bayedsolid Chapter 286 Neighbors
Chapter 286 Neighbors
Seeing Liu Cuijuan holding her child tightly in her arms and crying bitterly, Lin Lanshan could only smile awkwardly.
"Hehe~ It's not important, it's not important, as long as the person is delivered. Otherwise, consider this 'pheasant' as compensation for her emotional distress!"
Lin Chunyi rolled her eyes at her, "A pheasant can serve so many purposes, it can be said that its life has been fulfilling..."
However, it makes sense that no matter how they delivered the child, they did indeed get the child into their mother's hands. Therefore, their purpose for the trip was achieved!
The matter was over, but the two sisters, who were Lin Yu'an's saviors, did not intend to leave directly. Instead, they chose to squat in a place where they could hear and see and continue to spy.
Since there's no TV to watch at home anyway, and I'm just killing time, I might as well stay here quietly for a while and see if anything interesting happens.
They took out the leftover steamed buns and mantou from the mountains and ate them while looking at other things.
Liu Cuijuan was already ill and weak. Wearing only light clothing and staying outside for so long only worsened her condition.
I almost thought I had lost my child just now, and I was on the verge of a mental breakdown...
After crying, she was in a daze, her body trembling unconsciously. She held An'an tightly in her arms, not speaking, not moving, and not listening to anyone.
When someone tried to help her up, she hugged An'an even tighter, as if afraid someone would snatch her away.
The women who came out to help search for An'an were stunned to see a mother, pale-faced and with lifeless eyes, sitting blankly on the ground, holding her injured and filthy toddler.
Not one of them was unmoved or unsettled.
Sister Yang said softly, "Cuijuan, An'an has been found. The most important thing now is to find a doctor and take the child to see a doctor as soon as possible."
Someone advised, "Yes, get up quickly. You need to stay strong so you can take good care of the child!"
Some people couldn't help but sigh: "What a tragedy! Who could be so cruel as to beat An'an like this?"
"What nonsense are you spouting in front of Cuijuan? Anyone with eyes can see that she fell!"
And some people...
I couldn't control myself anymore; I stared at the pheasant and asked it where it came from.
Then everyone started making wild guesses:
Some say it was a pheasant that became a spirit and wanted to eat children to cultivate its power, but it was killed by an immortal.
Some say that Lin Yu'an went to the mountain alone to catch pheasants to nourish his mother, and he was injured in the process.
Some say the pheasant was moved by Lin Yu'an's filial piety and willingly came to be eaten...
All sorts of random and unreliable speculations are included.
In any case, none of them came close to the correct answer, or rather, none of them tried to guess the correct answer.
At crucial moments, it was the village chief's wife, Aunt Zhang, who proved reliable. "Xiaoyun, go home and tell Zhengyong to hurry up the mountain and report that the child has been found."
Yang Huiyun nodded and ran home.
Her father and Zhengmin had both gone up the mountain, and she was actually quite worried. The longer they stayed on the mountain, the more dangerous it would be; she had to get back quickly!
Aunt Zhang then said to Ahua, "Little Hua, I'd like to borrow your mule to go to town and find a doctor for An'an. You won't be shortchanged on fodder and cart fees, is that alright?"
"Auntie, please don't say that. Getting An'an treated is the priority. We can talk about the rest later."
Why don't you and Sister-in-law Cuijuan come home with me now? My brother can drive, so let's go straight to town and not delay his injury."
If anyone else wanted to borrow Yang Yu's mule, she certainly wouldn't dare to agree on her own.
But Aunt Zhang's family are not just strangers; they are relatives that Sister Chunyi and Sister Lanshan care about and trust very much!
Aunt Zhang's request was a request from Chunyi and Lanshan's relatives. Forget about lending it; Brother Yang Yu would probably rather drive it himself, since he could drive more smoothly.
Once our relationship gets better, if he gets beaten or scolded too badly while practicing his skills, he can escape to Aunt Zhang's house to hide... Cough! I seem to be thinking too far ahead.
Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll trouble you. Thank you very much."
He then turned to the others who were still whispering and said, "Thank you all for coming to help today. Now that the person has been found, everyone can go home."
Please understand Cuijuan's current situation. Once she and An'an have fully recovered, they will definitely thank you properly. It's quite cold outside, so please don't stay here any longer, go home."
That's how neighbors are. When someone needs help, no matter how small or big, everyone is willing to lend a hand, however little. But when there's a small advantage to be had, no one will hesitate to be the first to grab it.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the pheasant belonged to An'an. She couldn't very well just decide to distribute the meat to the neighbors who had helped him and his mother!
And what if it really was An'an who risked everything to catch it to nourish his mother? Then he wakes up to find he has to spend extra money on medical treatment, and the pheasant is gone—what a blow that would be!
Helping is one thing, but what belongs to someone should belong to that person.
Besides, she secretly thought that Liu Cuijuan and her son were already struggling financially. Even if they couldn't sell the pheasant to supplement their income, eating it would at least help replenish their weakened bodies!
As for everyone's help today, we'll figure out how to thank them all once Liu Cuijuan is better. That's a matter of whether she knows how to behave.
We definitely can't let so many people make a wasted trip in the dead of winter, otherwise who will be willing to help in the future?
Neighbors should help each other and benefit each other in order to maintain harmonious coexistence and interaction in the long term!
Most people in Youxian Village are actually good at heart.
For example, these women who want a share of the pheasant meat.
Although they all looked on with envy, they weren't heartless people; there's a time and place for taking advantage!
Liu Cuijuan and An'an are just the two of them, mother and son, and their life is indeed very difficult. What's the point of so many of them fighting over this piece of pheasant meat? Even if each of them gets a piece, it won't add any extra weight to their bodies!
Let Liu Cuijuan and An'an take it back to eat, and live well. Who knows, maybe one day when they're able, they can help them out; this is the long-term plan!
So one of the women stopped mentioning the pheasant meat. She smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I'll head back now. It's rather cold outside." Then she left without a word.
Then everyone else said goodbye and went home.
"I'm leaving too. It's nothing. If anyone needs anything, just call us and we'll come."
"Pah, pah, pah! You have such a foul mouth, always talking about other people's troubles! We should all just stay safe and sound!"
"Oh, right, right! I can't really explain it well, but I just want to say 'be safe and sound,' 'be safe and sound!' Anyway, we're all from the same village, so just call out to me anytime!"
"Right, let's go home and warm ourselves by the fire..."
The women chatted and laughed, then left in twos and threes.