Chapter 31

After a long 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. As it flows along the riverbed, more water will gather, and it will grow bigger and bigger. Slowly, it will become a big river, a big river, and finally into the sea. Just like humans, this is also the process of its growth. The sea is its end.

If the river stops flowing, what will it become?

Ponds, drains, and rivers will lose their meaning of life if they stop flowing. They will die.

It is the same for humans. They have to 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, old age, illness, and death are necessary in life. They are some notes in the song of life. "

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

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

She then continued, "Take your grandmother for example. She's already in her eighties and has experienced so many ups and downs. She started from babbling and grew up on her own. Then, she met your grandfather and formed a family. Then, she had your mother and endured hardships to raise your mother into an adult. Then, she saw your mother and your father get married and live together. She even saw her partner who had lived with her for her entire life pass away. Now, she's seen you grandchildren being born and growing up. Her life is already very complete and she doesn't have too many regrets. You should be happy for your grandmother's complete life. How many people can have a life of more than eighty years?"

Zhang Xiaohua looked up and asked, "Then what should I do?"

Liu Qian patted Xiaohua's head and said, "What you need to do now is to tidy up your mood and accompany your grandmother well. Let your grandmother see her beloved grandchildren from time to time in her last days. Don't leave any unhappiness and leave in peace."

The gloom in Zhang Xiaohua's heart had just dissipated at this time, and a trace of a smile appeared on her happy little face as she said: "Older sister Liu, you really know a lot. I also understand what you're saying. If I told mother these words, she would definitely hit me and say that I don't think in the right direction."

Liu Qian said, "Everyone has their own way of expressing their thoughts. Your mother used her own way to tell you. Don't think too much about it. I just used a different way to tell you.

If you can understand my method, you can tell me anything in the future. "

Zhang Xiaohua said mischievously, "That's for sure. In the future, I'll have to talk to Elder Sister."

Liu Qian said, "Mischievous little brat, you better hurry up and fetch water. The sun is already high up in the sky.

In a while, your mother will scold you again. "

Zhang Xiaohua stuck out her tongue and said, "Then let's go quickly. However, if I come out with Elder Sister, Niangqin definitely won't blame me for coming back late."

Although that was what she said, Zhang Xiaohua still hurriedly went to fetch water because her grandmother seemed to like to drink this mountain spring water.

In the next few days, her grandmother's situation became worse and worse. She even coughed up blood. Just as Zhang Xiaohua said, her grandmother didn't have an ordinary illness.

This time, Guo Sufei was really anxious. She didn't have time to complain about the veterinarian Old Chen, nor did she have time to take care of her injured family members. She quickly found a donkey cart and wanted to take her grandmother to town to see a doctor.

Zhang Xiaohua wanted to go no matter what, but she was still left at home by her mother. The head of the Zhang family, Zhang Cai, also wanted to go. Although his leg injury wasn't completely healed, it was a good opportunity to let the doctor take a look. The donkey cart had limited space, so she could only let her most beloved grandson stay at home.

The group of people on the donkey cart set off in the morning. Zhang Xiaohua helped Liu Qian take care of her two injured brothers and helped her with the housework. Unfortunately, his mind was still thinking about her grandmother, so he peeked outside from time to time.

Although Liu Qian wanted to tell him that their grandmother wouldn't come back until it was dark, but when she saw Zhang Xiaohua, Zhang Xiaolong, and Zhang Xiaohu's three brothers' absent-minded and anxious expressions, she held back. She just considerately did the chores at home and didn't say any comforting words.

Time passed little by little, and the sky gradually darkened. Finally, Zhang Xiaohua saw the donkey cart that was late.

Zhang Xiaohua immediately jumped down from the chair. He didn't call out to his two brothers and rushed out of the house. In a hurry, he tripped over a small stool by the door and almost fell. He didn't care about the small stool that was kicked aside and ran out of the door.

When he ran out of the small gate, the donkey cart was near. He saw the driver jump down from the donkey cart and walk a few steps forward with the reins of the donkey. Then, he stopped in front of Zhang Xiaohua's courtyard. He pulled the reins and stopped the cart in front of the Zhang family's courtyard.

There were three people in thick clothes sitting at the back of the cart. Their faces couldn't be seen clearly in the twilight.

Before the donkey cart came to a stop, Zhang Xiaohua heard one of the people coughing heavily. He walked to the front of the donkey cart with heartache and called out obediently, "Grandma ~" Unfortunately, his grandmother was coughing with difficulty and couldn't respond to her grandson's greeting.

Guo Sufei got down from the cart first and called Zhang Xiaohu, who had rushed over, to help Zhang Cai down first. Then, with Liu Qian and Zhang Xiaohua, he carefully helped his grandmother, who had just finished coughing, down.

Zhang Cai paid the driver, and the donkey cart drove off, leaving the Zhang Clan's group standing in the twilight.

Liu Qian and Zhang Xiaohua helped their grandmother. She coughed all the way to her small house. Hearing her cough, Zhang Xiaohua's heart was broken.

But halfway there, her grandmother said with difficulty, "Let's go to the central room first. I'll stay with you for a while."

The two followed her words and helped her into the central room.

Guo Sufei followed in absent-mindedly. Then, Zhang Xiaohu helped Zhang Cai, who was still limping and had a gloomy expression. The last one to enter the room was Zhang Xiaolong, whose arm was still hanging in front of his chest.

The central room wasn't big. When everyone came in and sat there silently, the air in the room seemed to have frozen.

At this time, her grandmother began to cough again. Liu Qian hurried over and poured a cup of warm water for her grandmother to drink. Only then did her cough gradually stop.

Liu Qian wanted to say something to break the silence, but she didn't know what to say.

Finally, her grandmother spoke, "The doctors in this town are really expensive. Su Fei, let's not go there next time. Every time we see an illness, it costs a qian of silver. How long will it take for our family to spend?"

Guo Sufei forced a smile and said, "Mother, listen to what you're saying. If you're sick, you have to go see a doctor. Even if our family is poor, we can't delay this illness."

Her grandmother said again, "I know my illness very well. It's not something a doctor can cure. I already said that I won't go, but you still want to waste this money."

Guo Sufei's eyes were a little red at this time and said, "Mother, you don't have to worry about us. Doesn't Zhang Cai also need to see a doctor? You're just going in the same direction."

Her grandmother sighed and didn't say anything else.

After drinking a little more water, her cough seemed to be lighter. Only then did she let Xiaohua help her back to the room to rest.

Zhang Xiaohua helped her grandmother to the kang bed and covered her with a quilt. Her grandmother seemed to be tired and quickly fell asleep.

Zhang Xiaohua then tiptoed out of the small room.

When she returned to the central room, her mother was sobbing in a low voice and constantly wiping her tears.

Her father's face was gloomy as he smoked a pipe. Her eldest brother, second brother, and Liu Qian also didn't look very good.

Zhang Xiaohua knew that her grandmother's situation wasn't good. It wasn't beyond her expectations, so she didn't have the heart to ask about the specific situation. She just silently found a small stool and sat in the shadow of the wall.

After a long time, Guo Sufei recovered a little and stopped sobbing. It seemed that she only saw Xiaohua come back at this time. She softly asked, "Xiaohua, is your grandmother asleep?"

Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said, "Yes, mother. Grandmother is probably tired. She fell asleep not long after lying on the kang bed."

Guo Sufei turned her head and asked Zhang Cai, "Child's father, what do you think we should do?

Should we go to a bigger city to find a better doctor? "

Zhang Cai took a deep breath and exhaled. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Ai, you didn't hear the doctor say that mother's illness isn't a normal cough. It's because she's old and her body can't support it anymore. There's no way to cure it.

Moreover, mother's body is like this. Can she go to a bigger city?

The closest city to us is Ping Yang City. I heard that it would take a day and a night for a horse to run non-stop. I'm afraid that mother won't be able to take it. "

Guo Sufei was a little sad again. Her voice was a little sobbing, "Then are we just going to watch mother's body collapse bit by bit like this?

Mother's cough is so bad every day? "

Zhang Cai smiled bitterly and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Didn't the doctor also say that he rarely sees people as old as mother? Moreover, mother's body is considered good for eighty years old. I think we should listen to the doctor and let mother recuperate well. She should rest well, eat well, and live a good life."

Guo Sufei also didn't have any other choice. She knew that her mother had reached the end of her life, but she still had hope in her heart. She tried to find a doctor for a long illness, trying to grasp onto something. However, in the face of this cruel reality, how valuable was a little bit of hope?

Guo Sufei stared weakly at the flickering flame on the oil lamp. She seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, she asked Zhang Cai, "That's right, child's father. What did the doctor say that mother ate? Why don't I know about it?"

Hearing this, Zhang Cai also raised his head and looked at Guo Sufei in confusion.

Everyone asked in unison, "What did she eat?"

Zhang Cai knocked on the pipe and said, "At that time in the medical hall, the doctor had just diagnosed that your grandmother was already at the end of her life. There was nothing to diagnose. Moreover, this cough was only a kind of illness on the surface. Her body was already in a mess.

However, later on, your mother begged him bitterly. After a careful diagnosis, he found that although your grandmother's body was already at its worst, there was a kind of essence energy in her body. However, this essence energy was too little to sustain your grandmother's life. The doctor said that your grandmother must have eaten something good like ginseng recently? "

Everyone was stunned. Ginseng?

How could the family have the money to buy that?