Chapter 358 - 315: Arrived Home
Chapter 358: Chapter 315: Arrived Home
The minibus finally pulled up to their family’s courtyard gate. Fifth Auntie and Eighth Aunt had already thrown the gates wide open, waiting at the entrance with several of their daughters-in-law and some children. That morning, when Secretary Mo and the others went into town, he had instructed them to prepare food and drinks for everyone’s return.
Seeing Mo Jiabao and his family, the aunties were overcome with emotion. Fifth Auntie grasped Grandma’s hand, a mix of laughter and sighs in her voice. "Thank heavens. I can’t believe I’ve lived to see this day. All the hardship and suffering we endured in the past—it was all worth it!"
Grandma beamed and nodded. "It’s all thanks to you. With our relatives helping us in so many ways over the years, we were able to pull through, despite being just the old and the young."
"We’re all one family. It’s only right that we look after our own!"
Mo Jiabao was settled into a bamboo lounge chair under the eaves. They had wanted to carry him inside to rest, but he refused. He smiled and said, "I’m home. With so many relatives and friends here, and such a beautiful home... I haven’t had my fill of looking at it all yet!"
Yu Wumei was grinning from ear to ear. She had already braced herself to follow her husband and children to wherever his parents lived, no matter how remote a mountain hovel it might be. But now, she discovered the village was far nicer than she had ever imagined. While her in-laws’ home wasn’t as spacious as the Hu Family Courtyard, it was so neat, clean, and tastefully arranged that it resembled the courtyard of a public institution. The sight alone filled her with comfort and joy.
The Hu Family Courtyard was certainly spacious and had plenty of rooms, but the yard itself was dusty and drab. It was nothing like this courtyard, which seemed to have a hidden spring blooming within, bursting with the vibrant life of red flowers and green leaves. Hu Laosan had only let their family occupy two rooms, and the house itself, built before the Liberation, was dilapidated. Whenever a strong wind blew, the doors, windows, and roof would rattle noisily. It was only thanks to Jiabao’s frequent trips to the roof for repairs that it didn’t leak horribly every time it rained.
Dapeng and Qiuyan were young, so their attention was naturally drawn elsewhere. The very first thing they noticed was the massive pear tree.
’So many fruits! And they’re huge!’ They had tasted these pears before—a gift from Sister Xiao Man. The memory of that crisp, sweet, juicy flavor made their mouths water. Just last night, they had dreamed of holding one of those fragrant pears and eating their fill. They never imagined their dream would actually come true!
After getting permission from Grandpa, Dapeng immediately pulled Qiuyan over to the large pear tree and prepared to climb it. Xinghua rushed to stop them. For one, she was afraid they would fall. For another, she worried that their grandparents would be displeased if they started climbing and picking fruit the moment they arrived.
Even though their own grandpa and grandma were kind and affectionate, the children still needed to be on their best behavior. They couldn’t take the elders’ affection for granted and act recklessly.
Dapeng and Qiuyan were obedient children, but they couldn’t hide their disappointment. Just as their faces fell, Xiao Man came over. Smiling, she pointed to a bamboo pole leaning against the side. A small picker basket was tied to its tip. Xiao Man motioned for Dapeng to take the pole and, guiding his hands, taught him how to use the device. With one swift motion—covering the fruit and twisting—three large pears dropped into the basket. All he had to do was lower the pole to retrieve the fruit. No climbing needed.
Dapeng and Qiuyan cheered, snatched the pears, and ran off in delight.
Xiao Man took Xinghua to see the room arrangements. With so many people now, Mo Chengfu would have to move into the clinic to sleep. This freed up two rooms: one for Mo Jiabao and Yu Wumei, and the other for Dapeng. Xinghua and Xiao Man would share the west room of the main house, and the small space partitioned off from it—Hao Hao’s old room—could be given to Qiuyan.
But Xinghua refused to share a room with Xiao Man. With her eyes downcast, she said, "Xiao Man, you... you know what happened. I... I’ve been touched by a man. I’m dirty now. I can’t stay in your room."
A sharp pain pierced Xiao Man’s heart. She squeezed her hand tightly. "Sister Xinghua, don’t you dare talk about yourself that way! If you think like that, does that mean every married woman is also ’unclean’?"
Xinghua shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "Xiao Man, getting married is a choice. My situation... it’s different! If it weren’t for Grandpa and Grandma’s love and my parents’ forgiveness, I would have been a disgrace to our family, to all of you. I don’t deserve to be alive!"
"That’s not true..." Xinghua’s self-loathing filled Xiao Man with sorrow. She was at a loss for words for a moment before continuing, "Sister Xinghua, bad people will always get what they deserve. Being tricked and bullied is not your fault! But if you keep wallowing in despair, refusing to pick yourself up and be strong, you’ll be giving those wicked people exactly what they want! The ones who hurt you want you to be miserable. The best revenge is to live a brilliant life right in front of them! Don’t you hate them? Don’t you want to get back at them?"
Xinghua bit her lip. "Of course I hate them. If I could, I’d beat them senseless!"
"You could even kill them, just as long as no one saw," Xiao Man said.
Xinghua looked up in shock. "Xiao Man, don’t—don’t talk nonsense! That’s a crime! You’d go to jail for that!"
"They harmed you and caused you so much pain. If you hadn’t been rescued, your entire life would have been ruined. Isn’t that a crime?"
Xinghua froze for a second before finally nodding. "You’re right. If nobody knew, I’d break their arms and legs. I’d leave them crippled, but I’d spare their lives."
Xiao Man: "..."
’Okay, Sister Xinghua,’ Xiao Man thought. ’You’re teachable. I guess this works too.’
"Sister Xinghua, you need to ease your heart and look ahead. You’re only sixteen years old. You can go to school, you can travel. The world is a vast and wonderful place with so many things waiting for you. You can’t change what happened, so you have to treat it like a nightmare. Even if you can’t forget it, you must never let it affect your life or stand in the way of your right to pursue happiness!"
Xinghua gazed at Xiao Man, her eyes filled with admiration and yearning. "Xiao Man, I know that being educated is a wonderful thing. Someone else... told me something similar once... But me, after what I’ve become... what will people think of me?"
"When you fall, are you the one who hurts, or are they? If you have nothing to eat, will they feed you? Since they can’t feel your pain and won’t put food on your table, why should you care what they think? Everyone lives their own life. All you need to do is make sure you’re living yours to the fullest. You know education is a good thing, so if you want to study, then do it. Knowledge will broaden your horizons and change your perspective... Trust me, you won’t regret it."
Xinghua walked over to the bookcase against the wall and ran her hand over the rows of books, a look of longing on her face. But when her gaze shifted to the elegant floral curtains, her eyes dimmed as a new thought struck her. "Our family... Grandpa and Grandma are getting old, and Mom and Dad... We still have to find my third brother. All of that takes money!"
"Don’t worry about the money to find him."
Xiao Man pulled back the curtain and pointed. "Grandpa is an expert in herbs. He’s saved up a good amount of money over his lifetime from gathering them in the mountains. Now, he’s leased an entire mountainside, and it’s all planted with herbs. As long as Uncle Bao and your mom help Grandpa look after that mountain, the income will be more than enough to support the family and send all you kids to school. We’ll even be able to save a lot."
Xinghua stared, stunned. "R-Really?"
"Of course. You might not know this, but my life used to be terrible, too. It was only after I came to live with Grandpa and Grandma that I got the chance to go to school and slowly learn about herbs... and now I’m going to medical school!"
"What do you do at medical school?"
"You study medicine so you can become a doctor."
Xinghua looked at Xiao Man with fervent eyes. "Xiao Man, you’re so smart. Do you think... I could be like you?"
"Why not? Of course you can, Sister Xinghua!"
"Okay! Then I will! Starting tomorrow, I’ll help Grandpa with the herbs and learn as I go. Once I’ve earned enough money, I’ll go to school, too!"
"You can do it, Sister Xinghua!"