CH 59

Miaomiao handed Zhou Yuan fifteen dollars. Zhou Yuan took the money and put it aside. He turned back towards her to see Miaomiao’s eyebrows arching upwards with a smile as she looked at the seeds with delight. 

Zhou Yuan found her gesture very cute and asked her, “Do you have any idea how to grow vegetables?”

Miaomiao knew how to. Last night, she secretly asked her grandmother who explicated everything in detail to her.

“I have to dig the earth first, then I have to plant the seeds in it. Then, I sprinkle some water onto it to make them grow into vegetables,” Miaomiao replied confidently. She had already found a place to plant her vegetables.

Zhou Yuan was pleased with her confident look. He now had the experience of witnessing her confidence and ardor; therefore, he no longer had the propensity to tear down the children’s dreams. Instead, he believed that they could turn their dreams into reality.

After all, he didn’t want to tear down their final dream of becoming food merchants.

Zhou Yuan returned to his book and continued reading.

Miaomiao stowed the seeds away in her school bag. She couldn’t wait to sow them in her garden when she returned home.

Afternoon came, and Miaomiao was planning to speak with her mother about the seeds, but her grandmother came to pick her up in the afternoon.

Occasionally, grandmother would pick Miaomiao up. Miaomiao was already accustomed to it since she knew her mother was probably working overtime to earn some extra money.

Grandmother’s eyes were swollen, and her voice was hoarse as she asked “What does Miaomiao want to eat for dinner tonight? Do you want meatballs?”

Last night, Miaomiao ate all the meatballs and drained all of her soup, so grandmother asked her if she would like some meatballs again.

“I don’t want meatballs today,” Miaomiao shook her head.

Mom doesn’t like meat, and grandmother doesn’t like it either. And my great-grandmother can’t eat too much meat. Meat is very expensive, so I have to finish most of it after buying it.

Grandmother pressed again, “Then, what would Miaomiao like to eat?”

Her thoughts circled around her seeds, which were cabbage seeds, and Miaomiao answered, “Stir-fried cabbage.”

To attract more customers to her stall, she desired to learn how to make delicious, stir-fried cabbage from her mother so that she could display it as a sample when she began selling vegetables in the future.

Miaomiao came up with the idea as if it were natural to her.

Grandmother replied, “Let’s go grocery-shopping now.”

Grandmother and Miaomiao often went shopping for groceries together. When she returned home, she discovered that her mother had not yet returned. Even if she worked overtime before, she should be back by now.

Miaomiao helped her grandmother sift through the vegetables in the kitchen today. Although grandmother helped her, she looked a little unhappy.

Soon, it was time for dinner. “Grandma, when will mom be back?” Miaomiao asked carefully.

When she heard Miaomiao’s question, grandmother, who was lost in her thoughts, snapped back to reality and responded, “Your mother called earlier. She said she might need to work until late in the night today. Would you like to sleep with me and great-grandma tonight?”

Miaomiao lowered her gaze and thought for a moment.

I haven’t told mom about the seeds. If I sleep with grandma and great-grandma, then mom will have to sleep alone when she returns…

Miaomiao said, “I have a lot of homework today, and I’ll go to bed when my mother gets home.”

Grandmother received a call from Mother Hua not long after.

Mother Hua, who spoke from the other side of the phone, asked, “Is Miaomiao asleep?” She pressed her temple as she asked.

Grandmother headed to the balcony, “She’s not yet asleep. She is still doing her homework right now. She’s waiting for your return.”

Mother Hua remained silent for some time.

Grandmother continued, “It’s okay. She’s obedient, so I’ll coax her to sleep once more. She will understand. How are you? Would you like me to visit you? Have you eaten yet?”

“It’s fine. I had already eaten dinner.” Mother Hua paused, “You should also go to bed early.”

While doing her homework, Miaomiao was already feeling very drowsy. She couldn’t hold out until her mother returned to her and fell asleep at around 10 o’clock on the table. Her grandmother saw this and carried her back to her room.

Grandmother didn’t know how to tell Miaomiao that her mother had been injured in an accident.

Mother Hua was involved in a traffic accident today on her way to work and fractured a bone.

Miaomiao loves her mother very much. I can imagine that this would be a big deal for Miaomiao when she finds out.

Meanwhile, Mother Hua ate some supper that the nursing staff had brought for her. She stayed in a single ward. When she thought of Miaomiao, she couldn’t help but take out her mobile phone and watch the video of Miaomiao partaking in the square dances.

I have no idea whether Miaomiao is asleep or not.

At this point, someone knocked on the door, and Mother Hua assumed it was a nurse. She uttered, “Please, come in.”

Then, she saw a man in a white coat entering the room. He walked straight over to her bedside and sat down.

Mother Hua wasn’t surprised when he arrived. This hospital was the nearest hospital. It was impossible to go to a hospital that was located further away, because of this person.

Father Hua combed through her medical records. Then he sat over and examined her head.

Mother Hua had fractured her calf, and her head needed to be examined.

Neither of them spoke.

There was an awkward atmosphere in the room. Two people, who were once close, felt strange now.

“If you want to show sympathy to me, you could do so by dividing up the property,” uttered Mother Hua. It would be very awkward if they didn’t divorce due to her injury.

Over the years, she had accumulated more money for herself. Her mother and grandmother had pensions and insurance; therefore, they didn’t ask for that much money either. Father Hua gave a lot to the Hua family every year, so Mother Hua wasn’t about to divide their properties into equal portions.

Father Hua then said, “I never intended to divorce.”

The room was plunged into silence as the awkwardness overwhelmed the atmosphere.

Mother Hua still might have believed Father Hua if he announced his refusal to divorce at the beginning. But Father Hua never sought her out even once, and the house where they used to live in, was bequeathed to his brother and mother.

Mother Hua never commented anything to him since he was a filial son. But she felt that his statement that he had never intended to divorce held no weight.

How did we end up in such an awkward and embarrassing situation?

For a while, dejection overcame Mother Hua.

Mother Hua replied, “I’m tired. Just let me sleep.”

Father Hua sat there for a while before leaving.

It’s still too slow, so I have to speed it up.

His phone began ringing after a while. When he answered it, he heard the caller say, “When will you return, those people will be back…”

Father Hua sighed, “Don’t worry. They only have the guts to give people a fright, but they won’t actually do anything.”

He then continued, “I still have a surgery to attend to. I’ll talk about it later.”