CH 137

Chapter 137: Take Good Care of Him

Mrs. Zhou has been pregnant for over four months, and Zhou Qingwen is particularly careful. Everything is done with great care and caution.

Due to the late arrival of their child, Zhou Qingwen attaches great importance to this pregnancy. Ever since a doctor friend of the hospital, who he is familiar with, hinted that there is a plump little girl in her belly, Zhou Qingwen, who had never thought that he would have a daughter in his life, is now eager to give his heart and flesh to the unborn baby girl.

When Zhou Mushi returned home, Zhou Qingwen didn’t spend much thought on him.

He was already an adult, a man who could take care of himself both in life and work. What was there to worry about for a father like him?

The relationship between father and son in China has always been delicate, both close and distant.

Living at home, every time Zhou Mushi sat down to eat with his family, he couldn’t help but think of the meticulous care his father gave to his stepmother. He wondered if he had received the same treatment when he was in his mother’s womb?

Thinking of his late mother, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.

The departed cannot be forever preserved in the lives of the living, and after Zhou Qingwen married, he put his late wife’s possessions in a small room on the third floor.

The food today wasn’t very appetizing, and no one at the table had eaten much. Zhou Mushi pushed his plate aside and said, “I’m full,” before heading upstairs.

Mrs. Zhou is attentive. As soon as Zhou Mushi leaves, she nudges Old Zhou with her elbow and asks, “Mushi seems off these days. Is he not feeling well?”

Old Zhou replies, “Don’t worry about him. It’s normal for young people to have bad moods sometimes. They need to learn to deal with it themselves.” He then picks up a dish of his wife’s favorite food and puts it in her bowl.

The storeroom on the third floor hasn’t been cleaned for a long time and has accumulated a layer of dust.

Zhou Mushi brings a basin of water and a rag to wipe off the items his mother used to like. The items include an old dressing table, outdated paintings, old photos, and several pieces of jewelry.

When he opens the window to let in the sunlight, the dusty light shines on these old items, making them look a bit faded and gray.

People will grow old, and so do objects.

He lay on the once-luxurious bed, half-closed his eyes, and listened to the long and drawn-out melody being played.

The songs in the mobile phone are playing randomly, and Eason Chan is singing softly the song 《Long Time No See》.

I came to your city,

Walked the path you took to me,

Imagining the days without me,

How lonely you must have been.

Holding the photo you gave me,

The familiar street we once knew,

But without you in the picture,

We can’t go back to that day.

Will you suddenly appear,

At the café on the corner of the street,

How much I wish to see you,

And witness how you’ve changed,

Not talking about the past anymore,

Just exchanging pleasantries.

Just saying one thing to you,

Long time no see.

Word by word, like a knife cutting through flesh, easily destroyed people’s tear ducts, and when it struck, it didn’t hold back at all.

Zhou Mushi lay there as if dead, motionless, allowing tears to flood down his neck, staining his clothes.

He didn’t open his eyes or mouth, but used his heart to sense everything his mother did in the room.

There were some things that could only be tightly held in the heart, unable to be revealed to his mother in his lifetime.

How could he, as someone’s child, tell his mother that she was an irresponsible mother, not a qualified one, and that her love was harsh like shackles, like a knife, like everything that made people uncomfortable.

He sat alone, hoping that time would pass quickly, preferably at the snap of a finger, making him eighty years old now, or even near death would be fine.

This way, he could lie wilfully on the sickbed, pretending to be senile and asking the younger generation to go and find the people he missed, to see him, hold his hand, and then watch him die.

. . . . .

Wang Jiexi was standing at the door of Jin Yang’s small rented house with a soy milk and deep-fried doughstick.

After waiting for a while and hearing some movement inside, he knocked on the door.

The person who opened the door was wearing home clothes, had just washed their face, and their hair was still messy.

Jin Yang wasn’t surprised to see him, but a hint of rejection flashed in their eyes. Nonetheless, he let him into the room.

Wang Jiexi was very self-aware, he went to the kitchen to get plates and bowls, divided the soy milk and deep-fried doughstick into two portions, and sat at the table to invite Jin Yang to come and eat.

Jin Yang sat down at the table as instructed and stared at the white soy milk, asking, “What are you here for again?”

Wang Jiexi took a bite of the deep-fried doughstick, he has always had a good appetite and ate half of it in one bite.

“You said you were going to the hospital, didn’t you?” he asked.

“Well…I don’t think it’s necessary now. It’s fine like this,” Jin Yang replied.

“Tsk, your attitude is a problem. There’s no such thing as a terminal illness now. It’s not like it can’t be cured,” Wang Jiexi said.

Jin Yang peeled open a tea egg and ate it in small bites, saying, “It’s just a matter of extending your life by a few years.”

He said it very casually, obviously not attaching much importance to living a few extra years.

“People who live a rich and fulfilling life will certainly not want to die early. Living one more day is also good. But for the homeless, jobless scavengers living on the streets, it is just an early death to be reborn sooner.”

Most of the time, people cannot find any refuting words for this kind of negative soul-soup.

Wang Jiexi felt that Jin Yang was probably right, but at the same time, he felt that he should not give up and should insist on his opinion.

“What if it’s not just a few years, but ten or twenty years? Don’t you think your approach is a bit reckless?”

Jin Yang continued to eat his meal without paying attention to Wang Jiexi’s words. “As you said, that’s just in case. I can’t afford to take that risk. I’m happy with my life as it is now, so you don’t need to waste your time coming over here.”

“But…”

“There’s no but. Have you been to the ward and seen those people who are half dead from being hooked up to medication? They can’t take care of themselves, can’t control their bowel movements, struggling on the edge of pain every day, gradually forgetting the people around them and living like walking corpses.”

Wang Jiexi stopped talking, feeling unable to continue the conversation.

He couldn’t connect Jin Yang, who looked perfectly fine in front of him, with the description he just gave.

Perhaps it would be a better choice to die with dignity than to cling to life like that.

“Since you’ve made up your mind, there’s nothing more for me to say. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will do my best.”

The statement was filled with goodwill, and even implied a willingness to take care of things after Jin Yang’s passing.

Jin Yang shook his head and then suddenly teared up, looking up at him. “Please take care of him for me.”