Narrator: Hao Hongmei
Source: Contributed by netizens
One night in August 2020, the phone rang when I was sleeping, and I saw that it was the eldest sister calling, I reached out to pick it up but hung up, and saw that the time was 1.45 midnight, I thought it must have been a mistake, and I fell asleep again.
But it didn't take long for the phone to ring again, I answered the phone, and heard the sobbing sound of the eldest sister on the other end of the phone, I was startled, and hurriedly asked, "Eldest sister, what are you crying for in the middle of the night?" What about brother-in-law? ”
My first reaction was that my brother-in-law went out to play mahjong again, and my brother-in-law is good at everything, he just likes to play cards. Occasionally, the couple would have a few words because of playing cards.
I asked a few times, and then the eldest sister cried and said: I am in the hospital with your brother-in-law! Your brother-in-law has liver cancer.
This is undoubtedly a slap in the face, which blinded me, I don't believe it, my brother-in-law is only in his 50s! He was in such good health, how could he get cancer?
I casually said "impossible", but even I felt ridiculous when I said it, how could my sister joke about this kind of thing?
After comforting my sister, I hung up the phone, I was already sleepy, so I simply made a cup of tea and let my thoughts fly.
My sister and brother-in-law love each other for a lifetime, if my brother-in-law is gone, how can my sister live?
Let's tell the story of our family!
I was born on the bank of the Huai River, four brothers and sisters, the eldest brother is 14 years older than me, the second brother is 11 years older than me, the elder sister is 9 years older than me, and I have two older sisters, who died at birth because of malnutrition.
When I was born, the fortune teller said that I was born on a bad day, and my father put me in a broken basket and threw me into the wheat field at the west end of the village.
When my sister came back from school and saw my mother lying on the bed, but there were no children by her side, she asked, and when she knew that I had been lost, she ran to the wheat field and carried me back.
The nine-year-old sister and her parents argued, she said: If you don't take me, I'm not afraid if you're afraid of death, and I'll eat less in the future, so I will save it for my sister.
Mother scolded her angrily: You are a beheader, and my sister will give you a dowry in the future.
That's why I grew up with my sister very closely.
Our family has always been very poor, my eldest brother only studied for 5 years, and when I can remember, my eldest brother was already in the army, and after being discharged from the army, he went to work in the coal mine.
That winter, my mother accidentally slipped and fell into the river when she smashed ice to wash my diapers, and fell ill, and I couldn't do without medicine all year round, so our family was very poor, and I often didn't have enough to eat when I was a child.
It is said that the blessing of Wushuang is not a single line, the second brother fell down when he was 13 years old when he went to the tree to dig out the bird's nest, and his arm was fractured.
After my sister graduated from junior high school, she went home to help her parents, and I also went to school at that time, and the life of the family gradually improved.
My sister is beautiful, with double eyelids, big eyes, and she is tall, and some people have come to the door one after another to propose marriage in her teens, but Dad has already thought about it and asked her sister to change relatives for her second brother, he is worried that the second brother's arm is wrong and he can't find a wife.
But people are not as good as heaven, and Dad never dreamed that my sister already had a crush.
At that time, people were feudal, marriage and love were the orders of their parents, matchmakers, and free love was regarded as an immoral behavior, so my sister's love affair was very secret.
My sister's boyfriend is her classmate, and he is not in the same township as us, and the two families are about ten miles away.
When I was ten years old, my sister suddenly disappeared, and at noon that day, my sister didn't come back, and my mother didn't find a few houses, and she scolded in her mouth: Where is this dead girl crazy?
When it was dark, my sister hadn't come back yet, and my mother panicked, because love movies were just popular in that era, and the little girls in the village who were not deeply involved were affected by the plot of the movie, and someone eloped every once in a while.
That night, my mother asked a few little girls who were playing with my sister, and they all said they didn't know, and then my aunt told my mother that before my sister disappeared, she often stayed with a girl named Xiaoduo, and her mother found Xiaoduo again and put pressure on her, and Xiaoduo finally told her mother the whereabouts of her sister.
Dad took a group of people to find his brother-in-law's house, the house was empty, the family all hid out, Dad and his brother squatted in the village for a few nights, but no one was caught, my sister married herself like this, Dad was unwilling, and smashed all the things in my brother-in-law's house.
That year, my eldest sister was 19 years old and I was 10 years old.
At that time, free love was a very shameful act, and elopement was an unforgivable crime, After my sister left, the family was shrouded in dark clouds.
My mother cries at home every day, and she is not in good health, but she collapses all of a sudden.
Dad wants to save face and admit death, he didn't expect that the dignity he has maintained all his life will be smashed by the eldest sister, he feels faceless, every day he goes out, he presses the brim of his hat very low, and when he comes home, he locks himself in the house, grabs the sweat cigarette pouch and smokes vigorously, and Dad's trachea is getting more and more serious.
The neighbors even pointed fingers at the family.
One day, my mother had a few words with my neighbor because of a trivial matter, and the neighbor scolded my mother: Is it good to talk about face? I have the ability to manage my daughter well, and I am in a hurry to find a man, how embarrassing! Hahaha!
The laughter pierced my mother's heart like a sharp knife, and my mother ran home with her face covered, her mother ran in front, and the neighbor woman slapped her feet in the back.
Mom turned her head and slept without eating or drinking for three days, and as soon as Dad gave the order, I would be Hongyan to death, and I would never be allowed to come to the door if I knew that you were dealing with her, and I would break your dog's legs.
After my sister left, there was no contact with this family, at first she didn't dare to come back, for fear of being beaten, and even more afraid of being detained by her father and not letting her go, Mom missed her, and her eyes were about to cry blind.
Although the two families are more than 10 miles apart, because they don't catch a set, the circle of people in that era is small, and my sister has been married for a few years, and I haven't met my family once.
I also miss my sister, because from the time I was born to my sister's marriage, I never left her for a day, I was brought up by my sister, on her back during the day, in her arms at night, after my sister left, I often lay alone in the bed and cried.
I begged my mother countless times: Can I let my sister come back? My mother wiped her tears and said: This one has no conscience, she won't come back by herself, I don't know where her door is facing, where can I find her? What's more, I can't pull this old face!
My sister gave birth to a daughter in the second year of marriage, and when my niece was four years old, my sister's family of three came back, she bought a few packets of brown sugar for her mother, and gave her father some loose wine.
That day, as soon as my sister entered the door, she knelt down for my mother, and my mother hugged my sister and cried breathlessly, at that time, my mother had not seen my sister for five years, and I also ran over and put my arms around my sister's neck, crying and begging my sister not to go.
Mom hugged her sister and told her about missing her sister in the past few years, my sister knelt on the ground and said sorry vigorously, and my brother-in-law stood beside me dumbfounded.
At this time, my father came back from outside, as soon as he entered the door and saw my sister and brother-in-law, he smashed my brother-in-law a few times with his fist, and my brother-in-law ran away, and then my father made a gesture to hit my sister, I hurriedly hugged my father's leg, and my mother saw this, kneeling and begging my father not to scare the child.
There was a lot of trouble at home, and my father threw away all the things my sister had brought over, and he shouted: You all get out of here, I don't want to see you.
My sister left, and when she was about to go out, she knelt down and kowtowed to her father three times, crying: Dad, my daughter misses you! Then he ran away crying.
Dad turned around and closed the door, and I heard Daddy's suppressed cries squeezing through the crack in the door, and I hated Dad to death.
Two years later, my sister came back to see my mother, and that day my mother was hoeing, my sister found my mother, bought her some food, and left with my mother after a conversation.
When my mother came back from the field, her eyes were red, she handed me her things, went back to the house and went to sleep, and I found out about it a few years later.
At that time, I was ignorant, and since my sister left, I rarely paid attention to my father, and I thought that he made my sister unable to return home, so that I could not see my sister.
That year, during the rice planting season, my father was planting rice in the field alone, and suddenly it rained, and my mother called me to send a raincoat to my father, and I said I wouldn't go! Let him sober up in the rain.
Mom took my hand and said, "Go ahead!" Don't get your dad wrong, he often cries like your sister, but he's a man, and he pays attention to face! You'll understand when you're older.
My sister gave birth to a second baby and didn't come to report the good news, and then my cousin bought food and met my sister, telling her that her second brother was getting married, hoping that she could come back, and my sister begged my cousin to make peace.
My cousin grew up with my father, and my father listened to my cousin very much.
My cousin came a few times, and my father reluctantly agreed that my sister would come back to attend my second brother's wedding.
In the first few days of the wedding, my sister came back, busy helping my second brother prepare things for marriage, I could see that my sister was currying favor with my father, but no matter what my sister did, my father had a cold face.
On the day my sister left, my father packed a few bags of beef and snacks, and said to my mother with a cold face: Let Hongyan take these things away, don't say that I let you bring them.
I instantly understood that father's love is like a mountain, and my father just can't express it.
Every time my sister came back, my father was cold-faced, and every time my eldest sister left, my father packed up his things without saying a word, and told my mother before leaving: Let Hongyan bring it, just say that you gave it.
Mom smiled and said, "This old man, the stone of the thatched jar is smelly and hard.
My sister has been married for decades, and every time she comes in a hurry, eats and leaves, and never talks to her father.
I once told my sister that Dad doesn't love you, he just won't express it.
My sister smiled wryly and said: From the day I left home, my father's fate has ended, and he looks down on Chuanmin (brother-in-law) and me, and even more on our children.
Mom often said: A big strong seed gave birth to a small donkey.
This is the grudge between my father and my sister
What I didn't expect was that we didn't know my dad too well, and my dad was not good at expressing himself, and he always said the most hurtful things and did the most heartwarming things.
Knowing that my brother-in-law was sick, I didn't sleep all night, and I rushed to the hospital early the next morning.
The provincial capital is more than 200 miles away from my home, and in order to save the trouble of reversing the car, I carpooled directly to the hospital.
As soon as I walked into the gate of the hospital, I saw the eldest sister squatting alone under the building of the inpatient department waiting for me.
I want to see my brother-in-law soon, the eldest sister said that it is inconvenient to say something in front of your brother-in-law, for fear of affecting his mood, so let's talk below!
The eldest sister told me that as early as a few months ago, my brother-in-law was arguing that his chest was uncomfortable, but he couldn't understand the location of the liver and stomach, and always thought it was a stomach pain.
The examination report came out, and my sister never dreamed that my brother-in-law had liver cancer, and it was already in the middle and advanced stages Because of lack of money, my brother-in-law wanted to give up treatment.
I asked my sister, what did the doctor say?
My sister said: If it is treated conservatively, it will take a year and a half, if you have surgery, even the cost of surgery with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it is estimated that it will be hundreds of thousands, and the later recovery will depend on the individual's physical condition, you may live for three years, five years, ten years, eight years, or you may be cured, and no one can say how long you will live.
The eldest sister definitely didn't want to give up, but this cost was not affordable for ordinary families. To comfort the good eldest sister, we went to the ward.
When he saw me come in, my brother-in-law cried! He said: Little sister, this person is not as good as heaven! I really want your sister to live a good life, but this toss and turns, the more I toss, the poorer I get, and I also collapse my body, I don't want to be treated, and I will be discharged from the hospital and go home tomorrow.
I comforted my brother-in-law, there must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, don't think so much! Cooperate with the doctor to treat the disease, we will help you find a way!
Having said that, I am not sure, after all, the treatment of cancer is a bottomless pit, and it is also a long-term process, and it is impossible to bear it without a strong family foundation.
I know my eldest sister's family too well, her father-in-law and mother-in-law are farmers, the old couple are almost 80 years old, her mother-in-law has tracheitis, and her father-in-law suffered from diabetes a few years ago.
Brother-in-law and brothers, the eldest brother took out a loan to buy a truck for long-distance transportation a few years ago, and then had a traffic accident.
He also has a little sister, and the family conditions are not good, his son is in college, his daughter is in high school, and his brother-in-law works all year round to earn not enough for the family.
The eldest sister has not been easy these years, when she got married, her mother-in-law's family did not have a bride price, her mother's family did not accompany the marriage, and the two of them also wanted to mix up and fight for face, and the brother-in-law also worked very hard.
My brother-in-law is a chef, and he worked in a restaurant in Shanghai a few years ago, but then his parents were too old to travel far away, so he set up a restaurant.
The hotel was opened in the second half of 2018, and it was difficult to get a clue at the beginning of everything, and the hotel business was getting better and better in the second half of 19, and a lot of dishes were prepared before the Spring Festival, ready to do a big job, but the epidemic came without warning.
During the lockdown period, the restaurant had no business, so many dishes were wasted, the losses were serious, and it was hard to hold on for half a year, and it was closed without seeing any hope.
In the past few years, the general environment has not been good, the nephew's mortgage cannot be repaid, and the two of them have to be responsible for the nephew's mortgage.
After the business failed, my brother-in-law became a chef from his old business, but in the past few years, the restaurant business has been difficult, and my brother-in-law is often unemployed.
Life was difficult enough, but I didn't expect my brother-in-law to suffer from this disease again, and the eldest sister cried and said: This person! Why is it so hard to live? When will it be over?
I asked my sister if she had told the eldest brother and the second brother, and the elder sister said that the eldest brother was very busy at work, and the second brother was not at home, so she didn't want to tell them.
That afternoon, I came out of the hospital and went straight to my father's house.
When I told my dad the news, he was shocked and worried was written all over his face.
Dad sat on a stool, smoking bag after bag of cigarettes, and the room was full of smoke, choking Mom and coughing.
After a long time, Dad finally made a decision, he knocked the cigarette pouch on the ground a few times, and said loudly: Hongmei, call your eldest brother and second brother, and ask them all to come over, and we will have a meeting tonight.
I never dreamed that my father would be so powerful at a critical time, so I quickly called my brother.
While waiting, my father was in a hurry and kept asking me to call and ask them when they would arrive?
The second brother was drinking outside that day, and the eldest brother rushed back from a long distance, but the second brother had not yet arrived.
The second brother was scolded by his father as soon as he entered the door, he said that there was such a big thing at home, do you still have the heart to drink?
The second brother said aggrievedly, didn't I only know about this matter after I entered the door?
Seeing that everyone had arrived, my father said straight to the point, "The people have cancer, you probably don't know yet, right?"
The eldest brother and the second brother were also shocked when they heard it, they both thought that the brother-in-law was young and strong, how could this kind of thing happen?
Dad went on to say, Hongyan has not been easy these years, Chuanmin is seriously ill, it is estimated that it will cost a lot of money, and it may be empty, none of his brothers and sisters in his family can help him, don't look at me not giving him a good face over the years, in fact, I just can't swallow that breath, Chuanmin is not bad, a son-in-law is half a son, he has a home in your eldest sister, if he is not there, your eldest sister will be pitiful.
None of our siblings spoke.
Dad went on to say, "I'll tell you the truth, over the years, your mother and I have raised cattle and saved more than 100,000 yuan by selling grain, and I will sell two more cattle in a few days, and a large amount of rice at home is estimated to be sold for thousands of yuan.
The eldest brother said: How so? Your money is in your charges.
The second brother said: Our four brothers and sisters all grew up with a nipple, and we have to help when we smash the pot and sell iron.
I have no opinion, because my life was saved by my sister, if it wasn't for my eldest sister, I wouldn't have been able to see this world, and I'm grateful to my sister from the bottom of my heart over the years.
The next morning, under the leadership of my father, several of our brothers and sisters appeared in the hospital neatly, when my brother-in-law saw my father, he burst into tears, he took my father's hand and said: Dad forgive me for hurting you for so many years, forgive me for not taking good care of you, I want to make it up to you now, but God won't give me a chance.
It may be that he has been suppressed for too long, or it may be that he feels guilty about his father, his brother-in-law is crying silently, and his father is also a handful of snot and tears, he patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder and said: Chuanmin, don't worry about Dad, you must be good, I will rely on you for the rest of my life.
Seeing the true confession of the two big men, our brothers and sisters cried.
On that day, my father personally handed over 260,000 yuan to my brother-in-law, including 100,000 yuan for my father, 60,000 yuan for my eldest brother, and my second brother was not at home, so I borrowed 20,000 yuan behind my second sister-in-law's back, and I gave 80,000 yuan.
The brother-in-law took the money and cried and said: Dad, cancer is a bottomless pit, and when the money is spent, it will be empty, so you should keep the money! You and your mother are old, maybe you will have to spend money one day, it is not easy for your brother and sister, and if I am gone, where can Hongyan have the ability to pay back this money?
Dad took his brother-in-law's hand and said: We didn't give up on you, did you give up yourself? Have you ever thought of a child? And Hongyan, how much pressure did Hongyan have to marry you at the beginning? You left their mothers on the way, are you worthy of Hongyan? I can still run for a few bucks now, you don't need to think about these things, I still pay for a few of them.
The brother-in-law was already crying silently, and the sister suddenly knelt in front of her father, crying and shouting: Dad, I'm sorry for you! I always thought that you didn't love me, I thought you were ruthless, Dad, forgive me!
Dad took his sister's hand and said, "Girl, don't say it!" How can a father hate his daughter! Dad was also at fault before.
Dad squatted down and took the eldest sister in his arms, tears dripping on the eldest sister's head.
The operation was successful, my brother-in-law's body has almost recovered, and last year my niece's family opened a supermarket, and he is now working in the supermarket!
Dad will not say a good word in his life, but he uses his actions to interpret what is called father's love like a mountain, in the words of his brother-in-law, our family is a wooden barrel, Dad is a bucket hoop, hello, I am good, everyone, family and talent are prosperous! Is that right?