Before finally hanging up, Hangzhou Yuzhou asked me on the phone again, what would happen to his daughter if I went back to Northeast China?
I said she could only go with me, because now she was considered a rampant soldier, or spirit ghost, that I had collected, and it was impossible for her to stay with him.
Hangzhou Universe sighed and said the most classic sentence to me.
He said: "Well, my daughter will get married anyway when she grows up, so I just think...she found a son-in-law from the Northeast and went to Heilongjiang with her."
I was speechless and thought to myself, who is your son-in-law? Not to mention that your daughter has turned into a brat. Even if she is alive, I may not like her...
What’s even more speechless is that Hangzhou Universe also asked me to give him an account and said he would give me a sum of money so that I could be nicer to his daughter in the future.
Of course I wouldn't agree, so I made an excuse and said that I was about to get on the train and told him not to think too much. If we were destined in the future, his daughter might go back to see him.
After hanging up the phone, I dragged my suitcase into the taxi and received a call from Lao Zhangtou.
I had forgotten about him. Lao Zhangtou exchanged pleasantries with me on the phone, saying that he heard from Hangzhou that I was leaving and planned to see me off.
I knew he was just being polite to me, so I told him no need. Laoyu and others also wanted to give it to me, but I rejected them all.
I was alone when I came, and I was alone when I left. It was quiet and no one disturbed me.
Lao Zhangtou had no choice but to give up and told me that if I return to Nanjing in the future, I must come to him if I need anything.
At around two o'clock in the afternoon, I finally boarded the train.
This time I bought a sleeper ticket prefixed with Z, not for comfort, but just to get there faster.
There were no words all the way, and my heart was like an arrow.
The next morning, I returned to Harbin, but I didn’t leave the train station. I transferred directly inside the station and returned to my hometown.
The last time I went home, I was timid about being close to home.
But this time, I wish I could grow a pair of wings and two scuds and teleport home immediately.
When we arrived at my aunt's house, it was almost dusk.
I opened the door and entered the house with an uneasy feeling. I saw my aunt sitting in the yard, making dumplings.
My aunt raised her head when she heard the voice, and when she looked into my eyes, her face reflected the sunset and her smile was extremely bright.
Years later, whenever I recall that scene, I can’t help but feel sad, but also very happy.
That is my aunt's most beautiful and warmest smile that will remain in my heart forever.
My aunt's family were all here, and they were very happy to know that I was coming back. My aunt was actually very weak at this time, but she still made a meal of dumplings for me herself.
During the meal, I didn't mention a word about my aunt's condition, and then I quietly asked my uncle how sick she was.
The uncle sighed and took out a medical certificate from his pocket.
He said that the hospital prescribed it a few days ago, but he did not dare to show it to his aunt and kept it secret.
The tumor had recurred again. It had been well controlled before, but suddenly it couldn't.
So recently, my aunt has been experiencing various symptoms. She is often in unbearable pain and her body is getting weaker and weaker.
Looking at the medical certificate, I felt very depressed, but surprisingly calm.
Maybe I already knew the result, but when I saw the medical certificate, I felt calmer.
I asked my uncle if she had any wishes, such as places she wanted to go or things she wanted to do, and I would try my best to satisfy her.
My uncle was also a little panicked. He asked me if it was true this time.
I nodded silently, then went to the calendar and turned page by page to the eighth day of next month.
I still remember that day was Friday.
My uncle started to tremble all over. He squatted down, covered his cheeks, and cried silently.
I looked up out the window, trying not to let my tears fall.
My uncle choked with sobs for a long time, and then he told me that my aunt's biggest wish is that my sister and I grow up well and live a good life. I hope that everything in this family will be fine.
She never had any wishes for herself.
Yes, my aunt has never thought about herself. All she thinks about is us.
So, what else can I do for her?
I thought about it all night, and it wasn't until dawn that I suddenly figured it out.
In fact, for my aunt, as long as we are by her side, it is her biggest wish.
Besides that, what else would she care about?
So, in the next few days, I did nothing but stayed with my aunt every day.
Just like when I was a kid.
I cook and work for the family, go shopping with her, and go to the market.
I also bought her a few sets of clothes. My aunt said that she didn’t need to spend too much money, but when she put them on, she was so happy that she couldn’t close her mouth.
She was still thinking about my work and told me to stay for a few days and then go back. It was not good to take leave for a long time. Since I was paid by the boss, I had to be responsible for my work.
She said that a person should have a beginning and an end.
I didn't tell my aunt that I had resigned and came back. In order not to worry her, I said that I was now the boss in Nanjing and everyone listened to me.
My aunt felt relieved and praised me for my achievements when meeting people.
Only my younger sister hid in her room and cried when she came back from school. She also knew that my coming back at this time meant that things were already very bad.
All I can do is comfort her and tell her to be strong and brave no matter what she faces in the future.
But one thing surprised me, that is, since I came back, my aunt's pain has eased a lot, and she seems to have suddenly regained her health.
But when I touched her affected area with my hand, there was still an obvious lump inside.
My aunt didn't know that her days were numbered. She was very optimistic, saying that people's lives are destined, and there is no use in thinking wildly. If God lets you die at the third watch, you won't live until the fifth watch.
I really wanted to tell my aunt that this kind of thing is actually under the control of the Lord of Hell, but I resisted. It's now this time, so don't mention the Lord of Hell to her. It's bad luck.
In this way, every day passes very fulfillingly, but also very quickly.
That fateful day finally came.
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qiqiao Festival, also called the Qixi Festival. As soon as dusk fell on that day, my aunt collapsed.
I was watching the sunset with my aunt in the yard, and she suddenly fell silently into my arms like a fallen leaf in the wind.
Her face was sallow and she was panting constantly. By the time I carried her into the house, she was already limp and unable to get up.
The uncle was anxious and wanted to send the aunt to the hospital, but the aunt shook her head and refused. She struggled to say a word.
"If you want to die, you'd better stay at home."
It turned out that my aunt knew everything, she just kept pretending to be optimistic and didn't tell us.
