Big brother?
When Jing Taihe first ntioned those two words, Hua Xiaomai hesitated in her heart for a mont before it dawned on her that he was probably referring to Hua Dashan, the eldest brother of the Hua Family whom she had never t.
"’Gone’, does that an he’s dead?"
She felt that she should show so surprise or sorrow, but in truth, she felt nothing at all. How could she feel anything for a man she had never t, who was only ever ntioned by Hua Erniang as soone despicable? But... didn’t they say a scourge lasts a thousand years? This man, who was unfilial to his parents and exploited his younger sisters, should have lived longer than a tortoise. So how could he...?
"When did it happen, and what exactly happened?" she asked after a long pause.
"It happened over a month ago. Days ago, Sister-in-law sent a letter asking for help, which only reached us a couple of days ago," Jing Taihe sighed softly, "The letter said the family was so poor they could barely survive. Big brother had no other choice but to go up the mountain with other villagers to gather dicinal herbs. Unfortunately, rocks were falling on the mountain those days. Everyone else was unhard, but he was hit squarely by one. He died before they could even carry him ho."
Hearing this, Hua Xiaomai felt a shiver down her spine. She hunched her shoulders, and a sudden thought entered her mind, "Could it be that my second sister, upon learning this news, was so shocked that...?"
Thinking back, Hua Erniang had been complaining of feeling restless. Could that have been the reason?
"How could I possibly know?" Jing Taihe said with a wry smile, shaking his head, "It’s lucky we had already alerted the midwife beforehand. She ca over as soon as we called. If not, with all the confusion, I really wouldn’t have known what to do. It’s kind of my fault too for being so foolishly honest. If I had kept it from her at first, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way."
"How could you be blad for this?" Hua Xiaomai reassured him, then handed over the things she was carrying, "If my second sister has woken up, shall I go check on her?"
"Sure." Jing Taihe nodded, pleased, "I haven’t gone to the smithy to work these past few days. I’ve been hovering around, annoying her to no end. You’ve arrived at a good ti; go and keep her company."
Hua Xiaomai smiled at him, turned, and headed towards the door of the west side chamber. She knocked twice on the door, slipped inside quickly, and closed it behind her.
Hua Erniang hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days. Like usual, she woke early that day. After feeding her son, she lay back against her pillow in a daze, looking pale but thankfully still lucid. Near her head, snugly wrapped, was her son, sound asleep and breathing evenly.
When Hua Xiaomai entered the room and called out, "Second sister," Hua Erniang’s eyes brightened imdiately, but then they reddened. She reached out, beckoning her over, and said with a sob, "Little sister, why have you only now co back? Hua Dashan is dead!"
"I heard Brother-in-law tell ." Hua Xiaomai quickly walked over to sit carefully by her side and began to fussily wipe her eyes with her sleeve, "Don’t cry. I’ve heard that crying during the postpartum period can hurt one’s eyes. What if it frightens the baby?"
Hua Erniang probably worried about this too. She wiped her face and forcefully swallowed back her sobs, taking a deep breath, "What is this nonsense? One shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but Hua Dashan... from the ti I could rember, he never did a decent thing. When I think about it, my teeth itch with rage. I swear I could tear him apart and eat him. Ever since I got married, I never planned to have anything to do with him again. It was as if I didn’t have such a brother. Especially these last two years, when we got a little money, I’ve been even more afraid that he would co and curse us. I didn’t dare tell him about your marriage to Yuhuai. I was afraid he would harm you both..."
She choked up, then continued, "A person like him, going to Hell, wouldn’t have the face to et our parents. His death is a relief to ; I don’t have to live in fear anymore. I should be celebrating, but why does my heart feel so...?"
She started weeping again.
This situation was indeed distressing for Hua Xiaomai. Other than trying to console her, she didn’t know what else she could say. She rubbed her temples in vexation, bowed her head, and thought for a while, "His funeral..."
"The letter took thirty to forty days to arrive; the weather’s been getting warr, so he’s probably already buried. His wife has no money, do you expect she would spend a lot to buy ice and wait for us to return? That woman is no good; our parents are still in our hotown. Mark my words, in a few years, she’ll be remarried! I don’t have the energy to ddle in her business. We have nothing to do with her anymore, let her do as she pleases. I just worry about our two old family hos, I don’t know if she’ll take them too."
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