Linxia

Chapter 80, Drama

That night, Chai Yiwei vomited twice and called "Mom" thirteen times in a daze.

The next day, the sky was turning pale and the morning light shone through the window. Fang Lin got up yawning and went out to wash.

Shopkeeper Liu handed the toilet to the dung collector and rubbed his hands in the frosty yard, breathing out white air.

"What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?" He asked when he saw Fang Lin yawning, and then they went out together.

"Last night, Yiwei and I went to Kemanlou for dinner. He was drunk and vomited and called for his mother in the middle of the night." As Chai Yiwei's privacy was involved, Fang Lin did not elaborate.

"His mother...Alas, on the ninth day of the eleventh month seven years ago, Yiwei's mother brought him to the store. In a blink of an eye, so many years have passed!" Shopkeeper Liu sighed.

It would have been fine if Chai Yiwei remembered this day, but Fang Lin didn't expect that Manager Liu also remembered it. He was slightly touched by the warmth that was revealed inadvertently.

"Yiwei is a miserable man, and so is Dizi. His family... Alas!" Shopkeeper Liu sighed again, but did not say anything specific.

Fang Lin didn't ask. It was not easy to ask about such things. One day, when Huang Di really wanted to tell it, he would tell it himself.

"Time flies so fast. Back then, I was still very capable, no worse than you young people. But now I can't do that anymore. I don't have enough energy!" Shopkeeper Liu's tone was full of nostalgia for the past. I don't know if he was missing the past times or the good health he had back then.

"Where? I think the shopkeeper is in good health. By the way, Mr. Ou from our alley asked last time how your health is going..."

The two talked and walked away.

Because it was cold, the elementary school children we met along the way were all wearing thicker clothes.

Under the red morning sun, people selling vegetables and buying vegetables, selling breakfast, people coming and going, old women and young wives, adults and children, the lively atmosphere of the bustling stock market fills the air.

At this moment, Fang Lin suddenly lost all his thoughts, walked forward, let go of yesterday, and just wanted to grasp the present.

When I came back, Chai Yiwei was already up and cleaning the house. He had returned to his usual self, simple, honest and quiet. It seemed as if last night was just a dream, an illusion.

"Brother Fang, thank you for your help. I remember I vomited last night. You helped me clean it up, right?" Chai Yiwei apologized to the other party with embarrassment.

'This is probably the bitterness and pain of being an adult. Cry and get drunk, clean up, and then continue living.'

Fang Lin thought about it, waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's not a bother. I had a big meal with you last night, so this is what I should do."

As they were talking, Huang Di also came back. His face no longer had the absent-minded look of yesterday, and he seemed to be in a much better mood, as if the things at home had been resolved. He even had the leisure to ask what the two had eaten last night.

When Fang Lin mentioned going to Ke Man Lou to eat the beggar chicken, the boy shouted: "What a loss, what a loss, I should have gone there last night!"

"Brother Huang, Brother Fang packed some food and brought it back. I'll heat it up for you to try at noon." Chai Yiwei said.

"The beggar's chicken tastes really good and is very fragrant. It makes people want to swallow it." Fang Lin teased and tempted him.

"Yiwei, Linzi, you are such good friends. You still think of me when you eat. I've never eaten beggar's chicken before..." Huang Di said, licking his lips and swallowing his saliva with obvious anticipation: "Then I'll be waiting."

At this time, the sun has risen a little higher, and the little warmth in the house is like the trivial sunlight shining on the window, mottled and moving, just like the sea surface with slightly waves in the sun after the wind and waves, the clouds have cleared and the rain has stopped.

……

Days passed one by one. As time went by, the weather became colder. When I went out for a walk in the morning, I could see elementary school children putting on thicker clothes, and sometimes I could see them picking up ice chips to play with.

……

It was Fang Lin's turn to rest that day. He returned to Xixiang Hutong in the evening, and the orange glow dyed half the sky.

Fang's mother and Tian Xuan were sitting at the door making dumplings.

Fang Lin went into the house and took some garlic, then sat next to them, peeling it and talking.

Without asking, Fang's mother told him: "Old man Xin from the Xin family survived. He went to the clinic for a checkup. The doctors at Jirentang were surprised and said that he was very strong. He just had some problems. He shivered from time to time and had tremors. Also, half of his face was frozen. He couldn't make any expression and couldn't do any heavy work. But he was lucky."

"It should be the sequelae of hitting the head, a neurological problem," Fang Lin thought to himself.

"By the way, regarding the matter of Mr. Xin, the dock said it was the father and son's fault and refused to pay a penny. That day, Master Ou took Xin You to the dock to ask for compensation."

"Yes, Brother Lin, that day... I finally came back a little bit, so I don't remember much." Tian Xuan also said.

'This seems like something Master Ou would do.' Fang Lin thought, and asked again: "What about the Qiu family?"

"The Qiu family is just like that!" Fang's mother said, "Mr. Qiu is paralyzed on one side, and Granny Qiu is taking care of him. The three daughters also come to take care of him from time to time. Now the old couple have finally figured it out and are not working so hard as before."

"Also, because of Mr. Qiu's incident, the Qiu family held a banquet a few days ago. Guess what? The Qiu family is no longer short of money, but after the banquet, the Qiu family's reputation has become not so good."

"Is that so?" Fang Lin changed his mind and understood.

In this era, families who host banquets have gift books, recording how much each person has given. When the other party hosts a banquet in the future, the full amount must be returned.

In today's social atmosphere, the higher the gift money, the higher the level of the banquet will naturally be, at least to make people feel that the level matches the gift money. The Qiu family's banquet this time may be relatively simple, at least compared to the gift money.

So, after the banquet, the Qiu family got their money back, but their reputation was ruined. In other words, they lost their face.

Fang Lin thought about this and felt that it was absurd and dramatic: 'The old couple wanted to be proud all their lives, but in the end they lost it; they saved half their lives to pay for all the favors and etiquette, but when something happened, they had no money left, but after a banquet, they got back the gift money and became rich all of a sudden... This is really, how can people say it?'

As they were talking, Fang's father came back. Tian Xuan got up to make dumplings. Fang's mother also got up, holding her waist and limping.

"Mom, what's going on?" Fang Lin asked hurriedly.

"It's nothing. I went out to pour slop this morning and slipped on the ice and hurt my ankle. At that time, your father went to the dock, and it was Xiaoxuan who carried me to see the doctor. It wasn't easy for her!"

Seeing Fang Lin still looking concerned, Fang's mother smiled and comforted him, "It's okay. It was painful when you fell, but it's fine now. It doesn't hurt that much. I've applied a plaster. The doctor said there's no bone damage. It will heal in ten days or half a month."

"That's good." Fang Lin didn't say "Mom, why are you so careless?" Things have already happened. Complaining and blaming is useless and will only make Fang's mother unhappy. Why bother?
But as he listened, he could imagine the difficulty that Tian Xuan had to go through to the clinic alone after Fang's mother fell during the day, and his heart ached.

"You didn't even call me." Father Fang also said this with a grunt.

……

(End of this chapter)