"Water..."
"I want to drink water..."
...
A hoarse voice echoed from a room on the second floor.
After putting down the water cup, Zhou Xiaolan quickly refilled another cup of warm water and went into a small room.
Tang Xiaomin followed.
The room was simply furnished. Besides the bed, there was only a wardrobe that could be called an antique, its paint peeling off.
A frail old man with a face full of wrinkles and a gaunt figure lay weakly on the bed, crying out for water.
Zhou Xiaolan skillfully used a straw for him. After drinking a cup of water, the old man panted weakly.
Tang Xiaomin saw that the old man's complexion was dark, and a deathly aura surrounded him.
If her guess was correct, his time was running out.
As soon as he finished drinking water, the old man spoke again.
"Go... go call Changchun... to change my pants..."
The old man was unable to care for himself and had been this way for several months. During this time, Li Changchun had been the one taking care of him.
Zhou Xiaolan looked helpless. Although she felt sorry for her husband, there was nothing she could do. After all, there was a difference between men and women, and it was inconvenient for her to attend to him.
She was about to go downstairs to call Li Changchun when Tang Xiaomin stopped her at the doorway.
"Mom, Dad is still cooking and isn't free. Why don't we call Uncle instead?"
"That kind of person... sigh, let's forget it." Zhou Xiaolan said, her words trailing off.
Although she didn't say it explicitly, Tang Xiaomin could easily guess.
Her parents were honest people. They would rather suffer a loss themselves than get into conflict with others.
Li Dali and his family were formidable. They took advantage of them, even dumping the responsibility of caring for the old man onto them.
They had only been in the countryside for a few months, and they looked much older. Tang Xiaomin felt a pang in her heart.
"Mom, leave this to me. I'll go call him."
Zhou Xiaolan said worriedly, "Xiaomin, this is someone else's home. Be careful not to start any conflict."
"I understand. I absolutely won't conflict with them. You can rest assured."
A cold smile curled Tang Xiaomin's lips.
She ran downstairs with a hurried pace and entered the kitchen, deliberately raising her voice.
"Dad, the old man is awake. He said he has some important last words for you, something about a savings passbook. You should go quickly."
Li Changchun was stir-frying and couldn't hear clearly.
"Xiaomin, what did you just say?"
"I said the old man wants to tell you about the savings passbook."
"Savings passbook? Where? How come I don't know about it?"
"The old man said he saved it secretly. You've been away from home for so many years, this is a small compensation from him. He usually doesn't let anyone know about it. Hurry up, he also said not to let Uncle and the others know." Sudanshu.com
...
In the living room, Li Dali and Zhao E eavesdropped intently and were immediately angered to the point of turning red in the face.
"That old bastard is so cunning, he hid it so well. He's making me furious! I'm going to demand the savings passbook from him!"
Zhao E grabbed him and offered advice.
"Husband, these past few months, your sister-in-law and her family have been taking care of the old man. He probably feels grateful for their kindness and wants to give the money to him. He's not long for this world. Don't push him too hard. If he can't hold on and you don't get the passbook, it'll be troublesome."
Li Dali nodded.
"Yes, that makes sense. Anyway, he doesn't have many days left. It wouldn't be good to argue and have the neighbors hear about it. I know what to do."
...
At this moment, Tang Xiaomin and Li Changchun were about to go upstairs. Li Dali quickly rushed over to stop them.
"Changchun, you go ahead and cook. I'll take care of the old man."
"You?"
Li Changchun couldn't believe it. The person who usually found the old man a burden and wished he would die sooner was now proactively offering to take care of him.
Could it be that he had heard about the savings passbook?
This...
Indeed, no one acts without a motive. He might not fight for things, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
"I've been taking care of him all along. I should go," Li Changchun said.
Li Dali immediately became agitated and said in a forceful tone,
"I already said I'll go. What are you fighting me for? Go back and finish cooking. Everyone is waiting to eat."
Saying that, he rushed upstairs first, afraid that Li Changchun would get ahead of him.
"Sigh..."
Li Changchun sighed helplessly. He knew Li Dali's character all too well.
If it weren't for the savings passbook, he wouldn't even want to go into the old man's room, finding him a bad omen.
For this very reason, he had the old man placed upstairs, while their family lived downstairs.
He gained a reputation for filial piety outside while being lazy inside.
He put on a different face in public than behind closed doors, utterly hypocritical.
He didn't say anything and returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.
Tang Xiaomin, afraid he would be upset, quietly told him as she went in to help.
"Dad, I made up the story about the savings passbook. It's likely they won't allow you and Mom to go near the old man from now on."
Hearing this, Li Changchun smiled.
This method, though devious, was effective.
"I'm not after the old man's belongings. He treated me so poorly before; my heart has long been cold."
"The reason I'm staying to take care of him now is to repay his kindness of raising me. It can be considered fulfilling my filial duty."
Although one's palm and back are both flesh, the flesh of the palm is thicker than the back. One can never achieve absolute fairness.
Back then, because he and his wife had no children, the old man treated them harshly, and Li Changchun, in anger, left home and went to Modu.
Now, the money in his account was worth many times more than that small plot of land. He no longer coveted anything here.
"Dad, I heard Mom say before that you have two small rooms in Hetang Village. Where are they?"
Li Changchun pointed to two dilapidated small rooms outside the flat.
"Those two. But now they're used by Uncle and the others for storing sundries. Mom and I spent a day tidying them up to make one habitable for now."
"What!"
Tang Xiaomin was shocked once again.
Those houses were so run-down that they could barely shelter them from wind and rain.
"They're storing their clutter in your rooms, and they won't let you stay in the main house while you're temporarily back to take care of the old man!"
"Shh... Xiaomin, keep your voice down. Don't let them hear. Your aunt has a sharp tongue."
...
Even the most broad-minded person would be furious if they knew their parents were being treated like this.
The shamelessness of Li Dali's family sent Tang Xiaomin's blood pressure soaring.
"These scoundrels are going too far!"
"Xiaomin, forget it, forget it."
Li Changchun quickly pacified her.
He knew Tang Xiaomin was young and spirited and couldn't stand seeing his wife and him suffer any injustice.
"Once the old man's affairs are settled, we'll go back to Modu. It's not worth getting worked up over these people. Don't lower our standards."
Tang Xiaomin: ...
Her parents' cautious demeanor had indeed helped them avoid many troubles.
However, their step-by-step concessions had not earned them respect from Li Dali's family; instead, it had led to even more intensified bullying.
...
"Alright. After the old man's matters are settled, you must come back to Modu with me. This time, no matter what, I absolutely will not agree to you staying here any longer."
Even so, the hatred in Tang Xiaomin's heart for Li Dali's family burned even brighter.