Mr. Su's Love Investigation Report
Chapter 187: Returned

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Returned

Taking a two yuan farm vehicle ride from the village to the town, she then carried the vegetables to the market to find a stall to sell them at.

Grandma didn’t need to shout out; people came one after another to buy vegetables. The vegetables were sold by the handful, while sweet potatoes and potatoes were sold individually, with no need for weighing. The way money exchanged hands was particularly magical: people gave Grandma money, and she allowed them to pick out their own change with practiced ease. It seemed that was her usual method.

Tu Hengsha curiously asked the neighboring vegetable sellers, and they laughed, "We’re all villagers, who would take advantage of an old lady? Besides, there are so many of us watching over here, nothing will go wrong!"

Her load of vegetables was all sold out by midday. She caught another farm vehicle back home. Grandma had her help count the day’s earnings. After deducting the transport costs, they’d made several tens of yuan. She neatly wrapped two twenty-yuan notes and one ten-yuan note into a fifty-yuan bundle for Grandma, leaving the rest of the change in small bills to the side.

Grandma somehow produced a handkerchief bundle, unwinding its layers to reveal yet another stack of change. She added that fifty to the money and handed it over to her, "Together, that’s exactly one hundred, take it."

"For... for me?" Tu Hengsha didn’t react at first.

"It’s your first time back to your hometown, it’s for you!"

"..." Tu Hengsha smiled, and raising her voice for Grandma’s ears, she shouted, "Grandma, I’m not a child anymore!"

"But you have to take it! That’s only proper!"

Tu Hengsha did not argue with Grandma, planning to give it back to her before she left.

An old lady who had been widowed for eighteen years suddenly hosting a young girl at her home aroused much curiosity in the village, and by afternoon people came in twos and threes to snoop around.

Tu Hengsha talked with them, taking the opportunity to learn about Grandma’s life. Conversations opened up with everyone chipping in.

"The old lady is still fairly vigorous, working every day, always busy. If you try to stop her from working, she wouldn’t be happy."

Someone saw her holding a handful of money and asked, "Did Grandma give that to you?"

She nodded.

A keen-eyed elder spoke up, "The elder gave it to you, you should take it! That’s when she’ll be happy. If you don’t take it, she won’t be, you see!"

Was that really the case? Tu Hengsha remembered her earlier thoughts and smiled.

"Don’t laugh, it’s true!"

"How are things going for everyone now?" Tu Hengsha looked at these people, her gaze flickering away, uncertain if among them were families of the workers who followed her father to work and then died of diseases. Did they blame her father?

Someone sighed, "We’re all doing okay..."

Others consoled her, "Don’t blame your dad, he did it for everyone’s good! No one knew about the disease, and your dad gave up the latter half of his life for it..."

At that point, someone elbowed the speaker, and the topic was quickly changed, "We’re all good now. The village gives out some subsidies each month, just two or three hundred yuan, but it helps. There are charities too that donated money and built Hope Schools. We have both primary and middle schools, built over a decade ago, spacious and bright, making it convenient for the kids to get to school!"

"Right! If you’ve got hands and feet and work hard, life can be good!"

Grandma, who had been silent at the side, must have overheard a piece of the conversation because she suddenly joined in, "How else can we live if not properly? If someone’s gone, the living can’t just follow them to the grave. Life must go on day by day, even if just to endure, we must live..."

People quietly told her, "In the beginning, your grandma also had a hard time. She stayed in the house crying all day long. Later, when your grandpa became paralyzed and broken down, that’s when your grandma started to go out and work again."

After talking for the whole afternoon, as evening approached, everyone went back to cook. Tu Hengsha helped Grandma to make dinner, then brought the meal to her grandpa’s bedside. Grandpa was awake and knew who she was, but he didn’t like to talk much. He just nodded at her, wanting to stroke her hair, but as if fearing she might find him dirty, he retracted his hand halfway.

Tu Hengsha sighed quietly, sat down by the bed, and spoon-fed Grandpa.

Grandpa looked touched beyond words, tears welling up in his eyes, "Girl... you... you’re feeding me?"

Tu Hengsha’s heart ached, "Yes, I’m feeding you. Please eat..."

Grandpa opened his mouth, his whole chin trembling...

When Grandma came in and saw this scene, her eyes also shimmered with tears.

At night, after Grandpa went to sleep, Tu Hengsha and Grandma chatted idly. To call it chatting was to overstate it; Tu Hengsha almost had to shout. She wanted to ask Grandma if she was willing to go with her to live in the city.

Although they had only met this once, she seemed to be born with the inclination to take on burdens, always feeling that she couldn’t abandon her responsibilities.

Grandma shook her head repeatedly, adamantly refusing, "No, no! I don’t know my way around the city; how would I live? Your grandpa is also not convenient. I’m fine right here! With the mountains and rivers, it’s all I’m used to. Planting crops, raising chickens, I’m content!"

"Then... I’ll take you to get your eyes treated!"

Grandma still shook her head, "I’ve been treated! Been to the big hospitals in the county too! It can’t be cured! I don’t want treatment anymore! It’s not that I can’t see, just that I can’t see clearly!"

No matter how Tu Hengsha persuaded, Grandma was unwilling to get her eyes checked, no matter how Tu Hengsha persuaded, Grandma was unwilling to see the doctor, even less willing to move out and live with Tu Hengsha. That night, however, Grandma couldn’t sleep all night. With sighs and mutterings to herself, she reminisced, "I’ve been to the city over twenty years ago..."

Tu Hengsha turned on her phone only after three days in the countryside. As soon as she did, it vibrated non-stop with all the missed calls and message notifications. Most were from Mom and him, Yueyue also sent several asking where she was and inviting her to play at the courtyard, Hao Ren asked why she suddenly took leave, and Chen Qi also sent a message saying her holiday was over and to come back to work if she wasn’t going to extend it...

She looked at what needed to be seen and ignored what could be ignored. Indeed, it was time for her to go back. She couldn’t hide in her hometown like a shrinking turtle forever.

Early in the morning, she watched Grandma, who had poor vision, move about the house with adeptness. Grandma, old and hunched, seemed to have endless strength. Tu Hengsha felt that perhaps the tenacity was in her bones too, just as Grandma said, life must go on, the wheels of life roll forward forever.

She helped Grandma finish the morning chores and then said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa, officially starting her journey home.

She left at dawn, and she returned at sunset.

That night, she came back to her home at Hongliu Primary School.

She had already called Mom, so when she got home, the house was filled with light and the fragrance of cooking.

She said, "Mom, I’m back."

I, Tu Hengsha, am back.

That night, mother and daughter talked under the same quilt. Tu Hengsha spoke about the things in the countryside, about Grandma and Grandpa, but Shu Hui didn’t seem very interested until Tu Hengsha brought up the idea of bringing Grandma and Grandpa to live with them. Shu Hui then chimed in, clearly displeased, "Why should they come here? We have no obligation to support them!"

"Mom!" Tu Hengsha couldn’t believe her mother would say such a thing, in her heart, her mother was gentle and kind, wasn’t she?