Chapter Ten: Xiao Ke's Family

  Grandma Wang opened the door and saw Xīngyè and Xiǎo Kuì returning together at night, she was very delighted.

  "How come you haven't come to see Grandma for such a long time? Doesn't Grandma miss you?" Grandma Wang said with a complaining tone but a face full of smiles, "Come in quickly, I'll go cook two dishes that you love."

  Xīng yè máng shuō "bú yòng, wǒ mǎi le xiē shú shí qiē jiù néng chī le" kàn zhuō shàng fàng zhe yī wǎn sù chǎo de bái cài, zhī dào shì Wáng nǎi nǎi zǔ sūn liǎng de wǔ fàn, bāng bǎ bāo lǐ mǎi de shú ròu yǔ shuǐ guǒ ná chū lái.

  "You child, how many times have I told you, it's not like we're strangers, your mom also uses money, don't always spend money buying..."

  Grandma Wang's eyes were a bit blurry, and she only noticed the black silk mourning badge on Xing Ye's arm when he spoke.

  "Yèzi you... it's your mother she..." Grandma Wang pointed at Xīng Yè's filial piety, her voice trembling severely, tears streaming down before she could finish speaking.

  She nodded and wept through the night, telling her father's unexpected death and her mother's passing. Seeing the old lady crying sadly, she wiped away tears and persuaded Wang Nainai to take care of herself.

  "You're so big now and didn't even let us know, it would be good for your mother and me to see each other again." She said, tears falling again.

  The whole night was busy with soft words of comfort, saying that things happened suddenly and didn't want the old man to worry along.

  "What will you do in the future?" Grandma Wang asked Xing Ye with concern.

  "Grandma, I'm not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself." Xīn Yè saw that Wáng Nǎi Nai still wanted to say something and coquettishly said: "Grandma, Xīn Yè is hungry, look, Xiǎo Kuài is also hungry, can we eat first?"

  "Yes, I was confused. You took the early bus and must be starving. Wait a minute..." The elderly person, feeling sorry for the younger generation, turned around and started bustling in the kitchen. In no time, they were calling out to eat dinner.

  On the table, apart from the cured meat bought by Xing Ye, there was also a plate of bright yellow scrambled eggs and four sliced salted duck eggs. Xing Ye knew that this grandfather-grandson duo lived frugally and rarely sold meat and eggs to eat, so this was the best meal they could offer. He felt touched in his heart and quickly picked up two pieces of cured meat with his chopsticks and put them into Xiao Ke's bowl.

  As expected, Xiao Ke's face puffed up from eating, with a greasy mouth. Xing Ye helped him wipe his mouth and picked some more meat for him, "Eat slowly, there's still more, be careful not to choke."

  Xiao Ke enjoys the care of Xing Ye at night, swallowing the food in his mouth and saying: "Sister, don't be sad anymore. You don't have a mom, Xiao Ke doesn't have a mom either. I'll take care of you just like grandma takes care of Xiao Ke. When I grow up and earn lots and lots of money, I'll buy meat for you and grandma to eat every day."

  Xiao Kei also cleverly put a piece of fatty meat in Xing Ye's bowl, which was the most delicious thing in his heart.

  A night of starry sky, a wave of heartache; "Our Xiaoke is the most capable, well, sister is waiting to eat the meat you bought."

  "You're all good kids, why did you have such bad luck?" Grandma Wang said with a heartache as she looked at her little grandson.

  "Xiao Ke's mother..." Xing Ye lowered her voice, seeing Xiao Ke was seriously eating and hadn't noticed what they were talking about, "Has there been no news at all?"

  "Alas," Grandma Wang sighed, looking at Xiaokui and saying in a low voice: "Since that year when she left, there were only two more letters, and then there was no news from her again. It's not her fault, she's also a pitiful person. It's all because of Xiaokui's father being useless."

  One night, I suddenly didn't know what to say. My impression of Xiaohui's mother was very vague in my memory. It wasn't until later, through the occasional words of adults, that I gained some understanding. She was very young and hadn't married Wang Nainai's son, Guoqingshushu. They lived together and had Xiaohui, but they always quarreled and even hit each other. During one of their big fights when Xiaohui was less than two years old, she left home after the fight and never came back.

  Xiao Ke had almost no memory of his mother. There was a time when he even called Yu You Yue "mom" because his grandmother told him that his mom had gone on a long trip and would return one day, bringing toys and delicious food for Xiao Ke. So he thought that Yu You Yue, who brought gifts, was his mother. Later, sensitive Xiao Ke understood that Yu You Yue was not his mother and never asked his grandmother about his mom again.

  At night, in his heart, he secretly sighed that he had never seen Xiaoke grow up and didn't know if Xiaoke, who grew up in a single-parent family, would have any psychological deviations.

  The two girls chatted slowly, although the dishes on the table were also delicious, but both of them had some tasteless food, only Xiaoke was young and carefree, eating happily.

  After dinner, Xiao Kei held the big apple bought by Xing Ye and leaned against Xing Ye to gnaw on it. Xing Ye was very curious how Xiao Kei's small belly could hold so many things, wouldn't he burst his little belly?

  "You should go find your maternal grandparents, that's good too. Your mom didn't say it, but my wife also noticed back then. Your mom's clothes and speech don't seem like those of ordinary people from our village. Besides, whether good or bad, which family's daughter isn't their parents' precious one? There must be a thought about this after so many years, now that the person is gone, we should let her parents know!" Granny Wang said with emotion.

  "I think so too, good or bad news should be delivered in person. My mom..."

  A loud "bang" sound, and the courtyard gate was probably kicked open by someone.

  Grandma Wang stood up, "It's you who has returned from National Day holiday, you sit down and I'll go take a look." She walked out quickly.

  Xīng yè hadn't moved, knowing that Uncle Guóqìng was probably drinking again. Xiǎo Kuài paused for a moment before taking another big bite of the apple, but his body leaned in closer to Xīng yè's side.

  The sound of Wang's grandmother came from the yard, "Drinking again... fine, I won't bother you, I'm too lazy to bother you, Xingye has arrived, her mother is gone..."

  The door was pushed open with great force, and Wang Guoqing stumbled in. He rushed straight to Xing Ye's face, and Xing Ye hastily stood up to greet him, while Xiao Hui instinctively took two steps back beside him.

  A strong smell of alcohol hit me in the face, and I saw that his beard and hair were disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes were dirty, as if he had fallen. He clearly looked like a drunkard.

  He suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly "Haha...... died...... really died, died well," swaying and staggering towards the bedroom, shouting: "Let you marry that country bumpkin, poor devil, suffer now! What's wrong with me, what's wrong with me..."

  His voice grew smaller and smaller, just as his hand touched the door, he shook and fell to the ground, still muttering: "I said I would change, why don't you believe me? Do you believe me? I said I would be good..."

  "Yèzi, your uncle has had too much to drink, don't take it to heart." Wang Nainai awkwardly explained to Xīngyè, quickly going to help him up. "Don't talk nonsense in front of Yèzi, come on, I'll help you inside."

  "It was all you, at first you didn't support me either, it was all you, otherwise she wouldn't have left... wouldn't..." He waved off Grandma Wang's hand and didn't let her touch him.

  The elderly Wang Nainai couldn't lift him up, a big man, and at this time, Xing Ye wouldn't bother with the calculations of a drunk person either. He walked over and helped Wang Nainai lift him up together.

  He looked at the starry night and stood up in coordination, following them to the inner room, still muttering "Leaf, little leaf, I held you when you were born, do you remember, do you remember, earlier than that poor ghost"

  Xīng yè yǔ wáng nǎi nai jiāng tā fú dào chuáng shàng, tā yě shùn cóng de tǎng xià le.

  Translation:

  The starry night and Wang grandma helped him onto the bed, he also obediently lay down.

  "That nurse even congratulated me, and I'm the one being congratulated..."

  As she was still muttering to herself, Xing Ye and Wang Nainai closed the door and walked out. No one saw that the big man lying on the bed had already been crying after they closed the door.

  "Don't listen to him, he's drunk and doesn't even know what he's saying." Grandma Wang explained to Xing Ye again, with a hint of pain amidst the awkwardness, after all, he was her only son.

  "Grandma is fine, I understand."

  The starry night not only made her understand that he was drunk, but also made her realize that this man, who was seen as a good-for-nothing drunkard and troublemaker by the world, had truly liked her mother, Yūgetsu, and even accepted her with an open heart. However, his affection was treated as a burden by others, and even his own mother didn't believe his feelings were genuine. Everyone together extinguished the budding love, taking away his chance to change, or did they?