Chapter 57: Stars
Seeing that the person had been sent home and it was getting late, after a brief chat Su Ning planned to leave. With her, an outsider, watching, the mother and son clearly felt uncomfortable and couldn’t eat happily.
“Auntie Zhang, then I’ll head back first.”
Thinking of her unstoppable coughing, she still spoke up, “When you have time, you should still go to the hospital for a checkup. Even if it’s for Xiao Qiu. If it’s because of medical expenses, I can lend you some first.”
Hearing this, Zhang Qin shook her head. She was just about to say something but couldn’t stop coughing violently again.
It took a good while to finally stop. She moved away the handkerchief covering her mouth and quietly tucked it under her.
Without looking, just from the full mouth of bloody rust taste, she knew she had coughed up blood again. Sadness instantly spread in her eyes.
She wasn’t afraid of dying, but Xiao Qiu was still young. If she was gone, what would Xiao Qiu do?
“Cough… Su Ning, can I beg you…”
“No.”
As if knowing what she wanted to say next, Su Ning refused directly without thinking.
She had lost her mother before and knew what it felt like to have no mom.
Only with mom at home is there a home, only with mom is the daughter treasured and loved… No one can replace her.
Besides, coughing wasn’t a serious illness. Even if it dragged on to pneumonia, as long as treated, there was hope of recovery.
So in her view, it was far from the point of entrusting one’s child.
“Xiao Qiu, cough cough… you go to the outer room to eat cough cough~ Go eat. Mom has some words with sister… cough cough cough…”
Xiao Qiu looked at mom, then turned to look at Su Ning, nodded obediently and agreed.
She scraped out the meal from the empty tea cup that she had eaten, deliberately leaving all the big pieces of meat for mom, and lightly stepped out of the room following the flashlight’s beam.
First placing the cup down properly, Xiao Qiu then thumped back to fetch a stool, then sat under the eaves and happily ate big mouthfuls with her head down.
Zhang Qin’s gaze never left her daughter. Once she sat properly to eat with no other movements, she turned her gaze to Su Ning, lowered her voice, and while coughing, painfully and slowly spoke.
……
It turned out Zhang Qin wasn’t a local from Xiangnan but from Shanghai City. Only seven years ago she was trafficked here and sold into the deep mountains.
Her luck, she didn’t know if it was good or bad.
The household she was sold to was poor, but unlike others in the village who treated bought wives like livestock.
Though they wouldn’t beat or kick her, they wouldn’t be kind enough to let her leave either.
Only until she was pregnant did they relax their vigilance, untying the ropes and chains binding her hands and feet.
Zhang Qin, who never gave up the thought of escaping, smartly knew she alone absolutely couldn’t run out of the deep mountain woods.
Because of the pregnancy, she began to slowly change, seeming to accept her fate or forced to for the child in her belly. She learned the local dialect, learned how to do the indoor and outdoor work well.
Not only gaining the trust of her husband’s family and fully integrating into village life, but also while working, she familiarized herself with all the paths in and out of the mountains.
As her belly grew bigger, estimating it was near delivery time, Zhang Qin gritted her teeth and created a premature birth accident herself, betting two lives on that family’s not fully extinguished conscience.
In the end, she won the bet, smoothly reaching the hospital in town, and smoothly holding the child escaped successfully.
But fate always toys with people like this, escaping the tiger’s den only to enter the wolf’s lair.
What happened after, Zhang Qin didn’t elaborate, just telling Su Ning that it wasn’t illness causing the coughing but a very serious internal injury.
“I can’t take Xiao Qiu away from here. I can only beg you. Su Ning, I know I shouldn’t force you, but sorry, I’m really running out of time…”
After saying this long passage, unusually she didn’t cough. The expression on her face even made Su Ning feel a bit alarmed.
“This is my home address. I beg you. I can’t go back home alive, but I hope Xiao Qiu… Xiao Qiu can go home…”
Su Ning’s throat choked with pain, her eyes heated up. This time she didn’t refuse and took the carefully folded note.
Seven years, she finally still couldn’t go back. No more hearing family intimately call her little name, no more seeing that familiar alley, no more eating that favorite meal…
“Tell the parents and brother waiting at home, this time Nannan… can go home…”
Zhang Qin said with a slight smile, her eyes seeming to see all she wanted to see, closing them with utmost satisfaction.
Xiao Qiu sitting at the door, her stiff back slowly resumed movement, one bite after another, until finishing all the meal in the cup, then tearfully opened her mouth silently calling ‘mom’ again and again.
Mom was in great pain every day, she knew. Couldn’t eat or sleep. Gu Zi Ge said it was because mom couldn’t rest assured about her that she forced herself to hold on, even if living was more painful, not daring to leave.
She had to be well-behaved to let mom rest assured, not disturb her—
‘Mom, if it’s really like Gu Zi Ge said, that up in heaven everything exists except pain, then… then you go. Don’t worry about Qiu Qiu, don’t stay and suffer for Qiu Qiu anymore.’
‘Mom, I will be good and not cry or fuss. You also be good and rest assured to leave…’
Silently sobbing, Xiao Qiu held her little face red, but still didn’t dare cry out loud even once.
Until her little body was embraced into a big warm hug, hearing that affirmative sentence, then she wailed loudly without restraint.
Not far away, Gu Zi Ge who heard the commotion, brought a string of little radishes and quickly ran into the yard.
Seeing Xiao Qiu crying so hard she couldn’t stop hiccupping, though he had anticipated it, he still couldn’t help reddening his eyes. His mouth opened and closed several times before spitting out a trembling voice.
“Auntie Qin, she passed away?”
With arms tightly hugging Xiao Qiu, Su Ning silently nodded to the boy.
In an instant tears fell. Thinking of this person who for the past half year had given him mother-like warmth, Gu Zi straightened his back, took out prepared hemp cloth and straw from his arms without hesitation, and tied it on his head.
Leading the younger siblings into the room, kneeling by her side, sending her off as a filial son.
“Auntie Qin, your words from daytime… I remember them all. Rest assured, I can take care of Winter Melon and them, they can take care of Xiao Qiu…”
“Wah wah wah, brother I’m scared. Why isn’t Auntie Qin speaking~”
“Auntie Qin… Auntie Qin is going to turn into a star. Little Pumpkin doesn’t need to be scared.”
“Really? Like with parents and them? Then Auntie Qin remember to stay close to them oh, so when Little Pumpkin misses you all, can see at a glance, no need to search anymore~”
“Good. Auntie Qin likes you so much, she will seriously consider your opinion. Now… can we quietly watch her, okay?”
“Okay! Auntie Qin, Little Pumpkin won’t speak now. You turn into a star~”
What a group of cute brainless kids’ dialogue, clearly full of innocence, but hearing it felt so heavy, couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.
Looking up at the sky, Su Ning also wanted to know if behind the thick clouds, there were also those few ‘stars’ she loved most.
……
Knowing Zhang Qin’s wish was to return to Shanghai City, to that longed-for home.
So instead of the local burial, cremation was chosen, so Xiao Qiu could take her back later.
Only Su Ning was the adult present. Except Gu Zi, the other little ones didn’t understand the difference between burial and cremation.
Until day fully broke, the good person became a small box. They became more confused yet vaguely seemed to understand what “person gone” meant.
“Sister Ning Ning, can I see Xiao Qiu again?”
Knowing Xiao Qiu had to leave with her, Little Pumpkin was very reluctant. Excluding the brothers, she only had Xiao Qiu as a little friend.
Zhang Qin became a little box, Xiao Qiu also had to disappear.
Little Pumpkin with pursed lips, tears welling in her eyes, “Can Xiao Qiu not leave?”
“Little Pumpkin, what did brother just tell you? Xiao Qiu is going home. We have to be happy for her. When we grow up later, brother will take you to see her!”
“Really?”
“What are you saying? Starting to doubt? When has brother ever lied to you?”
“Then, okay then.”
Though still young, clearly knowing the difference of a real home, Little Pumpkin wiped her tears and showed them a sweet smile, “Sister Ning Ning, quickly take Xiao Qiu home!”
“Such a good girl~”
Stroking her head, the hair under hand wasn’t smooth and even a bit greasy, but Su Ning’s eyes truly held no dislike.
Just one evening together, these kids really made her fond of them.
“Gu Zi, did you remember my home address clearly? No matter the situation or when, if there’s something, definitely come find me.”
“Sister Ning, I noted it down. Thank you.”
The boy knew the good intention behind her words and saw her seriousness.
When a person is deeply trapped in a low muddy mire, they never forget the one willing to give warmth. One sentence can be remembered for life.
