu’s husband had died, she had been chaste for many years, raising her son alone, and managing her home in an orderly manner. She looked like a capable person, and there were no rumors of her fooling around with other men. Her appearance and character were not bad.
Most importantly, her son liked this woman.
“Auntie, my maiden name is Liu, and my full name is Liu Yueqin.”
“It’s not a solution for you two to always meet in private like this. After you’re discharged from the hospital, you and Liu Yueqin can have your wedding, and then you can live separately.”
Faced with their son’s hunger strike, Song Dazhu and Xia Lilan finally chose to compromise.
Compared to losing their son, they would rather their son be with a widow.
Song Xiaojun and the widow Liu looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.
Song Xiaojun took the initiative to hold the widow Liu’s hand and swallowed his throat. “So, you and Dad have agreed to my marriage with Yueqin?”
“You don’t even want your life. How can your dad and I not agree?”
On the day he was discharged from the hospital, Song Xiaojun straightened his stooped back.
The sun shone on his body, golden and warm.
The Su family was very kind and did not publicize the matter of Song Xiaojun and the widow Liu.
On the eighth day, the wedding was held as usual, but the bride was changed from Wani to the widow Liu. The things that had been prepared before could all be used. But Song Dazhu and the widow Liu still felt a little awkward and did not have a grand celebration. The widow Liu and Song Xiaojun went to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate. Then, with Maodan, she followed Song Xiaojun from her late husband’s home to the old Song family’s home. The two of them were then officially together.
There were many gossips at a widow’s door. For a while, there were many rumors about the marriage of Song Xiaojun and the widow Liu.
Some said that they had been secretly involved for a long time. No wonder she got married three years after her husband died. That Maodan was Xiaojun’s child.
Some said that the widow Liu had given Song Xiaojun a love potion. Otherwise, how could Song Xiaojun not even want his life and insist on marrying this woman?
Some said that Wani had called off the marriage because she had discovered the secret affair between Song Xiaojun and the widow Liu.
Some were right, and some were just baseless fabrications.
But those ethereal things did not affect Song Xiaojun and the widow Liu much. They had already held a simple wedding ceremony and had gone to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate. Outside, the husband and wife would go out to work together. Behind closed doors, the young couple lived a warm and happy life.
…
Yu Yahong threw the betrothal gifts from the Song family out the door and said angrily with her hands on her hips, “Your family is simply too bullying. I should report you to the commune and accuse you of marriage fraud!”
“Take your things and get out!”
Song Xiaojun lowered his eyes and silently moved the two hundred catties of wheat onto the cart.
The young man in front of Wani, although it had only been half a month, looked a lot thinner. His cheekbones were more prominent than before, but his spirit seemed to be good. He held his head high and straightened his back.
She had heard that Song Xiaojun had gone on a hunger strike to marry the widow Liu and had almost lost his life.
“You deliberately let Tangtang and Juesheng see your secret affair with the widow Liu, didn’t you?”
Wani had thought about it later. Tangtang and the others’ grandmother’s home was at the east end of Wangxiang Village. They could have gone home directly by taking a small path. The old Song family’s home was at the west end of the village. If it weren’t for Song Xiaojun deliberately taking a detour, Tangtang and the others would never have discovered the suspicious Song Xiaojun.
Wani picked up the 10 feet of polyester blue and white floral fabric that her mother had thrown on the ground. For the matter of the two families calling off the marriage, Song Xiaojun and the widow Liu had taken all the pressure, allowing Wani to retreat completely in terms of public opinion. “I wish you happiness.”
Song Xiaojun shrugged, a magnanimous smile on his pale face. “I also wish you get what you want, and everything goes smoothly.”
…
At the end of August, Su Juexiao returned to Yuhuai Village from the coal mine to visit his family and helped with some of the accumulated farm work at home.
This incident of calling off the marriage was quite dramatic. After hearing about it, Su Juexiao was dumbfounded for a long time.
“To celebrate my temporary escape from the sea of suffering, I’ll treat everyone to a soda tomorrow.” The marriage with Song Xiaojun was off, and her mother no longer talked about her in-laws and getting married as she used to. Wani felt much more relaxed now.
She still had a few yuan left, all of which she had saved from selling medicinal herbs. She decided to treat Tangtang and Juesheng to a soda as a thank you.
Su Juexiao said with a smile, “Why don’t you let me treat you?”
“Don’t fight with me. I know you have a salary now, but this is my heartfelt gesture.”
Tangtang suggested, “I heard that you can rent a boat at the Chengguan River. Why don’t we buy some soda and go boating?”
“Alright.” Wani also thought this was a good idea.
A few years ago, when Su Juesheng came home on leave, he had brought back a piece of brightly colored and good-quality red and black plaid floral cloth. Yu Juanfang had used this floral cloth to make a bib dress for Tangtang. Tangtang had been reluctant to wear it. After a few years, it was still brand new and bright. It was just right to wear it out today.
She changed into a cream-colored pearl top and a red and black plaid bib dress, with a pair of square-toed shoes she had made herself on her feet. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, with a colorful ribbon tied into a bow at the base of the ponytail. The extra thin ribbon hung down. Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, and she looked lively and beautiful.
Perhaps because it was market day today, the county town was bustling with people. In front of the glass counter of the supply and marketing cooperative, there were long queues of people buying cloth and soy sauce. The salesclerk’s abacus clattered. In the backyard, the cart for unloading coal rolled over the bluestone slabs, making a creaking sound.
The stalls at the state-run canteen in Yuanlin County were steaming, and people came and went in an endless stream, exuding a bustling and lively atmosphere.
Since returning home to farm, Tangtang had not been to the county town much. At most, she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the commune to help buy soy sauce. An occasional trip out still felt new.
She still remembered the long-lasting melancholy she had felt when she left school. In a blink of an eye, she had been graduated from Yuanlin County High School for more than a year.
In the summer, the Chengguan River, with its muddy yellow water, rolled along. The wild roses on both banks of the river bloomed profusely. The pink and white petals fell into the shallow water and swirled with the waves. Tender green grass shoots emerged from the withered grass of last year. The tips of the grass were still covered with morning dew, shining brightly in the sun. Occasionally, one or two young couples could be seen walking together. Even the river wind carried the sweet and fishy smell of plants and youth.
Yuanlin County did not have a park. This area of the Chengguan River was the “park” of the people of Yuanlin County.
Feeling the cool breeze from the river, Tangtang couldn’t help but squint her eyes. It was so comfortable.
The price of renting a boat was not expensive. One yuan could rent a boat for half a day. Su Juexiao paid to rent a boat. The four siblings got on the boat, set up the stove they had prepared in advance, filled it with a few pieces of charcoal, and then put a wire mesh on top. A simple barbecue grill was ready.
The barbecue ingredients were all prepared at home in advance. The fatty and lean pork belly bought from the pork stall at the village entrance was cut into thin slices of uniform thickness, marinated with a mixture of seasonings for two or three hours, and then grilled on the fire. In a short while, it was sizzling with oil. After it was cooked, it was dipped in a barbecue sauce made from cumin, chili, minced garlic, peanuts, etc.
The skin of the pork belly was grilled until it was crispy and golden brown. One bite was tender and fragrant. The fatty part melted in the mouth, and the lean part had the taste of cumin and chili. Eaten with the sauce, the more you chewed, the more fragrant it became. You wanted to swallow your tongue along with it.
Tangtang took a bite of the barbecue, then a sip of the iced soda she had bought from the shop. The tip of her tongue touched the sweet orange flavor, and the bubbles fizzed in her nasal passages. The coolness swirled in her throat, instantly washing away the oily fragrance and spiciness of the barbecue. It was so pleasant.
The four of them ate, drank, and strolled around, feeling very happy.
Su Juexiao looked at his younger siblings. “Tangtang, Juesheng, Wani.”
“To be honest, although the coal mine is not a very comfortable place, the atmosphere is indeed more relaxed. I have a feeling that things are about to change. Perhaps a new turning point will soon arrive.”
“Huh?” Su Juexiao’s words were out of the blue. Wani couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
Su Juesheng also scratched his head.
Tangtang felt a little muddled. She could vaguely sense the meaning in her brother’s words, but she didn’t dare to think about it in detail.