Chapter 13: A Blizzard Unleashed

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Fan Lihua had been a widow for twenty years, and Old Liu had been interested in her for twenty years. Old Liu often found excuses to get close to Fan Lihua, but she always kept her distance, wary of being tainted by his disreputable reputation. The family might be poor, but their household values had to be upright, and their name had to be respected. She had raised her second son to become a university student, earning some pride in the village, and had even become in-laws with the old village chief—a glory she was determined not to let others share.

Just now, Fan Lihua had been leaning against the door of the small room, eavesdropping. She overheard Old Liu telling her daughter-in-law that he wanted to strengthen his vitality and share his sunset years with her. Her face flushed deeply. Now, hearing her daughter-in-law confide in her son, Fan Lihua could no longer hold back. She stormed inside and started berating Old Liu shamelessly, accusing him of talking nonsense in her home. The next time she saw him, she vowed to confront him openly and see if he still dared to speak recklessly in front of the younger generation.

Having vented her anger, Fan Lihua told Li Tian’er not to treat the old man anymore. With the Little New Year tomorrow, no matter who came, she would refuse treatment. Otherwise, villagers would take advantage, coming empty-handed to exploit her goodwill.

“I understand,” Li Tian’er replied.

Though she felt troubled treating villagers without profit, her charitable heart could not turn away those in need. Shortly after Old Liu left, two more women came seeking treatment for gynecological ailments they had suffered for years. Behind closed doors, they shared intimate details of their married life, making Li Tian’er blush and her heart race. She then gave them effective medicine to take home for topical and oral use.

In the northern countryside, the Little New Year marked the official countdown to the Spring Festival. Fan Lihua was preparing to buy New Year goods but hadn’t left the house. After waiting half a day and seeing her second son, she still couldn’t get through to him, so she asked for money.

“The holiday is a time to spend. Everyone should at least buy a new pair of socks if not a whole new outfit. The reunion dinner doesn’t need lavish dishes; a warm meal is the best.”

Chen Yunchao had sent money home this month. When his mother asked, he found he didn’t have much on him. After searching his pockets, he handed Fan Lihua fifty yuan.

“How much do you earn? A few days ago, you sent eighty yuan, which I lent to your eldest aunt. You should have been officially hired and gotten a raise by now, right?”

“Not much even after regularization. I send eighty home every month; the rest barely covers my meals. If I want to buy a book, I have to write articles for the radio station to earn some extra fees. This fifty is the holiday bonus from work. I was planning to save it to buy a tracksuit since my colleagues often play basketball in spring, and I’m the only one still in work clothes.”

Chen Yunchao felt misunderstood by his mother.

Fan Lihua pinched the fifty yuan, feeling it was too little. Traveling to the county to buy New Year goods would cost at least a couple of hundred, or she’d lose money just on the trip. She looked at Li Tian’er, suspecting her son had already given money to his wife.

Li Tian’er pretended not to notice, rubbing a bottle of medicated oil on her ankle. She realized clearly that this family had nothing to do with her; she was nothing more than a free housekeeper cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes, earning only her meals and a place to sleep.

Fan Lihua left quietly.

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Li Tian’er put down the medicated oil and slipped back under the covers.

Having experienced the benefits of feigning illness and receiving respect these past few days, she resolved never to work in the fields again.

After breakfast, Fan Lihua and a few old friends went to the village entrance to catch the long-distance bus to the county to buy New Year goods. Soon, snowflakes began to fall, drifting down heavily for half a day. By evening, the humble houses and courtyards of Xiaowu Village, just revealed in their true form, were now covered in a silver cloak.

The village only had four long-distance buses per day. Before leaving, Fan Lihua asked her second son to meet her at the village station in the evening.

The village station was merely a name—there was no shelter, no platform, not even a place to escape the snow. The Xiaowu Village sign was covered with snow, the characters completely obscured.

Chen Yunchao stood in front of the sign, stamping his feet to keep warm.

A large bus approached slowly. Before stopping at the station, several women, carrying bags of various sizes on their shoulders and in their hands, disembarked in single file, calling to each other as they walked toward the village.

Seeing his mother standing there looking around, Chen Yunchao immediately ran over to her.

Snow still fluttered from the sky. Chen Yunchao’s eyesight was poor; stepping unevenly on the snow that reached above his shoes, he suddenly slipped and fell. He landed on his backside, legs flying up, then tumbled once more in the snow.

“Ouch…”

He seemed to hear the sound of a bone breaking and cried out in pain.

“What’s wrong with Yunchao… my son!” Fan Lihua, terrified, dropped the two bags of New Year goods she was carrying and helped Chen Yunchao up, anxiously asking how he was.

“Mom, my arm’s broken. Help me call someone to carry me home. Ask Old Ma to come; he knows how to handle fractures and has splints.”

“All right, wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

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Fan Lihua dared not overestimate her strength. The village entrance was about a hundred or two hundred meters from her home, and she was weak. There was no way she could carry her son back alone, especially with two large bags of goods in hand.

Rushing into the village entrance, Fan Lihua fretted, unsure who to ask for help.

At this time, every household was preparing for the Little New Year dinner. Finding help on a snowy day was difficult. She could only go back and call her youngest son. But then she remembered his arm had only recently healed and couldn’t bear weight yet.

“What to do?” she muttered to herself, glancing back toward the village entrance. The sky was already dimming, and Chen Yunchao was nowhere to be seen. Panic rising, she thought about calling Old Ma to help but worried he might refuse. She had been rude to him yesterday, and his stubborn temperament surely held a grudge.

Better to call her eldest son. Though a bit dull-witted, he was strong.

Fan Lihua ran home and pounded on the door, telling Chen Haichao that his second brother had fallen at the village entrance and broken his arm. She then went to the south room to find the eldest son, who was playing cards and building houses, asking him to come out with her.

Chen Jiangchao loved going out and happily jumped down from the kang (heated brick bed) without bothering to put on his cotton clothes, running straight into the yard. Seeing him dressed only in thin clothes stepping into the snow, Fan Lihua anxiously caught him and pulled him back inside to put on a coat.

Outside, in the main room, Fan Lihua’s urgent calls echoed. Li Tian’er heard and realized Chen Yunchao was in trouble. She got out of bed, put on her shoes, and opened the door just in time to see Fan Lihua pulling Chen Jiangchao out. Chen Haichao also wrapped himself in a worn padded coat and followed them out.

A fractured person should not be moved carelessly; if the bones shifted, it would be difficult to set them properly again.

Li Tian’er hurriedly gathered the necessary items and grabbed a wool blanket from the kang, stepping out into the swirling snow.

(Wisdom House Chinese, no pop-ups, timely updates)