vstars Chapter 918 Is That Grandma?
Chapter 918 Is That Grandma?
Kuncheng Qingshan Sanatorium is hidden deep in a forest garden shaded by green pines, with the fragrance of grass and trees floating in the air.
It was so quiet that you could hear the sound of wind blowing through pine needles. Looking up, all you could see was refreshing green.
Deng Zhouyi parked the car steadily in front of the nursing home. Yu Qianqian looked at the neatly trimmed green plants on both sides of the door.
The lush new green makes the beige main building look even more majestic and elegant, and I couldn't help but take a second look at it.
"We're here, get off." Deng Zhouyi's voice was gentle.
Yu Qianqian nodded slightly and pushed open the car door.
Deng Zhouyi walked around to the back seat and took out a bunch of plump sunflowers, the petals were golden like sunshine.
He took some fruits and daily necessities and then went in with her.
The two went straight to the director's office. As soon as they entered, they heard a middle-aged man with gray hair saying to a couple:
"Your father's health... I'm afraid he won't have much time left. He's been calling out a name in his dreams lately. Please spend more time with him."
The man nodded with red eyes: "Thank you, Director Zhang, we will go in to see him now."
The couple stood up and left. Director Zhang looked up and saw Deng Zhouyi and the other man and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am Deng Jinhua's nephew. I came to see her today. I wonder how she is doing recently?" Deng Zhouyi walked to the desk with a concerned tone.
Director Zhang sighed and shook his head: "It's still the same.
She nags all day long, and when she is tired of scolding, she falls asleep, and when she wakes up, she either stares blankly.
Or she would just cry silently, and when asked, she would refuse to say anything and would just shake her head."
A trace of helplessness crossed Deng Zhouyi's face: "Thank you for your hard work, Director Zhang. Let's go see her."
"Okay, take care." Director Zhang stopped after seeing him to the door.
After passing through the front hall, there is a park-like area behind it.
The old people gathered in twos and threes, some sat on benches listening to opera boxes, some sat around stone tables playing chess, while spending their leisurely time.
Yu Qianqian looked at the peaceful scene and praised softly, "The environment here is really nice. Grandma must have spent a lot of money here every year, right?"
"The daily expenses are about two hundred thousand a year." Deng Zhouyi turned to look at her with a gentle smile.
"More than two hundred thousand..." Yu Qianqian murmured, a trace of shame flashed across her face, and she slowly lowered her head.
Deng Zhouyi noticed her loneliness and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Yu Qianqian looked up at him, her tone a little envious and a little bitter:
"It's a good thing Aunt Deng has such an outstanding son like you. My parents are not around, and they have to go to the factory in town to work from dawn to dusk.
They are always reluctant to spend the money I send back every month and save it all for me.
My mother always said that when I get married, that would be my confidence."
Deng Zhouyi reached out and gently stroked her hair, the smile in his eyes deepening:
"Marry me, I will be your foundation. I will be your mountain, your safe haven,
You don't have to worry about anything, I just want you to be happy and cheerful every day."
When their eyes met, Yu Qianqian's cheeks felt slightly hot, but her heart was warm. They smiled at each other, and the slight melancholy they had felt before disappeared.
As he was walking, Deng Zhouyi suddenly stopped. Yu Qianqian followed his gaze and saw a haggard figure sitting in front of a stone table not far away.
He stared blankly at a pair of butterflies circling among the flowers, their wings tips covered in powder, sparkling in the sunlight.
"Is that grandma?" Yu Qianqian's voice was very soft.
"Yeah." Deng Zhouyi responded, lightened his steps and slowly approached.
The old man was wearing a floral shirt with a dark vest on the outside. His eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Deng Min.
But those eyes were filled with vicissitudes of life, like dusty old glass, revealing a sense of desolation that made people feel sad.
The wind blew, and the strands of hair on her forehead trembled slightly, but she never moved, as if her soul had been taken away by the pair of butterflies.
Yu Qianqian sat down gently next to Deng Jinhua, her voice as soft as a feather: "Old man, what are you looking at?"
Deng Jinhua didn't move, her eyes still fixed on the flowers in the distance. Her hoarse voice seemed to float from the past:
"The yellow flowers in the fields near Dongtou Village are blooming." A faint smile suddenly appeared in the corner of her eyes, with a little girlish shyness.
"Look, when the wind blows, the golden sea of flowers creates ripples. Isn't it beautiful?"
Yu Qianqian followed her gaze and saw only a small patch of mixed flowers, no yellow flowers at all. However, she still agreed gently, "Yes, it's really beautiful."
Deng Zhouyi stood aside and followed his grandmother's gaze. A trace of melancholy flashed across his eyes as he listened to her continue.
Deng Jinhua smiled to herself, as if lost in memories. The wrinkles on her face smoothed out, and she had a rare calmness.
"Hang Tiesheng asked me to meet him in the yellow flower field. He came back from the provincial capital and brought me some candy.
There's also something called 'chocolate', which city people say they give as a token of affection."
She paused, her voice filled with sweet regret, "He said he wanted to bring me roses,
I'm also worried that the journey is too long and the flowers will wither by the time I get back to the village, which would be unlucky. The yellow flowers at the east end of our village are more practical, have a long blooming period, and are a delight to behold.
Deng Zhouyi put the fruit basket on the stone bench next to him, said nothing, and just listened quietly.
Suddenly, a turbid tear slid down from the corner of Deng Jinhua's eye and fell on her lapel.
"Unexpected events happen..." Her voice trembled, "My parents are busy working in the fields.
Suddenly, a storm came. They were running home with their hoes on their shoulders when they encountered a landslide on the way... and they were buried alive..."
Deng Zhouyi quickly put down the sunflower in his hand, reached out and gently hugged his grandmother's shoulders, trying to give her some support with the warmth of his palm.
Deng Jinhua seemed unaware and was still trapped in her past. Everything around her became a blurry shadow.
Perhaps it was the pair of affectionate butterflies just now that brought back these deeply buried old dreams.
Yu Qianqian hurriedly took out a tissue, carefully wiped her tears, and coaxed her softly: "Old man, don't cry, it's all over..."
Deng Jinhua shook her head, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string: "Hang Tiesheng helped me with my parents' funeral and took me to a big city.
He said that he would give me a grand wedding in three years. But…"
She choked with sobs, her lips trembling. "It didn't last. I got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful daughter.
But since then, Hang Tiesheng often stayed out all night and always asked me for money.
When I asked him what he needed it for, he just gave me a perfunctory answer, saying he would return it to me later. We started arguing, and I was afraid of scaring the child, so I had to endure it..."
"One day, a well-dressed woman came to my house, pointed at my nose and told me to stay away from Hang Tiesheng because she was his legal wife.
I didn't believe her, so she took out her marriage certificate and showed it to me, saying with a smile that I was just a tool to give birth to children and had no right to compete with her.
She said, "If you know what's best for you, go back to your hometown. You will be held legally responsible for destroying other people's marriages. Otherwise, I will be sent to jail."
"I was furious and yelled at her: 'Who the hell do you think you are? Hang Tiesheng never said that. I won't believe your nonsense!'"
Deng Jinhua's voice suddenly rose, carrying the anger of those years, "She shouted, 'Bring him in,' and Hang Tiesheng was pushed in.
He looked at me and hesitantly said, "Jinhua, I was married a long time ago...but she couldn't have children, so...that's why I found you..."
"I stared at him and asked 'what are you doing', holding on to the baby in my arms tightly.
But he came up with that big man, snatched my daughter away, and left with that woman..."
Her voice suddenly dropped, as if all her strength had been drained away, "The landlord came to collect the rent, but I had no money, so I was kicked out.
After wandering for a few days, I fainted from hunger outside a Shredded Chicken Rice restaurant. The owner was kind enough to take me in, and I learned how to make Shredded Chicken Rice..."
"After half a year, the woman found me again and threw the child to me.
She said the child had congenital heart disease, so she didn’t want the child and gave him back to me, his biological mother.
I held the child in my arms and worked part-time to support her.
The restaurant owner was very kind and took me and my child to the hospital for a re-examination.
The doctor said the baby's organs hadn't fully developed during pregnancy, but they would grow as time went on... I thought, just bear with it, everything will be fine once the baby grows up..."
"But who would have thought that one day a few hooligans came to the store, ate without paying, and even made advances on me.
The boss came over to dissuade them, but was kicked down by someone, and his head hit the corner of the table, and he died on the spot..."
Deng Jinhua's voice was completely hoarse, tears welled up in her eyes, "When the boss lady found out,
She took out all her anger on me, beating and scolding me... I had no choice but to hold the child and leave again..."
She slumped in Deng Zhouyi's arms, like a blade of grass wilted by a violent storm, still murmuring, "Xiao Min, my Xiao Min."
The sunlight fell on her through the gaps in the leaves. It was warm, but it couldn't dispel the coldness and sadness that filled her body.
Deng Zhouyi hugged her shoulders tightly, his eyes red. Yu Qianqian stood aside, her eyes already red, and she quietly turned her face away to wipe away her tears.
Deng Jinhua was probably tired of crying, her tears gradually stopped, her breathing became long, and she actually fell asleep leaning on Deng Zhouyi's arms.
Deng Zhouyi moved gently, bent down and picked her up gently, his movements steady and gentle.
At this moment, the nurse who served Deng Jinhua ran over quickly, with a panicked and apologetic look on his face, rubbing his hands and saying:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Deng. I...I accidentally had an upset stomach and went to the bathroom. I didn't look after the old lady. Is she okay?"
Deng Zhouyi's tone was a bit cold: "Go find a doctor."
The nurse shuddered and quickly responded, "Yes, Mr. Deng, I'll go right away!"
Yu Qianqian picked up the fruit basket, hugged the bunch of sunflowers, and quickly followed Deng Zhouyi.
Deng Zhouyi carried his grandmother back to her residence - a clean and tidy single room.
Yu Qianqian placed the flowers and fruits on the coffee table by the window, turned around and gently lifted the quilt.
Deng Zhouyi carefully put Deng Jinhua into the bed and tucked in the corners.
Not long after, the doctor and the nurse came in hurriedly.
Doctor Wang first looked at Deng Jinhua lying on the bed, then turned to ask Deng Zhouyi, "Was the old lady agitated just now?"
Deng Zhouyi nodded, with a hint of unnoticeable expectation in his tone: "Doctor Wang,
She just suddenly talked about a lot of things in the past. Do you think there is any possibility that she will regain consciousness?"
Doctor Wang stepped forward, carefully examined the old lady's pupils, and gently felt her pulse. After a moment's hesitation, he said:
"Some scenes must have triggered deep memories for the old lady, but judging from her current condition, she is not yet fully conscious.
But this is also a signal. We will closely monitor her condition and contact you as soon as there are any changes."
"Okay, thank you for your help." Deng Zhouyi replied.
After the doctor left, the nurse hurried to the bathroom to get a basin of warm water and wrung out the towel.
He carefully wiped the tears from the old lady's face and the moisture from the corners of her eyes, his movements so gentle as if he was afraid of disturbing her dream.
Deng Zhouyi took out a stack of money from his wallet and handed it to the nurse, his tone softened:
"Grandma, please take care of me. Take this money. If anything happens, call me immediately."
The nurse quickly waved his hands and declined: "Mr. Deng, you have already given me a lot, I can't accept this money anymore.
I will definitely take good care of the old lady. Today was an accident, and it will never happen again."
Deng Zhouyi didn't insist any more and just said, "Okay, you clean it up."
After saying that, he took Yu Qianqian's hand, gently closed the door and walked out.