CHAPTER 55: 054: SOMETHING HAPPENED (WHERE IS THE MONTHLY TICKET?)

Outside, Ye Ling ran into Si Daochen at the village entrance, seeing him coming out with a bucket again. Remembering the last time Si Daochen had warned her, Ye Ling, in a rare good mood, teased him.

"What? Do you have something to tell me again?"

The evening sky was darkening, hiding the redness on Si Daochen’s face, "Ye Ling, you’re a girl, you can’t be so frivolous, it’s not good for you."

Such seriousness made Ye Ling lose her teasing mood. She waved her hand nonchalantly, "Uptight. You go ahead and fetch your water."

With that, she turned around and headed home.

Si Daochen stood in place, holding the water bucket, watching Ye Ling’s figure enter the Ye Family’s courtyard before turning around to walk toward the well. Si Daochen was fair-skinned, but a bit skinny, with high cheekbones and large eyes. Though he looked delicate, unlike typical rural kids, he gave the impression of being calculative, yet he seemed honest and quiet, making his appearance seem contradictory.

By the well, apart from Si Daochen fetching water, there was no one else around. Si Daochen didn’t know why, but as soon as he saw Ye Ling’s silhouette from his home’s courtyard, he would bring the bucket over. Yet, when he met her, he said such a thing, not knowing if Ye Ling would dislike it.

Water gushed from the well into the bucket and splashed onto Si Daochen’s cloth shoes, bringing him back from his thoughts. He hung the small metal bucket and, now unenthusiastic, carried the water home.

Meanwhile, back at Ye’s house, Ye He Ping was still complaining about his youngest daughter. Seeing his mother suddenly collapse, he panicked, throwing his cigarette away and taking a few big steps to the bed, "Mom? Mom? What’s wrong?"

Ye Ling pushed open the door and heard her father’s panicked voice. Hearing it was about her grandmother, she rushed into the room in a few steps, only to see her father standing by the bed, shaking her grandmother who was lying unresponsive on the bed.

Ye Ling felt her chest tighten as past memories of her grandmother’s death flashed in her mind for a brief moment. Seeing her grandmother fine until her father’s arrival made everything erupt in anger at this moment, she rushed forward and pushed her father aside.

"Don’t touch my grandma, it’s all because of you. If it weren’t for you, Grandma would be fine."

Ye He Ping was suddenly pushed aside by his daughter, staggering a couple of steps before regaining his balance. Seeing his daughter glaring at him with hatred, anger surged within him, "Ye Ling, what kind of attitude is this? Who spoiled you like this?"

Ye Ling had already positioned herself next to her grandmother, glaring fiercely after pushing her father away, yet continued softly calling out to her grandmother. Upon hearing her father’s words from behind, she couldn’t contain her resentment and turned back, "I was raised by Grandma, if anyone spoiled me, it was Grandma, not you. Dad, we can argue later, now don’t you think we should call for a cart to take Grandma to the hospital?"

"Aren’t you supposed to be the filial son?" Ye Ling added, freezing the anger on Ye He Ping’s face.

Ye Ling couldn’t be bothered to say more to him, pinched the person’s philtrum to wake them up, then slowly laid them on their side, got off the bed, and went outside, leaving a word to her father standing there, "Watch over her, I’m going to call for someone."

Ye He Ping finally came to his senses, taking a few large steps to the bed, looking at his unconscious mother, a look of distress appeared on his face, "Mom, I’m sorry."

If he hadn’t contradicted his mother, how would she have fainted?

Right now, Ye He Ping wished he could slap himself a few times, but he knew such an action would do no good, so he could only stay by his mother’s side, waiting for help to arrive.

To say Ye He Ping was truly scared, something like this happened, and it was already dark, how could a young girl like Ye Ling have more persuasion than him? Luckily, when she ran out, Si Daochen was just arriving at the road between his courtyard and the village path. Hearing the running footsteps, he turned around and saw Ye Ling, instinctively putting the water bucket down.

"Ye Ling, what’s happened?"

It must be said, Si Daochen’s calm voice steadied Ye Ling’s panicked heart a bit, she kept running without stopping, "My grandma fainted, she needs to go to the hospital."

Si Daochen heard and turned to follow her, "I’ll go with you."

Since the person is unconscious, naturally they must be sent to town, and in the village, only Old Zhang’s family has a horse cart for the team. Ye Ling ran towards the east of the village, Si Daochen didn’t need to ask to know where she was heading. Mrs. Si came out of the Si Family courtyard and saw her son running towards the village, calling out to him, but seeing he didn’t respond, she felt puzzled.

Si Jun came out of the house, "What are you shouting about this late? Aren’t you afraid of disturbing anyone?"

With his hands behind his back, he looked the part of a leader.

Shi Ning used a broom to brush the dust off her clothes, then lifted her foot to knock the broom against her shoe to clear the dust again, and sarcastically said, "I’m not calling anyone else’s man, your son is running into the village this late, how can calling him once disturb anyone? As an accountant for the team, you think you’re a cadre and bring that authority home, others might eat up your act, but I won’t. I tell you, this is home, so put away that demeanor in the future."

Si Jun thought he was good in every aspect in this life, although he only graduated from junior high school, he was an accountant for the team, and the family conditions could be considered decent in the village. The only downside was marrying a wife like this who was uneducated; it reduced him to argue with a village woman, so he never rebutted his wife. In outsiders’ eyes, accountant Si was afraid of his wife, and slowly Shi Ning also felt that her man feared her, but only Si Jun understood why, and he was too lazy to explain, so gradually everyone thought he agreed to it.

So after hearing his wife, he raised his arm and waved, "Daochen is not young anymore, what’s there to worry about, a young man can’t get lost, can he? Women always fret over nothing."

"I’m the one fretting over nothing, from now on I won’t care, you take care of it all." Shi Ning turned angrily and went back inside.

Si Jun wrinkled his eyebrows, feeling that his son was acting quite strange lately, saying he’s not worried, but still felt uneasy, slowly heading out of the courtyard towards the village.

Earlier, Ye Ling and Si Daochen, who were running ahead, already set foot in the Zhang Family’s house. On the kang table, the Zhang Family was having dinner, Zhang Zhong’s family of three, it was the old lady of the Zhang Family, Xu Lanxiang, who reacted first, getting off the kang quickly, "Lingzi and Daochen, why have you come? Looking for Zhenlian? Come, sit down, see us having dinner this late."

Bai Zhenlian was sitting on the kang, biting a chopstick, her eyes running back and forth on Ye Ling and Si Daochen, but she didn’t get up.

"Auntie, I’m here to borrow your family’s cart, my grandma fainted." Ye Ling said breathlessly, narrating the situation. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)