Linxia

Chapter 78, Favor

After what happened to the Xin family, the family was in no mood to go out to watch a play in the afternoon.

Father Fang stayed at home, doing the work he had accumulated over the past few days. He chopped the firewood he had bought, knocked and repaired the shaky tables and chairs, and leveled the soil at the door...

Fang's mother and Tian Xuan were making clothes. After a while, Geng's daughter-in-law Su Xiaoqing and Sister Guihua also came over. Originally, they knew that the Fang family was going out today, so they didn't come in the morning. But at noon, wasn't it the Xin family's business? Su Xiaoqing at the entrance of the alley also came. She guessed that after what happened, the Fang family was unlikely to go out in the afternoon, so she called Sister Guihua over.

Fang Lin wanted to go and help Fang's father, but his father wouldn't let him, saying, "It's so hard to get a day off, take a good rest." He wanted to copy books, but there was no pen, ink, paper or inkstone at home, so he was forced to be idle. At this time, Master Ou was giving a class, and there was no one to chat with, so he could only bask in the sun side by side with Chen Ye, who came with him, and tell the little girl some stories.

In the afternoon, people went to visit Mr. Xin from time to time. Fang Lin also went to see him twice. He saw Mr. Xin gritting his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and shivering in pain.

During this process, Xin You sat beside the bed, holding Xin Laoguan's hand, pouring water and talking, never leaving his side.

At the Fang family, everyone could hear Elder Xin's painful groan. Mother Fang couldn't bear it and said, "What a great suffering he has endured! But it's true that Elder Xin, as a parent, just wanted to see Youzi get married!"

She could actually empathize with him. When she fell ill on the way to the city, she was in so much pain that she thought she might as well die. But when she thought of her son, she held back. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel grateful to the monk Lianzhou, whom she had met once.

"Yes!" Su Xiaoqing sighed: "Sometimes this person doesn't even dare to die, and would rather live a life that is more painful than death."

"I think Mr. Xin can survive this. If a person is determined, even the God of Hell cannot take his life away."

Sister Osmanthus seemed to sigh, and then said: "In life, there are always obstacles, but they will eventually pass."

As she spoke, she glanced at her daughter with complicated eyes. How could it have been easy for the mother and daughter to be in Old Chen's house? Fortunately, the blood debt had been repaid with blood, and everything was over.

Time passed and gradually it was evening. Su Xiaoqing and Sister Guihua left, and Fang's mother got up and prepared to cook dinner.

Before entering the house, she looked at the locked Qiu's house next to her and muttered, "At this time in the past, the old couple should have come back. Why haven't they come back today? They are at that age, I hope nothing happens to them."

"Stop talking nonsense, man." Fang's father scolded.

"Pooh, pooh, pooh!" Fang's mother also realized it, and quickly slapped her lips twice and went in.

"Lindi, I'm going to help mom cook!" Tian Xuan also followed her in.

Fang Lin smiled and nodded, then took the garlic and started peeling it at the door. After a while, he saw Granny Qiu coming back covered in dust, pushing a vegetable cart with Old Man Qiu lying on it, groaning.

"Granny Qiu, what's going on?" he asked.

Grandma Qiu said in a sorrowful voice: "We were coming back from selling vegetables when the cart overturned and we fell into the gutter, pressing on the old man's waist. He immediately lost consciousness in the lower half of his body... We went to see a doctor, and the doctor said that his lower body might be paralyzed. We should take some medicine and wait and see..."

It was dinner time and there were quite a few people outside. When they heard this, most of them expressed sympathy and sighed repeatedly.

"Today is a really bad day. At noon it was Mr. Xin's, and now it's the Qiu family... they are all on the same day."

"Alas, who can say for sure about such things? It's all controlled by God. You were living a good life, and suddenly something like this happened to you..."

"The Qiu family's old couple are still better off than the Xin family's father and son. Mr. Qiu's injury is not life-threatening. They still have three children. They are hardworking and capable on weekdays. I guess they have saved a lot of money..."

……

When she heard the words "saved a lot of money", Granny Qiu stammered, but ultimately said nothing. With the help of neighbors such as Fang Lin, she pushed Grandpa Qiu back home.

...Not long after the old couple of the Qiu family went back, their three children came over to take care of their parents.

Here, the Fang family was having dinner and heard the noises from the Qiu family next door.

"Big boy, second girl, third girl, please take out some money to buy medicine for your father's medical treatment."

"Mom, are we out of money? I gave you some money the last time I came back." Boss Qiu asked.

"Yes, mother, didn't I do that last time... Don't worry, I'm just asking. I will definitely pay what I should pay, I just want to know what happened at home." Qiu Erniang also said.

"Brother and sister are right. Mother, you and father work hard selling vegetables and live very frugally. You should have saved a lot of money, right? But you were robbed, or did something happen to you? Tell us and we can think about it together."

"This..." Granny Qiu chuckled.

After their children asked them about it, they found out that all the money the parents earned, saved, and given by their children was spent on gifts.

It's a pity that these two old people are in their twilight years. They have worked hard all their lives, but all the money they earned was spent on socializing and courtesy. When they really needed money, they were not left with even a penny!
This matter was of great importance. The children of the Qiu family were a little excited and their voices were a little louder, so the Fang family next door also heard it.

Father Fang sighed: "As the saying goes, human relationships can kill people. Today I know it's true."

"Mrs. Qiu may have burned her face, which is why she is like this. She wants to save face." Fang's mother saw it clearly and said something fair.

"Why bother?" Fang Lin sighed in his heart.

"Today, first it was the Xin family, then the Qiu family... Oh, what's going on!" Fang's mother said, thinking about her own family, and warned Fang's father and Fang Lin: "Master, Linzi, you must be careful when you are outside, don't let anything happen."

"I know." Father Fang said in a muffled voice.

"Mom, I remember it too." Fang Lin also nodded, and suddenly a sense of awe arose in his heart. The little joy he had felt yesterday because he had made initial progress in literacy and had a part-time job as a copywriter had disappeared without a trace.

'In the past, Cheng Shiliang got addicted to gambling and almost lost his family because of one wrong move; more recently, the Xin family and the Qiu family suddenly encountered an accident, which was a serious blow to a family.'

He looked at the jumping flame of the oil lamp on the table and thought to himself: "The safety of ordinary people is just like this lamp. When the wind blows, it will sway and become precarious. Therefore, how can we be complacent? We still need to be cautious and modest, strive for self-improvement, and grow up as soon as possible!"

……

The next morning, Fang Lin went to Xuan Mo Zhai, so he didn't know what happened to the Xin and Qiu families for the time being.

When I arrived at the store, Manager Liu, Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, and Liu Hongwen were all there, strolling and working, and life was as peaceful as usual.

This made Fang Lin feel as if he was in a dream, and it felt like a long time had passed. In fact, it was only yesterday. It was only a series of events that gave him this illusion.

Soon, he stopped thinking about it. Today was Huang Di's day off and the store was busy. After work, he practiced calligraphy and copied books. His fulfilling life made him gradually forget about what happened in the alley.

After Fang Lin and the other two finished their break, Liu Hongwen left the store again.

There is no need to elaborate on the matters at the bookstore. A few days passed quickly. In the evening of that day, Chai Yiwei suddenly suggested treating us to a meal tonight.

……

(End of this chapter)