Linxia

Chapter 77, Prophecy
At noon, Fang's mother was not willing to eat out, saying that the little money she had was enough to buy something and make a good meal.

On the way, she bought some eggs, and today's lunch was fried rice with eggs.

At this time, the midday sun illuminated the main room brightly. Someone was frying rice in the kitchen. A little smoke drifted in, casting shadows like quicksand on the wall.

The fire in the kitchen was burning, blue smoke was rising from the chimney, two women were busy in the kitchen, the smell of smoke was rising, and the ordinary house seemed to be given warmth.

Seeing this scene, Fang Lin suddenly had an idea in his mind: "The kitchen is the most important place in a home. When the smoke rises, the home becomes warm. In my previous life, when I was away from home, I basically ate in restaurants or ordered takeout. I hardly used the kitchen. It seemed that the food was good, but in fact, only I knew that life was like a pool of clear water, bland and tasteless."

After dinner, Fang Lin went out and went under the osmanthus tree, preparing to chat with Master Ou.

At this time, they saw Xin Laogong being placed on the door panel and carried over. His face was frighteningly pale and his forehead was bandaged with cloth, through which a hint of bright red could be seen. Next to him followed Xin You, who was following closely with fear on his face and tears in his eyes. Behind him were the people from the alley who followed him over.

At this moment, Mr. Ou and Fang Lin naturally lost the mood to chat, so they stood up and followed. Hearing the noise outside, Fang's father, mother, and Tian Xuan also came over.

In front, Old Man Xin was carried in. The Xin family had limited space, so it was difficult for some people to get in, so they were talking in low voices at the door.

"You asked what happened to Mr. Xin? I heard it happened at the dock. Xin You was careless and something hanging down hit him. Mr. Xin pushed his son away and got hit on the head."

"It's like this. Old Man Xin lost a lot of blood and went to see a doctor. The doctor said that he could only bandage the wound and then depend on his luck for the rest. If he could survive these two days, he would live. If he couldn't..." Needless to say, the rest.

"If something happens to Mr. Xin, he will be left with only his son, who is a fool... and not very smart. How can he live? It's pitiful."

……

Fang Lin listened to the conversation, thought about it, and roughly understood what happened. He thought that it was because Xin You strangled his own bird last night, and he might be affected today. Something went wrong, causing a hanging object to fall on him at the dock. Although Xin Laoguan saved him, his own life was in danger.

……

"Cough cough!"

After two coughs in the room, the voice of Xin Laoguan was heard: "Everyone, come in, I have something to say."

"This is probably a last will!" This thought occurred to everyone present.

Mr. Ou, who was so highly respected, was invited in first; then came the heads of families living nearby, such as Mr. Man and Mr. Fang - except for the old couple from the Qiu family who were away due to some matters, all the heads of the families who came were invited in.

Then, men like Fang Lin also got seats at the door, while the women were outside the door.

At this time, there seemed to be a set of established rules. No one was fighting or making noise, and everything was in order.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Elder Xin paused and finally spoke: "Youzi, this child, doesn't have my blood in his body."

This opening was earth-shattering.

Xin You, the person involved, was so shocked that his voice trembled as he cried.

Old neighbors like Mr. Ou and Mr. Man didn't look too surprised, as if they had guessed it long ago; Mr. Fang and the neighbors who lived farther away looked surprised; Fang Lin and others at the door and the women outside the door were even more surprised.

"His mother is stupid. Before she got married, she didn't know who got her pregnant. I only found out when the birth month was wrong. At that time, Xin Youzi was already born... I was so angry at that time that I wanted to kill that person, but isn't his mother stupid? She kept saying ah ah ah, but couldn't tell me who it was..."

Xin You listened and was stunned.

The men present listened and put themselves in his shoes, and their expressions looked unhappy.

Fang Lin also remembered that Fang's mother once said that Mr. Xin was not good-looking and married a stupid wife when he was in his thirties. Now he realized that not only was the other party stupid, but she also had a son.

"I couldn't find him at that time, so I took my anger out on his mother. I hit her and she ran away. One time, I came back from work and got angry. His mother thought I was going to hit her, so she ran out and fell into the river... Later, I regretted it. I really didn't want her to die! Many years later, Mr. Xin still shed tears when he talked about it."

No one said anything about this inside story. First, it had been so long. Second, although his wife's death was caused by Xin Laoguan, she also fell into the river by herself. "At that time, I thought, what sin have I committed? I finally married a wife, but the child she gave birth to was not my own. Now my wife is dead. What's the point of living? I might as well die. I found a rope and was ready to hang myself... But Youzi pulled me. He was small and stupid, and he just pulled me like that...

I softened my heart all of a sudden. I thought I couldn't die yet. I had to live and work so that Yuko would have food to eat and not be bullied... I have worked so hard over the years... Now I can finally take a break."

For Xin Laoguan, death is not something to be afraid of, but a way to unload burdens and rest.

"Dad, you are my dad, Dad!" Xin You burst into tears. Although his IQ was not high, it was comparable to that of a ten-year-old child. He was not a fool, and tears streamed down his face as he listened to this.

"Don't cry, my son!" Old Man Xin had a complicated look in his eyes. He raised his hand to touch Xin You's face, but he had no strength left. Xin You quickly grabbed it and put it on his own face.

"Dad is leaving first. You'll be alone from now on, so you must live well!" After he said that, he looked at everyone pleadingly, obviously wanting the neighbors to help take care of Xin Youxie.

Faced with this scene, everyone nodded silently.

Fang Lin felt a little sad when watching this scene. It was pitiful for the love of parents in the world. Old Man Xin said all this because he would rather give up his own reputation in exchange for the sympathy of all the neighbors for Xin You, so that they would take better care of him.

"Ugh!"

At this time, Master Ou sighed and stepped forward and said, "Mr. Xin, no matter how much our neighbors take care of him, it is not as good as your father. The world is difficult. If you leave, Youzi will have no shelter from the wind and rain, and he will have to live like a weed or a wild dog. He hasn't married yet, who will help him get married?"

Originally Xin Laoguan considered himself a burden and had made up his mind to die, but he paused when he heard these words.

Master Ou said again, "Mr. Xin, don't think of bad luck. The doctor said that if you can survive these two days, you will survive. Didn't Master Mai Yi also say that Youzi will be able to get married in the next one or two years? So you will definitely be able to survive this and watch Youzi get married in the future."

He was a scholar who respected ghosts and gods but kept his distance from them. However, at this moment, he gave up his bottom line and uttered the prophecy.

The effect of this move was remarkable. Xin Laoguan, who had lost the will to live, now had light in his eyes again.

"That's right. Master Ma Yi's words are not wrong. Dad, you won't die. I'll go buy you some meat now, and you'll be fine after eating the meat." Xin You said, and ran out quickly as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Fang Lin, you follow and look after him." Master Ou said.

"Hey!" Fang Lin agreed to follow.

The Xin family's father and son are good people. He is willing to help them, which can also help to build a good reputation for the Fang family.

When Fang Lin watched Xin You buy the meat, Old Man Xin drank some of the honey water brought by Madam Ou. Perhaps it was because of his strong desire to survive, his face actually had a hint of redness. He looked at the meat Xin You bought and said, "The meat is fat and the skin is thin. You bought a good piece of meat. You know how to buy."

"Dad, take a rest. I'll cook a pot of meat to honor you."

After Xin You finished speaking, he went out to stew the meat. Fang Lin wanted to help, but he refused, as if his father's life depended on whether he was pious or not.

So Fang Lin watched him wash the meat, cut it into square pieces that were neither too big nor too small, and put it into a clay pot. He first boiled it over high heat and then simmered it over low heat.

——The process was quite hectic and he even burned himself, but he seemed unaware of it and his eyes were fixed on the jar of meat.

"Dad said that the soup must not be boiled dry. If you add water after the soup has boiled dry, the soup will lose its original flavor." Xin You said to himself.

He was extremely careful and would open the lid from time to time to take a look. The aroma of meat would come out. This was really the best thing that could happen. He almost forgot that this was the first time he had done such a thing in his life.

Fang Lin was watching from the side, feeling mixed emotions.

After Xin You brought the broth to the bedside and fed it to Old Man Xin, the latter's groans of pain seemed to be stronger.

……

(End of this chapter)